scholarly journals Public attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines in children: A qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon N Williams
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Policy ◽  
Lower Risk ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Risk Tolerance ◽  
Parental Choice ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Vulnerable Adults

Background COVID-19 vaccinations in children remains controversial. In the UK, as of August 2021, they have not been approved, except in a few limited circumstances. To date, little qualitative research exists to explain the reasons and nuances behind public attitudes on this issue. Methods Qualitative group and one-to-one online interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of 24 adults to explore their views on the issue of COVID-19 vaccination in children. Results COVID-19 vaccination in children was framed as a complex problem (a 'minefield'). Six themes emerged to explain participants views: (1) Uncertainty over whether children can catch, transmit or be severely harmed by COVID-19; (2) Lower risk tolerance for unknown longer-term effects of the vaccine in children; (3) Association of the vaccine program with government's handling of the pandemic; (4) Local social norms as a driver of hesitancy; (5) Vaccinating children as a way to protect vulnerable adults; (6) Children's vaccination as parental choice. Conclusions Public attitudes to COVID-19 vaccination in children are likely to be met with more hesitancy compared to adult vaccinations. Public health communications will need to combat this hesitancy if vaccine uptake for children is to be pursued as a public health policy.

Facemask wearing among Chinese international students from Hong Kong studying in United Kingdom Universities during COVID-19: A mixed method study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes Yuen-Kwan Lai ◽  
Shirley Man-Man Sit ◽  
Theresa Tze-Kwan Lai ◽  
Man-Ping Wang ◽  
Cecilia Hoi-Mei Kong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
International Students ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Personal Beliefs ◽  
The Uk

BACKGROUND The mental health of international students studying abroad has been neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE This mixed-method study examined perceived public attitudes, personal beliefs, practice and stress toward facemask wearing as a preventive measure against COVID-19 among international university students from Hong Kong studying in the United Kingdom (UK) in the early stage (January – March 2020) of the pandemic. METHODS Our study included 2 parts: (i) an exponential, non-discriminative snowball sampling strategy was used to recruit 91 Chinese students studying in the UK to complete an online questionnaire survey, and (ii) online Zoom focus group interviews were conducted with 16 students to gain an in-depth understanding on their experiences and coping methods during the pandemic. RESULTS Of the 91 students, 92.3% reported the UK public did not view facemask wearing as a preventive measure. 98.9% believed facemask wearing was an effective preventive measure, but 56% wore facemasks more than half of the time when out in public. 50.5% of them had internal conflicts of feeling stressed both when wearing facemasks and not wearing facemasks, which was more common in females than males [(62.5% versus 31.5%, P=0.004, Relative Risk (RR): 1.99 (1.17, 3.38)]. 61.5% reported public prejudiced attitudes against facemask wearing, also more females than males (71.4% versus 45.7%, P=0.02, RR: 1.56 (1.05, 2.32). Qualitative findings showed feeling of conflicts between personal beliefs and social norms, feeling stressed about wearing facemasks as a preventive measure, and experience of prejudice. Peer and family support helped students face such difficulties. Positive thinking and being adaptable were effective methods of stress management. Qualitative findings corroborated the quantitative results. CONCLUSIONS Prejudiced attitudes and behaviours from others, and differences in public attitudes toward facemask wearing resulted in much stress in students’ stress. Clear and accurate public health messaging regarding facemask wearing is needed to change public attitudes and mitigate prejudice. Owing to the ongoing pandemic and rising xenophobia, specifically Sinophobia, academic institutions and public health professionals should take initiative in reaching out to urgently address the needs of international students and provide support in managing their ongoing stress and enhance mental wellbeing. CLINICALTRIAL Ethics approval was granted by the Institutional Review Board of The University of Hong Kong / Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster (reference number: UW20-298). The study was registered with the National Institutes of Health (identifier number: NCT04365361).

scholarly journals LIVING WITH COVID-19: BALANCING COSTS AGAINST BENEFITS IN THE FACE OF THE VIRUS

2020 ◽  
Vol 253 ◽  
pp. R60-R76 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Miles ◽  
Mike Stedman ◽  
Adrian Heald
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Policy ◽  
Public Health System ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Policy Options ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Health Care Decisions ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Resource Decisions

This paper analyses the costs and benefits of lockdown policies in the face of COVID-19. What matters for people is the quality and length of lives and one should measure costs and benefits in terms of those things. That raises difficulties in measurement, particularly in valuing potential lives saved. We draw upon guidelines used in the UK for public health decisions, as well as other measures, which allow a comparison between health effects and other economic effects. We look at evidence on the effectiveness of past severe restrictions applied in European countries, focusing on the evidence from the UK. The paper considers policy options for the degree to which restrictions are eased. There is a need to normalise how we view COVID because its costs and risks are comparable to other health problems (such as cancer, heart problems, diabetes) where governments have made resource decisions for decades. The lockdown is a public health policy and we have valued its impact using the tools that guide health care decisions in the UK public health system. The evidence suggests that the costs of continuing severe restrictions in the UK are large relative to likely benefits so that a substantial easing in general restrictions in favour of more targeted measures is warranted.

scholarly journals What do we currently know about nutrition and bone health in relation to United Kingdom public health policy with particular reference to calcium and vitamin D?

2007 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Francis
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Bone Health ◽  
Public Health Policy ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Food Standards ◽  
Prevention Of Osteoporosis ◽  
The Uk

Public health policy in the UK related to nutrition and bone health has been shaped by reports from the Department of Health (DH), Food Standards Agency and WHO. Dietary reference values (DRV) for a number of nutrients were published in 1991 by the DH Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy. The subsequent DH report on nutrition and bone health in 1998 concentrated particularly on Ca and vitamin D, but also briefly addressed the effect of body weight, alcohol and other nutrients. Although this reviewed more recent evidence relating to the effect of higher intakes of Ca and vitamin D from longitudinal and interventional studies, no changes were made to the existing DRV. The Food Standards Agency published a report from their Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals in 2003, which recommended safe upper limits for eight vitamins and minerals, with guidance provided on a further twenty-two nutrients, where there was less information on safety. The WHO report on diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases in 2003 addressed the prevention of osteoporosis, making recommendations on Ca, vitamin D, Na, fruit and vegetables, alcohol and body weight. The present paper examines current views on what constitutes an adequate dietary Ca intake and optimal vitamin D status, the DRV for vitamin D in subjects with little or no exposure to sunlight and the results of recent epidemiological studies on the relationship between fracture risk and body weight, alcohol intake and the consumption of other nutrients.

scholarly journals Changes in attitudes to vaccination as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study of older adults in the UK

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261844
Author(s):  
Allyson J. Gallant ◽  
Louise A. Brown Nicholls ◽  
Susan Rasmussen ◽  
Nicola Cogan ◽  
David Young ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Influenza Vaccine ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Almost All

Background The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has brought an unprecedented focus on public attitudes to vaccines, with intention to accept a COVID-19 vaccine fluctuating during the pandemic. However, it is unclear how the pandemic may influence attitudes and behaviour in relation to vaccines in general. The aim of the current study is to examine older adults’ changes in vaccination attitudes and behaviour over the first year of the pandemic. Methods In February-March 2020 (before the first COVID-19 national lockdown in the UK), 372 older adults (aged 65+) provided sociodemographic information, self-reported influenza vaccine uptake, and completed two measures of vaccination attitudes: the 5C scale and the Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale. One-year later, following rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to older adults, participants provided information on their COVID-19 and influenza vaccine uptake in the previous 12 months, and completed the 5C and VAX scales again. Paired samples t-tests were used to examine changes in vaccination attitudes over time. Results Almost all participants (98.7%) had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and a significant increase in influenza uptake was identified (83.6% in 2020 to 91.6% in 2021). Complacency, mistrust of vaccine benefit, concerns about commercial profiteering, and constraints to vaccination had significantly decreased between Time 1 and Time 2, and collective responsibility had significant increased. However, calculation and worries about unforeseen future effects had increased, indicating that participants now perceived higher risks related to vaccination and were taking a more deliberative information-seeking approach. Conclusion The results show significant changes in vaccination attitudes across the pandemic. These changes suggest that while older adults became less complacent about the importance of vaccines, concerns about potential risks associated with vaccination increased. It will be important for public health communication to address these concerns for all vaccines offered to this group.

Prevention Policy and Public Health

2020 ◽  
pp. 137-154
Author(s):  
Paul Cairney ◽  
Emily St Denny
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Policy Change ◽  
Public Health Policy ◽  
Prevention Policy ◽  
Policy Problem ◽  
Tobacco Policies ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Acute Healthcare

Health policy is the traditional home of prevention policies. Public health is at the heart of policies designed to improve population health, and perhaps reduce health inequalities, often through changes in behaviour at an early age. Public health policy tends to be a hub for advocates of EBPM. In theory, healthcare and public health are symbiotic, particularly if early public health interventions reduce demand for acute healthcare. However, in practice, public health is an exemplar of the wide gap between expectations for ‘evidence-based’ prevention policy and actual outcomes. To demonstrate, first, we apply our theoretical approach, outlined in Chapters 1 to 3, to present a broad examination of health policy and the role of prevention within it, considering what a window of opportunity for prevention policy within a complex system means in relation to health and public health policy. Second, we show that the UK and Scottish governments have described different policy styles, but faced and addressed the ambiguity and complexity of preventive health policy in similar ways. Third, our comparison of broad prevention versus specific tobacco policies shows why substantive policy change is more apparent in the latter: there is a clearer definition of the policy problem, a more supportive environment for meaningful policy change, and more windows of opportunity for specific policy changes. These three conditions are not yet fulfilled in the broader prevention agenda.

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