scholarly journals The Knowledge and Attitudes of Medical Students, Nurse Trainees, and Pediatric Patients’ Caregivers About Influenza and Influenza Vaccination in Prepandemic Era

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soner Sertan Kara ◽  
Seher Bacak ◽  
Alper Aslan ◽  
Şükrü Güngör
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Influenza Vaccines ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
Flu Vaccination ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Harmful Effects

INTRODUCTION: Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory infection influencing all aged people. Healthcare workers (HCWs) not only are vulnerable to influenza infection, but also act as a possible mediator for infection transmission. The best way to prevent influenza is annual vaccination. The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of medical students, nurse trainees, and pediatric patients’ caregivers about influenza and influenza vaccination in our tertiary hospital. METHODS: We performed the study between April 01, 2019 and June 01, 2019. The survey consisted of a 22-item questionnaire that included questions about the demographic properties, vaccination status, decisions and attitudes about the influenza disease and influenza vaccination. RESULTS: Among 600 participants 502 of them completed the survey (response rate: 83%). One hundred and fifty participants from each group, who fully completed the questionnaires were included in the study. Most of the study participants have never get flu vaccination before (p<0.001). It was seen that the difference between common cold and flu was better known by medical students and nurse trainees, than the caregivers (p<0.001). A higher percentage of caregivers agreed with the decision that flu could not disappear without using antibiotics (26.0% vs 5.3% and 6.7%) (p<0.001). Most of the participants declared the thought of unnecessity of vaccination, as influenza is a simple infection (p=0.05). Approximately half of the medical students, 70% of the nurse trainees, versus 46% of the caregivers reported that to experience a disease itself is better than vaccination against it (p=0.007). A higher proportion of caregivers noted that they heard or read about harmful effects of influenza vaccines on internet or social media (p=0.008). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study showed that most of the study participants did never get flu vaccination before. The difference between common cold and flu was better known by medical students and nurse trainees. A higher ratio of caregivers agreed that flu could not disappear without using antibiotics. Most of the participants declared the thought of unnecessity of vaccination. High percentage of participants had misinformation regarding influenza vaccines. A higher proportion of caregivers noted that they heard or read about harmful effects of influenza vaccines on internet or social media.

scholarly journals Perceptions of and attitudes to alcohol use among Pakistani medical students

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 82-83
Author(s):  
Nazish Imran ◽  
Imran Ijaz Haider ◽  
Atif Sohail ◽  
Mohsan Zafar ◽  
Muhammad Riaz Bhatti
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Excessive Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Excessive Alcohol ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Lower Income Countries ◽  
Harmful Effects

Studies worldwide have reported alarming rates of alcohol misuse among medical students (Webb et al, 1996; Kuo et al, 2002; Akvadar et al, 2004). These reports are surprising as well as of extreme concern, as medical professionals are supposedly more educated on the harmful effects of excessive alcohol consumption. The majority of studies exploring the knowledge and attitudes of medical students regarding alcohol have been from the USA and the UK, with only few from lower-income countries and the Islamic world (Kumar & Basu, 2000; Akvadar et al, 2004).

Flu vaccination coverage among healthcare workers: the example of younger generations

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Di Pumpo ◽  
T E Lanza ◽  
L Villani ◽  
G Aulino ◽  
A Barbara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Clinical Training ◽  
Vaccination Campaign ◽  
Medical Residents ◽  
Flu Vaccination ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Good Prevention

Abstract Flu vaccination is highly recommended among Healthcare Workers (HCWs). The low coverage in Italy among HCWs (mean 15.6% for 2016/17 flu season, ECDC) calls for new approaches. The aim of this study was to evaluate in which measure the vaccination coverage among HCWs registered during the 2019-2020 flu vaccination campaign in a large Teaching Hospital in Rome was affected by age and education. A retrospective observational quasi-experimental study was conducted. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis (chi-square test, significance level of 0.05) were performed. The 2019-2020 flu vaccination campaign was aimed at more than 4000 employed HCWs (total coverage 24.2%). Vaccination was also extended to not-employed HCWs such as Medical Residents (MRs) and Medical Students (MSs) in clinical training. The coverage in this groups was higher (46.0% and 63.2% respectively) and the difference between them and the coverage among employed HCWs was statistically significant (p &lt; 0.05); Further analysis was performed comparing MRs / MSs in clinical training with their respective professional group of employed HCWs, with a percentage of vaccinated Medical Doctors (MD) of 36.6%. MRs / MSs in clinical training coverage was higher than MDs coverage and the difference still proved to be statistically significant (p &lt; 0.05). The higher coverage among MRs / MSs in clinical training could be explained, in general, in light of the more open-mindedness to prevention and to healthy lifestyles that characterizes young people with an up-to-date education. It could also be explained considering the specific culture and sense of responsibility of Medical Students and Medical Residents towards their high-demanding educational path and clinical training as an incentive not to get ill. Flu vaccination is highly recommended among HCWs. Younger generations, who represent the future of Healthcare, prove to be more open-minded and responsible towards good prevention practices such as this. Key messages Flu vaccination is highly recommended among HCWs. Younger generations, who represent the future of Healthcare, prove to be more open-minded and responsible towards good prevention practices.

Acceptability of online sun exposure awareness-raising interventions among young Australian women: an exploratory mixed-methods study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Hughes-Barton ◽  
Amanda Hutchinson ◽  
Ivanka Prichard ◽  
Carlene Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Sun Exposure ◽  
School Based ◽  
Awareness Raising ◽  
Intervention Session ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Face Aging ◽  
Harmful Effects

Abstract Melanoma is the most common cancer among young Australians. Despite school-based programs such as ‘Sun Smart’ leading to increased knowledge among children of the harmful effects of sun exposure, many young adults continue to desire a darker skin tone because of a general perception among their peers that tanned skin is attractive. This ‘tanned-ideal’ may be challenged through exposure to material posted on social media. This study aimed to investigate the impact of two online interventions on knowledge of skin cancer and intentions to engage in sun tanning and protective behaviours, as assessed by survey. In addition, the likelihood that the intervention would be ‘shared’ on social media was explored by interview during an intervention session. Eighteen women aged 18–24 years participated in this pilot, mixed-methods intervention study. Participants completed surveys 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after attending an intervention session in which they viewed a video and completed a face-aging activity, with the order of completion balanced within the sample. Two weeks after the intervention, there was a significant increase in knowledge and intended sun protection behaviours and a significant decrease in intended future tanning hours. There was no effect of intervention order. Interview data indicated that younger participants would share the ageing application with peers because it was fun; older participants reported that they would share the video because it was educational. Factors that encourage sharing on social media include being realistic, instructive or personally meaningful, and short in duration.

scholarly journals A study to evaluate mobile phone dependence among students of a medical teaching institute in Mumbai

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 253
Author(s):  
Shreya Sodhani ◽  
Priyanka Gupta ◽  
Anuradha Kunal Shah
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Medical Teaching ◽  
Mobile Phone Use ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Harmful Effects

Background: Mobile phone use has become such a significant part of the life of medical students that they do not realize their level of dependence on their cell phones. It is therefore imperative to identify the threshold where mobile phones cross the line from being a helpful tool to becoming one that enslaves the users. They need to be made aware of the harmful effects of excessive use of mobile phones and counseled about ways to avoid it. This study aims to assess the prevalence and pattern of mobile phone dependence among medical students.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among MBBS students of a medical teaching institute in Mumbai. A predesigned and pretested questionnaire (NMP-Q) was sent to all the students out of which 205 students responded and consented to participate in the study.Results: Amongst all the study participants, 47.3% were males (97/205) and 52.7% were females (108/205). Mild Nomophobia was found in 19.04% students whereas 50.70% had moderate and 30.26% had severe Nomophobia. Amongst the males, 56.7% and 26.8% had moderate and severe Nomophobia, respectively while in females, moderate and severe Nomophobia was found to be 45.4% and 33.3%, respectively.Conclusions: Mobile phone dependence is prevalent amongst medical students. 

scholarly journals Measures to Improve Influenza Vaccination Coverage in Spanish Medical Students

Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 238
Author(s):  
Ignacio Hernández-García ◽  
Carlos Aibar-Remón
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Vaccination Campaign ◽  
Diffusion Of Information ◽  
Flu Vaccination ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
E Mail

Objective: To find out what measures medical students believe could help improve their influenza vaccination coverage. Method: On 5 November 2019, the Dean of the Zaragoza Medical School sent an e-mail to the students asking them to fill out a questionnaire through Google Forms, in which they were asked to describe, in an open field, the measures that they believed could contribute to improving their flu vaccination coverage. The content of the responses was analyzed in a classic way, extracting descriptors and selecting the most representative verbatim accounts. Results: The main measures proposed were to improve the training on influenza and its vaccine, to improve the accessibility of the vaccine in time and space, to provide incentives to get vaccinated, to create visible and positive attitudes towards the vaccine, and to increase the diffusion of information about the vaccination campaign. Conclusion: This qualitative study has found potential measures to be applied specifically to medical students to improve their vaccination coverage in our country.

scholarly journals Qualitative enquiry on the perceptions related to MCQ based discussion through WhatsApp status among medical students and teaching faculty during COVID-19 lockdown

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 678
Author(s):  
Sunil Kumar Doddaiah ◽  
Praveen Kulkarni ◽  
Aparna Mohandas ◽  
Narayana Murthy M.R
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Medical Institutions ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Teaching Faculty ◽  
The Government ◽  
Efficient Learning ◽  
Study Participants

Background: Ever since the government of India announced countrywide lockdown, medical institutions across the country has shifted to virtual learning. Being in an era of smartphone users, the utility of a popular social media platform like WhatsApp in efficient learning needs to be explored. The aim of the study was to determine the perceptions related to multiple choice question (MCQ) discussion through WhatsApp status among medical students and teaching faculty.  Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted among 154 participants (medical students and faculty) for three months. MCQs on COVID-19 were disseminated through WhatsApp status of the investigator and feedback regarding the same was taken at the end of three months. The qualitative data collected as descriptions were compiled and analyzed as per classical content analysis. Specific codes were assigned to responses and were put under different categories with similar characteristics.Results: A total of 154 participants took part in the study. Participants felt that the approach to convert a popular social media like WhatsApp to a learning platform was innovative. According to them, the activity motivated them to learn more and kept them updated on COVID-19. A major advantage of WhatsApp based learning, being that it can be used anytime and anywhere, which is relevant in the lockdown period.  Conclusions: In this study, participants found learning via WhatsApp to be interesting and motivating. Learning through this platform helped the participants to keep themselves engaged in the academics in spite of lockdown and also provided opportunity to clarify their doubts.  

scholarly journals Social Media Engagement and Influenza Vaccination During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Survey Study

10.2196/25977 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. e25977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arriel Benis ◽  
Anna Khodos ◽  
Sivan Ran ◽  
Eugene Levner ◽  
Shai Ashkenazi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Influenza Vaccines ◽  
Information Searching ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Social Media Engagement

Background Vaccines are one of the most important achievements of modern medicine. However, their acceptance is only partial, with vaccine hesitancy and refusal representing a major health threat. Influenza vaccines have low compliance since repeated, annual vaccination is required. Influenza vaccines stimulate discussions both in the real world and online. Social media is currently a significant source of health and medical information. Elucidating the association between social media engagement and influenza vaccination is important and may be applicable to other vaccines, including ones against COVID-19. Objective The goal of this study is to characterize profiles of social media engagement regarding the influenza vaccine and their association with knowledge and compliance in order to support improvement of future web-associated vaccination campaigns. Methods A weblink to an online survey in Hebrew was disseminated over social media and messaging platforms. The survey answers were collected during April 2020. Anonymous and volunteer participants aged 21 years and over answered 30 questions related to sociodemographics; social media usage; influenza- and vaccine-related knowledge and behavior; health-related information searching, its reliability, and its influence; and COVID-19-related information searching. A univariate descriptive data analysis was performed, followed by multivariate analysis via building a decision tree to define the most important attributes associated with vaccination compliance. Results A total of 213 subjects responded to the survey, of whom 207 were included in the analysis; the majority of the respondents were female, were aged 21 to 40 years, had 1 to 2 children, lived in central Israel, were secular Israeli natives, had higher education, and had a salary close to the national average. Most respondents (128/207, 61.8%) were not vaccinated against influenza in 2019 and used social media. Participants that used social media were younger, secular, and living in high-density agglomerations and had lower influenza vaccination rates. The perceived influence and reliability of the information on social media about COVID-19 were generally similar to those perceptions about influenza. Conclusions Using social media is negatively linked to compliance with seasonal influenza vaccination in this study. A high proportion of noncompliant individuals can lead to increased consumption of health care services and can, therefore, overload these health services. This is particularly crucial with a concomitant outbreak, such as COVID-19. Health care professionals should use improved and targeted health communication campaigns with the aid of experts in social media. Targeted communication, based on sociodemographic factors and personalized social media usage, might increase influenza vaccination rates and compliance with other vaccines as well.

scholarly journals Barriers Associated with the Uptake Ratio of Seasonal Flu Vaccine and Ways to Improve Influenza Vaccination Coverage among Young Health Care Workers in Poland

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 530
Author(s):  
Sylwia Kałucka ◽  
Izabela Grzegorczyk-Karolak
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Family Doctor ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Flu Vaccination ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Flu Vaccine

Despite not being full-time health care workers, annual flu vaccination is nevertheless an important consideration for medical students. This study examined the reasons for refusing flu vaccination among medical students, a group characterized by low vaccination coverage, despite the fact that the flu vaccine is arguably the most effective way of preventing serious flu complications. A cross-sectional survey was performed of 1313 students at the Medical University of Lodz. The findings indicate that the main sites of vaccination were primary care centers, and main source of information about influenza vaccination (about 90% of cases) was the general practitioner (GP). The most common motivations for vaccination were a recommendation by the family doctor or the belief that it was an important factor for protection against influenza. Most students reported various adverse effects after vaccination, usually mild pain at the site of vaccination, malaise, or fever. The main reasons for rejecting influenza vaccination were the apparent low risk of disease, the need for annual vaccination, the need to pay for it, lack of time or opportunity, lack of vaccination promotion, negative attitudes toward the flu vaccine, or the belief that there are other methods of preventing flu. To increase long-term vaccine acceptance and increase the vaccination rate among medical students and qualified health care workers, there is a need to adapt the health system and to initiate ongoing promotion programs at university to raise consciousness, promote vaccinations, and develop clinical skills for immunization.

scholarly journals Change in Threads on Twitter Regarding Influenza, Vaccines, and Vaccination During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Artificial Intelligence–Based Infodemiology Study

10.2196/31983 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. e31983
Author(s):  
Arriel Benis ◽  
Anat Chatsubi ◽  
Eugene Levner ◽  
Shai Ashkenazi
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
United States ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Information Source ◽  
The United States ◽  
Influenza Vaccines ◽  
Clinical Aspects

Background Discussions of health issues on social media are a crucial information source reflecting real-world responses regarding events and opinions. They are often important in public health care, since these are influencing pathways that affect vaccination decision-making by hesitant individuals. Artificial intelligence methodologies based on internet search engine queries have been suggested to detect disease outbreaks and population behavior. Among social media, Twitter is a common platform of choice to search and share opinions and (mis)information about health care issues, including vaccination and vaccines. Objective Our primary objective was to support the design and implementation of future eHealth strategies and interventions on social media to increase the quality of targeted communication campaigns and therefore increase influenza vaccination rates. Our goal was to define an artificial intelligence–based approach to elucidate how threads in Twitter on influenza vaccination changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such findings may support adapted vaccination campaigns and could be generalized to other health-related mass communications. Methods The study comprised the following 5 stages: (1) collecting tweets from Twitter related to influenza, vaccines, and vaccination in the United States; (2) data cleansing and storage using machine learning techniques; (3) identifying terms, hashtags, and topics related to influenza, vaccines, and vaccination; (4) building a dynamic folksonomy of the previously defined vocabulary (terms and topics) to support the understanding of its trends; and (5) labeling and evaluating the folksonomy. Results We collected and analyzed 2,782,720 tweets of 420,617 unique users between December 30, 2019, and April 30, 2021. These tweets were in English, were from the United States, and included at least one of the following terms: “flu,” “influenza,” “vaccination,” “vaccine,” and “vaxx.” We noticed that the prevalence of the terms vaccine and vaccination increased over 2020, and that “flu” and “covid” occurrences were inversely correlated as “flu” disappeared over time from the tweets. By combining word embedding and clustering, we then identified a folksonomy built around the following 3 topics dominating the content of the collected tweets: “health and medicine (biological and clinical aspects),” “protection and responsibility,” and “politics.” By analyzing terms frequently appearing together, we noticed that the tweets were related mainly to COVID-19 pandemic events. Conclusions This study focused initially on vaccination against influenza and moved to vaccination against COVID-19. Infoveillance supported by machine learning on Twitter and other social media about topics related to vaccines and vaccination against communicable diseases and their trends can lead to the design of personalized messages encouraging targeted subpopulations’ engagement in vaccination. A greater likelihood that a targeted population receives a personalized message is associated with higher response, engagement, and proactiveness of the target population for the vaccination process.

scholarly journals Social Media Engagement and Influenza Vaccination During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Survey Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arriel Benis ◽  
Anna Khodos ◽  
Sivan Ran ◽  
Eugene Levner ◽  
Shai Ashkenazi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Influenza Vaccines ◽  
Information Searching ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Social Media Engagement

BACKGROUND Vaccines are one of the most important achievements of modern medicine. However, their acceptance is only partial, with vaccine hesitancy and refusal representing a major health threat. Influenza vaccines have low compliance since repeated, annual vaccination is required. Influenza vaccines stimulate discussions both in the real world and online. Social media is currently a significant source of health and medical information. Elucidating the association between social media engagement and influenza vaccination is important and may be applicable to other vaccines, including ones against COVID-19. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study is to characterize profiles of social media engagement regarding the influenza vaccine and their association with knowledge and compliance in order to support improvement of future web-associated vaccination campaigns. METHODS A weblink to an online survey in Hebrew was disseminated over social media and messaging platforms. The survey answers were collected during April 2020. Anonymous and volunteer participants aged 21 years and over answered 30 questions related to sociodemographics; social media usage; influenza- and vaccine-related knowledge and behavior; health-related information searching, its reliability, and its influence; and COVID-19-related information searching. A univariate descriptive data analysis was performed, followed by multivariate analysis via building a decision tree to define the most important attributes associated with vaccination compliance. RESULTS A total of 213 subjects responded to the survey, of whom 207 were included in the analysis; the majority of the respondents were female, were aged 21 to 40 years, had 1 to 2 children, lived in central Israel, were secular Israeli natives, had higher education, and had a salary close to the national average. Most respondents (128/207, 61.8%) were not vaccinated against influenza in 2019 and used social media. Participants that used social media were younger, secular, and living in high-density agglomerations and had lower influenza vaccination rates. The perceived influence and reliability of the information on social media about COVID-19 were generally similar to those perceptions about influenza. CONCLUSIONS Using social media is negatively linked to compliance with seasonal influenza vaccination in this study. A high proportion of noncompliant individuals can lead to increased consumption of health care services and can, therefore, overload these health services. This is particularly crucial with a concomitant outbreak, such as COVID-19. Health care professionals should use improved and targeted health communication campaigns with the aid of experts in social media. Targeted communication, based on sociodemographic factors and personalized social media usage, might increase influenza vaccination rates and compliance with other vaccines as well.

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