School health professional's attitudes about school-located vaccination for influenza

Background: School health professionals' attitudes toward school-located vaccination for influenza (SLV-I) are unknown. This study examines their attitudes about SLV-I and identifies factors associated with SLV-I support. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 1,172 public schools was selected using stratified, simple random sampling. The school health professional from each selected school was asked to complete a survey designed to assess his or her attitudes about SLV-I and experience with school-located vaccination (SLV). The survey focused on routine SLV-I, but included a question about the appropriateness of pandemic SLV-I. Bivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess associations with support for routine SLV-I (á=0.05), as measured by principal component analysis on a group of correlated questions. Results: School health professionals from 837 schools (71.4%) completed the survey; most (76.5%) were school nurses. The majority believed that both routine and pandemic SLV-I was appropriate (63.1% and 81.9%, respectively). About half (55.2%) reported previous experience with SLV. Support for routine SLV-I was significantly associated with having previous SLV experience, and believing that influenza can be serious and that vaccination is important for school-aged children. Believing that school staff do not have adequate time to dedicate to SLV-I and that billing parents for SLV-I services is inappropriate were significantly associated with lack of support. Conclusions: School health professionals, particularly those with previous experience, generally believe that both routine and pandemic SLV-I are appropriate. Addressing concerns about challenges of routine SLV-I may improve support and contribute to SLV-I program sustainability.