Direct from the Pharmacist Crowd: Why people don’t get flu shots

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services flu season begins in fall and peaks around January and February. Being mid October we’re just ramping up for the 2013-2014 flu season.

How can you and your family stay healthy during flu season? The Center for Disease Control (CDC) tells us getting a flu shot is your best option for preventing the flu. They recommends flu shots for everyone 6 months and older and tells us the flu vaccine reduces your odds of getting the flu by 70% to 90%.

InCrowd asked 150 retail based pharmacists from across the United States a series of questions related to the 2013-2014 flu season. The first question that came to our mind… why don’t people get flu shots?

According the pharmacists we surveyed, there are three main reasons people don’t get flu shots:

Reason #1: Believe the flu shot will give them the flu and make them sick: 82/150, 54.7%

Reason #2: No need for a flu shot, never get sick: 32/150, 21.3%

Reason #3: Fear and misconceptions around the benefits of the flu shot: 23/150, 15.4%

Next question Direct from the Pharmacist Crowd: What do you see as the major benefits to people receiving flu shots at their local pharmacy?

Interested in getting market feedback from pharmacists? Drop us a line, we have Crowds of US and international based pharmacists working in both the retail and hospital setting. These pharmacists are pre-screened and have opted-in to answer questions in real time.