Vaccinal status of the adult french population

Objective: The aim of the study was to describe the vaccinal status of adult French patients consulting general practitioners and to identify the reasons justifying the absence and/or the delay of a booster injection from both patient and physician's point of view. Methodology: A cross sectional epidemiological study was made on the first 3 patients consulting for vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus, and poliomyelitis. Results: Six thousand and two hundred sixty nine patients, 44 15 years of age, were included in the study by 2,122 general practitioners, a representative sample 90,5%, 94,4%, and 92,6% of their patients had been vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and poliomyelitis but only 58,4%, 66,1%, and 63,4% had received the required booster injection. This means that 40% of the adult French population is not properly protected. This situation appears essentially linked to negligence rather than to reluctance: only 3,6% of the patients were really reluctant. The low coverage rate was greater among underprivileged classes and the elderly. Conclusion: These results show the limits of prevention campaigns and underline the necessity of a better involvement of occupational medicine and general practitioners. (C) 2002 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.