Since 1997, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended the 23-valent
pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (
PPSV23) for nonelderly adults with certain medical conditions. In 2008, the Committee added
asthma and cigarette smoking to the list of indications for
PPSV23 vaccination. Using data from the 2009 National Health Interview Survey, the authors assessed
PPSV23 uptake in people with established and new indications. To identify factors independently associated with receiving
PPSV23, they used multivariable logistic regression and predictive marginal analyses. In 2009, a total of 35.2 million adults 18-64 years of age (18.6%) had established
PPSV23 indications; adding
asthma and smoking to the list of indications increased the high-risk population to 71.6 million people (37.9%). Overall, 26.1% of people with established indications for
PPSV23 and 17.4% of people with any indication (those previously established, as well as
asthma and smoking) had received the
vaccine; overall coverage among persons 50-64 years of age was significantly higher than that among persons 18-49 years of age (34.6% vs. 16.7%; P < 0.001) and for all specific indications except
cancer. For persons who had
asthma or who smoked but had no other indications, rates of coverage were 12.3% and 8.5%, respectively. In persons who had established indications, being older, white, and unemployed and having more physician visits, a prior hospitalization, a regular physician, and health insurance were independently associated with
PPSV23 receipt.
PPSV23 uptake varies substantially by age and indication but remains low overall, with approximately 59 million unvaccinated high-risk working-age adults. Effective strategies to increase pneumococcal vaccination coverage among at-risk groups are needed.