Flu Vaccine Helps College Students' Grades

(December 2, 2008) - College students are notorious for not eating right or getting enough sleep. That can tend to lower their immune system (Read about "Immune System") and leave them susceptible to illness. And, that can mean missing class and result in lower grades. A simple solution might be to make sure students get a flu shot every year. (Read about "Influenza")

College students who are vaccinated against influenza appear less likely to develop flu-like illnesses, require related health care visits or experience impairments in academic performance during flu season, according to a report in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

An estimated 9 percent to 20 percent of college and university students develop illness related to the influenza virus each year, according to background information in the article. "Some reports of influenza outbreaks on college and university campuses have documented even higher rates of illness among the students," the authors write.

Researchers studied 12,975 students on two campuses and over four separate flu seasons. Overall, 30.2 percent of the students were vaccinated, and 24.1 percent experienced at least one flu-like illness during flu season. Those who were vaccinated were significantly less likely to develop such an illness than those who were not vaccinated. "Vaccination was also associated with significant reductions in influenza-like illness-associated provider visits, antibiotic use (Read about "Antibiotics"), impaired school performance and numbers of days of missed class, missed work and illness during the influenza seasons," the authors write.

When averaged over all the seasons, flu vaccination was associated with a reduction of one-half day of illnesses, so that one day of illness was prevented for every two students who were vaccinated. In addition, for every 17 students vaccinated, one day of missed class was prevented; 11 vaccinations prevented one day of missed work; and six vaccinations prevented one day spent in bed.