ABSTRACT
Older adults are a high in risk of severe COVID-19 disease outcomes and experience "vaccine hesitancy." Guided by health communication models such as the Reasoned Action Approach and the Extended Parallel Process Model, online surveys designed to inform statewide public health communication efforts were administered in West Virginia, a primarily rural and fully Appalachian state, in Winter 2021 (n = 272) and Fall 2022 (n = 248). Adults ages 50+ years (N = 520) reported attitudes, intentions, and behaviors regarding COVID-19 vaccination and their related patient-provider communication. Vaccine usefulness/safety, perceived effectiveness, and subjective norms predicted behavior while perceived severity, efficacy, and usefulness/safety predicted intention to get a booster, specifically the updated Fall 2022 Omicron (bivalent) booster. As patient-provider communication (which a minority reported receiving) was a strong predictor of behavioral outcomes, characteristics of effective healthcare provider communication and considerations for public message construction are discussed.
ABSTRACT
Nurses are particularly influential to others as it relates to COVID-19 vaccination decision-making and are at higher risk of COVID-19 themselves. Yet, nurses' COVID-19 vaccination remains suboptimal. This study combines communication science frameworks with a novel conceptualize of identity-identity fusion-to explore why nurses may not vaccinate and what strategies might encourage them to protect themselves from COVID-19. Practicing nurses recruited from the West Virginia Nurses Association (N = 328) were asked about their nursing identity, COVID-19 threat perceptions, vaccination efficacy perceptions, vaccination social norms, and both vaccination and information seeking plans. Findings show that social norms may have particular influence over nurses' vaccination intentions, though this is unique to nurses who do not view themselves as completely "fused" with the nursing identity. "Fully fused" nurses, on the other hand, may respond well to information conveying their particular risk for COVID-19. Data suggest information on one's self-efficacy or ability to get vaccinated should be avoided, as it might discourage some nurses'vaccination. Findings are discussed in terms of how identity may influence vaccination.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Nurses , Humans , COVID-19 Vaccines , West Virginia , COVID-19/prevention & control , VaccinationABSTRACT
CONTEXT: - There has been increasing interest in understanding the role of programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) pathway in cancer biology and its clinical significance in cancer therapy. OBJECTIVE: - To discuss the studies of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in human papillomavirus-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, focusing on the pathogenesis of cancer, characterization of the tumor microenvironment, and the effect of such studies in laboratory medicine. DATA SOURCES: - Data sources included peer-reviewed literature and reputable online sources. CONCLUSIONS: - To date, there are few studies of PD-1 and PD-L1 in human papillomavirus-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. There is evidence that the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway has a role in this type of cancer; however, further studies are needed to better characterize the effect of the human papillomavirus and its use as a marker of therapy response.
