ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of non-vaccination against influenza among Brazilian older adults with systemic arterial hypertension and determine the main reasons for non-adherence. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from older adults (≥ 60 years of age) with hypertension who participated in the 2013 National Health Survey and reported not having been vaccinated against flu over the previous 12 months (n = 1,295). The analyses were performed using the Stata 14.0 software. The data were weighted because of the sampling design. An estimated 3,026,080 older adults with hypertension had not received a flu vaccine over the 12 months prior to the survey (22.6%). No significant associations were found with sex, age group or schooling. The prevalence of unvaccinated older adults was lower in the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil than in the northern and northeastern regions, even after adjusting for age. The prevalence was higher among individuals without private health insurance. The main reasons for non-vaccination were fear of a reaction, rarely having the flu and not believing in the protection of the vaccine. The present findings underscore the need for healthcare professionals to explain to the population the benefits of the vaccine for preventing severe influenza (protective effect and possible reactions) and for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. Increasing the prevalence of vaccination in older adults with hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases is of fundamental importance within the realm of public health as a strategy for reducing occurrences of complications and deaths associated with influenza.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Middle Aged , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Influenza Vaccines/administration & dosage , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Vaccination/statistics & numerical data , Influenza, Human/prevention & control , Hypertension/epidemiology , Socioeconomic Factors , Brazil/epidemiology , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/ethnology , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/psychology , Prevalence , Cross-Sectional Studies , Vaccination/psychology , Influenza, Human/psychology , Influenza, Human/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The aim of this work was to conduct a systematic review on psychological behavior in the context of pandemic scenarios during the twenty-first century. We focused on empirical works and brief case reports of H1N1 flu and COVID-19. Our review included 32 papers published both in English or Spanish. We built a set of tables that allowed us to classify the information in four main categories, namely the psychological impact of the pandemic, whether people follow or not official measures to protect themselves against the pandemic, psychological adherence considerations implied as mediators to respect official strategies, and relevant methodological characteristics of the pandemic research. Results show that there are significant impacts on the psychological behavior of people, social groups and organizations in several dimensions, namely emotion, cognition, behavior, mental health, organization and psychosocial factors. In addition, we found that certain social groups experienced a critical psychosocial impact likely due to the pandemic. Psychosocial factors affecting adherence were also identified, which allow us to better understand how health strategies are followed by the population. Different psychosocial suggestions, which emerged from the papers reviewed, were systematized and should be considered as possible pandemic strategies to be implemented.
Subject(s)
Humans , Health Behavior , Influenza, Human/psychology , Pandemics , COVID-19/psychology , Mental Health , Influenza A Virus, H1N1 SubtypeABSTRACT
Since late April 2009, Swine flu (H1N1) influenza has spread to different parts of the world including India. Public threat and anxiety was widespread, as was the change of certain behaviours in the lay public. We tried to tap the anxiety and adaptation of protective behaviours in case of the patients affected with H1N1 pre and post education and counselling about H1N1 in a nodal centre for treatment of H1N1. It was seen that both self-rated anxiety and anxiety scores measured by Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) decreased by counselling and educating the patients about H1N1. A significant change of behaviour towards adaptation of protective behaviours was noticed after counselling and education in the ward. Post-hoc analysis showed a high degree of correlation with self rated anxiety scores and BAI scores. Change in behaviour also correlated with anxiety scores.