Trust in vaccines remains mostly high among people aged 50 to 70, yet understanding about vaccination is “concerningly” low among those from ethnically diverse backgrounds, research has warned.
The Royal Society for Public Health, which commissioned the poll of 1,508 adults aged 50-70, has argued as a result that more needs to be done to reach under-served communities and to raise awareness about the risks posed by infectious respiratory illnesses, including via workplaces.
Overall, trust remained high, with 86% of people aged 50-70 agreeing that vaccines are important to their health. However, only 67% of those from diverse ethnic backgrounds (non-white) said they knew how vaccines work.
The survey found that just 37% of people aged 50-70 are concerned about the flu, while just under half 49% are concerned about bacterial pneumonia.
A similar low percentage (46%) of people are concerned about respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), despite the fact this can cause pneumonia and exacerbate chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).
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While, arguably, these findings could indicate people feeling they can trust vaccines to protect them, they also potentially showed a worrying complacency about the risks these diseases still pose.
Infectious diseases remain a considerable risk for adults and older people, with flu and pneumonia alone, for example, responsible for 8% of all deaths in people over the age of 65, the RSPH highlighted.
When offered a vaccine, more than two-thirds (68%) of those polled said they would prioritise the safety of the vaccine as a key consideration.
The report emphasised that understanding public attitudes to vaccinations and illnesses is essential to design effective vaccination programmes that reach as many people as possible.
Such programmes should use multiple channels and communication strategies for reaching people in the 50-to-70-year-old age bracket, with a particular focus on under-served communities.
The RSPH also called for vaccines to be made more accessible to the public through settings such as the workplace – with time off made available for employees to receive vaccinations.
It also highlighted the important role that those working with or supporting older people can play.
The publication of the report has come against a backdrop of declining flu vaccine uptake and concerns from health leaders about the spread of vaccine misinformation, the society warned.
The NHS autumn vaccine rollout begins next month, with appointments available from 23 September.
William Roberts, RSPH chief executive, said: “Vaccines are one of the biggest success stories when it comes to preventative public health policy. They save millions of lives around the world every year, but their success is wholly contingent on continued uptake.
“While it is encouraging to see that overall trust in vaccines remains high, we still have a lot of work to do – particularly when it comes to reaching under-served communities. Vaccines are a key part of tackling health inequalities.
“The most effective public health interventions build trust and bring services to where people are. Whether it’s through the workplace or our friends and carers, we can all play a role in making sure that the public have accessible information about the effectiveness of vaccines.
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“We would urge all those who are responsible for designing vaccination programmes to engage with the findings of the report,” Roberts added.
The survey was funded by vaccines’ firm Moderna but the RSPH stressed it had no editorial input into its content.
