Research: Pharmacy-driven flu shots boost vaccination rates among millennials

PHILADELPHIA - The availability of influenza vaccinations at the neighborhood pharmacy has boosted vaccination rates among millennials, according to research recently published in the American Journal of Public Health.

The authors found that increased adoption rates followed states allowing pharmacists to administer the vaccine.

"Younger adults’ vaccination rates steadily increased from 12% to 16% in 1993 to 29% to 36% in 2013," noted lead author Grace Chun, a PharmD Candidate in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administration, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. "Key features of pharmacy-based vaccination, including relative advantage and compatibility, are most relevant to younger adults [whereas] different interventions are warranted for older adults."