Improving vaccination uptake among adolescents (Review)

Article type
Authors
Abdullahi L1, Kagina B1, Ndze V2, Hussey G1, Wiysonge C3
1Vaccines for Africa Initiative, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town
2Centre for Evidence-based Health Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University
3Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town
Abstract
Background:Adolescent vaccination has received increased attention since the Global Vaccine Action Plan's call to extend the benefits of immunisation more equitably beyond childhood.

Objectives:To evaluate the effects of interventions to improve vaccine uptake among adolescents

Methods:In October 2018, we searched the following databases: CENTRAL, MEDLINE Ovid, Embase Ovid, and eight other databases. In addition, we searched two clinical trials platforms, electronic databases of grey literature, and reference lists of relevant articles. For related systematic reviews, we searched four databases. Furthermore, in May 2019, we performed a citation search of five other websites. Randomised trials, non-randomised trials, controlled before-after studies, and interrupted time series studies of adolescents (girls or boys aged 10 to 19 years) eligible for World Health Organization-recommended vaccines and their parents or healthcare providers.
Data collection and analysis: Two review authors independently screened records, reviewed full-text articles to identify potentially eligible studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias, resolving discrepancies by consensus. For each included study, we calculated risk ratios (RR) or mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) where appropriate. We pooled study results using random-effects meta-analyses and assessed the certainty of the evidence using GRADE.

Results:We included 16 studies (eight individually randomised trials, four cluster randomised trials, three non-randomised trials, and one controlled before-after study). Twelve studies were conducted in the USA, while there was one study each from: Australia, Sweden,Tanzania, and the UK. We categorised interventions as recipient-oriented, provider-oriented, or health systems-oriented. The interventions targeted adolescent boys or girls or both (seven studies), parents (four studies), and providers (two studies). Five studies had mixed participants that included adolescents and parents, adolescents and healthcare providers, and parents and healthcare providers. The outcomes included uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) (11 studies); hepatitis B (three studies); and tetanus–diphtheria– acellular–pertussis (Tdap), meningococcal, HPV, and influenza (three studies) vaccines among adolescents.
Conclusions:Various strategies have been evaluated to improve adolescent vaccination; health education, financial incentives, mandatory vaccination, and class-based school vaccine delivery. However, most of the evidence is of low to moderate certainty. This implies that while this research provides some indication of the likely effect of these interventions, the likelihood that the effects will be substantially different is high. Therefore, additional research is needed to further enhance adolescent immunisation strategies, especially in low- and middle-income countries where there are limited programmes

Patient or healthcare consumer involvement:adolescents and their parents and community