Sociodemographic Predictors Associated with the Willingness to Get Vaccinated against COVID-19 in Peru: A Cross-Sectional Survey

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.

Transgender Polyvictimization in the U.S. Transgender Survey

Relative to cisgender people, transgender individuals not only are at an elevated risk of experiencing at least one form of physical or sexual violence, but also at an increased risk of polyvictimization: that is, exposure to multiple types of violence over the life course. Given that polyvictimization increases vulnerability to adverse mental and physical health sequelae, there is a pressing need to identify which sociodemographic subgroups of transgender people are at greater risk of polyvictimization. Understanding these risk profiles will have important implications for developing transgender-specific models for violence prevention, screening, and intervention. Responding to this need in the literature, the present article offers secondary data analyses of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, the largest study to-date of transgender people in the United States ( N = 27,715 transgender adults), with participants selected from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., as well as several U.S. territories and overseas military bases. Multiple variable regressions examine sociodemographic predictors of five distinct forms of violence, as well as how many of these five violence types were experienced. The examined sociodemographic predictors included gender, sexual orientation, race-ethnicity, citizenship status, ever been homeless, has a disability, transgender outness, gender visual conformity, household income, and age. The five assessed violence victimization types included intimate partner violence, nonpartner sexual assault, antitransgender family violence, antitransgender physical violence during Kindergarten through 12th grade, and past-year antitransgender physical violence. With some exceptions, results indicate that more marginalized segments of transgender communities have a greater likelihood of experiencing polyvictimization. Recommendations are discussed for future research and service provision.

Association of Sociodemographics with Out-of-Pocket Expenditure and Underinsurance in Skin Cancer Survivors

Background: The sociodemographic predictors of either out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP) or underinsurance among skin cancer survivors is not well reported in the literature. In this study we estimated all-cause healthcare related OOP expenditure and probability of underinsurance among insured skin cancer survivors and identified the sociodemographic predictors of these measures. Data and Method: We pooled Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data from 2011 to 2015 and identified skin cancer using Clinical Classifications Software (CCS) code. Only adult (≥18 years) skin cancer survivors with full year insurance coverage were included in our study (n = 1825). We used a generalized linear model (GLM) with log link and gamma distribution to estimate OOP and a logit model to estimate the probability of underinsurance. We estimated the Average Marginal Effect (AME) to quantify the variations and their statistical significance between reference level and other levels of each predictor. Our analyses accounted for the complex survey design of MEPS. Results: The average all-cause OOP was $1766 per person per year for a skin cancer survivor. Among all skin cancer survivors, females, those aged 60-64 years, with some college education or a degree, with income ≥400% of federal poverty level (FPL) and with non-managed-care private insurance incurred significantly higher OOP expenditure compared to their respective counterparts. In terms of underinsurance, females and those aged 60-64 years had higher probability, whereas, survivors with non-white race/ethnicity and income 200% of FPL or higher had lower probability of being underinsured compared to their respective counterparts. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that OOP expenditure and underinsurance varies significantly by sociodemographic factors among skin cancer survivors.

Sociodemographic disparities in pediatric pain management

The purpose of this chapter is to present a narrative review of research studies examining sociodemographic predictors of disparities in pain management in children and adolescents. Findings from this review suggest that there are racial/ethnic disparities in the management of pain, but it is still not clear whether disparities by age, sex, insurance status, and residential area exist owing to the conflicting results and/or the reduced number of studies published. For the studies in which evidence of sociodemographic disparities exist, it is not clear whether the statistically significant sociodemographic disparities were also clinically meaningful, and the goal is to determine predictors of disparities in pain management. Future studies need to focus on determining the clinical meaningfulness of other findings and systematically testing explanatory models for possible sociodemographic disparities in pediatric pain management. Adequately addressing these gaps will help to advance the science of sociodemographic disparities in pediatric pain management.

What Drives Belief in Vaccination Conspiracy Theories in Germany?

In the midst of a pandemic, the efficacy of official measures to mitigate the COVID-19 crisis largely depends on public attitudes towards them, where conspiracy beliefs represent potential threats to the efficacy of measures such as vaccination. Here, we present predictors and outcomes associated with a COVID-19 vaccination conspiracy belief. In a representative survey of Germany, sociodemographic predictors of this belief were found to include age, federal state, migration background and school leaving qualification. The study revealed correlations with trust in scientific and governmental information sources, respondents’ self-assessment of being informed about science, general conspiracy mindedness, the frequency of using Twitter and messaging apps, as well as willingness to voluntarily take the COVID-19 vaccine. Our results cohere with and build on the general literature on conspiracy mindedness and related factors. The findings provide an evidence base for more effective health and crisis communication in Germany and beyond.