COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage Disparities in Rural and Farm Children

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alicea, Gabriella ; Berg, Richard L. ; Sundaram, Maria E. ; VanWormer, Jeffrey J. ; Weichelt, Bryan P.
• Description:
  Background: The risks of severe outcomes associated with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) are elevated in unvaccinated individuals. It remains crucial to understand patterns of COVID-19 vaccination, particularly in younger and remote populations where coverage often lags. This study examined disparities in COVID-19 vaccine coverage in farm children and adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted in patients of the Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) in Wisconsin. The sample included children/adolescents age 5-17 years who were eligible for COVID-19 vaccine initiation for ≥ 90 days (as of September 30, 2022), stratified by those who lived vs did not live on a farm. Outcomes included COVID-19 vaccine initiation, series completion, and booster receipt. Multivariable regression was used to examine associations between COVID-19 vaccination and farm, as well as rural and non-rural, residence. Results: There were 47,104 individuals (5% farm residents) in the sample. Overall, 33% of participants initiated and 31% completed the COVID-19 vaccine series. After adjustment, farm residence was associated with significantly lower odds of COVID-19 vaccine initiation (aOR [95% CI] = 0.68 [0.61, 0.75], p < 0.001), series completion (aOR = 0.67 [0.60, 0.75], p < 0.001), and booster receipt (aOR = 0.73 [0.61, 0.88], p = 0.001). Secondary analyses found COVID-19 vaccine coverage was lowest in young children who lived on dairy farms. Conclusions: COVID-19 vaccine coverage is low in north-central Wisconsin children and adolescents. Those who live on farms have significantly lower likelihood of COVID-19 vaccine initiation, series completion, and booster receipt compared to non-farm counterparts. Farm families are an underserved group and require more effective public health interventions designed to prevent COVID-19. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Communicable Diseases Farmers Occupational Health Public Health Safety Virus Diseases
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Author Keywords: Rural Children COVID-19 Cross Sectional Studies Farm Farm Workers Public Health Vaccination Vaccines
• ISSN:
  0264-410X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 5 ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  8 pdf pages
• Volume:
  41
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066903
• Citation:
  Vaccine 2023 Jan; 41(1):68-75
• Contact Point Address:
  Jeffrey J. VanWormer, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute 1000 North Oak Ave, Marshfield, WI 54449, USA
• Email:
  vanwormer.jeffrey@marshfieldresearch.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20080930
• Source Full Name:
  Vaccine
• End Date:
  20250929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0e784b007e256c635a5ad4f5f6b6ad787d3cbbf8acc0b56e04f5cb7aad3e8ff1f6fa68fbeefc1c4db7565dd5ba11448ea3be50dce0cb06ae870b7d70a8b5b192
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230634/cdc_230634_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.00 MB ]