Improving Adult Vaccination Rates, Health Outcomes Globally

Nearly 44 percent of adults ranked staying up to date on vaccines as important before the COVID-19 pandemic, rising to 65 percent after the pandemic, according to a new survey by Kantar on behalf of GSK. 

Researchers surveyed 16,000 adults 50 years of age and older across eight countries, including the US, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Brazil, Canada, and Japan, on their attitudes towards health and aging.

In the survey, eight out of ten adults reported that they received a COVID-19 vaccination. 

While just 19.8 percent of participants believed they were up to date on recommended vaccines for adults. And across all countries, adults stated that they want better and clearer information on necessary vaccines. 

Specifically, adults in Spain, France, and Japan want to learn more about potential vaccine side effects. 

“By the end of this decade the number of people aged 60 years and older is expected to increase by more than a third, to 1.4 billion people worldwide,” Francesca Ceddia, head of global medical affairs at GSK, said in the announcement.

“If adult vaccination coverage rates don’t improve, we could see an increase in death and suffering caused by infectious disease in adults,” Ceddia continued. 

Adult vaccination rates can be significantly improved with clearer, more consistent information, reminders about when vaccinations are due, and more conveniently located vaccination centers, researchers expressed. 

Additionally, good health was notably more important to adults 50 and older (94 percent) than financial security (46 percent) or having an active family life (43 percent) for their quality of life over the next ten years. 

Half of the participants (50 percent) stated that immune systems begin to weaken between 50 and 60. But only 20 percent surveyed said that they felt “old age” begins at the same time. 

These facts demonstrate that people are aware of the vulnerability of the immune system at specific ages and may be able to apply that awareness to their own situation.

Overall, shifting the conversation to the immune system may remove barriers presented by perceptions of “old age,” leading to more impactful conversations about vaccination and healthy aging going forward, researchers stated.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has helped to create a higher collective awareness about the vulnerability of our immune system and the very real benefits of vaccination. Most importantly, we have gained valuable insights into adults 50 and older and the information they are looking for and the barriers that should be overcome. Now it is on us in the public health space to listen and take action accordingly,” Ceddia concluded.