COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK: A longitudinal household cross-sectional study

Background: The global morbidity and mortality burden of COVID19 has been substantial, often widening preexisting inequalities. The approved COVID19 vaccines have shown great promise in reducing disease transmission and severity of outcomes. However, the success of the COVID19 vaccine rollout is dependent on public acceptance and willingness to be vaccinated. In this study, we aim to examine how the attitude towards public sector officials and the government impact vaccine willingness with a secondary aim to understand the impact of ethnicity on this relationship. Methods: This crosssectional study used data from a UK population based longitudinal household survey (Understanding Society COVID19 study, Understanding Society: the UK Household Longitudinal Study) between April 2020 to January 2021. Data from 22421 participants in Waves 6 and 7 of the study were included after excluding missing data. Demographic details in addition to previous survey responses relating to public sector/governmental trust were included in as covariates in the main analyses. A logit model was produced to describe the association between public sector/governmental mistrust and the willingness for vaccination with interaction terms included to account for ethnicity/socioeconomic status. Findings: In support of existing literature, we identified those from BAME groups were more likely to be unwilling to take the COVID19 vaccine. We found that positive opinions towards public sector officials (OR 2.680: 95% CI 1.888 3.805) and the UK government (OR 3.400; 95% CI 2.454 4.712) led to substantive increase in vaccine willingness. Most notably we identified this effect to be vary across ethnicity and socioeconomic status with those from South Asian background (OR 4.513; 95% CI 1.012 20.123) the most unwilling to be vaccinated when their trust in public sector officials were affected. Interpretation: These findings suggests that trust in public sector officials may play a key factor in the low vaccination rates particularly seen in at risk groups. Given the additional morbidity/mortality risk posed by COVID19 to those from lower socioeconomic or ethnic minority backgrounds, there needs to be urgent public health action to review how to tailor health promotion advice given to these groups and examine methods to improve trust in public sector officials and the Government. Funding: No funding

Download Full-text

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK: a longitudinal household cross-sectional study

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-12472-3 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kausik Chaudhuri ◽

Anindita Chakrabarti ◽

Joht Singh Chandan ◽

Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Economic Status ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Great Promise ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Socio Economic Status ◽

The Government ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background The approved COVID-19 vaccines have shown great promise in reducing disease transmission and severity of outcomes. However, the success of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is dependent on public acceptance and willingness to be vaccinated. In this study, we aim to examine how the attitude towards public sector officials and the government impact vaccine willingness. The secondary aim is to understand the impact of ethnicity on vaccine-willingness after we explicitly account for trust in public institutions. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from a UK population based longitudinal household survey (Understanding Society COVID-19 study, Understanding Society: the UK Household Longitudinal Study) between April 2020-January 2021. Data from 22,421 participants in Waves 6 and 7 of the study were included after excluding missing data. Demographic details in addition to previous survey responses relating to public sector/governmental trust were included as covariates in the main analysis. A logit model was produced to describe the association between public sector/governmental mistrust and the willingness for vaccination with interaction terms included to account for ethnicity/socio-economic status. Results In support of existing literature, we identified those from BAME groups were more likely to be unwilling to take the COVID-19 vaccine. We found that positive opinions towards public sector officials (OR 2.680: 95% CI 1.888 – 3.805) and the UK government (OR 3.400; 95% CI 2.454—4.712) led to substantive increase in vaccine willingness. Most notably we identified this effect to vary across ethnicity and socio-economic status with those from South Asian background (OR 4.513; 95% CI 1.012—20.123) and possessing a negative attitude towards public officials and the government being the most unwilling to be vaccinated. Conclusions These findings suggests that trust in public sector officials play a key factor in the low vaccination rates particularly seen in at-risk groups. Given the additional morbidity/mortality risk posed by COVID-19 to those from lower socio-economic or ethnic minority backgrounds, there needs to be urgent public health action to review how to tailor health promotion advice given to these groups and examine methods to improve trust in public sector officials and the government.

Download Full-text

Examining Vaccine Hesitancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Survey of the Knowledge and Attitudes among Adults to Receive COVID-19 Vaccines in Ghana

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9080814 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 814

Author(s):

Theophilus Acheampong ◽

Eli A. Akorsikumah ◽

John Osae-Kwapong ◽

Musah Khalid ◽

Alfred Appiah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disease Transmission ◽

Online Survey ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Iterative Proportional Fitting ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact ◽

To Receive

The impact of COVID-19 vaccination programmes on disease transmission, morbidity and mortality relies heavily on the population’s willingness to accept the vaccine. We explore Ghanaian adult citizens’ vaccine hesitancy attitudes and identify the likelihood of participation or non-participation in the government’s effort to get citizens vaccinated. A fully anonymised cross-sectional online survey of 2345 adult Ghanaians was conducted from 23 to 28 February 2021. Differences in intentions regarding COVID-19 vaccination were explored using Pearson Chi-square tests. Additionally, multinomial logistic regression was used to analyse the factors associated with willingness to receive vaccines. Responses were weighted using the iterative proportional fitting technique to generate a representative sample. About half (51%) of mostly urban adult Ghanaians over 15 years are likely to take the COVID-19 vaccine if made generally available. Almost a fifth (21%) of the respondents were unlikely to take the vaccine, while another 28% were undecided. Additionally, we find differences in vaccine hesitancy among some socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and primary sources of information. Attaining the proverbial 63% to 70% herd immunity threshold in Ghana is only possible if the preventive vaccination programmes are combined with an enhanced and coordinated public education campaign. Such a campaign should focus on promoting the individual and population-level benefits of vaccination and pre-emptive efforts towards addressing misinformation about vaccines.

Download Full-text

Vaccine Willingness and Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women’s Perinatal Experiences and Practices—A Multinational, Cross-Sectional Study Covering the First Wave of the Pandemic

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18073367 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 3367

Author(s):

Michael Ceulemans ◽

Veerle Foulon ◽

Alice Panchaud ◽

Ursula Winterfeld ◽

Léo Pomar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Access To Health Care ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Access To Health Services ◽

Breastfeeding Support ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Care And Support ◽

Access To Health ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic may be of particular concern for pregnant and breastfeeding women. We aimed to explore their beliefs about the coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccine willingness and to assess the impact of the pandemic on perinatal experiences and practices. A multinational, cross-sectional, web-based study was performed in six European countries between April and July 2020. The anonymous survey was promoted via social media. In total, 16,063 women participated (including 6661 pregnant and 9402 breastfeeding women). Most responses were collected from Belgium (44%), Norway (18%) and the Netherlands (16%), followed by Switzerland (11%), Ireland (10%) and the UK (3%). Despite differences between countries, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was identified among 40–50% of the respondents at the end of the first wave of the pandemic and was higher among pregnant women. Education level and employment status were associated with vaccine hesitancy. The first wave had an adverse impact on pregnancy experiences and disrupted access to health services and breastfeeding support for many women. In the future, access to health care and support should be maintained at all times. Evidence-based and tailored information on COVID-19 vaccines should also be provided to pregnant and breastfeeding women to avoid unfounded concerns about the vaccines and to support shared decision making in this population.

Download Full-text

Understanding the Impact of Bullying in a Unionized U.S. Public Sector Workforce

Workplace Health & Safety ◽

10.1177/2165079919883286 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 68 (3) ◽

pp. 139-153 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mazen El Ghaziri ◽

Shellie Simons ◽

Jane Lipscomb ◽

Carla L. Storr ◽

Kathleen McPhaul ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Organizational Climate ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Female Gender ◽

Bargaining Unit ◽

Organizational Level ◽

Organizational Impact ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact

Background: Workplace Bullying (WPB) can have a tremendous, negative impact on the victims and the organization as a whole. The purpose of this study was to examine individual and organizational impact associated with exposure to bullying in a large U.S. unionized public sector workforce. Methods: A cross-sectional Web-based survey was conducted among 16,492 U.S. state government workers. Survey domains included demographics, negative acts (NAs) and bullying, supportiveness of the organizational climate, and individual and organizational impacts of bullying. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the impact among respondents who reported exposure to bullying. Findings: A total of 72% participants responded to the survey (n = 11,874), with 43.7% (n = 5,181) reporting exposure to NAs and bullying. A total of 40% (n = 4,711) participants who experienced WPB reported individual impact(s) while 42% ( n = 4,969) reported organization impact(s). Regular NA was associated with high individual impact (negatively impacted them personally; odds ratio [OR] = 5.03) when controlling for other covariates including: female gender (OR =1.89) and job tenure of 6 to 10 years (OR = 1.95); working in a supportive organizational climate and membership in a supportive bargaining unit were protective of high impact (OR = 0.04 and OR = 0.59, respectively). High organizational impact (transferring to another position) was associated with regular NA and bullying (OR = 16.26), female gender (OR = 1.55), providing health care and field service (OR = 1.68), and protective effect of organizational climate (OR = 0.39). We found a dose-response relationship between bullying and both individual and organizational-level impact. Conclusion/Application to Practice: Understanding the impacts of WPB should serve to motivate more workplaces and unions to implement effective interventions to ameliorate the problem by enhancing the organizational climate, as well as management and employee training on the nature of WPB and guidance on reporting.

Download Full-text

How is the COVID-19 lockdown impacting the mental health of parents of school-age children in the UK? A cross-sectional online survey

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043397 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. e043397

Author(s):

Austen El-Osta ◽

Aos Alaa ◽

Iman Webber ◽

Eva Riboli Sasco ◽

Emmanouil Bagkeris ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Female Gender ◽

School Age Children ◽

School Age ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

ObjectiveInvestigate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on feelings of loneliness and social isolation in parents of school-age children.DesignCross-sectional online survey of parents of primary and secondary school-age children.SettingCommunity setting.Participants1214 parents of school-age children in the UK.MethodsAn online survey explored the impact of lockdown on the mental health of parents with school-age children, and in particular about feelings of social isolation and loneliness. Associations between the UCLA Three-Item Loneliness Scale (UCLATILS), the Direct Measure of Loneliness (DMOL) and the characteristics of the study participants were assessed using ordinal logistic regression models.Main outcome measuresSelf-reported measures of social isolation and loneliness using UCLATILS and DMOL.ResultsHalf of respondents felt they lacked companionship, 45% had feelings of being left out, 58% felt isolated and 46% felt lonely during the first 100 days of lockdown. The factors that were associated with higher levels of loneliness on UCLATILS were female gender, parenting a child with special needs, lack of a dedicated space for distance learning, disruption of sleep patterns and low levels of physical activity during the lockdown. Factors associated with a higher DMOL were female gender, single parenting, parenting a child with special needs, unemployment, low physical activity, lack of a dedicated study space and disruption of sleep patterns during the lockdown.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 lockdown has increased feelings of social isolation and loneliness among parents of school-age children. The sustained adoption of two modifiable health-seeking lifestyle behaviours (increased levels of physical activity and the maintenance of good sleep hygiene practices) wmay help reduce feelings of social isolation and loneliness during lockdown.

Download Full-text

The RUMA Alliance targets: an overview

Livestock ◽

10.12968/live.2021.26.4.176 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 176-179

Author(s):

Chris Lloyd

Keyword(s):

Task Force ◽

Animal Health ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Codes Of Practice ◽

The Government ◽

The Uk ◽

Ongoing Support ◽

The Impact ◽

Insight Into ◽

Roll Out

The Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) was established to promote the highest standards of food safety, animal health and animal welfare in the British livestock industry. It has a current focus to deliver on the Government objective of identifying sector-specific targets for the reduction, refinement or replacement of antibiotics in animal agriculture. The creation and roll out of sector specific targets in 2017 through the RUMA Targets Task Force, has helped focus activity across the UK livestock sectors to achieve a 50% reduction in antibiotic use since 2014. This has been realised principally through voluntary multi-sector collaboration, cross sector initiatives, codes of practice, industry body support and farm assurance schemes. This article provides an overview of RUMA's work to date providing insight into the methods used to create the targets, why they are so important, the impact they are having and how ongoing support and robust data are vital components in achieving the latest set of targets.

Download Full-text

Public Sector Employment, Quality of Government, and Well-Being: A Global Analysis

International Area Studies Review ◽

10.1177/22338659211011747 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 223386592110117

Author(s):

Robert Davidson ◽

Alexander Pacek ◽

Benjamin Radcliff

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Global Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Political Factors ◽

The Public ◽

Employment Quality ◽

The Impact

While a growing literature within the study of subjective well-being demonstrates the impact of socio-political factors on subjective well-being, scholars have conspicuously failed to consider the role of the size and scope of government as determinants of well-being. Where such studies exist, the focus is largely on the advanced industrial democracies of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. In this study, we examine the size of the public sector as a determinant of cross-national variation in life satisfaction across a worldwide sample. Our findings strongly suggest that as the public sector grows, subjective well-being increases as well, conditional on the extent of quality of government. Using cross-sectional data on 84 countries, we show this relationship has an independent and separable impact from other economic and political factors.

Download Full-text

Contributing Factors in Adolescents’ Mental Well-Being—The Role of Socioeconomic Status, Social Support, and Health Behavior

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12229597 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (22) ◽

pp. 9597

Author(s):

Gabriella Nagy-Pénzes ◽

Ferenc Vincze ◽

Éva Bíró

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Health Behavior ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Unhealthy Eating ◽

The Impact ◽

Mental Well Being

Mental disorders are common in adolescents, and for effective interventions we should be aware of their determinants. However, there are only a small number of studies investigating the combined effect of multiple factors. Therefore, our aim is to assess the impact of socioeconomic status, social support, and health behavior on adolescents’ mental well-being. A cross-sectional health survey of 1641 children was carried out in accordance with the study protocol of the Hungarian Health Behavior in School-aged Children survey. Multivariate multiple regression was used to analyze the main determinants of mental well-being. The boys’ mental well-being was favorable compared to girls; lower subjective family wealth was associated with lower life satisfaction and depressive mood. Life satisfaction was positively related to healthy eating, social support, and physical activity. Unhealthy eating, sedentary lifestyle, and lower social support were associated with higher depression scores. Higher social support reduces psychosomatic symptoms, while unhealthy eating and spending a lot of time in front of the computer increase them. Both social support and healthy lifestyle seem to be protective against mental health problems among adolescents, and thus interventions should focus on these factors regardless of the socioeconomic status of the participants, with special attention given to girls.

Download Full-text

Sheep scab spatial distribution: the roles of transmission pathways

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-021-04850-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Emily Joanne Nixon ◽

Ellen Brooks-Pollock ◽

Richard Wall

Keyword(s):

Disease Transmission ◽

Movement Control ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Infected Sheep ◽

Disease Spread ◽

Psoroptes Ovis ◽

Long Distance ◽

Sheep Scab ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Ovine psoroptic mange (sheep scab) is a highly pathogenic contagious infection caused by the mite Psoroptes ovis. Following 21 years in which scab was eradicated in the UK, it was inadvertently reintroduced in 1972 and, despite the implementation of a range of control methods, its prevalence increased steadily thereafter. Recent reports of resistance to macrocyclic lactone treatments may further exacerbate control problems. A better understanding of the factors that facilitate its transmission are required to allow improved management of this disease. Transmission of infection occurs within and between contiguous sheep farms via infected sheep-to-sheep or sheep–environment contact and through long-distance movements of infected sheep, such as through markets. Methods A stochastic metapopulation model was used to investigate the impact of different transmission routes on the spatial pattern of outbreaks. A range of model scenarios were considered following the initial infection of a cluster of highly connected contiguous farms. Results Scab spreads between clusters of neighbouring contiguous farms after introduction but when long-distance movements are excluded, infection then self-limits spatially at boundaries where farm connectivity is low. Inclusion of long-distance movements is required to generate the national patterns of disease spread observed. Conclusions Preventing the movement of scab infested sheep through sales and markets is essential for any national management programme. If effective movement control can be implemented, regional control in geographic areas where farm densities are high would allow more focussed cost-effective scab management. Graphical Abstract

Download Full-text

Impact of Land Conservation Technologies on Agricultural Productivity in Tanzania

Utafiti ◽

10.1163/26836408-0110102004 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 11 (1-2) ◽

pp. 33-66

Author(s):

Onesmo Selijio

Keyword(s):

Land Management ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Maize Crop ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Inorganic Fertilizers ◽

The Government ◽

The Impact ◽

Management And Conservation ◽

Conservation Technologies

Land management and conservation have been considered the most important aspects of sustainable productivity in economically developing countries where land degradation is a major challenge. In Tanzania, both the government and international organizations have been promoting adoption of land management and conservation technologies (LMCTs) for a long time. This paper establishes the impact of three LMCTs – soil water conservation technologies and erosion control (SWCEC), organic and inorganic fertilizers – on maize crop yields in different rainfall zones, using national panel survey data. The study employs static panel models to analyse the two-period data sets for 2008-2009 and 2010-2011. The results indicate that adoption of LMCTs do contribute significantly to maize yield. The greatest effects of organic and SWCEC methods on crop yield were realized in low rainfall zones, while that of inorganic fertilizers was observed in high rainfall zones. These findings support previous cross-sectional data analyses, suggesting for policy makers that a blanket land management and conservation programme applied uniformly to all agro-ecological zones is not strategically beneficial. The advisability of a technology employed in a given zone should be supported by local knowledge and research findings culled from that particular area.

Download Full-text