(249) Exploring The Impact of Mental Health Conditions on Vaccine Uptake in High-Income Countries

Sunday, August 28, 2022

8:00 AM – 1:45 PM CEST

Location: Hall C

Publication Number: 1294

Presenting Author(s)

Anne M. Suffel, MD, MSc
– Department of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom

Co-Author(s)

Oyinkansola Ojo-Aromokudu
– London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom
Helena Carreira
– Dr, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
Sandra Mounier-Jack
– London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom
David Osborn
– Epidemiology and Applied Clinical Research Department, Division of Psychiatry, University College London (UCL), United Kingdom
Charlotte Warren-Gash
– Associate Professor of Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
Helen McDonald
– Clinical Assistant Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom

Background: Vaccination is an essential public health intervention to reduce morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases. Although being at higher at risk of infectious diseases, health inequalities towards vaccine uptake in people with mental health issues have not been systematically appraised.

Objectives: To systematically summarise, appraise and synthesise whether individuals with mental health issues are more or less likely to receive the recommended vaccines for their age.

Methods: We searched 7 databases from 1994 to 26/03/2021. We included all studies with a relative measure of effect comparing a group with mental health issues to a control group. All different mental health issues as described in ICD-10 were eligible with no constraints to study population, vaccine type or region were eligible as long as based in a high-income country for comparably of health care systems. The study outcomes were synthesised by study population, mental health issue and type of vaccine. A meta-analysis was not conducted due to high heterogeneity across studies.

Results: From 4,069 titles, 23 eligible studies from 12 different countries were identified, focusing on adults with mental health issues (n=13), children with mental health issues (n=4), siblings of children with mental health issues (n=2), and mothers with mental health issues and vaccine uptake in their children (n= 6). Most studies focused on depression (n=12), autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, or alcoholism (n=4 respectively). The findings were heterogeneous, without a trend for different subgroups of the population, age, mental health conditions or types of vaccine. Younger siblings of children with autism were consistently reported to have a lower uptake if vaccinations.

Conclusions: The impact of mental health issues on vaccine uptake differs between underlying population, age and mental health issue. More context specific research is needed focusing more on specific mental health conditions and subgroups of the population in order to understand who is at highest risk to miss vaccination and why.