Acceptability rate and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers in Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku-Awka, Nigeria.

Background: Healthcare workers were at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic. The acceptability and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among healthcare workers was an important strategy in halting the spread of the virus as well as the antecedent implications on global health and the world economy. Objectives: This study aims to determine the acceptability rate and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination of frontline healthcare workers in Awka, Nigeria. Design: This is an analytical cross-sectional study. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from February 2022 to April 2022 to obtain the data for this study. One hundred healthcare workers were studied. Acceptability rate and barriers to uptake of COVID-19 vaccination were outcome measures. Results: The COVID-19 vaccination rate was 45.0% among healthcare workers in study area of Awka metropolis. Ages 30-39 years had the highest acceptance rate of COVID-19 vaccination, 19 (47.5%; p = 0.262) with a more female preponderance of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance compared to males [26 (41.3%) vs 16 (42.2%), p = 0.721]. The place of residence of respondents (urban vs rural) and their marital status (married vs single) appeared not to influence the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination [(38 (42.2%) vs 3 (33.3%); p = 0.667; 25 (36.8% vs 17 (54.8%); p = 0.433)]. Years of work experience (<10 years vs >10 years) significantly affected COVID-19 vaccine acceptance [27 (45.8%) vs 12 (52.2%); p = 0.029]. Educational status and monthly income appeared not to influence vaccine uptake (p > 0.05, for both). A significant number of respondents were not sure why they should or should not take the COVID-19 vaccine [49 (92.5%) vs 35 (83.3%); p = 0.001]. Conclusion: The COVID-19 vaccination rate is still poor among healthcare workers in Awka metropolis. The majority of respondents do not know why they should or should not take COVID-19 vaccine. We therefore recommend robust awareness campaigns that will explain in clear terms the essence and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination in order to improve vaccine acceptance.

Life Satisfaction and Influenza Vaccination Among Older Adults in Canada.

Older adults have an increased risk of complications or death from influenza. Despite the benefits of vaccination for older adults, vaccination coverage among older adults ages 65 years and over is still below Canada's national target of 80 per cent. As health-care-seeking behaviours are influenced by several factors, including life satisfaction, we investigated the relationship between life satisfaction and influenza vaccination among older adults. A sample (n = 22,424) from the 2015-2016 Canadian Community Health Survey data was analysed using descriptive and multinomial logistic regression analyses. Higher life satisfaction was associated with a more recent influenza vaccination history. Vaccination differed by gender, age, and self-reported health status, as women, much older adults, and those with the poorest health status were more likely to be vaccinated. The study suggests an association between life satisfaction and influenza vaccination. More research into the factors that impact influenza vaccination in older adults is needed to increase vaccination coverage in the older adult population.

Recency of immigration and utilization of dental care services in Canada.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between recency of immigration to Canada and the utilization of dental health services. METHODS: The cross-sectional study sample (n = 2137) was drawn from the 2015-2016 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). It consisted of Canadian residents aged 12 years and older who resided in the two provinces and one territory who opted into the optional dental module and gave valid responses to the questions 'How often do you usually see a dental professional, such as a dentist, a dental hygienist or a denturologist?' and 'Length of time since immigration to Canada?' for the outcome and independent variable, respectively. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyse the data, and all statistics were weighted using sampling weights provided by Statistics Canada. RESULTS: The adjusted odds ratios were lower for recent immigrants than for established immigrants and for visits more than once per year (OR = 0.35; 95% CI 0.14, 0.92), about once per year (OR = 0.34; 95% CI 0.13, 0.90) and for less than once per year (OR = 0.22; 95% CI 0.07, 0.64) than for those who never visited a dental professional. Recent immigrants, males, individuals aged 70 years or more and those with a low household income were less likely to visit a dental professional than established immigrants, females, younger age groups or those with higher incomes. CONCLUSION: Better policies are needed to address the dental health concerns of recent immigrants who may suffer from poorer dental health, to ensure that they receive the care they require.