Influenza Vaccination Status and Attitudes Among Restaurant Employees

Details

• Personal Author:
  Allen CL ; Graves MC ; Hammerback K ; Hannon PA ; Harris JR ; Parrish AT
• Description:
  Context: Restaurant employees represent a substantial portion of the US workforce, interact closely with the public, and are at risk for contracting influenza, yet their influenza vaccination rates and attitudes are unknown. Objective: Assess influenza vaccination rates and attitudes among Seattle restaurant employees, to identify factors that could enhance the success of a restaurant-based vaccination program. Design: In 2012, we invited employees of Seattle restaurants to complete an anonymous paper survey assessing participant demographics, previous influenza vaccination status, and personal attitudes toward influenza vaccination (using a 5-point scale). Setting: Sit-down, full service restaurants in or near Seattle, Washington, were eligible if they had no previous history of offering worksite influenza vaccinations and had more than 20 employees who were older than 18 years and spoke either English or Spanish. Participants: We invited staff in all restaurant positions (servers, bussers, kitchen staff, chefs, managers, etc) to complete the survey, which was available in English and Spanish. Results: Of 428 restaurant employees surveyed, 26% reported receiving the seasonal influenza vaccine in 2011-2012 (response rate = 74%). Across 8 attitude statements, participants were most likely to agree that the vaccine is not too expensive (89%), and least likely to agree that it is relevant for their age group (25%), or normative at their workplace (13%). Vaccinated participants reported significantly more positive attitudes than unvaccinated participants, and Hispanics reported significantly more positive attitudes than non-Hispanic whites. Conclusions: Increasing influenza vaccination rates among restaurant employees could protect a substantial portion of the US workforce, and the public, from influenza. Seattle restaurant employees have low vaccination rates against seasonal influenza. Interventions aimed at increasing vaccination among restaurant employees should highlight the vaccine's relevance and effectiveness for working-age adults. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Food Handling Food Industry Influenza, Human Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Attitudes Disease Prevention Food Handlers Food Services Health Knowledge Immunizations Influenza Influenza Vaccines Practice Restaurants Vaccination Vaccines Worker Health

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• ISSN:
  1078-4659
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  21
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055314
• Citation:
  J Public Health Manag Pract 2015 May; 21(3):E10-E15
• Contact Point Address:
  Amanda T. Parrish, MA, Health Promotion Research Center, Department of Health Services, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 1107 NE 45th St, Ste 200, Seattle, WA 98105
• Email:
  parrisha@uw.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Public Health Management and Practice
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fc194714aa873bb0ae12bec99c51580140dc5a05bc4f859e25005955cdb75c7e4168b30d62ff16ccb838cf3ce59137ea403e10f9bb2ea61b4c87d8117f38fb38
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217650/cdc_217650_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 309.31 KB ]