The Swine Flu Immunization Program

Abstract

The swine flu immunization program was a massive, government-sponsored effort in response to the threat of an expected epidemic. This program was surrounded by a great deal of controversy and uncertainty, and when the program ended only about one-third of the national target population had been immunized. Using the orienting framework of the Health Belief Model, this survey compares a sample of recipients with nonrecipients (n = 235). Inoculation is strongly and apparently non-spuriously associated with whether one's family, friends, and other peers have been inoculated. This personal influence does not act by increasing one's perceived risk of an epidemic. Perceived risk acts independently to increase the likelihood of inoculation. As in most preventive health behavior, SES is positively related to participation although not strongly. Married respondents are also more likely to receive a shot. The following factors apparently play no significant role in this sample: advice of physician, fear generated by the media, skepticism about the government's role in the campaign, and selected measures of personality characteristics.