Health status, diseases and vaccinations of the homeless in the city of Palermo, Italy.

INTRODUCTION: In Italy, as in the rest of the world, the number of homeless people is increasing considerably. Many of them suffer from chronic conditions, mental health problems and addiction to alcohol, drugs or smoking, and need complex medical care. Their health status is often exacerbated by greater difficulty in accessing primary care. The aim of the present study was to assess health conditions of homeless people living in Palermo, Southern Italy, and to find ways to limit the spread of common infectious diseases that can be prevented by vaccination. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed. The questionnaire was structured into two parts including an introduction with socio-demographic information, and a second part investigating health status, chronic diseases and vaccinations. A multivariable logistic regression model was used and adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR) are presented. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 52 homeless, 35 (67.3%) of whom were male and the most represented age class (55.8%) was < 50 years of age. The average age of the sample was 49.6 years (SD ± 15.2) and 88.5% were born in Italy. A multivariable logistic regression model based on 52 observations was used. The analysis showed that the female gender was significantly associated with: not performing regular physical activity (aOR 4.14, 95% C.I. 1.20 - 14.32, p = 0.025), suffering from chronic diseases (aOR 3.52, 95% C.I. 1.02 - 12.11, p = 0.046) and taking medicines (aOR 3.95, 95% C.I. 1.14 - 13.64, p = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS: This particularly fragile population is exposed to diseases that are largely preventable or curable through a wider and more early access to care by local health facilities with a subsequent reduction in the worsening of clinical outcomes and related social costs.

Sexual and reproductive health risk behaviours among Palermo university students: results from an online survey.

AIM: Evaluation of the knowledge and behavioral risks related to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among the students at the University of Palermo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study. An anonymous online questionnaire has been submitted to the students of Palermo University. Survey investigates to socio-demographic information, sexual habits and the level of knowledge of the STIs. RESULT: The sample consists of 539 students; average age 22.65 (± 2.95). The risk to have unprotected occasional sexual intercourse is related to the following circumstances: the homosexual or bisexual status, the male gender, the age of the occurrence of the first sexual intercourse, that is at 17 year or earlier and the circumstance to have contracted a sexually transmitted infection during life. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to implement sexual education programs aimed at improving the knowledge in terms of STIs and increase of sexual and reproductive health. The findings presented should be interpreted with a degree of caution. Future studies are needed to assess the effectiveness and cost of education programs.

Factors associated with reporting adverse reactions after immunization, study in a sample of university students.

INTRODUCTION: On the day of a workshop (named "Vaccino Day") on vaccinations, organized for the students of the University of Palermo by the ERSU (Regional Office for the Right to University Study), the sample of students were given a questionnaire to fill out. The aim of the survey was to investigate the perception of vaccinations on a sample population made up of university students. STUDY DESIGN: A self-administered paper questionnaire was given to participants of the workshop. The questionnaire is divided into 3 parts: demographic, economic and habits informations have been asked in the first part; in the second part, they had to answer the question: "What term do you associate with vaccination?"; in the third part, they were posed the question: "Have you ever had any adverse reactions after being vaccinated?". Therefore, the percentage response frequencies and the statistically significant Odds-Ratio (aOR) are presented with a corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Statistical analysis was performed using the STATA® 14 software. METHODS: A total of 350 students were asked to participate and the response rate was 100%, the 61.43% of the interviewed population was made up of females. Taking into account the dependent variable: "at least a moderate-severe adverse reaction after a vaccination" the statistically significant independent variables associated are "Have fear of side effects" (aOR 7.06, 95% CI 1.73-28.57, p=0.006), "I associate the term "vaccination" to Needles/syringes" (aOR 3.82, 95% CI 1.08-13.48, p=0.037), "I associate the term "vaccination" to Protection" (aOR 3.50, 95% CI 1.02-11.98, p=0.046). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination is still influenced by emotional factors and lack of campaigns providing adequate information, therefore negative judgement tend to outweigh the real risks and benefits. Considering that the sample was composed of university students, being highly educated and capable of becoming opinion leaders in the future, there is a need to create a more efficient communication protocol that make the student, and then the citizen, better aware of the actual risks associated with vaccinations and their real benefits.

Hackathon Public Health.

BACKGROUND: It is necessary to implement current teaching in the healthcare and university sector by promoting new tools for the enhancement of public health, bearing in mind that some health determinants seek to create a context in which to present their own idea of innovative Startup, can represent the opportunity to give your professional contribution to the development of another's idea or to propose an improved solution to the private business. On the other hand, networking with companies and networking between training participants will allow us to recognize the importance of demonstrating their diverse skills as a key element to create a successful Startup or to implement the activities of a reality already consolidated. METHODS: This paper describes the research protocol of a Hackathon Public Health (HPH) teaching methodology aimed at: a) increasing public health knowledge; b) changing the proactive approach of the healthcare provider, especially by increasing the sectoral training activity; c) to promote educational and training activities in Italian regions. The subjects involved will be healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, health professions, psychologists, biologists, assistants in training) who are selected to receive or not the intervention through the implementation of a HPH which also includes training activity. CONCLUSIONS: HPH is an innovation in the national health landscape, with the aim of creating environments and training policies aimed at promoting proper clinical risk management as part of the continuous improvement of the quality of healthcare organizations and proper training activities.