Some elderly women avoid having the flu vaccine as they believe that exercising regularly in their gym clothing and leading a healthy lifestyle will ward off the virus, a study has suggested.

Researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University found that some elderly people also believe that eating steamed pears, having a soothing massage or bathing in a herbal mixture will protect them against or treat influenza.

"Those who distrust the vaccine's effectiveness are more likely to rely on healthy lifestyles, good hand hygiene and indigenous health practices to protect them from flu," said the study's co-author professor Samantha Mei-che Pang, from the University's School of Nursing.

The study's findings have been published in the October issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

According to the NHS, those who are classed as high risk when it comes to seasonal flu include people aged 65 or over, those living in a residential or nursing home and those who work in close contact with poultry, such as chickens.

Posted by Martin Sebborn ADNFCR-2569-ID-800114752-ADNFCR

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