Blacks 15% Less Likes to Get Proper Vaccinations in Nursing Homes

From Health Day News – A new study in the American Journal of Public Health finds racial disparity in vaccination rates among U.S. nursing-home residents. Blacks were 13 percent to 15 percent less likely to get vaccinated than whites.

Researchers analyzed a 2004 survey of 11,448 white and 1,174 black nursing-home residents. Overall, the vaccination rate was 76.2 percent for influenza and 48.5 percent for pneumococcal infections. Blacks had a 13 percent lower vaccination rate for influenza than whites and 15 percent lower for the pneumococcal vaccine.

The researchers write that “our findings suggest that targeted programs addressing racial disparities in immunization rates in nursing homes are warranted.”