Uncertainty and unwillingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in adults residing in Puerto Rico: Assessment of perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Lopez-Cepero A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8437450 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:BackgroundThe continued success of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in the UK will depend on widespread uptake of booster vaccines. However, there is evidence of hesitancy and unwillingness to receive the booster vaccine, even in fully vaccinated adults. Identifying factors associated with COVID-19 booster vaccine intentions specifically in this population is therefore critical.MethodsWe used data from 22,139 fully vaccinated adults who took part in the UCL COVID-19 Social Study. Multinomial logistic regression examined predictors of uncertainty and unwillingness (versus willingness) to receive a COVID-19 booster vaccine (measured 22 November 2021 to 6 December 2021), including (i) socio-demographic factors, (ii) COVID-19 related factors (e.g., having been infected with COVID-19), and (iii) initial intent to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the four months following the announcement in the UK that the vaccines had been approved (2 December 2020 to 31 March 2021).Findings4% of the sample reported that they were uncertain about receiving a COVID-19 booster vaccine, and a further 4% unwilling. Initial uncertainty and unwillingness to accept the first COVID-19 vaccine in 2020-21 were each associated with over five times the risk of being uncertain about and unwilling to accept a booster vaccine. Healthy adults (those without a pre-existing physical health condition) were also more likely to be uncertain or unwilling to receive a booster vaccine. In addition, low levels of current stress about catching or becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, consistently low compliance with COVID-19 government guidelines during periods of strict restrictions (e.g., lockdowns), lower levels of educational qualification, lower socio-economic position, and age below 45 years were all associated with uncertainty and unwillingness.InterpretationOur findings highlight that there are a range of factors that predict booster intentions, with the strongest predictor being previous uncertainty and unwillingness. Two other concerning patterns also emerged from our results. First, administration of booster vaccinations may increase social inequalities in experiences of COVID-19 as adults from lower socio-economic backgrounds are also most likely to be uncertain or unwilling to accept a booster vaccine as well as most likely to be seriously affected by the virus. Second, some of those most likely to spread COVID-19 (i.e., those with poor compliance with guidelines) are most likely to be uncertain and unwilling. Public health messaging should be tailored specifically to these groups.FundingThe Nuffield Foundation [WEL/FR-000022583], the MARCH Mental Health Network funded by the Cross-Disciplinary Mental Health Network Plus initiative supported by UK Research and Innovation [ES/S002588/1], and the Wellcome Trust [221400/Z/20/Z and 205407/Z/16/Z].
| S-EPMC8811487 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Legumes are a traditional healthy staple food in Latin America, with great potential for use in diet-related chronic disease prevention interventions. This study aimed to investigate attitudes about legume consumption and associations with dietary intake. Adult participants from the Puerto Rico Assessment of Diet, Lifestyle, and Diseases, who completed a validated food frequency questionnaire and a legumes questionnaire (n = 229) were included. A 25-item Likert scale was used to assess agreement with stated attitudes regarding legumes consumption. Exploratory factor analysis produced 3 factors: (1) taste and perceived benefits; (2) barriers and negative attitudes; and (3) social support and cultural beliefs. A combined attitudes scale was computed, with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes toward legumes. Adjusted linear regression models examined associations between each factor and the combined scale with legumes intake, rice intake, and ratio of legumes to rice intake. Significant positive associations were observed for the taste and perceived benefits factor (β = 0.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.07-0.21) and the social support and cultural beliefs factor (β = 0.14; 95% CI, 0.07-0.22) with legume intake. The social support and cultural beliefs factor was also associated with a higher ratio of legumes to rice intake (β = 1.59; 95% CI, 0.04-3.14). A 3-unit increase in the combined attitudes scale (corresponding to 1 additional positive attitude) was associated with a 0.03 (95% CI, 0.01-0.05) higher servings/day legume intake. The barriers and negative attitudes factor was inversely associated with rice intake (β = -0.10; 95% CI, -0.02 to -0.17) and positively associated with ratio of legumes to rice intake (β = 1.55; 95% CI, 0.03-3.07). Nutritional programs to increase legume intake as a healthy staple food among Puerto Ricans and Hispanic/Latino populations should emphasize building positive attitudes, especially those related to taste, perceived benefits, social support, and cultural beliefs, while diminishing barriers and negative attitudes.
| S-EPMC9156569 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionMedical students are among the potential risky population for the transmission of COVID 19 infections; their willingness to receive COVID 19 vaccine is not well studied. Thus, this study assessed Predictors of Unwillingness to receive COVID -19 vaccines among Ethiopian Medical students.MethodsFrom the 25th of May, 2020 to the 26th of June, 2021, an institution-based cross-sectional study was done at Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital,On 313 medical students from each department and batch were chosen using a multistage sampling approach. A bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were done to identify the predictors of Unwillingness to receive COVID -19 vaccines. Figures, tables, and graphs were used to present the findings. The adjusted odds ratio and its 95% confidence interval were provided.ResultsIn this study 124 (40.7%) 95% CI (35.1,46.4) medical students were not willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. And also increased in the age of the student[AOR 0.43, 95% CI; (.29,.63)], Knowledge status about COVID 19 infection transmission, risk factors and control behavior[AOR 1.45, 95% CI; (1.14, 1.85)], perceived susceptibility to COVID 19 infection [AOR 1.70 (1.15, 2.51)], perceived severity of COVID 19 infection[AOR 1.26 (1.01, 1.57)], perceived benefit of COVID 19 vaccine [AOR .58(.38, .88)], positive attitude towards COVID 19 vaccines [AOR .46(.35, .62)], and confidence in safety and efficacy of the vaccine and public authorities decissin in the best interest of the community [AOR 1.93(1.24, 2.99)] were predictors of non-willingness to receive COVID 19 vaccine.ConclusionNon-willingness to accept the COVID 19 vaccine was predicted by student age, elements in the Health belief model such as anticipated susceptibility, severity, and benefit, and a positive attitude and trust in the vaccine.
| S-EPMC9629586 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe control of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be dependent on widespread receipt of an effective vaccine. It is important to understand patient health-related behaviors and perceptions to guide public health vaccination strategies.ObjectivesTo examine perceptions of COVID-19 and vaccination beliefs, and identify predictors of intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the US.MethodsA cross-sectional, web-based survey guided by the Health Belief Model was conducted using a web-based Qualtrics survey panel of US adults. The main outcome was the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine if offered. Additional measures included: demographics, perceptions of COVID-19 severity, risk and susceptibility, views of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, virus and vaccine information sources, vaccine beliefs and behaviors, and seasonal flu vaccine history.ResultsA total of 1047 complete responses were included. Females had lower odds of intending to receive the COVID-19 vaccine than males (AOR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.36-0.80). Those with a two-year degree/some college had lower odds of intending to receive the COVID-19 vaccine compared to those with a high school degree/GED (AOR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.36-0.97). Respondents who perceived the severity of the virus to be higher, perceived a greater COVID-19 vaccine benefit, and perceived greater general vaccine benefits had higher odds of intending to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (AOR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.09-1.91; AOR = 2.82, 95% CI: 2.24-3.56; AOR = 1.77, 95% CI 1.41-2.21, respectively).ConclusionsIn this study, intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine varied across demographics, perceived virus severity, COVID-19 vaccine and general vaccine beliefs. Successful implementation of a COVID-19 immunization strategy by healthcare providers and public health officials will need to incorporate diverse COVID-19 vaccination education strategies tailored to patients' health beliefs.
| S-EPMC8087864 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Dengue is a growing public health threat, causing approximately 400 million infections annually. In June 2021, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended the first dengue vaccine (CYD-TDV) for children aged 9-16 years with a previous dengue infection, living in endemic areas, such as Puerto Rico (PR). As the COVID-19 pandemic affected vaccine intention worldwide, we assessed dengue vaccine intention before (pre-COVID) and after (post-COVID) COVID-19 vaccine availability among participants enrolled in the Communities Organized to Prevent Arboviruses (COPA) cohort to prepare for dengue vaccine implementation in PR. We used logistic regression models to evaluate changes in dengue vaccine intention by interview timing and participant characteristics. Among 2,513 participants pre-COVID, 2,512 answered the dengue vaccine intention question for themselves, and 1,564 answered relative to their children. Post-COVID, dengue vaccine intention in adults increased for themselves from 73.4% to 84.5% (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.27, 95%CI: 1.90-2.71) and relative to their children from 75.6% to 85.5% (aOR = 2.21, 95%CI: 1.75-2.78). Among all participants, groups with higher dengue vaccine intention included those who reported previous year influenza vaccine uptake and those who reported being frequently bitten by mosquitos, compared to those who did not. Adult males were also more likely to intend to vaccinate themselves than females. Respondents who were employed or in school were less likely to intend to vaccinate compared to those who were not working. The primary reasons for vaccine hesitancy were concerns with side effects and not believing in vaccines, which should be considered during educational strategies prior to dengue vaccine implementation. In general, dengue vaccine intention is high in PR and has increased after COVID-19 vaccine availability, potentially due to increased awareness of vaccine importance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
| S-EPMC10160531 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Puerto Ricans are a unique Hispanic population with European, Native American (Taino), and higher West African ancestral contributions than other non-Caribbean Hispanics. In admixed populations, such as Puerto Ricans, genetic variants can be found at different frequencies when compared to parental populations and uniquely combined and distributed. Therefore, in this review, we aimed to collect data from studies conducted in healthy Puerto Ricans and to report the frequencies of genetic polymorphisms with major relevance in drug response. Filtering for healthy volunteers or individuals, we performed a search of pharmacogenetic studies in academic literature databases without limiting the period of the results. The search was limited to Puerto Ricans living in the island, excluding those studies performed in mainland (United States). We found that the genetic markers impacting pharmacological therapy in the areas of cardiovascular, oncology, and neurology are the most frequently investigated. Coincidently, the top causes of mortality in the island are cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke. In addition, polymorphisms in genes that encode for members of the CYP450 family (CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP2D6) are also available due to their relevance in the metabolism of drugs. The complex genetic background of Puerto Ricans is responsible for the divergence in the reported allele frequencies when compared to parental populations (Africans, East Asians, and Europeans). The importance of reporting the findings of pharmacogenetic studies conducted in Puerto Ricans is to identify genetic variants with potential utility among this genetically complex population and eventually move forward the adoption of personalized medicine in the island.
| S-EPMC4768757 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study characterizes community perceptions on a large-scale project seeking to reduce the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and prevent arboviral disease transmission in Ponce, Puerto Rico; and to leverage on these perceptions to make modifications to ensure effective project implementation. In 2017-2018 the team conducted informal interviews, focus groups, and in-depth interviews with leaders and residents of the communities, focusing on challenges and potential solutions to the project implementation. Possible challenges to the project implementation included the lack of geographic consistency between clusters defined by researchers and the participants' description of the communities' geographic boundaries. Few children living in the communities could affect the ability of the project to adequately measure arboviral disease incidence. Also, population attrition due to out-migration, and lack of community leaders and communication channels after Hurricane Maria could affect participation in project activities. Lack of trust on strangers was an important challenge due to criminal activity involving violence and drug use in some community areas. Solutions to the identified challenges included identifying emerging leaders and implementing community meetings to promote project activities. The information that community members provided helped us to understand the natural disasters' impact on population attrition in these communities with a disproportionate impact in younger groups, resulting in an aging population. We identified lack of community organization and leadership and increasing number of abandoned houses that could turn into Aedes aegypti breeding sites. The formative work helped to better define the geographic areas that the study would cover, evaluate the acceptability of innovative vector control methods, and identify communication methods used by residents. With this information, challenges and potential solutions in recruiting participants were anticipated, and the community engagement and communications plans were developed. We recommend selecting clusters before research, because opinions towards mosquito control technologies could vary in added clusters.
| S-EPMC10109480 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PURPOSE:To identify rates of postoperative radiation therapy (RT) after breast conservation surgery (BCS) in women with stage I or II invasive breast cancer treated in Puerto Rico and to examine the sociodemographic and health services characteristics associated with variations in receipt of RT. METHODS:The Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry-Health Insurance Linkage Database was used to identify patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 2008 and 2012 in Puerto Rico. Claims codes identified the type of surgery and the use of RT. Logistic regression models were used to examine the independent association between sociodemographic and clinical covariates. RESULTS:Among women who received BCS as their primary definitive treatment, 64% received adjuvant RT. Significant predictors of RT after BCS included enrollment in Medicare (odds ratio [OR], 2.14; 95% CI, 1.46 to 3.13; P ? .01) and dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.14 to 2.27; P < .01). In addition, it was found that RT was more likely to have been received in certain geographic locations, including the Metro-North (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.48 to 3.28; P < .01), North (OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.20 to 2.64; P < .01), West (OR, 4.04; 95% CI, 2.61 to 6.25; P < .01), and Southwest (OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.70 to 4.59; P < .01). Furthermore, patients with tumor size > 2.0 cm and ? 5.0 cm (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.93; P = .02) and those with tumor size > 5.0 cm (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.92; P = .03) were found to be significantly less likely to receive RT. CONCLUSION:Underuse of RT after BCS was identified in Puerto Rico. Patients enrolled in Medicare and those who were dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare were more likely to receive RT after BCS compared with patients with Medicaid alone. There were geographic variations in the receipt of RT on the island.
| S-EPMC6180809 | biostudies-other
Project description:Characterization of the microbial communities inhabiting tropical propolis of Puerto Rico
| PRJEB59440 | ENA
Project description:Background:Low birth weight (LBW) has been associated with adverse health outcomes across the lifespan. Among ethnic/racial minority populations, few studies have examined the association between LBW (<2,500 or ?2,500 g) and prenatal exposure to air pollution, a key modifiable environmental risk factor. Methods:We examined the association between LBW and prenatal exposure to PM2.5 in a Hispanic and black population in Puerto Rico between 1999 and 2013, adjusting for individual and municipality-level confounders. We used modified Poisson regression to estimate the association and performed sensitivity analyses treating birth weight as continuous or polychotomous. In secondary analyses, we applied a 2-stage mixed effects model suitable for longitudinally measured exposures and binary outcomes. Results:Among 332,129 total and 275,814 term births, 12.2% and 6.3% of infants had LBW, respectively. Eighty-eight percent of mothers were Hispanic. Mean (SD) PM2.5 concentrations declined from 9.9 (1.7) ?g/m3 in 1999 to 6.1 (1.1) ?g/m3 in 2013. Mean birth weights dropped to 3,044 g in 2010 and rose steadily afterward. Among term births, a SD increase in PM2.5 was associated with a 3.2% (95% CI = -1.0%, 6.3%) higher risk of LBW. First (risk ratio, 1.02; 95% CI = 1.00, 1.04) and second (1.02; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.05) trimester exposures were associated with increased LBW risk. In a 2-stage approach that longitudinally modeled monthly prenatal exposure levels, a standard deviation increase in average PM2.5 was associated with higher risk of LBW (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.08). Conclusions:In Puerto Rico, LBW is associated with prenatal PM2.5 exposure.
| S-EPMC7039618 | biostudies-literature