Mood and Influenza Vaccine Response: A Feasibility Trial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Feasibility Trial of a Brief Positive Affect Intervention to Improve the Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccine Response in Older Adults.
IRAS ID
226429
Contact name
K Ayling
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 31 days
Research summary
Older people do not always benefit from vaccination. Some studies suggest less than 20% are protected after receiving a flu vaccination. We have previously investigated which factors, other than age, influence if a vaccine works. We have found that older people with greater positive mood on the day of flu vaccination produce more flu antibodies, which reliably predict protection from flu. These findings suggest an intervention that improved positive mood at the time of vaccination could make the vaccine more effective in more people. We have recently developed an intervention (video package) designed to briefly improve positive mood in older adults. In this study we will compare the intervention against a control condition in 110 older adults receiving the flu vaccine. We will examine participation, drop-out, and engagement rates; determine intervention effects on positive mood and immunity; and explore the feasibility of collecting information on health service usage through medical records over the 6 months post-vaccination. Participants will attend their local GP surgery on 3 occasions (for vaccination, 4 week and 16 week follow up) and will have a blood sample taken on each visit to assess vaccine response. In addition participants will provide saliva samples before and after the intervention or control intervention to assess immune response. We will also conduct post-trial focus groups/interviews with participants (n=20) and health care professionals (n=8) involved in the study. Together these data will inform the design of a future larger trial.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EM/0198
Date of REC Opinion
17 Jul 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion