ABSTRACT
Background Vaccine Hesitancy (VH) is considered by the WHO to be one of the ten threats of the 21st century. The Italian National Plan for Vaccine Prevention, as well as the European Action Plan, have among their objectives that of increasing the adherence to vaccinations both in general population and in categories at higher risk. It is precisely to these latter groups that the action of the Bologna Local Health Authority (LHA) has addressed targeted vaccination campaigns in recent years (e.g., DTP, HepB, PCV/PPV, RZV). Aim of our study was to investigate adherence to the proposed vaccination campaigns. Methods An anonymous QR-code scanned survey was administered to adults during the COVID-19 vaccine campaign in February in Bologna, a city in Northern Italy. Results A total of 2,321 participants were enrolled, 59% of whom were female. Among healthcare workers (n = 1,417), VH was 45.6% for Hib in 2020, 60.3% in 2019, and 68.3% in 2018;and 14.9% for HepB. Among people with chronic conditions (n = 149), 36.6% did not get the PCV/PPV vaccine. Among RZV vaccine recipients (n = 406), only 11.1% reported having been vaccinated. Women who were at least once pregnant in the last 5 years (n = 124), did not get the anti-pertussis vaccine in 41.9% of cases, and 71.8% of them refused the Hib vaccine. In general, the reasons most often given for missed vaccinations were ‘I did not inform myself enough about this specific vaccine' (ranging from 16.0% for Hib for healthcare workers to 44.8% for RZV), ‘I am not informed about the vaccinations I am entitled to' (27.3% for RZV, 31.8% for PCV/PPV), and ‘I do not find it useful' (46.2% for Hib in healthcare workers). Conclusions Our findings show that even in those who accept the COVID-19 vaccine, VH is high for other vaccinations campaigns run by the Bologna LHA. Targeted awareness and designed catch-up actions are needed, especially regarding this group that does not totally stand in the ranks of the so-called ‘no vax'. Key messages Vaccine Hesitancy toward other vaccines remains high among those who accept the anti-COVID-19 vaccination. A large number of hesitant respondents report either not being aware of the possibility of vaccination or not being adequately informed about the specific vaccine.
ABSTRACT
Background The COVID-19 outbreak has forcibly overshadowed the physical well-being of children and adolescents, of which we will see the consequences in near future. The programs to contain the spread of Sars-CoV-2 resulted in prolonged lockdown periods, discontinuity of educational services and a possible decrease in physical activities (PA) among the youngest. In the local reality of the Metropolitan City of Bologna children and adolescents underwent a radical change in habits and lifestyle, overall predisposing sedentariness and unhealthy behaviors. Our project, “Come te la passi?”, aims to acknowledge lifestyle variations (concerning diet, PA, sleep behavior/quality) to design, in second-phase interventions, individualized school-based educational programs. Methods This ongoing study is being conducted using an on-line anonymous questionnaire targeting parents/guardian of children and adolescents aged 6-17 recruited from 26th to 28th of April in Bologna, a city in Northern Italy. Results Preliminary data suggested that among adolescents (n = 124) 91.2% used to do PA 2 or more times a week before lockdown, while during lockdown this percentage decreased, reaching 41.1%. In children (n = 38) we observed an even more pronounced difference, with PA decreasing from 89.5% to 26.3%. In children 29% of the participants also reported a weight gain, while 65.8% did not report any variation and only 5.2% reported a weight loss. For the majority of both children's and adolescents' parents (n = 162), the strategies to address the reduction in PA were predominantly having school time dedicated only to PA (53.1%) and being more educated about simple physical exercises (14.5%). Conclusions Our preliminary findings suggest that the current pandemic had a strong impact on the well-being of children and adolescents;“Come te la passi?” second-phase interventions could be crucial in addressing the youngest' needs, to educate and promote healthier lifestyles through school-based programs. Key messages Children’s and adolescents’ lifestyle behaviors were strongly affected by the current pandemic, with physical activity frequency more than halved. “Come te la passi?” objectives are to frame the major critical issues detected and to shape educational school programs based on identified needs.
ABSTRACT
In Italy, vaccination against COVID-19 began on December 27, 2020. To date, 13,713,224 people in Italy are fully vaccinated, which accounts for 25.3 % of the general population, and 44.8% received at least one vaccination dose. The present study aim to investigate willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination in costumers accessing a sample of community pharmacies in the Province of Palermo, Italy. A self-administered and anonymous questionnaire was carried out among costumers older than 18 years old between December 2020 and March 2021. Three hundred and sixty-three subjects were enrolled in the study, 259 (71.3%) expressed their willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination. The main determinants associated with vaccination acceptance resulted “trust in safety and effectiveness of vaccinations” and the absence of any previous negative vaccination experience. Unfavourable information on COVID-19 vaccination obtained through internet/media/social media and lack of confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and in the Italian national healthcare system are the main determinants associated with vaccine refusal. Male gender, younger age classes and influenza vaccination acceptance due to the impact of COVID pandemic were significantly associated with willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In order to promote COVID-19 vaccination campaign accurate, informative and communicative campaign dedicated to subjects that are more hesitant regarding COVID-19 vaccination (e.g. female sex, adults, people that usually do not adhere to influenza vaccination campaign) should be implemented. © EuroMediterranean Biomedical Journal 2021.
ABSTRACT
In the near future, COVID-19 vaccine efficacy trials in larger cohorts may offer the possibility to implement child and adolescent vaccination. The opening of the vaccination for these strata may play a key role in order to limit virus circulation, infection spreading towards the most vulnerable subjects, and plan safe school reopening. Vaccine hesitancy (VH) could limit the ability to reach the coverage threshold required to ensure herd immunity. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and determinants of VH among parents/guardians toward a potentially available COVID-19 vaccination for children and adolescents. An online survey was performed in parents/guardians of children aged <18 years old, living in Bologna. Overall, 5054 questionnaires were collected. A vast majority (60.4%) of the parents/guardians were inclined to vaccinate, while 29.6% were still considering the opportunity, and 9.9% were hesitant. Highest vaccine hesitancy rates were detected in female parents/guardians of children aged 6-10 years, <=29 years old, with low educational level, relying on information found in the web/social media, and disliking mandatory vaccination policies. Although preliminary, these data could help in designing target strategies to implement adherence to a vaccination campaign, with special regard to web-based information.
ABSTRACT
Background The recent COVID-19 epidemic is showing how the response of the scientific literature is fundamental in the first days following the onset of a new epidemic. Quantifying which studies have a greatest impact can help researchers and policymakers in controlling the epidemic. The aim of this study is to describe the early scientific production in response to the COVID-19 epidemic through a scientometric analysis. Methods The study consisted of: 1) review of the scientific literature produced in the 30 days since the first paper related to COVID-19 has been published on Pubmed;2) Identification of papers' Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) and analysis of related metrics with the construction of a 'Computed Impact Score' (CIS) that represents a unifying score over heterogeneous bibliometric indicators. The CIS takes into account all the bibliometric indicators both traditional (i.e. counting of citations) and alternative (i.e. altmetrics). In this study we use the altmetrics provided by Plum Analytics (PlumX). All bibliometric indicators for the selected papers have been collected by using their corresponding DOIs as the key for querying Scopus API, which integrates PlumX. On top of those indicators we compute the CIS. The papers with higher CIS are discussed and presented. Results 239 papers have been included in the study. A threshold for CIS of t = 1.04 (i.e.95% quantile) allowed us to record 8 papers as potentially impactful. The 8 papers are: 6 case reports, 1 methodological study, 1 editorial. First authors come from China (n = 6), USA (n = 1) and Germany (n = 1). The main topics are: case/s description (n = 5), outbreak investigation (n = 2) and 1 genomic study. Conclusions The early response of the scientific literature during an epidemic does not follow a pre-established pattern. Tracing the traditional and non-traditional metrics measures of papers can help to understand and evaluate the impact of literature on the scientific community and general population. Key messages The dynamic of the scientific community represents an important aspect of the early response to the onset of a new epidemic, which must be studied also to increase systems’ preparedness. In a connected digital world, tracing metrics measures of scientific papers can identify those with the greatest impact and help professionals to correctly inform the population.