The Willingness of Malaysian Parents To Vaccinate Their Children Below 12 Years Old Against COVID-19 – A Large Cross-Sectional Study

Author(s):  
Diana-Leh-Ching Ng ◽  
Gin-Gin Gan ◽  
Chee-Shee Chai ◽  
Nur Adila Bt Anuar ◽  
Woweham Sindeh ◽  
...  

Abstract Background:The administration of a new drug such as the COVID-19 vaccine in children could be a major concern for their parents. This study aims to assess the willingness of Malaysian parents to vaccinate their children < 12 years old against COVID-19. Methods:An online cross-sectional study was conducted nationwide in Malaysia from 29th August 2021 to 17th October 2021. Parents with children < 12 years old were recruited by the snowball sampling method. Results:Of the 4,438 survey responses received, 3,528 (79.5%) parents were included in the analysis. Of these parents, 2,598 (73.6%) were willing, 486 (13.8%) were not willing, and 444 (12.6%) were still undecided to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. Those who were single parent [odds ratio (OR): 2.0, 95% confidence internal (CI): 1.32 – 3.04, p = 0.001], had secondary or lower education (OR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.21 – 1.96, p < 0.001), worked as healthcare worker (OR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.34 – 2.26, p < 0.001), had significant contact with COVID-19 (OR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.09 – 1.63, p = 0.006), and already received COVID-19 vaccine (OR: 15.4, 95% CI: 9.76 – 24.33, p < 0.001) were significantly more willing to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. The common reasons given by parents who were willing to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 include vaccination could protect their children (99.4%), the vaccination could protect other family members (99.3%), and the vaccine was effective (98.2%). The common reasons given by parents who were not willing to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 include the uncertainty towards the new vaccine (96.1%), worry about the vaccine contents (93.2%), limited information about the vaccine from the doctors (82.3%), and believed the vaccine was unsafe (79.8%)Conclusions:Nearly three-quarters of Malaysian parents were willing to vaccinate their children < 12 years old against COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccination history of the parents was the strongest independent predictor for their willingness to vaccinate their children. Future health education should target parents at risk of vaccine refusal or hesitation, focus to address the common reasons for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, and highlight the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanan Zhou ◽  
Shubao Chen ◽  
Yanhui Liao ◽  
Qiuxia Wu ◽  
Yuejiao Ma ◽  
...  

The doctor–patient relationship (DPR) is essential in the process of medical consultations and treatments. Poor DPR may lead to poor medical outcomes, medical violence against doctors, and a negative perception of the healthcare system. Little is known about how DPR is affected during this novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the DPR during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 1,903 participants in China (95% response rate) who were recruited during the pandemic online via convenience and snowball sampling. Several questionnaires were used to evaluate participants' attitudes toward DPR, including the Patient–Doctor Relationship Questionnaire (PDRQ-9), Chinese Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale (C-WFPTS), a survey on medical violence against doctors, factors that affect and improve DPR, and general trust in medical services. Results revealed that DPR improved, and doctor–patient trust increased compared to participants' retrospective attitude before the pandemic. In addition, patients' violence against doctors decreased during the pandemic. Better doctor–patient trust and lower violence toward doctors are related to better DPR. Furthermore, we found that the main factors that could improve DPR include communication between doctors and patients, medical technology and services, and medical knowledge for patients. This study helped to better understand DPR in China, which may contribute to future health policies and medical practices in order to improve DPR and doctor–patient trust.


Author(s):  
Nasrin Pazoki ◽  
Farnosh Naseri

Background and Aims: To date, several factors have been reported in recurrent miscarriage. Genetic mutations are the most important causative factors in women. Fetal thrombotic vasculopathy is a new described placental alteration with varying degrees of involvement and often associated with adverse prenatal outcomes. The diagnosis is made histologically and so is postnatal, which makes it a challenge in clinical practice. The aim of the present study is investigation of the common mutations in women with recurrent miscarriage. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 women with a history of recurrent miscarriage fetus in 2018. In these patients, several genes such as MTHFR, F2, F5 Leiden, PAI1, F13 and FGB were analyzed by sequencing techniques. The most common mutations in these genes were sequenced and analyzed. Results: According to statistical results obtained, MTHFR gene (C677T, A1298C) has the highest rate (50 %) of common mutations (p=0.001). After that F2 (G20210A) and F5 Leiden (G1691A) have the highest statistical values (each one 20%). In addition to these genes, there are other unknown mutations which have not been studied in terms of pathogenicity. Other genes have a smaller percentage of aborted fetus infrequently. Conclusions: Common polymorphisms in the thrombophilic system are likely to result in abortion in these subjects, due to impaired coagulation of the mother and the fetus. Investigating the presence of common mutations and examining their association with other mutations in the thrombophilia as a prognostic in patients with recurrent miscarriage is necessary


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-145
Author(s):  
Krishna Chandra Devkota ◽  
S Hamal ◽  
PP Panta

Pleural effusion is present when there is >15ml of fluid is accumulated in the pleural space. It can be divided into two types; exudative and transudative pleural effusion. Tuberculosis and parapneumonic effusion are the common cause of exudative pleural effusion whereas heart failure accounts for most of the cases of transudative pleural effusion. This study was a hospital based cross sectional study performed at Nepal Medical College during the period of January 2016-December 2016. A total of 50 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Pleural effusion was confirmed by clinical examination and radiology. After confirmation of pleural effusion, pleural fluid was aspirated and was analysed for protein, LDH, cholesterol. The Heffner criteria was compared with Light criteria to classify exudative or transudative pleural effusion. Among 50 patients, 30 were male and 20 were female. The mean age of patient was 45.4±21.85 years. The sensitivity and specificity of using Light criteria to detect the two type of pleural effusion was 100% and 90.9%, whereas using Heffner criteria was 94.87%, 100% respectively(P<0.01). There are variety of causes for development of pleural effusion and no one criteria is definite to differentiate between exudative or transudative effusion. In this study Light criteria was more sensitive whereas Heffner criteria was more specific to classify exudative pleural effusion. Hence a combination of criteria might be useful in case where there is difficulty to identify the cause of pleural effusion.


2017 ◽  
pp. 46-52
Author(s):  
Thanh Thai Le ◽  
Phuong Nam Tran ◽  
Thi Ngan An Nguyen

Aims: To study outcomes of septoplasty and partial inferior turbinectomy (PIT) method, expecting leastsurgical equipment, good result, price rationalization. Methods: Prospective, cross-sectional study. Including 40 patients treated by septoplasty and PIT method. Assessment had been made after 3 months post-op. Results: The common symptoms were nasal obstruction (100%), headache (40%). The deformities of nasal septalwere deviation (42.5%), crest (30%). There were 67.5% of patients with severe bilateral hypertrophic inferior turbinate, mostly over grade II, enlargement both soft and bone parts (60%). After 3 months, the nasal obstruction and headache presented good or great results in 90% of patients, 93.7% of patients had straight nasal septaland 90% hadsmall inferior turbinate.VAS: patients’s contentment was 100%. Conclusions: The study showed that septoplasty and partial inferior turbinectomy presented good results with 87.5% after surgery and 90% after 3 months. Key words: septal deformity, hypertrophy inferior turbinate, septoplasty, partial inferior turbinectomy


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 465
Author(s):  
Leena R. Baghdadi ◽  
Shatha G. Alghaihb ◽  
Alanoud A. Abuhaimed ◽  
Dania M. Alkelabi ◽  
Rawan S. Alqahtani

In 2019, a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)) caused a global pandemic. There was an urgent need to develop a vaccine against COVID-19 to reduce its spread and economic burden. The main objective of this study was to understand the attitudes and concerns of healthcare workers (HCWs) towards the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine, whether their decision was influenced by their history of taking the seasonal influenza vaccine, and factors that influence the acceptance of the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We selected and surveyed 356 HCWs via an electronic self-administered questionnaire. A total of 61.16% of HCWs were willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and 55.9% of them had received the seasonal influenza vaccine in the preceding year (2019–2020). The strongest predictors for taking the COVID-19 vaccine were the HCWs’ belief that the COVID-19 vaccine would be safe, needed even for healthy people, that all HCWs should be vaccinated against COVID-19, and that HCWs will have time to take the vaccine. Being female, being middle aged, having <5 years of work experience, having no fear of injections, and being a non-smoker were predictive factors for taking the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine. No associations were found between the intention to take the COVID-19 vaccine and a history of taking the seasonal influenza vaccine.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sivaporn Gatechompol ◽  
Weerakit Harnpariphan ◽  
Ruamthip Supanan ◽  
Gompol Suwanpimolkul ◽  
Jiratchaya Sophonphan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Prisons are considered as major reservoirs for tuberculosis. Preventive therapy for latent TB infection (LTBI) is an adjunctive strategy to control TB. However, LTBI data in Thai prisoners is limited. This study assessed the prevalence of LTBI and feasibility of isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among prisoners in Klong Prem Central Prison, Bangkok. Participants were screened for active TB by questionnaire and chest X-ray. LTBI was evaluated by Tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFTP) among subgroup. Participants with positive TST or QFTP were considered to have LTBI. Participants with LTBI were offered IPT. Results From August 2018–November 2019, 1002 participants were analyzed. All participants were male with a median age of 38 (IQR 32–50) years. LTBI identified by either TST/QFTP was present in 466 (46.5%) participants. TST was positive in 359 (36%) participants. In the subgroup of 294 participants who had both TST and QFTP results, 181/294 (61.6%) tested positive by QFTP. Agreement between TST and QFTP was 55.1% (Kappa = 0.17). The risk factors associated with LTBI were previous incarceration (aOR 1.53, 95%CI, 1.16–2.01, p = 0.002), history of prior active TB (aOR 3.02, 95%CI, 1.74–5.24, p < 0.001) and duration of incarceration ≥10 years (aOR 1.86, 95%CI, 1.24–2.79, p = 0.003). Majority of LTBI participants (82%) agreed to take IPT. Three hundred and 56 (93%) participants completed treatment whereas 27 (7%) participants discontinued IPT due to the side effects of INH. Conclusion This is the first study to evaluate the prevalence of LTBI and feasibility of IPT among Thai prisoners. LTBI prevalence in male prisoners in Thailand is high. LTBI screening and treatment should be implemented together with other preventive components.


2020 ◽  
pp. 004947552098130
Author(s):  
Fabián R Carreño-Almánzar ◽  
Adán Coronado-Galán ◽  
Sonia A Cala-Gómez ◽  
Agustín Vega-Vera

Imported malaria has increased in Colombia since 2015 and has been attributed to migrants coming from Venezuela. We present a series of malaria cases, nested in a retrospective cross-sectional study between 2017 and 2018, aimed at calculating the prevalence of medical diseases among immigrants in a University Hospital in Colombia. Among 154 immigrants admitted for medical causes between 2017 and 2018, 8 were diagnosed with malaria, all due to Plasmodium vivax. Of these, seven had uncomplicated malaria, five had a previous history of malaria, one was critically ill, but none died. We highlight that, similar to other case series of imported malaria, Latin American migrants were young, with similar clinical profiles, having a low proportion of severe cases, and P. vivax was the most frequent cause.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Thomas ◽  
HuiJun Chih ◽  
Belinda Gabbe ◽  
Melinda Fitzgerald ◽  
Gill Cowen

Abstract Background General Practitioners (GPs) may be called upon to assess patients who have sustained a concussion despite limited information being available at this assessment. Information relating to how concussion is actually being assessed and managed in General Practice is scarce. This study aimed to identify characteristics of current Western Australian (WA) GP exposure to patients with concussion, factors associated with GPs’ knowledge of concussion, confidence of GPs in diagnosing and managing patients with concussion, typical referral practices and familiarity of GPs with guidelines. Methods In this cross-sectional study, GPs in WA were recruited via the RACGP WA newsletter and shareGP and the consented GPs completed an electronic survey. Associations were performed using Chi-squared tests or Fisher’s Exact test. Results Sixty-six GPs in WA responded to the survey (response rate = 1.7%). Demographics, usual practice, knowledge, confidence, identification of prolonged recovery as well as guideline and resource awareness of GPs who practised in regional and metropolitan areas were comparable (p > 0.05). Characteristics of GPs were similar between those who identified all symptoms of concussion and distractors correctly and those who did not (p > 0.05). However, 84% of the respondents who had never heard of concussion guidelines were less likely to answer all symptoms and distractors correctly (p = 0.039). Whilst 78% of the GPs who were confident in their diagnoses had heard of guidelines (p = 0.029), confidence in managing concussion was not significantly associated with GPs exposure to guidelines. It should be noted that none of the respondents correctly identified signs of concussion and excluded the distractors. Conclusions Knowledge surrounding concussion guidelines, diagnosis and management varied across GPs in WA. Promotion of available concussion guidelines may assist GPs who lack confidence in making a diagnosis. The lack of association between GPs exposure to guidelines and confidence managing concussion highlights that concussion management may be an area where GPs could benefit from additional education and support.


Author(s):  
Concepció Fuentes-Pumarola ◽  
Zaira Reyes-Amargant ◽  
Alba Berenguer-Simon ◽  
David Ballester-Ferrando ◽  
Maria Dolors Burjalés-Martí ◽  
...  

(1) Background: Sexual violence (SV) has become common in universities for reasons related to unwanted social/peer pressures regarding alcohol/drug use and sexual activities. Objectives: To identify perceptions of SV and alcohol use and estimate prevalence among nursing students in Catalonia, Spain. (2) Methods: Observational descriptive cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of nursing students attending public universities. (3) Results: We recruited 686 students (86.11% women), who reported as follows: 68.7% had consumed alcohol, 65.6% had been drunk at least once in the previous year, 62.65% had experienced blackouts and 25.55% had felt pressured to consume alcohol. Drunkenness and blackouts were related (p < 0.000). Of the 15.6% of respondents who had experienced SV, 47.7% experienced SV while under the influence of alcohol and were insufficiently alert to stop what was happening, while 3.06% reported rape. SV was more likely to be experienced by women (OR: 2.770; CI 95%: 1.229–6.242; p = 0.014), individuals reporting a drunk episode in the previous year (OR: 2.839; 95% CI: 1.551–5.197; p = 0.001) and individuals pressured to consume alcohol (OR: 2.091; 95% CI: 1.332–3.281; p = 0.001). (4) Conclusions: Nursing instructors need to raise student awareness of both the effects of alcohol use and SV, so as to equip these future health professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with SV among young people.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Degu Abate Mengiste ◽  
Abebe Tolera Dirbsa ◽  
Behailu Hawulte Ayele ◽  
Tewodros Tesfa Hailegiyorgis

Abstract Background The risk of hepatitis B virus infection among medical waste handlers who undergo collection, transportation, and disposal of medical wastes in the health institutions is higher due to frequent exposure to contaminated blood and other body fluids. There is limited evidence on the seroprevalence of hepatitis B among medical waste handlers in eastern Ethiopia. The study was aimed at studying the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus and associated risk factors among medical waste collectors at health facilities of eastern Ethiopia. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected medical waste collectors from public health facilities in eastern Ethiopia from March to June 2018. A pre-tested and well-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics and hepatitis B infection risk factors. A2.5ml venous blood was also collected, centrifuged and the serum was analyzed for hepatitis B surface antigen using the instant hepatitis B surface antigen kit. Descriptive summary measures were done. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to assess the risk of association. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted with 95% CI and all value at P-value < 0.05 was declared statistically significant. Results From a total of 260 (97.38%) medical waste collectors participated, HBV was detected in 53 (20.4%) of the participants [95%CI; 15.8, 25.6]. No significant differences were observed in the detection rates of HBV with respect to socio-demographic characteristics. In both bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis, being unvaccinated (AOR = 6.35; 95%CI = [2.53–15.96], P = 0.001), history of blood transfusion (receiving) (AOR; 3.54; 95%CI; [1.02–12.24], P = 0.046), history of tattooing (AOR = 2.86; 95%CI = [1.12–7.27], p = 0.03), and history of multiple sexual partner (AOR = 10.28; 95%CI = [4.16–25.38], P = 0.001) remained statistically significantly associated with HBsAg positivity. Conclusion This cross-sectional study identified that HBV infection is high among medical waste collectors in eastern Ethiopia. Immunization and on job health promotion and disease prevention measures should be considered in order to control the risk of HBV infection among medical waste collectors in eastern Ethiopia.


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