Discussion
PCP, INFLUENZA
Our study provided evidence that PCP recommendation was as an effective intervention in increasing the numbers of influenza vaccine uptake and improving the knowledge, attitude, and practice level regarding influenza vaccination among older adults, with the implementation of free influenza vaccination program. It also highlighted the importance of incorporating PCP vaccination recommendation for older adults in routine work in CHCs.Our findings were consistent with prior results indicating that healthcare professionals, especially primary care physicians, played an important role in improving influenza coverage among diverse populations [Although we found that knowledge and attitude regarding influenza vaccine uptakes among older adults were improved after the implementation of free influenza vaccination program, the willingness of patients to take influenza vaccination remained still relatively low [Under the progress of free vaccination program, people started to put more emphases on the influenza prevention intervention measures. In China, PCPs in CHCs were considered as one of the most fundamental healthcare workers to consult with, where people obtained most of their health education related knowledge. According to our results, older patients showed increased willingness to access their vaccination knowledge from PCPs and the internet. Growing interest has shown in the role of internet in public health promotion due to increasing people’s health enquiries on the internet and social media [Our study has several limitations. First, recall bias might occur in this process as we used a self-reported questionnaire to investigate patients’ knowledge of influenza vaccine uptake. Second, it should be careful when generalizing our results to other cities in China, as Shenzhen is a mega-city, but only 5.36% of its population are older adults [