scholarly journals Adherence, Perception of, and Attitude toward Influenza and Flu Vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Study among a Population of Future Healthcare Workers

Author(s):  
Emanuele Chittano Congedo ◽  
Maria Emilia Paladino ◽  
Michele Augusto Riva ◽  
Michael Belingheri

Healthcare students (HCSs) represent a target category for seasonal flu vaccination. This study aimed to examine adherence to flu vaccination campaigns from 2016 to 2019 among HCSs and to investigate knowledge and perception of and attitude toward influenza and flu vaccination. This cross-sectional study was conducted among the HCSs of a northern Italian university. Data on adherence, knowledge, perception, and attitude were investigated through an anonymous online self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was filled out by 352 out of 392 third-year HCSs (response rate = 90%). The main reason for refusal was the perception of influenza as non-threatening (24.4%), while self-protection was the main reason for adherence (87.5%). A univariate logistic regression analysis revealed some statistically significant associations with the adherence to the 2018–2019 campaign: being a nursing/midwifery student (OR: 4.14; 95% CI: 1.77–9.71) and agreeing with (OR: 19.28; 95% CI: 2.47–146.85) or being undecided (OR: 10.81; 95% CI: 1.33–88.27) about the obligation of vaccination in health facilities. The associations were also evaluated with a multiple logistic regression model. Despite the low vaccine uptake, good knowledge of the risks for HCSs and patients related to flu has emerged. Improving promotion strategies will be necessary to increase the adhesion of future healthcare workers.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammed Elhadi ◽  
Ahmed Alsoufi ◽  
Abdulmueti Alhadi ◽  
Amel Hmeida ◽  
Entisar Alshareea ◽  
...  

Abstract Background This study determined the knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding COVID-19 and assessed the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare workers and the general population. Methods A web-based, cross-sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling in Libya from December 1 to 18, 2020 among the general population and healthcare workers. Data on demographic characteristics, COVID-19 vaccination-related concerns, knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding COVID-19, and knowledge, attitudes, and acceptance regarding the COVID-19 vaccine were collected using a self-administered survey. A binomial logistic regression was performed with 70% efficacy to determine the association between acceptance of the vaccine and study variables. Results Valid and complete responses were collected from 15,087 participants. Of these, 6227 (41.3%) were male and 8860 (58.7%) were female, with a mean (SD) age of 30.6 ± 9.8 years. Moreover, 485 (3.2%) participants were infected with COVID-19 at the time of the study, while 2000 (13.3%) had been previously infected. Overall, 2452 (16.3%) participants agreed, and 3127 (20.7%) strongly agreed, with “having concerns about serious vaccine-related complications.” Mask-wearing adherence was reported by 10,268 (68.1%) of the participants. Most participants (14,050, 93.1%) believed that the vaccine should be provided for free, while 7272 (48.2%) were willing to buy it. Regarding vaccine acceptance and efficacy, 12,006 (79.6%) reported their willingness to take the vaccine with an efficacy of 90% or more, 9143 (60.6%) with an efficacy of 70% or more, and only 6212 (41.2%) with an efficacy of 50%. The binomial logistic regression revealed that vaccine acceptance was not associated with belonging to the medical field versus the general population. Acceptance was statistically associated with younger age groups, especially 31–40 (OR = 1.3 [1.09, 1.55]) and 41–50 years (OR = 1.29, [1.09, 1.54]). However, having a family member or friend infected with COVID-19 was positively associated with the likelihood of vaccine acceptance (OR = 1.09 [1.02, 1.18]), while having a friend or family member who died due to COVID-19 was negatively associated with it (OR = 0.89 [0.84, 0.97]). Conclusions Acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine is an essential determinant of vaccine uptake and the likelihood of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Developing strategies to decrease public hesitation and increase trust is vital for implementing vaccination programs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayele Semachew Kasa ◽  
Worku Animaw Temesgen ◽  
Yinager Workineh ◽  
Tadesse Dagget Tesfaye ◽  
Sitotaw Kerie ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Literatures revealed that healthcare-associated infections are still a great concern in many developing countries including in Ethiopia. Despite the development of detailed guidelines for infection control, they remain as a critical challenge for the public health sectors and the knowledge of standard precautions among healthcare workers in many developing countries is low and not properly applied. Hence, the present study tried to determine the level of knowledge about standard precautions among healthcare workers of Amhara region, Ethiopia. Methods Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted on a randomly selected public hospitals of Amhara region, Northwest Ethiopia from March 01–April 01/2017. A multistage sampling strategy was utilized to select 795 sampled healthcare workers. Data were collected using pretested self-administered questionnaire. The collected data entered using EpiData Version 3.1 statistical software and analyzed using SPSS version 20 statistical package. After using binary logistic regression, multivariable logistic regression analysis used to form the model. Variables which had statistically significant association with the outcome variable (P < 0.05) were identified as significant in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results Almost half (49.2%) of the study participants were female healthcare workers. Three-fourth (74.3%) of the healthcare workers involved in the current study had good knowledge towards standard precautions. Good knowledge towards standard precautions refers to scoring correct responses to > 60% of knowledge items from the survey. Year of service (AOR: 0.27, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.44), educational status (AOR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.13 to 2.56) were among the predictor variables. In addition, physicians were 6.97 times more likely to be knowledgeable (AOR: 6.97, 95% CI 2.42 to 20.12) than laboratory technician/technology counterparts. Study participants working in medical, Gyn/obs, pediatrics wards, and OPD were about 2.23, 4.27, 2.81 and 2.52 times more likely to be knowledgeable than study participants working in surgical ward. Conclusions Overall, the majority of healthcare workers had good knowledge of standard precautions. But variation in knowledge was detected across healthcare workers by hospital type and ward/units. This may help to design a solution by prioritizing the problem.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveen Siddique Sheikh ◽  
Mumtaz Touseef ◽  
Riddah Sultan ◽  
Kanwal Hassan Cheema ◽  
Sidra Shafiq Cheema ◽  
...  

Background and objectives: Vaccine hesitancy is a big obstacle for vaccination programs, as is anticipated for the COVID-19 vaccination program, resulting in low uptake of vaccines thereby hindering the process of reaching herd immunity. Bearing this in mind the current study was aimed to explore the determinants of vaccine hesitancy amongst the Pakistani population. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out from the 23rd-31st January 2021. The conceptual framework of the study was based on the 3Cs (Confidence, Convenience, Complacency) model. Google-forms-based questionnaire was disseminated amongst the general population. Data collected were entered into SPSS version 26 and analyzed. Results: Of the 421 participants, 68.4% were females. Non-healthcare workers were 55.8% of respondents. Vaccine hesitant individuals, 26.13% reported they were very unlikely to get vaccinated. Vaccine was not safe as it came out too fast was agreed upon by 12.6% individuals, 50.6% were worried about experiencing side-effects, 18% believed vaccine will not offer protection and 5.9% believed vaccine would cause death. Low Practice of SOP in non-Healthcare workers was the strongest contributor to vaccine hesitancy (OR: 5.338, p=0.040, 95% CI: 1.082-26.330) followed by High complacency (p=0.026) and Moderate Complacency (OR: 0.212, p=0.007, 95% CI: 0.069-0.654) towards COVID-19 vaccination. In Healthcare workers the strongest contributor to vaccine hesitancy was having a Moderate Confidence (OR: 0.323, p=0.042, 95% CI: 0.109-0.958) in the vaccine followed by Moderate Convenience (OR: 0.304, p=0.049, 95% CI: 0.093-0.993) for vaccination Conclusion: Campaigning and communication strategies to reaffirm confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine and educating the general population about the vaccine could lead to increased perception of vaccine safety and effectiveness thereby restoring confidence in vaccine and decreasing vaccine hesitancy. Likewise, working to increase vaccine convenience and decreasing complacency towards the COVID-19 vaccine would translate into high vaccine uptake.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Di Martino ◽  
P Di Giovanni ◽  
F Cedrone ◽  
M D'Addezio ◽  
A Di Girolamo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In Italy, the loss of confidence in vaccines has resulted in low vaccination coverage also among healthcare workers (HCWs). Low vaccination coverage among HCWs may lead to dangerous outbreaks and may increase absenteeism. The aim of this study was to investigate vaccine coverage and the attitudes toward vaccination among HCWs. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted from August to November 2019 among HCWs referring to all the hospitals of the Local Health Authority 02 of Abruzzo Region, Italy. The survey was based on the questionnaire proposed by the H-ProImmune Project, aiming at investigating vaccination coverage and beliefs towards vaccination. Besides a descriptive analysis of the results, a logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between vaccine coverage and type of occupation (medical doctor, nurse, obstetric nurse, other). Results A total of 347 HCWs were enrolled in the study. The 57.3% reported to have missed diphtheritis-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccination, the 50.1% reported to have missed measles-mumps-rubella (MPR) vaccination, and the 62.5% reported to have missed flu vaccination. In comparison with medical doctors, obstetric nurses were more likely to be associated to MPR vaccination (OR 2.8;95%CI 1.1-7.6; p = 0.047). As far as flu vaccination was concerned, both nurses and obstetric nurses showed lower confidence (respectively OR 0.2; 95%CI 0.1-0.3; p &lt; 0.001 and OR 0.1; 95%CI 0.1-0.5; p = 0.003). Moreover, other healthcare professionals reported to believe in natural immunization more than in vaccination (26.5%; p &lt; 0.001) and they were also worried about long-term effects of vaccination (10.2%; p = 0.044). Differently, nurses were more frequently worried about vaccine side effects (24%; p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions This survey shows that the vaccination coverage taken into consideration results to be below the 95% threshold. Training on vaccine and mandatory measures may be necessary in order to achieve better coverage. Key messages Among HCW all vaccination coverage considered resulted below the threshold. Training on vaccine and mandatory measures may be needed in order to achieve better coverage.


Author(s):  
Syed Fareed Mohsin ◽  
Muhammad Atif Agwan ◽  
Sameer Shaikh ◽  
Ziyad Ahmad Alsuwaydani ◽  
Saleh Ahmad AlSuwaydani

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is an extremely contagious respiratory disease. It poses a serious threat to healthcare workers which may cause substantial degree of psychological distress. This study aimed to evaluate the level of fear and anxiety among healthcare workers. A cross sectional study was designed to collect data from healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia using an online questionnaire. A non-probability convenient sampling technique was used to collect the data from 1st August to 10th August 2020 with the exclusion of non-healthcare worker and general public. A 5-point Likert scale was used to evaluate the level of fear and anxiety. The data was analyzed by using Spss version 23 .The descriptive data were represented as frequencies and percentage. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was applied to control the confounding factors and assess the relationship between variables. Data analyzed 737 participants revealed that 10.7%, 73.5%, and 15.7% of HCWs had a mild, moderate, and severe degree of fear and anxiety respectively. The multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that gender and specialty of the participants were significantly associated with moderate and severe anxiety level. This study demonstrates that two-third of the healthcare workers had a moderate risk of fear and anxiety. However, females participants found to have elevated fear and anxiety level. Social distancing has a major impact on social well-being therefore its important to address social support through a policy. Further studies are needed to explore the mental health condition of healthcare workers in order to develop evidence based strategies.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
David Vizcardo ◽  
Linder Figueroa Salvador ◽  
Arian Nole-Vara ◽  
Karen Pizarro Dávila ◽  
Aldo Alvarez-Risco ◽  
...  

During the race for the development of a vaccine against COVID-19, even before its commercialization, part of the population has already shown a growing fear of its application. We designed an analytical cross-sectional study using an anonymous survey in the 25 departments of Peru. We surveyed whether the participants were planning on getting vaccinated, as well as other characteristics that were cross-checked in a uni-, bi- and multivariate manner. Of the 1776 respondents, 70% (1251) stated that they were planning to be vaccinated, 20% (346) did not know yet or doubted it, and 10% (179) did not want to be vaccinated. We observed that those who did not get infected with COVID-19 exhibited a higher frequency to not wanting or were uncertain about getting vaccinated (aPR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.09–1.81; p-value = 0.008). In contrast, there was a lower frequency of vaccine refusal among university students (aPR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.61–0.92; p-value = 0.005) and healthcare workers (aPR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.44–0.80; p-value = 0.001); adjusted by place of residence. There is still an important percentage of respondents who do not want to be vaccinated or are hesitant to do it, which was associated with educational level, being a healthcare worker and if they were previously infected with COVID-19. Our results could offer useful information about COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.


Pneumon ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Ioannis Kopsidas ◽  
Evangelia Chorianopoulou ◽  
Eleni Kourkouni ◽  
Christos Triantafyllou ◽  
Nafsika-Maria Molocha ◽  
...  

Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Di Martino ◽  
Pamela Di Giovanni ◽  
Arturo Di Girolamo ◽  
Piera Scampoli ◽  
Fabrizio Cedrone ◽  
...  

Background: In Italy, the loss of confidence towards vaccination resulted in low vaccine coverage, also among healthcare workers (HCWs). Indeed, low vaccination coverage among HCWs can lead to dangerous outbreaks of disease, reduce productivity, and increase absenteeism. The aim of this study was to investigate the vaccine coverage and attitudes toward vaccination among HCWs. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs referred to all hospitals of the Local Health Authority 02 of Abruzzo Region, Italy. The survey was based on the questionnaire proposed by the H-ProImmune Project. Results: A total of 347 HCWs were enrolled in the study. Of these, 57.3% reported missing diphtheritis-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccination, 50.1% reported missing measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination, and 62.5% reported missing flu vaccination. Regarding attitudes, other healthcare professionals reported to believe more in natural immunization compared to vaccination (26.5%; p < 0.001), and they were worried about long-term effects of vaccination (10.2%; p = 0.044). Conclusions: This survey showed all vaccination coverage considered resulted below the 95% threshold. Training on vaccination and mandatory measures may be needed in order to achieve better coverage.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petros A Galanis ◽  
Ioannis Moisoglou ◽  
Irene Vraka ◽  
Olga Siskou ◽  
Olympia Konstantakopoulou ◽  
...  

Background: The role of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the general public health is crucial and their decision to vaccinate against the COVID-19 can have a positive impact on the general population facilitating widespread COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Objective: To estimate the uptake of a COVID-19 vaccine in HCWs and to expand our knowledge regarding the predictors of COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Methods: An on-line cross-sectional study was conducted in Greece during August 2021. We collected socio-demographic data of HCWs and we measured attitudes towards vaccination and COVID-19, knowledge and trust. We used a convenience sample since we distributed the questionnaire through social media and e-mails. Results: Study population included 855 HCWs. The majority of HCWs were vaccinated against the COVID-19 (91.5%). According to multivariate analysis, females, HCWs without a previous COVID-19 diagnosis, and HCWs with previous seasonal influenza vaccination history had a greater probability to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Also, increased self-perceived knowledge regarding COVID-19 and increased trust in COVID-19 vaccines and government regarding the information about the COVID-19 vaccines were associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake. On the other hand, HCWs with more concerns about the side-effects of COVID-19 vaccination were more reluctant to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusions: Our study provides a timely assessment of COVID-19 vaccination status among HCWs and identifies specific factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake. By understanding these factors, policy makers and scientists will be able to develop novel strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake among HCWs.


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