Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of a sample of Italian paediatricians towards RSV and its preventive strategies: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection mainly affects newborns, infants and young children aged < 2 years. Since an RSV vaccine is in the European Medicines Agency's waitlist validation, nowadays the prevention only includes passive immunization with monoclonal antibodies (mAb). In the present study we aimed at investigating Italian paediatricians' knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards RSV and its prevention. METHODS: From February to May 2023, an anonymous online questionnaire, with answers based on the Likert scale, was administered to a sample of Italian paediatricians' members of the Italian Society of Paediatrics. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed using STATA 17. RESULTS: The paediatricians who answered the questionnaire were 507, mostly women (70.6%), aged 30-45 (33.1%), employed in hospitals in 66.6% of cases. The 10.8% of respondents reported that RSV is transmitted only among children younger than 2 years of age and 80.33% of participants that school-age children are not at risk of developing severe forms of RSV disease. The 25% of participants thought that active immunization is currently available to prevent RSV infection and 35.7% that does not exist passive immunization to prevent RSV for infants and newborns aged < 2 years. The 97.5% of physicians managed bronchiolitis cases and 65.6% of participants did not prescribe the administration of mAb. Higher age, seniority and RSV knowledge score were found to be associated with having a higher mAb knowledge score (p < 0.001) and having a higher RSV knowledge was associated with a higher mAb knowledge score (p < 0.001). The logistic regression model found that the odds of a positive attitude towards mAB knowledge score increased by over 3 times (OR 3.23, 95% CI [1.41, 7.40], p = 0.006) for being female and the odds of a positive attitude towards mAB knowledge score increased by almost 10 times (OR 9.73, 95% CI [3.06, 30.89], p < 0.001) for a one-unit increase in RSV knowledge score. CONCLUSIONS: Paediatricians' limited knowledge or awareness could represent a barrier to the implementation of preventive strategies against RSV infection. Strategies to improve paediatricians' education on RSV prevention are, therefore, crucial.

The Impact of Vaccination on COVID-19 Burden of Disease in the Adult and Elderly Population: A Systematic Review of Italian Evidence.

COVID-19 is a major global health threat, with millions of confirmed cases and deaths worldwide. Containment and mitigation strategies, including vaccination, have been implemented to reduce transmission and protect the population. We conducted two systematic reviews to collect nonrandomized studies investigating the effects of vaccination on COVID-19-related complications and deaths in the Italian population. We considered studies conducted in Italian settings and written in English that contained data on the effects of vaccination on COVID-19-related mortality and complications. We excluded studies that pertained to the pediatric population. In total, we included 10 unique studies in our two systematic reviews. The results showed that fully vaccinated individuals had a lower risk of death, severe symptoms, and hospitalization compared to unvaccinated individuals. The review also looked at the impact of vaccination on post-COVID-19 syndrome, the effectiveness of booster doses in older individuals, and nationwide adverse events. Our work highlights the crucial role that vaccination campaigns have played in reducing the burden of COVID-19 disease in the Italian adult population, positively impacting the pandemic trajectory in Italy.

How Can Climate Change Anxiety Induce Both Pro-Environmental Behaviours and Eco-Paralysis? The Mediating Role of General Self-Efficacy.

While it has been shown that climate change anxiety (emotional distress response to climate change) can enhance pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) in some subjects, in others it can induce eco-paralysis, thus leading individuals to avoid any form of engagement in actions against climate change. This study aims to clarify which factors influence the relationship between climate change anxiety and the disposition to PEBs, focusing on the role of self-efficacy as a mediating factor. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 394 healthy subjects living in Italy who completed the Pro-Environmental Behaviours Scale (PEBS), the General Self-Efficacy scale (GSE), and the Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS). As a result, the mediation model showed a positive direct effect of the cognitive impairment subscale of CCAS on PEBS and an indirect negative effect of the cognitive impairment subscale of CCAS on PEBS mediated by GSE. These findings show that climate change anxiety has simultaneously two different effects on individuals: it directly encourages PEBs, and indirectly may have detrimental effects on PEBs such as eco-paralysis. Consequently, therapeutic approaches to treat climate change anxiety should not be aimed at rationalising irrational thoughts but rather at helping patients develop coping strategies such as PEBs which, in turn, foster self-efficacy.