Anti-rubella seroprevalence assessment in an adult sample population in Italy.

Introduction: Despite global immunization efforts, rubella remains a public health concern, particularly in high- and middle-income countries. This study focused on rubella seroprevalence in the province of Florence, Italy, aiming to identify susceptibility clusters, especially among women in their childbearing age. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2018 and December 2019, enrolling 430 adult subjects (age over 18 years). Serum samples were collected, and anti-rubella antibodies were quantified using the ELISA test. Data were analyzed descriptively and compared by sex, nationality, and age groups using statistical tests. Results: The overall rubella seroprevalence was high (92.3%), with no significant differences between genders or nationalities. Among childbearing-age females (18-49 years), the highest seroprevalence was observed in the 30-39 age group (94.1%). However, susceptibility clusters exceeding the 5% threshold set by WHO were identified, especially in females aged 40-49 years (7.0%). Conclusions: Despite high overall seroprevalence, the study identified pockets of susceptibility, even in childbearing age women. Continuous monitoring, targeted immunization strategies, and public health interventions are recommended to maintain rubella elimination, emphasizing the importance of sustained vaccination efforts to protect vulnerable populations.

Why the Anti-Meningococcal B Vaccination during Adolescence Should Be Implemented in Italy: An Overview of Available Evidence.

Although meningococcal disease has a low incidence in Italy, it is a public health concern owing to its high lethality rate and high frequency of transitory and/or permanent sequelae among survivors. The highest incidence rates are recorded in infants, children and adolescents, and most of the cases are due to Neisseria meningitidis B. In Italy, anti-meningococcal B (anti-MenB) vaccination is free for infants but, despite the considerable disease burden in adolescents, no national recommendation to vaccinate in this age-group is currently available. The aim of this study was to assess the main available scientific evidence to support the Italian health authorities in implementing a program of free anti-MenB vaccination for adolescents. We conducted an overview of the scientific literature on epidemiology, disease burden, immunogenicity and safety of available vaccines, and economic evaluations of vaccination strategies. Each case of invasive meningococcal disease generates a considerable health burden (lethality rate: 9%; up to 60% of patients experience at least one sequela) in terms of impaired quality of life for survivors and high direct and indirect costs (the mean overall cost of acute phase for a single case amounts to about EUR 13,952; the costs for post-acute and the long-term phases may vary widely depending of the type of sequela, reaching an annual cost of about EUR 100,000 in cases of severe neurological damage). Furthermore, vaccination against meningococcus B in adolescence proved cost-effective. The study highlights the need to actively offer the anti-MenB vaccination during adolescence at a national level. This would make it possible to avoid premature deaths and reduce the high costs borne by the National Health Service and by society of supporting survivors who suffer temporary and/or permanent sequelae.

Health-Literate Healthcare Organizations and Quality of Care in Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in Tuscany.

The concept of Health-Literate Healthcare Organization (HLHO) concerns the strategies by which healthcare organizations make it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health. The aims of this study were to validate the HLHO-10 questionnaire in the Italian language; to measure the degree of implementation of the 10 attributes of HLHOs in a sample of hospitals placed in Tuscany; and to assess the association between the degree of implementation of the 10 attributes of HLHOs and the perceived quality of care. This was a cross-sectional study where data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire including three sections: a descriptive section, a section focused on the perceived quality, and the Italian version of the HLHO-10 questionnaire. A total amount of 405 healthcare managers answered the questionnaire (54.9%). The analysis shows that the HLHO score is significantly associated with the type of hospitals: accredited private hospitals have higher HLHO scores. Moreover, the perceived quality increases with the increasing of the HLHO score, with the highest coefficient for local public hospitals. In conclusion, Organizational Health Literacy culture should be an integral element for the management to improve the quality of care.

Health Literacy among Non-Familial Caregivers of Older Adults: A Study Conducted in Tuscany (Italy).

Many older adults who live at home depend on a caregiver. When familial support cannot provide the necessary care, paid caregivers are frequently hired. Health literacy (HL) is the knowledge and competence required of people to meet the complex demands of health in modern society. The aim of this study is to assess the HL level of paid non-familial caregivers who were enrolled through two different sources: from the homes of assisted people in two Tuscan health districts (first sample) and during job interviews in a home care agency operating in Florence (second sample). The two different recruitment contexts allow us to provide a broader view of the phenomenon, presenting a picture of the HL level of those who are already working and those who are looking for a new job in this field. One-on-one face-to-face interviews, which include the administration of the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) to measure HL, were conducted. Recruitment resulted in 84 caregivers in the first sample and 68 in the second sample. In the first sample, the mean age was 51.2 ± 9 years; 94% of the participants were women. A high likelihood or likelihood of inadequate HL (i.e., a low level of HL) was found in 73.8% of cases. In the second sample, the mean age was 43.7 ± 11.5 years; 83.8% of the participants were women, and 80.9% had a low level of HL. In both samples, HL was statistically associated with the level of understanding of the Italian language. In conclusion, inadequate HL is an under-recognized problem among non-familial caregivers. Educational programs that aim to increase HL skills could be an effective approach to improving the qualification of informal healthcare professionals.

Older People Living in Nursing Homes: An Oral Health Screening Survey in Florence, Italy.

The oral health state plays an important role in the concept of 'elderly frailty', since institutionalized older people are prone to suffering from bad oral conditions. The aim of this study is to assess the state of oral health in the older residents of nursing homes and to measure its potential association with the cognitive state, the degree of functional autonomy, and the malnutrition risk. Methods: We enrolled 176 subjects from 292 residents in five nursing homes in Florence. For each subject, we performed the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool, the Pfeiffer test, the Minimum Data Set-Long Form, a dental examination, and the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index questionnaire. The results show that the oral condition was poor in 43.8% of cases, medium in 38.1%, and good in 18.2%. A worse oral health state was significantly associated (p < 0.05) with a worse cognitive state and with a higher dependency in daily living activities. The malnutrition score among the older people was unrelated to the oral health condition (p = 0.128). It can be concluded that the oral health condition in older institutionalized subjects is an open challenge for the public healthcare system, since the maintenance of adequate good oral health is an essential element of good physical as well as cognitive and psychological health.

Non-familial paid caregivers as potential flu carriers and cause of spread: the primary prevention of flu measured through their adhesion to flu vaccination campaigns-A Florentine experience.

Introduction: Influenza vaccination is recommended for caregivers of elderly people. In a study aimed at assessing the level of health literacy (HL) in a sample non-familial caregivers in the Florence Health District (Tuscany), data were collected regarding access and adherence to the flu vaccination campaigns. Methods: The sample consists of 47 non-familial paid caregivers. We collected information regarding socio-demographic characteristics, services provided and daily work time, whether or not influenza vaccination was administered for the 2016/2017 season and in the previous three years. The level of HL was assessed through the Newest Vital Sign. Results: 63.8% of non-familial caregivers have not joined the flu campaigns over the last four years, 14.9% have been vaccinated only sometimes (in some epidemic seasons), and 21.3% have received a flu shot in all the seasons investigated. Most of the non-familial caregivers who do not get vaccinated (27.7%) do not perceive that they are in direct contact with a person at-risk; those who get the vaccine regularly (12.8%) reported they want to protect the assisted person as motivation for vaccine uptake. Vaccination was not associated with HL. Conclusion: Adhesion to anti-flu vaccination campaigns for these homecare workers has been resulted rather poor. Coverage does not seem to be related with HL level. It seems appropriate to promote extensively flu vaccination among family carers by actively offering the vaccination in appropriate forms, places and times, to avoid serious consequences on elderly people with higher risk of comorbidity and frailty.

Variability of triglyceride levels and incidence of microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Experimental and clinical studies have shown a strong association between hypertriglyceridemia and diabetic nephropathy. A variability of triglyceride (TG) levels has been reported in diabetes. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship of TG variability with the incidence of microalbuminuria (albumin excretion rate > 20 µg/min), in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: A longitudinal, retrospective, observational study was performed on a consecutive series of 457 normoalbuminuric outpatients, with measurements of HbA1c, lipids and microalbuminuria thrice per year with 6.8-year follow-up. TG variability, defined as standard deviation of TG (TG-SD) and TG-SD adjusted for the number of visits was calculated. A nested case-control sensitivity analysis was performed to validate the results of the primary cohort study. RESULTS: Incident microalbuminuria (N = 124, 27.1%) was associated with higher median TG-SD (33.6 mg/dL vs 29.0 mg/dL, P < .05) and TG-SD adjusted for the number of visits (31.4 mg/dL vs 26.7 mg/dL, P < .05). At multivariate (Cox) analysis, logTG-SD and adj-logTG-SD were significant predictors of incident microalbuminuria (hazard ratio 2.1 [1.1-4.2], P = .028 and 1.5 [1.1-3.3], P = .042, respectively). In the case-control analysis, time spent with TG > 150 mg/dL during the follow-up was significantly higher in cases vs controls (27.2 ± 19 vs 16.7 ± 12.5 months, P < .05) with hazard ratio 2.0 (1.1-5.1), P < .05, for adj-logTG-SD. CONCLUSIONS: A higher intraindividual TG variability is a predictor of incident microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetes. In addition, time of exposure to elevated TG levels (>150 mg/dL) predicts incident microalbuminuria.