Denominators for estimation of influenza vaccine coverage among high risk persons aged 15 to 64 years

Purpose: To propose and demonstrate a method for the estimation of the denominators required for the calculation of vaccine coverage for persons aged 15 to 64 years who are recommended to receive influenza vaccine. Methods: The age-sex-specific proportions of persons aged 15 to 64 years who self reported having relevant chronic health conditions were estimated from Cycle 6 of the General Social Survey, and applied to 1996 Alberta census estimates to calculate a denominator for the calculation of vaccine coverage for Alberta for 1996. Results: For the province of Alberta for 1996, it was estimated that about 281,000 persons aged 15 to 64 had a health condition that was an indication for influenza vaccination. Conclusion: The application of age-sex-specific Canadian proportions to provincial census data will provide denominators for the estimation and comparison of vaccine coverage among high risk adults from year to year.