Addressing health inequalities in Europe: key messages from the Joint Action Health Equity Europe (JAHEE).

Health inequalities within and between Member States of the European Union are widely recognized as a public health problem as they determine a significant share of potentially avoidable mortality and morbidity. After years of growing awareness and increasing action taken, a large gap still exists across Europe in terms of policy responses and governance. With the aim to contribute to achieve greater equity in health outcomes, in 2018 a new Joint Action, JAHEE, (Joint Action Health Equity Europe) was funded by the third EU Health Programme, with the main goal of strengthening cooperation between participating countries and of implementing concrete actions to reduce health inequalities. The partnership led by Italy counted 24 countries, conducting actions in five policy domains: monitoring, governance, healthy living environments, health systems and migration, following a three-step implementation approach. Firstly, specific Policy Frameworks for Action (PFA) collecting the available evidence on what practice should be done in each domain were developed. Second, different Country Assessments (CAs) were completed to check the country's adherence to the recommended practice in each domain. The gap between the expected policy response (PFA) and the present policy response (CA) guided the choice of concrete actions to be implemented in JAHEE, many of which are continuing even after the end of JA. Final recommendations based on the best results achieved during JAHEE were elaborated and agreed jointly with the representatives of the involved Ministries of Health. The JAHEE initiative represented an important opportunity for the participating countries to work jointly, and the results show that almost all have increased their level of action and strengthened their capacities to address health inequalities.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Internet-Based Communication for Public Health: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Communicating strategically is a key issue for health organizations. Over the past decade, health care communication via social media and websites has generated a great deal of studies examining different realities of communication strategies. However, when it comes to systematic reviews, there is fragmentary evidence on this type of communication. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence on web institutional health communication for public health authorities to evaluate possible aim-specific key points based on these existing studies. METHODS: Guided by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement, we conducted a comprehensive review across 2 electronic databases (PubMed and Web of Science) from January 1, 2011, to October 7, 2021, searching for studies investigating institutional health communication. In total, 2 independent researchers (AN and SS) reviewed the articles for inclusion, and the assessment of methodological quality was based on the Kmet appraisal checklist. RESULTS: A total of 78 articles were selected. Most studies (35/78, 45%) targeted health promotion and disease prevention, followed by crisis communication (24/78, 31%), general health (13/78, 17%), and misinformation correction and health promotion (6/78, 8%). Engagement and message framing were the most analyzed aspects. Few studies (14/78, 18%) focused on campaign effectiveness. Only 23% (18/78) of the studies had an experimental design. The Kmet evaluation was used to distinguish studies presenting a solid structure from lacking studies. In particular, considering the 0.75-point threshold, 36% (28/78) of the studies were excluded. Studies above this threshold were used to identify a series of aim-specific and medium-specific suggestions as the communication strategies used differed greatly. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings suggest that no single strategy works best in the case of web-based health care communication. The extreme variability of outcomes and the lack of a unitary measure for assessing the end points of a specific campaign or study lead us to reconsider the tools we use to evaluate the efficacy of web-based health communication.

The Determinants of Vaccine Literacy in the Italian Population: Results from the Health Literacy Survey 2019.

Vaccines are among the most important public health achievements of the last century; however, vaccine awareness and uptake still face significant challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this phenomenon. Vaccine Literacy (VL) is the ability to find, understand and judge immunisation-related information to make appropriate immunisation decisions. A cross-sectional study on a sample of 3500 participants, representative of the Italian adult population aged 18+ years, was conducted in Italy in 2021. A validated questionnaire, including sections on health literacy (HL), sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors, and lifestyles of respondents, was used. VL was measured by four items (item 19, 22, 26 and 29) of the HL section. While 67.6% of the respondents had a "good" (47.5%) or "sufficient" (20.1%) level of VL, 32.4% had "limited" VL levels. Although the overall VL level was quite high, many participants reported difficulties in dealing with vaccination information, particularly those with a lower educational level, those living in southern and insular regions of Italy, those with greater financial deprivation and those with a migration background. Improving VL in Italy should be a top priority in the political agenda, with special regard to socially and geographically disadvantaged communities.

Information specialists and researchers working together for health promotion: Benefits from school-work educational programmes at the National Institute of Health in Italy.

In 2015, the Italian Ministry of Education in Italy launched innovative upper school educational programmes envisaging school-work initiatives. In this framework, the National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, ISS) was among the first scientific institutions to develop educational programmes with school. Involving school students in health research activities allowed health literacy improvement, acquisition of scientific communication skills and fostered student interest in science careers. This article focuses on how health literacy and health promotion can be taught to school students through taking part in this programme. It is a multi-disciplinary collaboration among different stakeholders-ISS tutors (researchers, information and communication experts), teachers and students. This collaborative initiative is a good example of 'teaching and learning' in action since all stakeholders could benefit from cross-fertilisation in an informal educational context.

How can we manage the COVID-19 infodemics? A case study targeted to health workers in Italy.

INTRODUCTION: The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) has been asked for rapid technical and scientific advice to the State and Regions during Sars-CoV-2 pandemic preparedness. METHODS: An ad hoc Working Group on Scientific Literature updates (WG SL) was set up at ISS (March-May 2020) to screen pre-prints and peer reviewed papers from arXiv, medRxiv, bioRxiv, and Pubmed to provide a real time knowledge and empirical evidence addressed to health-workers. RESULTS: The WG SL screened a total of 4,568 pre-prints and 15,590 peer reviewed papers, delivered as daily summary report of pre-print selection for ISS President activity in the National Scientific Technical Committee framework and a weekly open access publication (COVID Contents) on peer-reviewed papers of interest for health professionals, monitored by a satisfaction questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: Promoting heath literacy, with a cross-cutting approach is a powerful heritage of Public Health Institutes and a proven effective non pharmacological intervention.

International promotion of e-Bug, an infection prevention and control educational intervention: survey of partners across 14 countries.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat to public health. e-Bug is an educational resource developed and promoted by a network of international partners. e-Bug seeks to reduce the spread of infection and use of antimicrobials in young people and the community, so helping to control AMR. This study aimed to explore how e-Bug is promoted by international partners and observe barriers to promotion, including the extent of education about antibiotics in schools. METHODS: A total of 29 e-Bug partners were invited to complete online questionnaires on (i) methods they use to promote e-Bug; and (ii) antibiotic topics covered in the national curriculum in their countries. RESULTS: Fourteen and 15 of 29 e-Bug partners across Europe and Palestine completed the promotional activities and curriculum questionnaires respectively. The most frequently reported methods of promotion included endorsement and collaboration with government and non-government sectors and involvement in national and global health awareness campaigns. Barriers to promotion included a lack of time and funding. The curriculum survey data showed variation in antibiotic education across Europe and Palestine, lack of antibiotic education for children under 11 years of age and little change in antibiotic topics included in the curriculum since 2006. CONCLUSIONS: Future and existing e-Bug partners should be encouraged to follow promotional activities reported in this paper, including ministry endorsement, educator training, international campaigns and youth programmes. We encourage all countries to increase antibiotic topics in the school curriculum across all ages.

Health and Climate Change: science calls for global action.

Climate changes affect social and environmental health determinants such as clean air, ecosystems health, safe drinking water and safe sufficient food. Globally, people at greatest risk of adverse health effects associated with climate change include children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups. Temperature-related death and illness, extreme events, polluted or stressed ecosystems represent relevant issues raising concern for both health and economic consequences. The aim of the Symposium "Health and Climate Change" (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome 3-5 December 2018) was to promote an inter-sectoral and multidisciplinary approach to estimate and prevent climate change-related events as well as to call the authorities to put in place measures to reduce adverse health effects. At the end of the Symposium the Rome International Charter on Health and Climate Change was presented. It includes a series of actions and recommendations, discussed and shared by all the participants, intended to inform policy makers and all the stakeholders involved in the management of climate changes.

Health inequalities: a Research Positioning Exercise at the National Institute of Health, Italy.

BACKGROUND: The Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, ISS) considers health inequalities (HI) an important area of activity. As the scientific and technical body of the Ministry of Health and the National Health Service, ISS may play a key role to reduce HI. In order to enable ISS in addressing the new and crucial HI challenge, a Research Positioning Exercise was designed and implemented. METHODS: The Exercise included: (i) workshop to strengthen the institutional interest in the field of HI; (ii) review and analysis of ISS publications (years 2000-2017) to identify HI research topics; (iii) survey among ISS researchers regarding main research challenges to address HI in the coming years; and (iv) analysis of input on research challenges from HI international experts. RESULTS: The results of this Exercise suggest that the following points should be included in the future ISS agenda planning: (i) themes which ISS should continue working on (e.g. migrants/vulnerable groups); (ii) themes to be improved: (a) relationship between social determinants and mechanism of HI generation and (b) relationship between risk factors exposure and social determinants; and (iii) new themes to be addressed: (a) mechanisms underlying the resilience observed in Italy; (b) new socioeconomic indicators for HI monitoring; and (c) evidence-based policies aimed at reducing HI. CONCLUSION: Findings of this Exercise show that ISS researchers identified relevant areas, addressing inequalities in addressing the health. Because of ISS structural peculiarity that includes multidisciplinary expertise, the ISS could provide a significant contribution to HI research challenges and knowledge gaps.

[Sex and gender equity in research: rationale for the SAGER guidelines and recommended use]. / Equidad según sexo y de género en la investigación: justificación de las guías SAGER y recomendaciones para su uso.

BACKGROUND: Sex and gender differences are often overlooked in research design, study implementation and scientific reporting, as well as in general science communication. This oversight limits the generalizability of research findings and their applicability to clinical practice, in particular for women but also for men. This article describes the rationale for an international set of guidelines to encourage a more systematic approach to the reporting of sex and gender in research across disciplines. METHODS: A panel of 13 experts representing nine countries developed the guidelines through a series of teleconferences, conference presentations and a 2-day workshop. An internet survey of 716 journal editors, scientists and other members of the international publishing community was conducted as well as a literatura search on sex and gender policies in scientific publishing. RESULTS: The Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines are a comprehensive procedure for reporting of sex and gender information in study design, data analyses, results and interpretation of findings. CONCLUSIONS: The SAGER guidelines are designed primarily to guide authors in preparing their manuscripts, but they are also useful for editors, as gatekeepers of science, to integrate assessment of sex and gender into all manuscripts as an integral part of the editorial process.

Assessment of health literacy skills in family doctors' patients by two brief, self-administered Italian measures.

Health Literacy (HL) is an important health determinant: low HL skills result in less healthy choices, riskier behavior, poorer health, less self-management and more hospitalization. An observational study was conducted in a selected population, attending the waiting rooms of family general practitioners, with the aim of assessing HL capabilities through the administration of two HL screeners (IMETER and SILS-IT), and comparing the two measures. An anonymous questionnaire was administered, consisting of the Italian versions of the two tests on a single sheet. Demographic data, as well as concomitant chronic diseases and vaccines received, were also collected. HL skills were measured by the scores observed at both tests, and by the frequency of subjects with low HL levels according to the respective cut-off values. Overall, 305 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Regarding IMETER, the observed frequency of subjects with low HL skills was 25.2% and the mean score and mean adjusted-score (26.3 ± 8.8 and 23.2 ± 9.4, respectively) were lower than those observed in previous studies. Similarly, at SILS-IT the percentage of subjects with low skills (49.9%) was higher than observed previously. IMETER showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha > 0.9). The two measures were significantly correlated, although with a low Spearman's coefficient, and IMETER did not provide significant information about the probability to predict low HL according to SILS-IT. These results are explainable by the differences in assessment and domains between the two tests, both reliable and suitable to screen patients with low functional HL.

Fostering public health awareness on risks in contaminated sites. Capacity building and dissemination of scientific evidence.

The article focuses on the multidisciplinary nature of public health and the need to develop target oriented capacity building and dissemination plans taking into account both scientific evidence and the information needs of the different stakeholders. In particular, issues regarding stakeholders' involvement in epidemiological studies in contaminated sites, considering their different levels of awareness on risk characterization and management, are discussed. In a public health perspective, the main stakeholders in contaminated sites are researchers and public health officers, risk managers and policy makers, population residing in the contaminated areas, environmental associations, patient's organizations. The different components of a dissemination strategy addressed to different stakeholders are analyzed with the objective to create awareness and preparedness to facilitate management in contaminated sites, foster scientific knowledge and informed decisions to consolidate risk perception through science-driven information.

[Scientific editors in Italy: identity, certification and roles.] / Editor scientifici in Italia: problemi di identità, certificazione e ruoli.

This study is developed as part of the activities of the Italian Chapter of the European Association of Science Editors (EASE) with the aim to provide an overview of the Italian scientific publishing in biomedicine and highlight the need for professional training and certification. Even at European and international level, in fact, there is a general lack of training and accreditation programs for the certification of professional editors. After defining the editor's role (term that in the Italian language has a certain degree of ambiguity) and the different professionals involved in the publication process, the paper analyzes the biomedical production in Italy, reporting the results of a survey on professional associations, institutions, scientific societies, and others. Also reported are the results of a first hearing on views expressed by the publishers themselves. From this study the need of a constructive discussion with all stakeholders emerges not only to improve the quality of publications in the biomedical field, but also to enhance and recognize the editor's profession, both in Italy and in other countries.

Sex And Gender Equity in Research (SAGER): reporting guidelines as a framework of innovation for an equitable approach to gender medicine. Commentary.

Sex and gender are important determinants of health and influence research findings in a variety of ways, yet they are often overlooked and underreported. This oversight limits the generalizability of research findings and their applicability to clinical practice. The objective of this paper is to point out how journal editors can influence better reporting of sex and gender in research by establishing a methodological framework directly addressing authors of scientific publications, as well as referees, and indirectly affecting all the stakeholders in the research cycle, from funders to policy-makers and citizens. Such a framework is represented by the Sex And Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines, developed by the European Association of Science Editors (EASE) to encourage a more systematic approach to the reporting of sex and gender in research across disciplines. The paper includes the rationale and basic principles of the SAGER guidelines.

Biobankers: Treat the Poison of Invisibility with CoBRA, a Systematic Way of Citing Bioresources in Journal Articles.

Even though an increasing portion of biomedical research today relies on the use of bioresources, at present biobankers are not able to trace this use in scientific literature and measure its impact with a variety of citation metrics. The "BRIF (Bioresource Research Impact Factor) and journal editors" subgroup was created precisely with the aim to study this issue and to build a standardized system to cite bioresources in journal articles. This report aims at presenting a guideline for Citation of BioResources in journal Articles (CoBRA). The guideline offers for the first time a standard for citing bioresources (including biobanks) within journal articles. It will increase their visibility and promote their sharing.

Sex and Gender Equity in Research: rationale for the SAGER guidelines and recommended use.

BACKGROUND: Sex and gender differences are often overlooked in research design, study implementation and scientific reporting, as well as in general science communication. This oversight limits the generalizability of research findings and their applicability to clinical practice, in particular for women but also for men. This article describes the rationale for an international set of guidelines to encourage a more systematic approach to the reporting of sex and gender in research across disciplines. METHODS: A panel of 13 experts representing nine countries developed the guidelines through a series of teleconferences, conference presentations and a 2-day workshop. An internet survey of 716 journal editors, scientists and other members of the international publishing community was conducted as well as a literature search on sex and gender policies in scientific publishing. RESULTS: The Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines are a comprehensive procedure for reporting of sex and gender information in study design, data analyses, results and interpretation of findings. CONCLUSIONS: The SAGER guidelines are designed primarily to guide authors in preparing their manuscripts, but they are also useful for editors, as gatekeepers of science, to integrate assessment of sex and gender into all manuscripts as an integral part of the editorial process.

Environmental health literacy within the Italian Asbestos Project: experience in Italy and Latin American contexts. Commentary.

The adoption of multidisciplinary approaches to foster scientific research in public health and strengthen its impact on society is nowadays unavoidable. Environmental health literacy (EHL) may be defined as the ability to search for, understand, evaluate, and use environmental health information to promote the adoption of informed choices, the reduction of health risks, the improvement of quality of life and the protection of the environment. Both public health and environmental health literacy involve access to and dissemination of scientific information (including research findings), individual and collective decision-making and critical thinking. Specific experiences in environmental health literacy have been developed within the Italian National Asbestos Project (Progetto Amianto) in Latin American countries where the use of asbestos is still permitted, and in Italy where a specific effort in EHL has been dedicated to the risks caused by the presence of fluoro-edenite fibers in the town of Biancavilla (Sicily). Taking into account the different geographical and socio-economic contexts, both public health and environmental health literacy were addressed to a wide range of stakeholders, within and outside the health domain.

Retention in Care of Adult HIV Patients Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy in Tigray, Ethiopia: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Although Ethiopia has been scaling up the antiretroviral therapy (ART) services, low retention in care of patients remains one of the main obstacles to treatment success. We report data on retention in care and its associated determinants in Tigray, Ethiopia. METHODS: We used data from the CASA project, a prospective observational and multi-site study of a cohort of HIV-infected patients who initiated ART for the first time in Tigray. Four participating health facilities (HFs) located in the South of Tigray were considered for this study. Patients were followed for one year after ART initiation. The main outcome measure was represented by the current retention in care, defined as the proportion of patients who were alive and receiving ART at the same HF one year after ART initiation. Patients who started ART between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013 were included in this analysis. Patients were followed for one year after ART initiation. The determinants of retention were analysed using univariate and multivariate Cox Proportional Hazards model with robust sandwich estimates to account for within HF correlation. RESULTS: The four participating HFs in Tigray were able to retain overall 85.1% of their patients after one year from starting ART. Loss to follow-up (5.5%) and transfers to other HF (6.6) were the main determinant of attrition. A multivariate analysis shows that the factors significantly associated with retention were the type of HF, gender and active TB. Alamata health center was the HF with the highest attrition rate (HR 2.99, 95% CI: 2.77-3.23). Active TB (HR 1.72, 95% CI: 1.23-2.41) and gender (HR 1.64, 95% CI: 1.10-2.56) were also significantly associated with attrition. CONCLUSIONS: Although Ethiopia has significantly improved access to the ART program, achieving and maintaining a satisfactory long-term retention rate is a future goal. This is difficult because of different retention rates among HFs. Moreover specific interventions should be directed to people of different sex to improve retention in care in male population.

Developing a guideline to standardize the citation of bioresources in journal articles (CoBRA).

BACKGROUND: Many biomedical publications refer to data obtained from collections of biosamples. Sharing such bioresources (biological samples, data, and databases) is paramount for the present governance of research. Recognition of the effort involved in generating, maintaining, and sharing high quality bioresources is poorly organized, which does not encourage sharing. At publication level, the recognition of such resources is often neglected and/or highly heterogeneous. This is a true handicap for the traceability of bioresource use. The aim of this article is to propose, for the first time, a guideline for reporting bioresource use in research articles, named CoBRA: Citation of BioResources in journal Articles. METHODS: As standards for citing bioresources are still lacking, the members of the journal editors subgroup of the Bioresource Research Impact Factor (BRIF) initiative developed a standardized and appropriate citation scheme for such resources by informing stakeholders about the subject and raising awareness among scientists and in science editors' networks, mapping this topic among other relevant initiatives, promoting actions addressed to stakeholders, launching surveys, and organizing focused workshops. RESULTS: The European Association of Science Editors has adopted BRIF's suggestion to incorporate statements on biobanks in the Methods section of their guidelines. The BRIF subgroup agreed upon a proposed citation system: each individual bioresource that is used to perform a study and that is mentioned in the Methods section should be cited as an individual "reference [BIORESOURCE]" according to a delineated format. The EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) network mentioned the proposed reporting guideline in their "guidelines under development" section. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluating bioresources' use and impact requires that publications accurately cite such resources. Adopting the standard citation scheme described here will improve the quality of bioresource reporting and will allow their traceability in scientific publications, thus increasing the recognition of bioresources' value and relevance to research. Please see related article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0284-9.

Open data sharing in the context of bioresources.

Recently many international initiatives have been developed to improve access to scientific information and to promote open data sharing. In the complex field of bioresources, the BRIF (Bioresource Research Impact Factor) project aims to create suitable methods to recognise and measure the use and impact of biological resources in scientific/academic work, in order to maximize access by researchers to collections of biological materials and attached databases, and to recognize efforts involved in their maintenance. The lack of a proper recognition of scientific contribution is in fact a major obstacle which impedes bioresource sharing. In this context, the BRIF initiative can be considered as a tool to facilitate research resource sharing.