BACKGROUND: Contact patterns and vaccination decisions are fundamental to transmission dynamics of @entity166 . We report on age-specific contact patterns in Japan and their effect on @entity683 vaccination behaviour. METHODS: Japanese adults (N=3146) were surveyed in Spring 2011 to assess the number of their social contacts within a 24   h period, defined as face-to-face conversations within 2   m, and gain insight into their @entity683 -related behaviour. We analysed the duration and location of contacts according to age. Additionally, we analysed the probability of vaccination and @entity281 in relation to the number of contacts controlling for individual's characteristics. RESULTS: The mean and median reported numbers of daily contacts were 15.3 and 12.0, respectively. School-aged @entity1 and young adults reported the greatest number of daily contacts, and individuals had the most contacts with those in the same age group. The age-specific contact patterns were different between @entity1 and @entity1 , and differed between weekdays and weekends. @entity1 had fewer contacts between the same age groups during weekends than during weekdays, due to reduced contacts at school. The probability of vaccination increased with the number of contacts, controlling for age and household size. @entity281 among unvaccinated individuals was higher than for those vaccinated, and increased with the number of contacts. CONCLUSIONS: Contact patterns in Japan are age and gender specific. These contact patterns, as well as their interplay with vaccination decisions and @entity281 risks, can help inform the parameterisation of mathematical models of disease transmission and the design of public health policies, to control disease transmission.

Social contacts, vaccination decisions and XXXX in Japan.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['women', 'children', 'Children', 'men'] @entity683 :: ('MESH:D007251', 'Disease') :: ['influenza'] @entity166 :: ('MESH:D003141', 'Disease') :: ['infectious diseases'] @entity281 :: ('MESH:D007239', 'Disease') :: ['influenza infection', 'infection', 'Influenza infection']
@entity683 :: (MESH:D007251,Disease) :: ['influenza']
