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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Increase the proportion of people who get the flu vaccine every year — IID‑09 Data Methodology and Measurement

This objective is a Leading Health Indicator (LHI). Learn about LHIs.

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Source:  National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), CDC/NCHS

Baseline: 51.6 percent of persons aged 6 months and over were vaccinated against seasonal influenza for the flu season 2019-20

Target: 70.0 percent

Numerator
Number of noninstitutionalized persons aged 6 months and over reported to be vaccinated with influenza vaccine within the past influenza season.
Denominator
Number of noninstitutionalized persons aged 6 months and over at the time of the household interview, for months of interview relevant for each influenza season.
Target-setting method
Maintain consistency with national programs, regulations, policies, or laws
Target-setting method justification
The target was selected to align with Vaccines for Children, Section 1928 of the Social Security Act, Section 317 of the Public Health Service Act, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Vaccine Recommendations immunization schedule for children and adults, Immunization Program Operations Manual, and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee Standards for Adult Immunization which used a target-setting method of trend analysis over 13 influenza seasons, conducted separately for children and adults, which indicated the 70 percent target was reasonable for both age groups.

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source page linked above.)

From the 2018 National Health Interview Survey - Sample Child:

Numerator:
DURING THE PAST 12 MONTHS, has {SC name} had a flu vaccination? A flu vaccination is usually given in the fall and protects against influenza for the flu season.
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
During what month and year did {S.C. name} receive {fill: his/her} most recent flu vaccine?
  1. January
  2. February
  3. March
  4. April
  5. May
  6. June
  7. July
  8. August
  9. September
  10. October
  11. November
  12. December
  13. Refused
  14. Don't know
Enter year of most recent flu vaccine.

From the 2018 National Health Interview Survey - Sample Adult:

DURING THE PAST 12 MONTHS, have you had a flu vaccination? A flu vaccination is usually given in the fall and protects against influenza for the flu season.
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
During what month and year did you receive your most recent flu vaccination?
  1. January
  2. February
  3. March
  4. April
  5. May
  6. June
  7. July
  8. August
  9. September
  10. October
  11. November
  12. December
  13. Refused
  14. Don't know
Enter year of most recent flu vaccination.

Did you get a flu shot before or during your current pregnancy?

  1. Before this pregnancy
  2. During this pregnancy
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
Earlier you said you were pregnant sometime since August 1st, [last year]. Did you get a flu shot before, during or after this pregnancy?/ Earlier you said you were pregnant sometime between August [last year] and March [current year]. Did you get a flu shot before, during or after this pregnancy?/ Earlier you said you were pregnant sometime between August [last year] and March [current year]. Did you get a flu shot before, during or after this pregnancy?
  1. Before this pregnancy
  2. During this pregnancy
  3. After this pregnancy
  4. Refused
  5. Don't know
Denominator:
Are you currently pregnant?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
Were you pregnant any time since August 1st, [fill: LAST YEAR]?/Were you pregnant any time from August [fill: LAST YEAR] through March [fill: CURYEAR]?/Were you pregnant any time since August 1st, [fill: CURYEAR]?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
Healthcare personnel: Do you currently volunteer or work in a hospital, medical clinic, doctor's office, dentist's office, nursing home or some other health-care facility? This includes emergency responders and public safety personnel, part-time and unpaid work in a health care facility as well as professional nursing care provided in the home.
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
Do you provide direct patient care as part of your routine work? By direct patient care we MEAN PHYSICAL OR HANDS ON CONTACT WITH PATIENTS.
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know

Methodology notes

For children, analysis is restricted to interviews completed August through June, and vaccinations received July through May. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis is used to produce the estimates. Vaccination month is imputed when the child was reported to have been vaccinated but was missing the month and/or year of vaccination. For adults, to better assess influenza vaccination coverage for each season, we report coverage restricted to individuals interviewed during August through June, and vaccinated during July through May, using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis procedure. Vaccination month is imputed when the adult was reported to have been vaccinated but is missing the month and/or year of vaccination. For pregnant women, to assess influenza vaccination coverage for each season, reported coverage is restricted to women interviewed during August through July, and vaccinated during July through March, using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis procedure. For women not pregnant at time of interview, follow-up time is estimated by assuming that the pregnancy ended at the mid-point between August 1 and the date of interview. Vaccination month is imputed when the woman was reported to have been vaccinated before or during pregnancy but was missing the month and/or year of vaccination.

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Modified, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 but underwent a change in measurement.
Changes between HP2020 and HP2030
This objective differs from the related Healthy People 2020 objectives in that it is a composite of objectives IID-12.11, IID-12.12, IID-12.13, and IID-12.14, which tracked influenza vaccinations among children aged 6 months to 17 years, noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 years and over, health care personnel, and pregnant women, respectively.