Office-Based Educational Handout for Influenza Vaccination: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of a parent educational intervention about influenza disease on child vaccine receipt. METHODS: A convenience sample of parents of children ≥6 months old with a visit at 2 New York City pediatric clinics between August 2016 and March 2017 were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive either usual care, an educational handout about influenza disease that was based on local data, or an educational handout about influenza disease that was based on national data. Parents received the handout in the waiting room before their visit. Primary outcomes were child influenza vaccine receipt on the day of the clinic visit and by the end of the season. A multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between intervention and vaccination, with adjustment for variables that were significantly different between arms. RESULTS: Parents who received an intervention (versus usual care) had greater odds of child influenza vaccine receipt by the end of the season (74.9% vs 65.4%; adjusted odds ratio 1.68; 95% confidence interval: 1.06–2.67) but not on the day of the clinic visit. Parents who received the national data handout (versus usual care) had greater odds of child influenza vaccine receipt on the day of the clinic visit (59.0% vs 52.6%; adjusted odds ratio 1.79; 95% confidence interval: 1.04–3.08) but not by the end of the season. CONCLUSIONS: Providing an educational intervention in the waiting room before a pediatric provider visit may help increase child influenza vaccine receipt.