Vaccine adherence among adult cancer survivors in the United States

Adults with cancer are at risk for complications from vaccine-preventable diseases, yet vaccine adherence in this population remains poorly characterized. This cross-sectional study used the National Health Interview Survey 2019 to 2023 to examine trends in influenza, pneumococcal, and shingles vaccines among adults aged ≥50 years with cancer. Of the 6,533 respondents included, only 30.6% (95% confidence interval [CI; 29.3%, 31.9%]) reported receiving all three recommended vaccines. Factors associated with lower vaccination adherence included younger age (odds ratio [OR] comparing ages ≥75 to 50 to 64 years 5.39; 95% CI [4.70, 6.18]), male sex (OR 0.81; 95% CI [0.73, 0.90]), Black (OR 0.59; 95% CI [0.47, 0.73]) or Hispanic race/ethnicity (OR 0.69; 95% CI [0.52, 0.92]), Medicaid insurance (OR 0.79; 95% CI [0.65, 0.96]), and lower educational attainment (OR 0.65; 95% CI [0.58, 0.73]). Preventable disease vaccination remains subpar in the adult cancer population, and further efforts including targeted interventions are necessary to improve preventative health efforts in these patients.