A Survey of Parental Perception and Pattern of Action in Response to Influenza-like Illness in Their Children: Including Healthcare Use and Vaccination in Korea

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perception as Predictors of COVID-19 Safety Practices of Ride-Hailing Operators in Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study

Since its outbreak, health authorities have launched vigorous COVID-19 health promotion campaigns. This study assesses ride-hailing operators' COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practices in Ghana, with the aim of engendering precautionary behaviour among the populace. A complementary mixed methods approach was adopted. This involved a cross-sectional survey of 1014 participants who were also allowed to share their COVID-19-related lived experiences qualitatively after successfully completing the survey. The aggregate correct knowledge score was 84%. Most respondents were frightful of the virus (96%), but the majority had faith in the COVID-19 protocols (87%). Thus, most participants reported high use of face masks (95%) and practise personal hygiene (92%). However, social media misinformation and the subsequent complacency have dissuaded some participants from complying with the safety protocols. The qualitative data also show evidence of high susceptibility to COVID-19. The perceived benefits of safe behaviour, including masking up, were equally high among drivers surveyed, albeit barriers to preventative behaviours remain rife. Therefore, this study emphasises the importance of sustaining and improving public awareness by highlighting the susceptibility of all demographic groups to the virus and the need to counteract misinformation on social media.

Childhood Influenza Vaccination and Its Determinants during 2020-2021 Flu Seasons in China: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Young children aged 6−59 months are recommended as one of the priority groups for seasonal influenza vaccination in China. This study assessed influenza vaccination coverage and the factors associated with vaccination uptake among children in three Chinese provinces. In September 2021, 2081 caregivers with children <5 years completed self-administered questionnaires as part of a cross-sectional survey. Logistic regression was used to assess determinants of childhood influenza vaccination. A total of 43.63% of respondents reported vaccinating their children against influenza during the 2020−2021 flu season. Caregivers who lived in Anhui province, had a bachelor degree or above, and an annual household income <20,000 RMB were more likely to vaccinate their children against influenza. Confidence in the importance (OR: 2.50; 95%CI: 1.77−3.54), safety (OR: 1.60; 95%CI: 1.29−1.99), and effectiveness (OR: 1.54; 95%CI: 1.23−1.93) of influenza vaccine was significantly associated with childhood vaccine acceptance. Respondents who saw that other caregivers were vaccinating their children had significantly higher odds of vaccinating their own children. Caregivers’ receiving positive influence from healthcare workers (OR: 1.33; 95%CI: 1.00−1.77), family members, or friends (OR: 1.30; 95%CI: 1.14−1.49) were also significantly associated with childhood influenza vaccination. Poor access, including conflicts between caregivers’ availability and vaccination service schedules and inconvenient transportation to the vaccination site were negatively associated with childhood flu vaccination. To promote childhood influenza vaccination, public health information campaigns need to target wealthier and less educated caregivers to enhance caregivers’ confidence in influenza vaccination. Targeted interventions are also needed to optimize access to vaccination services, including extending vaccination service hours and increasing the number of vaccination sites close to residential areas. Interventions are also needed to encourage primary care providers to play a greater role in promoting vaccination. Finally, the dissemination of related information and the public response need to be monitored for the timely understanding of public perceptions.

Resources for assessing parents' vaccine hesitancy: a systematic review of the literature

The concept of Vaccine Hesitancy has begun to appear in the scientific landscape, referring to the reluctance of a growing proportion of people to accept the vaccination offer. A variety of factors were identified as being associated with vaccine hesitancy but there was no universal algorithm and currently there aren’t any established metrics to assess either the presence or impact of vaccine hesitancy. The aim of this study was to systematically review the published questionnaires evaluating parental vaccine hesitancy, to highlight the differences among these surveys and offer a general overview on this matter. This study offers a deeper perspective on the available questionnaires, helping future researches to identify the most suitable one according to their own aim and study setting.

A systematic review of studies that measure parental vaccine attitudes and beliefs in childhood vaccination

Background

Acceptance of vaccines is an important predictor of vaccine uptake. This has public health implications as those who are not vaccinated are at a higher risk of infection from vaccine preventable diseases. We aimed to examine how parental attitudes and beliefs towards childhood vaccination were measured in questionnaires through a systematic review of the literature.

Methods

We systematically reviewed the literature to identify primary research studies using tools to measure vaccine attitudes and beliefs, published between January 2012 and May 2018. Studies were included if they involved a quantitative survey of the attitudes and beliefs of parents about vaccinations recommended for children. We undertook a synthesis of the results with a focus on evaluating the tools used to measure hesitancy.

Results

A total of 116 studies met the inclusion criteria, 99 used a cross sectional study design, 5 used a case control study design, 4 used a pre-post study design and 8 used mixed methods study designs. Sample sizes of included studies ranged from 49 to 12,259. The most commonly used tool was the Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) Survey (n = 7). The most common theoretical framework used was the Health Belief Model (n = 25). Questions eliciting vaccination attitudes and beliefs varied widely.

Conclusions

There was heterogeneity in the types of questionnaires used in studies investigating attitudes and beliefs about vaccination in parents. Methods to measure parental attitudes and beliefs about vaccination could be improved with validated and standardised yet flexible instruments. The use of a standard set of questions should be encouraged in this area of study.

Influencing Factors for Influenza Vaccination among South Korean Adolescents with Asthma Based on a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Influenza viral infection is a major public health problem with significant morbidity and mortality.Asthma is a risk factor for developing serious complications related to influenza infection.

OBJECTIVE

We explored factors associated with influenza vaccination coverage among adolescents with asthma.

METHODS

Data were obtained from 62,276 participants in the 13th Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey (KYRBS) conducted in 2017. KYRBS data were obtained from a stratified, multistage, clustered sample. We used multiple logistic regression analyses to identify variables potentially related to influenza vaccination in adolescents with asthma.

RESULTS

The proportion of asthma was 8.8%, and the influenza vaccination rate overall was 37.9%. It was 41.8% in the asthma group and 37.5% in the nonasthma group (p < 0.001). After regression, male sex (odds ratio (OR) = 1.45; 95% CI 1.35-1.55), a high socioeconomic status (OR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.05-1.19), residence at an orphanage (OR = 1.93; 95% CI 1.38-2.29), regular breakfast consumption (OR = 1.09; 95% CI 1.02-1.17), and subjective good health (OR = 2.39; 95% CI 1.69-3.39) were associated with increased influenza vaccination, whereas current smoking (OR = 0.87; 95% CI 0.67-0.96) and a depressive mood (OR = 0.77; 95% CI 0.64-0.95) were inversely associated in adolescents with asthma.

CONCLUSION

It is important to improve influenza vaccination in adolescents with asthma, especially females, those with a low socioeconomic status, independent residents, breakfast skippers, current smokers, and those who consider themselves unhealthy and have depressive moods.

Social media use and influenza vaccine uptake among White and African American adults

Influenza vaccination rates in the U.S. remain low at 41% among adults over 18 years according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2016 data. Reasons for the low rate vary and include factors such as risk perception, vaccine hesitancy, and access to health care. This cross-sectional study sought to examine the relationship between social media use and influenza vaccine uptake among a sample of White and African Americans over 18 years of age. Using bivariate, and unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression tests, this study examined the relationship among social media use, social media as a source of health information, and influenza vaccination status in 2015. Our results indicate that users of Twitter (OR4.41, 95%CI: 1.43-13.60) and Facebook (OR 1.66, 95%CI: 1.01-2.72) as sources of health information were more likely to be vaccinated in comparison to users who do not use Twitter or Facebook as a source of health information. These findings have implications for the potential of using social media platforms to disseminate influenza vaccine information and encourage users to get vaccinated annually.