LetsTalkShots: personalized vaccine risk communication.

Introduction: Vaccine hesitancy is a global health threat undermining control of many vaccine-preventable diseases. Patient-level education has largely been ineffective in reducing vaccine concerns and increasing vaccine uptake. We built and evaluated a personalized vaccine risk communication website called LetsTalkShots in English, Spanish and French (Canadian) for vaccines across the lifespan. LetsTalkShots tailors lived experiences, credible sources and informational animations to disseminate the right message from the right messenger to the right person, applying a broad range of behavioral theories. Methods: We used mixed-methods research to test our animation and some aspects of credible sources and personal narratives. We conducted 67 discussion groups (n = 325 persons), stratified by race/ethnicity (African American, Hispanic, and White people) and population (e.g., parents, pregnant women, adolescents, younger adults, and older adults). Using a large Ipsos survey among English-speaking respondents (n = 2,272), we tested animations aligned with vaccine concerns and specific to population (e.g., parents of children, parents of adolescents, younger adults, older adults). Results: Discussion groups provided robust feedback specific to each animation as well as areas for improvements across animations. Most respondents indicated that the information presented was interesting (85.5%), clear (96.0%), helpful (87.0%), and trustworthy (82.2%). Discussion: Tailored vaccine risk communication can assist decision makers as they consider vaccination for themselves, their families, and their communities. LetsTalkShots presents a model for personalized communication in other areas of medicine and public health.

Corrigendum: LetsTalkShots: personalized vaccine risk communication.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1195751.].

Differentiation of human T cells alters their repertoire of G protein alpha-subunits.

Because T cell differentiation leads to an expanded repertoire of chemokine receptors, a subgroup of G protein-coupled receptors, we hypothesized that the repertoire of G proteins might be altered in parallel. We analyzed the abundance of mRNA and/or protein of six G protein α-subunits in human CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell subsets from blood. Although most G protein α-subunits were similarly expressed in all subsets, the abundance of Gα(o), a protein not previously described in hematopoietic cells, was much higher in memory versus naive cells. Consistent with these data, activation of naive CD4(+) T cells in vitro significantly increased the abundance of Gα(o) in cells stimulated under nonpolarizing or T(H)17 (but not T(H)1 or T(H)2)-polarizing conditions. In functional studies, the use of a chimeric G protein α-subunit, Gα(qo5), demonstrated that chemokine receptors could couple to Gα(o)-containing G proteins. We also found that Gα(i1), another α-subunit not described previously in leukocytes, was expressed in naive T cells but virtually absent from memory subsets. Corresponding to their patterns of expression, siRNA-mediated knockdown of Gα(o) in memory (but not naive) and Gα(i1) in naive (but not memory) CD4(+) T cells inhibited chemokine-dependent migration. Moreover, although even in Gα(o)- and Gα(i1)-expressing cells mRNAs of these α-subunits were much less abundant than Gα(i2) or Gα(i3), knockdown of any of these subunits impaired chemokine receptor-mediated migration similarly. Together, our data reveal a change in the repertoire of Gα(i/o) subunits during T cell differentiation and suggest functional equivalence among Gα(i/o) subunits irrespective of their relative abundance.

Current State of Mass Vaccination Preparedness and Operational Challenges in the United States, 2018-2019.

Mass vaccination is a crucial public health intervention during outbreaks or pandemics for which vaccines are available. The US government has sponsored the development of medical countermeasures, including vaccines, for public health emergencies; however, federally supported programs, including the Public Health and Emergency Preparedness program and Cities Readiness Initiative, have historically emphasized antibiotic pill dispensing over mass vaccination. While mass vaccination and pill dispensing programs share similarities, they also have fundamental differences that require dedicated preparedness efforts to address. To date, only a limited number of public assessments of local mass vaccination operational capabilities have been conducted. To fill this gap, we interviewed 37 public health and preparedness officials representing 33 jurisdictions across the United States. We aimed to characterize their existing mass vaccination operational capacities and identify challenges and lessons learned in order to support the efforts of other jurisdictions to improve mass vaccination preparedness. We found that most jurisdictions were not capable of or had not planned for rapidly vaccinating their populations within a short period of time (eg, 1 to 2 weeks). Many also noted that their focus on pill dispensing was driven largely by federal funding requirements and that preparedness efforts for mass vaccination were often self-motivated. Barriers to implementing rapid mass vaccination operations included insufficient personnel qualified to administer vaccinations, increased patient load compared to pill-dispensing modalities, logistical challenges to maintaining cold chain, and operational challenges addressing high-risk populations, including children, pregnant women, and non-English-speaking populations. Considering the expected availability of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccine for distribution and dispensing to the public, our findings highlight critical considerations for planning possible future mass vaccination events, including during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Associations among text messaging, academic performance, and sexual behaviors of adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Text messaging is an increasingly common mode of communication, especially among adolescents, and frequency of texting may be a measure of one's sociability. This study examined how text messaging ("texting") frequency and academic performance are associated with adolescent sexual behaviors. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered to students at a public charter high school in Los Angeles County, CA. Two hundred fifty-six high school students aged 14-20 years participated. Outcome measures were history of vaginal sex, condom use, and worries about pregnancy. The main predictors were text messaging frequency and self-reported academic performance. RESULTS: In general, students with lower grades were more likely to have had vaginal sex. Greater texting frequency, however, was associated with vaginal sex only among students with higher grades. In addition, despite similar rates of condom use, sexually active students who both had good grades and texted frequently were more likely than others to have thought they or their partner might be pregnant. CONCLUSIONS: The association between texting and sexual behaviors may vary based on adolescent's academic performance. Adolescent sexual health interventions may benefit from using a combination of sociability measures (such as texting frequency) and academic performance as risk predictors.

Adolescents' perspectives on the use of a text messaging service for preventive sexual health promotion.

PURPOSE: To understand adolescents' perspectives on the use of a preventive sexual health text messaging service. METHODS: Twenty-six adolescents aged 15-20 years old were recruited from two teen clinics in Los Angeles County to participate in focus groups. Three focus groups were held. Discussions focused on the content of the weekly text messages sent by a service called the Hookup, as well as the acceptability of using text messaging to relay sexual health education to adolescents. Codes and themes were developed from transcripts using standard constant comparison methods. RESULTS: Participants enjoyed receiving weekly text messages related to sexual health. They linked their enjoyment to the message content being informative (providing relevant and new information), simple (automatically limited to small words and short phrases), and sociable (easily able to be shared with friends). Participants also pointed to the convenience and ubiquity of text messaging and generally felt that cost of messages was not a concern. Most felt that text messaging provided a sense of privacy for learning about sensitive health topics, although a few expressed concerns about stigma from peers' seeing the messages. CONCLUSIONS: Teens may face several barriers to accessing reliable, useful, and age-appropriate information and services for their health. The use of text messaging is an innovative way to engage teens in preventive health learning and practices. Text messaging may allow efficient delivery of health messages and may offer a discreet way for teens to learn important health information, especially for sensitive topics like sexual health.