Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior toward COVID-19 Vaccination in Young Italians.

Purpose: The knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of young Italians towards the COVID-19 vaccination were analyzed in order to provide information useful to elaborate the strategies that can be implemented to obtain the best possible vaccination coverage in this population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 5313 young people aged between 11 and 30 years. Data were collected through an online survey during the period from 1 to 10 March 2021. The answers to the questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Intention to vaccinate was studied by univariate analysis using Pearson's chi-square test to assess differences between groups for categorical variables, and by multivariate analysis applying the binary logistic regression model, and the Hosmer−Lemeshow test was performed to assess goodness of fit. Results: Television (32.1%), internet/search engine (25.9%), and social networks (10.4%) were the main sources of information for young Italians. The survey analysis showed that 74.5% (3956) of the respondents were willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 versus 25.5% (1357) who were against it. Demographic data, in particular, age, gender, experience with influenza vaccine, and level of knowledge about the disease, were significant determinants (p < 0.001) for the choice to vaccinate against COVID-19. Discussion: These results suggest that in order to implement the vaccination campaign, correct information is needed to improve awareness of the vaccine and COVID-19, while also taking into account the target group, which differs not only in age but also in the sources of information used compared to the adult population.

How Much Do Young Italians Know About COVID-19 and What Are Their Attitudes Toward SARS-CoV-2? Results of a Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: At the end of 2019, an outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia, called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-2), was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. It subsequently spread throughout China and elsewhere, becoming a global health emergency. In February 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the disease coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective of this study was to investigate the degree of knowledge of young Italians about COVID-19 and their current attitudes toward the SARS-CoV-2 and to determine if there were prejudices emerging toward Chinese. METHODS: An online survey was conducted on February 3, 4, 5, 2020, with the collaboration of Italian website "Skuola.net". Young people had the opportunity to participate by answering an ad hoc questionnaire created to investigate knowledge and attitudes about the new coronavirus, using a link published on the homepage. RESULTS: A total of 5234 responses were received, of which 3262 were females and 1972 were males. Most of the participants showed generally moderate knowledge about COVID-19. Male students, middle school students, and those who do not attend school, should increase awareness of the disease; less than half of responders say that their attitudes toward the Chinese population has worsened in the last period. CONCLUSIONS: Global awareness of this emerging infection should be increased, due to its virulence, the significant risk of mortality, and the ability of the virus to spread very quickly within the community.

["Alternanza scuola lavoro": an observational study of the experience in Italy in upper secondary school in the years 2016-2018.] / Alternanza Scuola Lavoro: uno studio osservazionale dell'esperienza in Italia nella scuola secondaria di secondo grado negli anni 2016-2018.

SUMMARY: Objectives. To assess the results of the national survey published by skuola.net addressed to students involved in the "Alternanza Scuola-Lavoro"(ASL) project in the years 2016-2018. Methods. An anonymous online survey was employed to gather information on students' experiences during the ASL project. Chi-squared test was performed for the univariate analysis. Results. A total of 8695 questionnaires were included in the analysis. The results of the descriptive and univariate analysis showed that a large number of students, especially those living in Northern Italy, performed more than 15 days of ASL during the year. In addition, students belonging to technical and professional institutes spent more hours compared to classical and scientific high schools ones. Employment in private companies was greater in the North than in the Center and South (54.9% vs 47.7% vs 47.7%, p minor than 0.001). In classical and scientific institutes, on the other hand, there were more students who replied that they had received a theoretical training at work (23% vs. 19.7 p minor than 0.001) or that they had carried out "outline tasks such as making photocopies, cleaning etc.". (19.6 vs 11.5, p mionr than 0.001). Another aspect investigated what kind of training they had had about safety at the workplace before starting the experience in the company: among the students resident in the South and in the Islands there was the highest number of negative responses, in fact 30.8% answered "No, by no one", compared to 15.2% in the North and 17.6% in the Center (p minor than 0.001). Conclusions. The ASL represented a concrete attempt to overcome the distinction between the world of education and the world of work within the Italian educational system. There were also some critical issues in its implementation, such as the lower involvement of classical and scientific high school students in projects consistent with their studies and their future prospects, compared to those of technical and commercial institutes. There was also a lack of homogeneity in the quality of the experiences lived between geographical macro areas, which reflects the diversity of employment opportunities present on the national territory.