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Influenza vaccination: Impact on certificated school staff absenteeism
Abstract
Influenza is an acute viral respiratory disease causing aches, headache, fever, coughing and general malaise. Employment suffers as individuals with influenza can miss several work days or suffer loss of productivity in the work place. Influenza is often carried by children and passed from person-to-person. School personnel that come in daily contact with many children are at risk for greater exposure to influenza. Immunization against influenza is available and currently recommended for individuals who are medically at-risk for complications resulting from influenza. The null hypotheses of this study predicted that school employees in four work environments; (a) elementary, (b) middle school, (c) high school, and (d) non-daily student contact positions, who were vaccinated against influenza would experience no fewer loss of work days than their non-vaccinated peers. A retrospective survey of employees was performed in a suburban school district. Employees were asked if they had received an influenza vaccination in the prior influenza season. 61.5% of the district's certificated staff responded. A review of the attendance rates of staff members vaccinated against influenza versus those not vaccinated against influenza yielded no statistically significant differences. The findings of this study suggest that during the 1995-1996 influenza season, vaccination against influenza did not decrease the loss of work days due to personal illness. It was not possible to predict that a work-based vaccination program would result in significant cost savings for a school district.
Subject Area
School administration|Public health
Recommended Citation
Spurzem, Candace Wang, "Influenza vaccination: Impact on certificated school staff absenteeism" (1996). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9712529.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9712529