What Is the Willingness to Receive Vaccination Against COVID-19 Among the Elderly in Italy? Data From the PASSI d'Argento Surveillance System.

Introduction: Italy was one of the earliest countries to experience a severe COVID-19 epidemic and vaccinating the elderly, who constitute 23% of the population and have experienced the highest mortality rates, is a top priority. Estimating prevalences and understanding risk factors for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy or refusal are important for development of targeted interventions. Methods: We used data from a specially developed COVID-19 module of PASSI D'Argento, an ongoing surveillance system of residents 65+ years of age to measure the prevalence and identify risk factors for hesitancy and refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. We calculated multinomial regression relative risk ratios to examine the association between demographic characteristics, health status, COVID-19 attitudes and experiences and likely vaccine hesitancy and refusal. Results: Of the 1876 respondents, 55% reported they would accept vaccination and 16% would likely refuse; the remaining 29% were categorized as hesitant. Compared with the acceptance group, we identified several risk factors in common between the hesitancy group and the refusal group, including not having received vaccination against influenza during the previous flu season (hesitancy: RRR = 2.0; 95% CI 1.4-2.9; refusal: RRR = 12.1; 95%CI 7.6-19.4) and lower risk of having had a death from COVID-19 among family or friends (hesitancy: RRR = 4.8; 95%CI 2.0-11.4; refusal: RRR = 15.4; 95%CI 3.7-64.5). The hesitancy group was significantly more likely being worried and they did not know if consequences of the disease would be serious for them. Conclusion: Our findings show the importance of establishing and maintaining active contact between the preventive services, primary care providers and the population because trust is difficult to establish during an emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic. Italian public health is based on a capillary network of general practitioners and having them reach out to their patients who have not previously received influenza vaccine may be a useful strategy for targeting efforts to further encourage uptake of COVID-19 vaccination.

The two behavioural risk factor surveillances on the adult and elderly populations as information systems for leveraging data on health-related sustainable development goals in Italy.

INTRODUCTION: Current lengthening of average life and constant increase of population ageing associated to forces that include rapid unplanned urbanisation and globalisation of unhealthy behaviours have determined the huge relevance of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Monitoring key modifiable behavioural risk factors has resulted to be crucial both in spatial terms and as per temporal trends in order to allow comparisons between different geographic areas or levels and over time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In Italy, PASSI (Progressi delle Aziende Sanitarie per la Salute in Italia) and Passi d'Argento are the ongoing Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance Systems (BRFSSs), respectively, on adults (people aged 18-69) and elderly (65 and older). RESULTS: The two Italian surveillances are information systems providing data not only on the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) that explicitly addresses ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, but on a total of nine health-related SDGs (HRSDGs) and 19 HRSDG targets/indicators. We describe these pairs more in detail specifying where in case of BRFSS core indicators (N = 14 HRSDG targets/indicators) concerning six HRSDGs or, on the other hand, as per BRFSS further in-depth analysis (N = five HRSDG targets/indicators) in regard of four different HRSDGs. About the HRSDG 3, HRSDG target 3.4, HRSDG indicator 3.4.1, from the PASSI and Passi d'Argento data it is possible not only to detect the prevalence of NCDs in adults and elderly living in Italy, but also to evaluate the social determinants of health, such as gender, age group, educational level, economic difficulties, as well as the associations with modifiable lifestyle risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: The two Italian BRFSSs generate accurate data, which are highly relevant to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate programs and policies at different levels (local, regional, national) for NCD prevention and health promotion. They provide numbers which can also serve as propaedeutic or, in some cases, complementary ground to address a robust measurement of several HRSDG patterns.

Effectiveness of the Comirnaty (BNT162b2, BioNTech/Pfizer) vaccine in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers, Treviso province, Veneto region, Italy, 27 December 2020 to 24 March 2021.

Data on effectiveness of the BioNTech-/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in real-world settings are limited. In a study of 6,423 healthcare workers in Treviso Province, Italy, we estimated that, within the time intervals of 14-21 days from the first and at least 7 days from the second dose, vaccine effectiveness in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection was 84% (95% confidence interval (CI): 40-96) and 95% (95% CI: 62-99), respectively. These results could support the ongoing vaccination campaigns by providing evidence for targeted communication.

A Retrospective Cohort Study of Young Women Spontaneously Choosing to Be Vaccinated against HPV: Outcomes from Their First Cervical Cancer Screening Test.

BACKGROUND: Efficacy for cervical cancer prevention of opportunistic HPV vaccination in post-pubertal girls is lower than in 11-year-olds. METHODS: Women born between 1986 and 1992 vaccinated at 15-25 years of age (at least one dose of 4-valent HPV vaccine) and screened at 24-27 years of age were included. Frequency of opportunistic vaccination, overall and by birth cohort, was calculated; screening outcomes were compared between vaccinated and unvaccinated women. RESULTS: Overall, 4718 (4.9%) HPV-vaccinated, and 91,512 unvaccinated, women were studied. The frequency of vaccination increased by birth cohort, ranging between 1.8% and 9.8%; age at vaccination decreased progressively by birth cohort (p < 0.0001). Participation in screening was 60.8% among vaccinated, and 56.6% among unvaccinated, women (p < 0.0001). Detection rates (DR) for high-grade lesions were lower in vaccinated women (2.11‰ vs. 3.85‰ in unvaccinated, for CIN3+, p = 0.24; 0.0‰ vs. 0.22‰ for cancer). The DR of CIN3+ increased with age at vaccination, scoring respectively 0.0‰, 0.83‰, and 4.68‰ for women vaccinated when they were 15-16, 17-20, and 21-25 years old (p = 0.17). CONCLUSIONS: In comparison to unvaccinated women, higher compliance with cervical cancer screening invitation and lower CIN3+ DR among vaccinated women was observed. Age at vaccination was inversely correlated to vaccination efficacy.

"Camminando e Leggendo ...   Ricordo" (Walking and Reading ...   I Remember): Prevention of Frailty Through the Promotion of Physical Activity and Reading in People with Mild Cognitive Impairment. Results from the TREDEM Registry.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is a condition of increased vulnerability to exogenous and endogenous stressors, which is correlated with aging, functional decline, institutionalization, hospitalization, and mortality. Given the multifaceted nature of frailty, programs aimed at its prevention are recommended to act on multiple domains. OBJECTIVE: The present intervention program aimed at assessing the effects of combined physical and cognitive training in older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and at investigating how their frailty status changed over one year of follow-up. METHODS: Two-hundred and seven participants were recruited among outpatients of the Cognitive Impairment Center who agreed to receive a comprehensive assessment. Forty-six participants, who joined a structured program of physical activity and group readings for a period of one year, were defined as active. The remaining 161, who decided not to engage in those activities, were considered controls. In both groups, frailty status was assessed at baseline and over one year of follow-up. RESULTS: Control participants showed twice the risk of becoming frail at 12 months compared with those in the active group. Participants in the active group had more than three times the probability of improving their frailty status compared with the control group from T0 to T12. Age and NPI scores were significantly associated with worsening frailty status. When analyses were restricted to participants who were robust at baseline, the frailty status varied significantly between groups over time. CONCLUSION: Findings of the present study confirm the beneficial effects of physical activity and reading to prevent frailty in older people with MCI.

Impact of Communication Measures Implemented During a School Tuberculosis Outbreak on Risk Perception among Parents and School Staff, Italy, 2019.

Risk perception has a significant impact on decisions people make when facing a threat: a mismatch between actual hazard and perceived risk can lead to inappropriate behaviours and suboptimal compliance to recommended public health measures. The present study was conducted in the aftermath of a tuberculosis (TB) outbreak that occurred in 2019 in a primary school in Italy. The aim was to evaluate the impact of communication measures implemented by local health authorities (including face-to-face meetings between LHAs and the local population, weekly press announcements, implementation of a telephone hotline and of an information desk, and social media communication), on risk perception among parents of schoolchildren and school staff, and to identify factors related to a change in risk perception before and after the said activities. An anonymous questionnaire was administered to parents of schoolchildren (n = 846) and to school staff (n = 70). Participants were asked about the level of risk they had perceived at two distinct times: when they first became aware of the outbreak and following implementation of communication activities. A significant reduction of perceived risk was found in both groups (p < 0.001) following the communication activities. The largest reduction was found among participants who reported having appreciated the meetings with the LHA healthcare staff. Our findings suggest that keeping an open approach, explaining the actual threat to the population and adapting communication to different listening skills, are essential for health authorities to successfully manage a public health emergency.

Determinants of vaccination uptake, and influenza vaccine effectiveness in preventing deaths and hospital admissions in the elderly population; Treviso, Italy, 2014/2015-2016/2017 seasons.

Seasonal influenza is an important cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly among the elderly population. Determinants of vaccination uptake and its impact on health outcomes in the seasons 2014/2015-2016/2017 in elderly living in Treviso area (Veneto Region, North-Eastern Italy) were evaluated. A retrospective cohort study was conducted combining information from several health administrative databases, and multiple Poisson regression models were applied to evaluate the influenza vaccine effectiveness, also adjusting for confounding factors. MF59-adjuvanted trivalent-inactivated vaccine was mainly administered. Data from more than 83,000 elderly people were analyzed by year. Vaccine coverage was about 50%; influenza vaccination uptake was independently associated with older age, male sex, increasing number of underlying chronic conditions, previous pneumococcal vaccination, annual expenses for specialist medical cares, and general practitioner to whom the elderly was in charge. After adjusting for previously described characteristics, vaccination was associated with lower mortality and influenza-related hospitalization rates. Specifically, during influenza season the adjusted incidence rate ratio of death and of influenza-related hospitalizations for vaccinated compared to unvaccinated persons was 0.63 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58-0.69, p < .001] and 0.86 (95% CI 0.81-0.91, p < .001), respectively. A similar effectiveness was estimated for death in all age groups (≤74, 75-84, ≥85 years old), whereas a higher effect was found for hospitalizations in subjects aged ≥75 years old. Vaccination was also effective both in males and females. Findings suggest a health benefit of the influenza vaccination in the elderly population. Efforts should be focused on strategies to increase the vaccination uptake as important instrument of prevention.

High rate of transmission in a pulmonary tuberculosis outbreak in a primary school, north-eastern Italy, 2019.

Italy is a low-incidence country for tuberculosis (TB). We describe a TB outbreak in a primary school in north-eastern Italy, involving 10 cases of active pulmonary disease and 42 cases of latent infection. The index case was detected in March 2019, while the primary case, an Italian-born schoolteacher, was likely infectious since January 2018. Administration of a pre-employment health questionnaire to school staff with sustained contact with children should be considered in low-incidence countries.

Comparison of early childhood vaccination coverage and timeliness between children born to Italian women and those born to foreign women residing in Italy: A multi-centre retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Compared to hosting populations, immigrants are usually considered more vulnerable to communicable diseases, many of which are vaccine-preventable. This study aims to estimate vaccination coverage (VC) and timeliness in children born to women from high migratory pressure countries (HMPC) and to evaluate factors affecting differences with children born to Italian women or women from advanced development countries (ITA + ADC). METHODS: We retrospectively analysed data of children born in 2009-2014 and resident in areas served by three local health units in the cities of Rome (n = 40,284), Turin (n = 49,600), and Treviso (n = 20,080). Data were retrieved through record-linkage of the population, vaccination, and birth registries. We used the Kaplan-Meier method to estimate VCs at different ages for the 3rd dose of vaccine against tetanus and the 1st dose of vaccines against measles and meningococcal group C. Factors affecting differences in VCs by citizenship were evaluated using log-binomial models. RESULTS: In Rome, VCs at 2 years of age were consistently higher in children born to ITA + ADC women than in children born to HMPC women, while differences in VCs by citizenship varied according to antigen and birth-cohort in Turin and Treviso, respectively. Where differences were observed, these were only partially explained by the mother's socio-demographic characteristics, level of utilisation of health-services during pregnancy, and maternal, perinatal, and neonatal outcomes. Finally, we observed a reduction of VCs in recent birth cohorts (2012-14 vs. 2009-11), especially in children born to ITA + ADC women. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in VCs by citizenship were not homogeneous and varied according to geographical context, antigen, and birth-cohort. These differences are likely to be also affected by informal barriers (e.g., linguistic and cultural barriers), which should be addressed in implementing strategies to increase vaccine uptake in foreign children. Moreover, our results suggest that effective strategies to promote vaccinations in the autochthonous population are also needed.

Cancer screening uptake: association with individual characteristics, geographic distribution, and time trends in Italy.

BACKGROUND: In Italy, organized screening programmes invite the vast majority of the population for cervical and breast cancer, and about one half of the population for colorectal cancer. Programme activity and quality are closely monitored. Nevertheless, there is a vast spontaneous activity, both public and private, for which information on service and coverage is missing. To estimate actual population coverage for the three types of screening the extent of spontaneous screening needs to be known. METHODS: PASSI is a national telephone-interview surveillance system that continuously collects information about behavioural health risk factors and the diffusion of preventive health interventions. From 2010 to 2013, more than 151,000 18- to 69-year-olds were interviewed. During 2013, 136 out of 147 Italian local health authorities participated in the survey. Information about screening includes: test uptake (Pap smear, HPV, mammography, faecal occult blood test, colonoscopy), date of the last test, provider of the last test (whether paid or for free, proxy of the organized screening programme), reason for not participating in screening, and screening promotion/recommendation received. Individual information on socio-economic characteristics is available. RESULTS: Seventy-seven percent of the 25-64 year-old women interviewed said they had undergone a Pap smear or HPV test in the three years before the interview, 40%within the screening programme, 37% spontaneously and paying. Seventy percent of the 50-69 year-old women interviewed reported having had a mammography in the two years before the interview, 51% within the screening programme, 19% spontaneously and paying. Thirty-eight percent of the 50-69 year olds interviewed reported having undergone colorectal screening in the two years before the interview, 31% within the screening programme, 7% spontaneously and paying. All three screening programmes showed a decreasing North-South trend in coverage. From 2010 to 2013, coverage increased for all types of screening; the trend was stronger in the South; the increase was mostly due to the tests performed within the organized programmes. People with low education, economic problems, and immigrants from high migration pressure countries had lower coverage levels. In regions with well-implemented organized screening programmes, test coverage was higher and differences for socio-economic factors were smaller than in regions with incomplete programme activation.