Digital Health Literacy and Information-Seeking in the Era of COVID-19: Gender Differences Emerged from a Florentine University Experience.

Gender appears to be a strong predictor of online health information-seeking behaviour (OHISB), which is related to Digital Health Literacy (DHL). Gender differences in OHISB have been studied in different countries with different results, but no studies have investigated gender-specific OHISB among University students during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to investigate any gender differences in OHISB in the period between the first and second waves of the pandemic in Italian university students. A questionnaire developed by the global COVID-HL network, including existing and adapted validated scales and self-developed scales, was administered to 2996 University students in Florence. Gender differences were tested using the χ2 test or the Mann-Whitney U test. Male students reported a higher score in DHL than females (p < 0.001). However, female students seek COVID-19 information more often on different sources (for themselves and other people), on various topics, consider various aspects of information quality to be "very important'' (p < 0.05) and are more likely to be "often dissatisfied'' or "partly satisfied'' with information (p < 0.001). Our study confirmed gender as an important dimension to explain students' OHISB differences, which could help institutions promote gender-specific education programmes and provide gender-oriented health information.

Determinants of Actual COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in a Cohort of Essential Workers: An Area-Based Longitudinal Study in the Province of Prato, Italy.

Identifying determinants of COVID-19 vaccine uptake is essential for developing effective strategies for promoting vaccination. This longitudinal study aimed to explore predictors of actual COVID-19 vaccine uptake in workers involved in essential services during the first lockdown period in the Prato Province (Italy). All essential workers were invited and surveyed before COVID-19 vaccine approval (96.5% participation rate). Participants were followed up to evaluate their actual COVID-19 vaccination uptake using the vaccination register. Multinomial models were performed to assess predictors of delayed vaccination or non-vaccination. A total of 691 participants were included, of whom 21.7% had delayed the vaccination and 4.4% were unvaccinated. Participants with a sufficient level of health literacy were 50.2% in the vaccinated-on-time group and 32.3% in the unvaccinated group. The multinomial model predictors of delayed vaccination were work type (OR = 0.51), age between 50 and 59 years (OR = 1.82), and influenza vaccination uptake in the last season (OR = 2.51). Predictors of being unvaccinated were work type (OR = 0.33) and attitudes related to attributing less importance to COVID-19 preventive measures (OR = 0.47). Findings showed distinct predictors for COVID-19 vaccination delay and for being unvaccinated. Being unvaccinated seems to be associated with a general skepticism toward prevention measures.