Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy: A Health Care Student-Based Online Survey in Northwest China

Background: With the spread of COVID-19 around the world, herd immunity through vaccination became a key measure to control the pandemic, but high uptake of vaccine is not guaranteed. Moreover, the actual acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination and associated factors remain uncertain among health care students in Northwest China.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of a sample of 631 health care students was performed using a questionnaire developed through Wen Juan Xing survey platform to collect information regarding their attitudes, beliefs, and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the association between vaccination willingness and demographics, attitudes, and beliefs to determine the factors that actually effect acceptance and hesitancy of COVID-19 vaccine among health care students.Results: Overall, 491 (77.81%) students actually received the COVID-19 vaccine, and of the 140 unvaccinated, 69 were hesitant and 71 rejected. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the actually vaccinated individuals were those who mostly believed in the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine (OR = 2.94, 95%CI: 1.37, 6.29), those who mostly felt it is their responsibility to receive the vaccine to protect others from infection (OR = 2.75, 95%CI: 1.45, 5.23), with less previous experience about other vaccines (OR = 1.70, 95%CI: 1.06, 2.72), students who mostly thought COVID-19 to be very severe (OR = 1.77, 95%CI: 1.07, 2.93), and students who mostly thought the COVID-19 vaccine was one of the best protection measures (OR = 1.68, 95%CI: 1.03, 2.76). Concerns about side effects of vaccines (OR = 0.30, 95%CI: 0.18, 0.51) and the use of personal protective behavior as an alternative to the COVID-19 vaccination (OR = 0.16, 95%CI: 0.06, 0.39) hindered the vaccine acceptance.Conclusions: Our study showed higher COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among healthcare students. However, the individuals with vaccine hesitancy and rejection were still worrying. Vaccine safety and effectiveness issues continue to be a major factor affecting students' acceptance. To expand vaccine coverage in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, appropriate vaccination strategies and immunization programs are essential, especially for those with negative attitudes and beliefs.

Perspectives of university health care students on mental health stigma in Nigeria: Qualitative analysis

Mental illness is a significant public health burden in low- and middle-income countries. A wide treatment gap in mental health care exists within the Nigerian health care system and this gap is worsened by the presence of stigma associated with mental illness, which leads to delay in treatment or acts as a barrier to any care. In this study, our aim was to understand the factors that underlie mental illness stigma in order to inform the design of effective stigma-reducing interventions among health care students in Nigeria. We conducted four focus groups among university health care students in March 2019 in Nigeria. The students included nursing, pharmacy, and medical trainees from a university teaching hospital. We used an inductive-driven thematic analysis to identify codes and themes related to mental health stigma and conceptualization of mental health within the study group. Among the 40 participants, we identified how specific interpretations of religious and spiritual beliefs may be associated with stigmatizing behaviors such as social distancing and discrimination. Conceptualization of mental illness as a communicable disease and the attribution of mental illness to a moral failing contributed to stigma mechanisms. Overall, eight themes associated with mental health stigma and mental health-related concepts were found: spirituality, discrimination and devaluation, conceptualization of mental health, attribution theories, methods to reduce stigma, shortage of resources, violence and dangerousness, and maltreatment. We found that the co-existence of spiritual beliefs and biomedical and psychological models of mental health is a key factor to consider in the design of effective stigma-reducing interventions among university health students in Nigeria.

Connections, rituals and identities: healthcare students’ descriptions of objects that represent resilience

Purpose Health-care student resilience is a well-researched topic, although the concept continues to evolve, not least as “resilience-building” has become an expected feature of health-care student professional education. The study aimed to understand the concept of resilience from the point of view of student nurses and midwives. Design/methodology/approach The study used a novel arts-informed method, informed by Miller’s and Turkle’s work on “evocative objects.” A total of 25 student nurses and midwives from a London-based university selected “resilience objects” which were photographed and discussed during interviews with an artist-researcher. Findings Analysis of the interviews revealed that “resilience” was founded on identity, connection, activity and protection. “Resilience objects” were used in everyday rituals and “resilience” was a characteristic that developed over time through the inhabiting of multiple identities. Practical implications Given that resilience is intertwined with notions of identity, health-care faculties should enhance students’ sense of identity, including, but not exclusively, nursing or midwifery professional identity, and invite students to develop simple rituals to cope with the challenges of health-care work. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to locate health-care students’ resilience in specific material objects. Novel insights are that health-care students used everyday rituals and everyday objects to connect to their sense of purpose and manage their emotions, as means of being resilient.

Do Health-Care Students Know About Chemical Biological Radioactive Nuclear Weapons?

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge of students receiving different levels of health-care education (doctors, nurses, paramedics) on chemical, biological, radioactive, and nuclear weapons (CBRNW). Methods: This study was designed as a qualitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional research. The study reached 87.68% of the population. A survey form was created by the researcher in line with the literature. Ethical permission and verbal consents were obtained. The data were collected by face-to-face interviews. Results: It was observed that there was no difference between the enrolled departments, that the participants had very low levels of knowledge on the subject despite considering it a likely threat for Turkey, and that they thought the public and the health-care professionals in this field had insufficient knowledge. Sex, age, and field education were the variables that created a difference. Conclusion: Training regarding CBRNW should be further questioned and individuals should receive ongoing training to increase and update their knowledge and skills.

Effect of Electronic Device Addiction on Sleep Quality and Academic Performance Among Health Care Students: Cross-sectional Study

Background Sleep quality ensures better physical and psychological well-being. It is regulated through endogenous hemostatic, neurogenic, and circadian processes. Nonetheless, environmental and behavioral factors also play a role in sleep hygiene. Electronic device use is increasing rapidly and has been linked to many adverse effects, raising public health concerns. Objective This study aimed to investigate the impact of electronic device addiction on sleep quality and academic performance among health care students in Saudi Arabia. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from June to December 2019 at 3 universities in Jeddah. Of the 1000 students contacted, 608 students from 5 health sciences disciplines completed the questionnaires. The following outcome measures were used: Smartphone Addiction Scale for Adolescents–short version (SAS-SV), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and grade point average (GPA). Results The median age of participants was 21 years, with 71.9% (437/608) being female. Almost all of the cohort used smartphones, and 75.0% (456/608) of them always use them at bedtime. Half of the students (53%) have poor sleep quality, while 32% are addicted to smartphone use. Using multivariable logistic regression, addiction to smartphones (SAS-SV score >31 males and >33 females) was significantly associated with poor sleep quality (PSQI >5) with an odds ratio of 1.8 (1.2-2.7). In addition, male gender and older students (age ≥21 years) were significantly associated with lower GPA (<4.5), with an odds ratio of 1.6 (1.1-2.3) and 2.3 (1.5-3.6), respectively; however, addiction to smartphones and poor sleep quality were not significantly associated with a lower GPA. Conclusions Electronic device addiction is associated with increased risk for poor sleep quality; however, electronic device addiction and poor sleep quality are not associated with increased risk for a lower GPA.

Exploring Psychosocial Determinants of Diversity Sensitive Task Perception and Behavioural Intentions in a Health Care Student Population: Recommendations for Diversity Education in Health Care

Background: Diversity sensitive task perception and diversity sensitive behavioural intentions are strong predictors of diversity sensitive care. Nevertheless, it has been less clear which psychosocial determinants are affecting these concepts in health care providers. This article also explores whether there are differences in relationships between these concepts, and how these concepts are interrelated. The study focussed on the following psychosocial determinants: (a) ethnocentric attitudes and (b) intercultural capabilities. The latter concept is drawn from the four-dimensional construct of intercultural intelligence. Methods: A survey was conducted in a health care student population (N = 364). In addition to classic survey questions, behavioural intentions were measured through the use of eight vignettes comprising situations characterised by diversity in health care. Results: Regression analyses show that ethnocentric attitudes were negatively associated with diversity sensitive task perception and behavioural intentions. Interestingly, we found no significant relationship between cognitive intercultural capabilities (IC) and diversity sensitivity. Motivational- and behavioural intercultural capabilities were significantly associated with diversity sensitive task perception and behavioural intentions. Motivational IC had a stronger relationship with task perception. Behavioural IC had a stronger relationship with behavioural intentions. Adding diversity sensitive task perception in a supplementary regression model as an independent variable on behavioural intentions caused a shift in associations. The significant association between motivational IC and behavioural intentions disappeared, and a significant association between diversity sensitive task perception and diversity sensitive behavioural intention appeared. Conclusion: Diversity education should increasingly focus on diminishing ethnocentric attitudes and encouraging behavioural IC and motivational IC in health care students. The paper also suggests two theoretical hypothesises. Firstly, metacognitive IC is a concept strongly related to two IC: motivational IC and behavioural IC. Secondly, the relationship between motivational IC and behavioural intentions is fully mediated by diversity sensitive task perception. Further research that substantiate these theoretical hypothesises is recommended.

It Takes a Village: Graduate Health Care Students' Perceptions of the Campus Environment to Support Mental Health and Wellness

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Health care students are not immune to mental health challenges. An existing mental health crisis and a current climate of uncertainty and unrest call academic institutions to be proactive in providing services and environments that support student mental health and wellness. This mixed-methods study captured perceptions of more than 100 health care students from seven different professions including OT. Results can be used to inform campuswide interventions and enhancements. Primary Author and Speaker: Carol Lambdin-Pattavina Additional Authors and Speakers: Meghan Bowler, Maighan Leblanc, and Jana Montgomery

An Interprofessional Approach for Health Care Students to Address and Understand the Opioid Epidemic

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Students representing seven health professions (N = 347) were invited to attend a 2-hour interprofessional workshop and complete surveys examining perceptions of interprofessional teamwork and understanding of discipline-specific roles while addressing the opioid crisis. Significant improvements were found that can help guide curriculum development and future research initiatives for health professions students. Primary Author and Speaker: Kelle Deboth Additional Authors and Speakers: Madalynn Wendland