Publication/Presentation Date
1-8-2021
Abstract
Introduction Homeless youth are a vulnerable population. A volunteer clinic supported by medical students in northeastern Pennsylvania provides shelter and healthcare to adolescents seeking refuge. We set out to determine the immunization status of youth in the shelter and evaluate for associations of immunization deficiency with demographics or biopsychosocial factors. Methods After IRB approval, a retrospective cohort study was performed from existing clinical records at the shelter 2/2015-9/2019. Chart abstraction included variables such as demographics (including age, sex, and race/ethnicity), biopsychosocial factors (including childhood trauma/abuse history, substance abuse history, and sexual activity), and immunization history. Results A total of 440 charts were analyzed. When comparing demographics of patients that had complete vaccine regimens versus those who did not, the race was statistically significant (p=.006). The most prominent difference in race was seen for Black/African American patients; only 19.57% had a completed vaccine regimen documented. Regarding immunization history, vaccine schedules of hepatitis B, measles mumps rubella (MMR), inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), and varicella were most likely to be complete; pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) 13, rotavirus, influenza, and human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) were least likely. There was no association found between a completed vaccine regimen and biopsychosocial variables. A larger portion of females (37.35%) completed the HPV vaccine compared to males (23.14%) (p=.009). Conclusions In this single-site study, this vulnerable, at-risk population of sheltered adolescents lacked the vaccinations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Racial disparities further compounded this vulnerability for Black/African American teens. Additionally, a significantly greater number of female patients received the HPV vaccine compared to males.
Volume
13
Issue
1
First Page
12575
Last Page
12575
ISSN
2168-8184
Published In/Presented At
Zemanek, C. E., Liu, N., Sablak, C. H., Gaudet, B. A., Jarvill, T. L., Kayne, A. N., Downen, J. M., Kincaid, H., Smith, A. B., Barraco, R. D., Cuadrado, H. M., & Greenberg, M. R. (2021). Relationship Between Vaccination Status and Biopsychosocial Characteristics in Sheltered Adolescents. Cureus, 13(1), e12575. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.12575
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Public Health
PubMedID
33575140
Peer Reviewed for front end display
Peer-Reviewed
Department(s)
Department of Education, Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty, Department of Surgery, Department of Surgery Faculty, Network Office of Research and Innovation, USF-LVHN SELECT Program, USF-LVHN SELECT Program Faculty, USF-LVHN SELECT Program Students
Document Type
Article