Meningococcal B vaccination coverage among older adolescents in the United States

Background: Serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccination recommendations for adolescents in the United States (US) include routine vaccination for all individuals at increased risk and vaccination for individuals not at increased risk aged 16-23 years (preferred age 16-18 years) based on shared clinical decision-making. The two licensed MenB vaccines require administration of > 2 doses. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed 2017-2018 National Immunization Survey-Teen (NISTeen) data to evaluate > 1 dose and > 2 dose MenB vaccination coverage among adolescents aged 17 years. Multivariable logistic regression was used to further evaluate determinants of MenB vaccination. Results: Nationally, MenB vaccination coverage among 17-year-olds increased from 14.5% in 2017 to 17.2% in 2018 for > 1 dose and from 6.3% to 8.4% for > 2 doses. MenB vaccination coverage (2017-2018) was the lowest in the South (> 1 dose: 14.6%; > 2 doses: 6.3%) and highest in the Northeast region (18.3% and 9.3%), with variation observed by census division. Adolescents were more likely to have received > 1 dose of MenB vaccine if they had any Medicaid insurance (odds ratio [OR], 1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-2.39) or had received human papillomavirus (OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.41-2.67) or meningococcal A, C, W, and Y (OR, 4.03; 95% CI, 2.92-5.56) vaccinations. Conclusions: MenB first-dose coverage in the US is low, and even lower for a second dose, with regional variation. Being up to date with other routinely administered vaccines increased the likelihood of receiving MenB vaccination. (c) 2021 GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).