Examining the Relationship between Vaccine Utilization and Educational Attainment in Southeast Los Angeles
Dhaulakhandi, H., Kodavatikanti, A., Elhaija, A., Alam, U.
Affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Published: April 25, 2024
DOI: http://doi.org/10.58417/QHEX3164
Abstract: The Southeast Los Angeles cities of Maywood and Bell have educational attainment (bachelor’s degree or higher) rates of 8.7% and 8.8%, respectively, alarmingly low rates compared to California’s state average of 37.0% (1,2). We sought to evaluate the relationship between educational attainment and vaccine utilization in Southeast Los Angeles to inform future policies aimed at improving long-term health outcomes. For this study, the International Healthcare Organization (IHO), a 501(c)-3 nonprofit focused on providing multicultural low-income, immigrant, and refugee populations with educational, medical, and mental health services, conducted extensive surveying of the patient population at its mobile community health clinic events at the Maywood YMCA and the Bell Community Health Center (3). The data revealed significant differences in vaccine use between college- and non-college-educated individuals. 68.75% of college-educated respondents reported receiving a COVID-19 booster shot, whereas 56.82% of non-college-educated respondents reported the same. Similarly, college-educated respondents had a 62.5% flu vaccination rate in the 2022 flu season, compared to 47.7% for non-college-educated respondents. The trend of college attendees being more likely to use vaccine services than non-college attendees is corroborated by a longitudinal study of Wisconsin high school graduates. This study determined that college attendance was associated with higher probability of vaccine utilization in general, and increased flu shot usage in particular (4). The authors also indicate that there is causation, rather than simply correlation, between increased college attendance and use of vaccines. Moreover, an empirical assessment of OECD countries for the period 1995–2015 found that well-educated adults have better health relative to adults who are less-educated (5). These results underscore the importance of expanding educational access in underserved communities to improve public health metrics such as vaccination rates. On a broader level, community-based educational interventions led by university-affiliated clinics like IHO, in collaboration with local stakeholders, may serve as effective tools to boost health literacy and vaccine engagement (6).
Amended September 2025
Works Cited
1. Bell city, California [Internet]. United States Census Bureau; 2020 [cited 2024 Feb 6]. Available from: https://data.census.gov/profile/Bell_city,_California?g=160XX00US0604870#education
2. Maywood city, California [Internet]. U.S. Census Bureau; 2020 [cited 2024 Feb 6]. Available from: https://data.census.gov/profile/Maywood_city,_California?g=160XX00US0646492#educ ation
3. International Healthcare Organization [Internet]. [cited 2024 Feb 6]. Available from: https://www.ihealthcareorganization.org/
4. Fletcher JM, Frisvold DE. Higher Education and Health Investments: Does more schooling affect preventive health care use? [Internet]. U.S. National Library of Medicine; 2009 [cited 2024 Feb 6]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3285406/
5. Raghupathi V, Raghupathi W. The influence of education on health: An empirical assessment of OECD countries for the period 1995–2015 - archives of public health [Internet]. BioMed Central; 2020 [cited 2024 Feb 6]. Available from: https://archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-020-00402-5#citeas
6. Elhaija, A., Chu, N. and Siddiq, H. (2023) ‘Identifying the service needs of homeless individuals in the skid-row community’, Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, 33(1), pp. 258–262. doi:10.1080/10530789.2023.2187273.