Disparities in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among a diverse community-based sample in Connecticut, United States.

Though vaccination is among our strongest tools to prevent COVID-19 infections, its delivery has proven challenging. At a time when COVID-19 cases were rapidly increasing in the Northeast, we examined the role of sociodemographic factors, social determinants of health (SDOH), and health-related beliefs, including conspiracy theories, in influencing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among a diverse sample of Connecticut (United States) residents. Between August and December 2020, utilizing community partners and advertisements via social media, we surveyed communities known to be most impacted by COVID-19. We used descriptive analysis and multivariable logistic regression to examine vaccine hesitancy. Among 252 participants, most were female (69.8%) and under the age of 55 (62.7%). Approximately one-third reported household incomes less than $30,000 per year and 23.5% were non-Hispanic Black and 17.5% were Hispanic/Latinx. While 38.9% of participants were vaccine hesitant, non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latinx participants were more vaccine hesitant (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.62; 95% CI 1.77, 7.40) compared to non-Hispanic Whites/Others. Additional factors associated with vaccine hesitancy after adjustment for socioeconomic status and barriers related to SDOH included low perceived risk of COVID-19 and not receiving COVID-19 information from medical institutions and community health workers (p < 0.05). Race/ethnicity, perceived risk, sources of health information, and conspiracy beliefs played a significant role in vaccine hesitancy among this diverse sample. Interventions to promote vaccination should include trusted messengers and sources of information, while long term efforts should focus on addressing the social conditions that deter confidence in scientific data, vaccine efficacy, and the healthcare system.

Outcomes after Acute Malnutrition Program Adaptations to COVID-19, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, protocols for community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) were implemented to support continuity of essential feeding services while mitigating COVID-19 transmission. To assess correlations between adaptation timing and CMAM program indicators, we evaluated routine program data in Uganda, Ethiopia, and Somalia for children 6-59 months of age. We specifically analyzed facility-level changes in total admissions, average length of stay (ALOS), total children screened for admission, and recovery rates before and after adaptations. We found no statistically significant changes in program indicators after adaptations. For Somalia, we also analyzed child-level changes in ALOS and in weight and mid-upper arm circumference at admission and discharge. ALOS significantly increased immediately after adaptations and then decreased to preadaptation levels. We found no meaningful changes in either weight or mid-upper arm circumference at admission or discharge. These findings indicate that adapted CMAM programs can remain effective.

Physical activity and academic achievement: an analysis of potential student- and school-level moderators.

BACKGROUND: Many children do not engage in sufficient physical activity, and schools provide a unique venue for children to reach their recommended 60 daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Prior research examining effects of MVPA on academic achievement is inconclusive, and few studies have investigated potential moderators of this relationship. This study examined whether student-level characteristics (gender, race/ethnicity, free/reduced-price lunch status) and school-level characteristics (proportion of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch, physical activity environment and opportunities) moderate the relationship between MVPA and academic achievement. METHODS: In a large, diverse metropolitan public school district in Georgia, 4,936 students in Grade 4 were recruited from 40 elementary schools. Students wore accelerometers to measure school-day MVPA for a total of 15 days across three semesters (fall 2018, spring 2019, fall 2019). Academic achievement data, including course marks (grades) for math, reading, spelling, and standardized test scores in writing, math, reading, and Lexile (reading assessment), were collected at baseline (Grade 3, ages 8-9) and at follow-up in Grade 4 (ages 9-10). Standardized test scores were not measured in Grade 5 (ages 10-11) due to COVID-19-related disruptions. Multilevel modeling assessed whether student-level and/or school-level characteristics were moderators in the cross-sectional and longitudinal MVPA-academic achievement relationship. RESULTS: Cross sectional analyses indicated that the MVPA and AA relationship was moderated only by student Hispanic ethnicity for Grade 4 fall spelling marks (ß = -0.159 p < 0.001). The relationship for Grade 4 fall spelling marks was also moderated by school physical activity opportunities (ß = -0.128 (p < 0.001). Longitudinally, there was no significant moderation of the MVPA-academic achievement. A relationship by student gender, free/reduced-price lunch status, race/ethnicity; nor for school-level factors including proportion of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch, physical activity environment, and physical activity opportunities. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our results did not suggest that student- or school-level characteristics moderate the MVPA-academic achievement relationship. While statistically significant results were observed for certain outcomes, practical differences were negligible. In this population, school-based MVPA does not appear to differently affect academic performance based on student gender, race/ethnicity, free/reduced-price lunch, nor school characteristics. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ClinicalTrials.gov system, with ID NCT03765047 . Registered 05 December 2018-Retrospectively registered.