bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Uptake and effectiveness of an Instagram intervention on AMR for undergraduate students
Authors: Parveen S , McHugh P , Vellinga A 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
With the large volume, diversity and amount of information shared on social media, this offers opportunities to deliver and disseminate health interventions through these platforms. Social media campaigns have been found to be effective in raising public awareness of health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media is however not widely used to raise awareness on antimicrobial prescribing and resistance.

Aim
To study the potential of Instagram as a tool for promoting awareness and understanding of critical health issues such as AMR among undergraduate students.

Methods
A 3-month Instagram-based educational intervention with Instagram posts with messages on AMR was implemented from January to April 2024. The planning phase involved two co-design sessions and two key-informant interviews, which provided valuable insights and guidance for structuring the intervention. The messages on AMR were developed based on the planning phase to ensure relevance and effectiveness. To evaluate the impact of the intervention, pre and post-intervention surveys were conducted to measure the knowledge levels of the participants.

Results
126 students signed up for the intervention by following the instagram account and filling the pre-intervention survey. A total of 36 messages were posted during the intervention with an engagement of 2.5% and a daily engagement of 4.6%. The average likes per post was 14.

Conclusions
Type of message and change in knowledge on AMR will be explored to inform future Instagram AMR awareness campaigns.

Key messages
• Social media interventions can be effective in raising awareness when co-designed with the target audience.
• A good content mix with engaging short format content is key in capturing the attention of the target audience on social media.
Procrastination and risky behaviors: preliminary results among Italian university students
Authors: Bianco A , Licata F , Maruca R , Di Gennaro G , Citrino E A 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
The study aims to investigate if the tendency to procrastinate has a relationship with engaging in risky behaviors among university students.

Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted at the ‘Magna Græcia’ University of Catanzaro, in the Southern part of Italy, using a stratified random sample technique. Undergraduate students (ages 18 to 30) were provided with an anonymous online survey via the institutional email. The survey comprised five sections to assess procrastination levels, sleep quality, breakfast habits, alcohol and tobacco use, and social and demographic characteristics.

Results
Of the 404 participants, more than half were enrolled in medicine or life science majors. The procrastination mean score was 14.8(IQR 10-20). Poor sleep quality was found in 57.2% of students and women were the most affected part of the sample. The logistic regression model revealed that higher procrastination levels increased the likelihood of engaging in unhealthy behaviors such as breakfast skipping, alcohol abuse, and poor sleep quality. Furthermore, the study found that people who skipped breakfast were more likely to engage in smoking and alcohol abuse, suggesting the interconnectedness nature of unhealthy behaviors.

Conclusions
The study’s findings shed light on the correlation between procrastination and unhealthy habits. Moreover, the results can offer recommendations for how universities might successfully support students by implementing integrated, evidence-based programs to assist students who struggle with procrastination. Indeed, universities can serve as centers for promoting wellness by increasing awareness of the need to change deeply rooted behavioral patterns. Hence, breaking the vicious cycle of procrastination can ultimately lead to improved academic performance and overall well-being for students. This will benefit both individuals’ and the general public’s health.

Key messages
• The novel correlation between procrastination and risky behaviors among university students was shown.
• Targeted interventions must include procrastination tendency to improve academic results and general well-being.
First things first: measuring French Medical schools’ deans motivation to engage in smoke-free campus
Authors: Geindreau D , Girault A , Gallopel-Morvan K 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Smoke-free campuses (SFC) prohibit smoking and vaping on all university grounds and for all users. Around a hundred of papers was published on that topic revealing how they reduce initiation and increase smoking cessation among students. Whereas it is key for the success of all project, including SFC, very rare research has investigated attitude of high-level leaders of universities toward SFC, their perceived barriers and motivation to adopt it. To fill this gap, we interviewed deans of medical schools in France, where SFC are limited. In-depth individual interviews were conducted on 31 deans and two associate-deans (representing 31 out of 35 French medical schools). Questions rose knowledge of SFC, perception of this measure, self-role to play and other factors influencing implementation. We targeted medical schools because they train future prescribers of smoking cessation, and can act as a model for policy dissemination to other schools. The 23 hours of interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis with Nvivo14. Regarding diffusion in 2023, only one medical school had a SFC, six were implementing it, 23 had no SFC and one abandoned it. 28 held positive attitudes towards SFC, explained by its impact on health and the mission of medical schools. Most of them considered SFC feasible with resources and engagement of students. Identified barriers were competing priority, lack of funding and of support from users and risk of stigmatization of smokers. A majority of deans thought they had a role to play in initiating, promoting and moderating the policy. SFC are recommended by the WHO but there is important room for improvement for their diffusion in France. Yet, a majority of deans we interviewed appeared motivated to adopt it. Solutions to encourage them and overcome barriers must be found.

Key messages
• Diffusion of SFC among medical schools remains limited in France.
• Deans’s positive attitude towards SFC bring hope for a better diffusion of SFC among French universities.
Social prescribing for healthy ageing: insights from older people referral and uptake in Portugal
Authors: Hoffmeister L , Gonçalves B , Gama A , Canas A M , Figueiredo C , Dias S 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

The population ageing presents multifaceted challenges for health systems, with implications for healthcare delivery and health and well-being outcomes. Innovative integrated-care approaches are needed to promote healthy aging and the quality of life of older people. Social Prescribing (SP) has emerged as a promising strategy to address the complex health and social needs of populations, including those older, offering non-medical interventions that encompass social, cultural, and community-based activities. SP has been implemented in Portugal since 2018 and currently target different subgroups, including elderly. This study aims to examine referral and uptake of older people to SP in Portugal. This cross-sectional study analysed sociodemographic, health condition, referral and uptake-related data from older patients (≥65 years) engaged in SP, collected through a survey and registries at primary healthcare units in Lisbon between 2018-2023. Of the 1060 patients referred to SP, 43.9% (n = 465) were aged 65 years or older. Within this age group, 38.1% were 71-80 years old and 36.1% were 81-90 years old; 67.5% were female. Around 48% were referred to SP for social isolation, 40% for social and financial support, and 32.5% for functional dependency. Two thirds had two or more chronic conditions, with cardiovascular disease (59,1%), mental health disorders (29,2%), and obesity (27,1%) being the most frequent. The SP consultations uptake rate was 59.1%, and patients were referred to a range of activities provided by third-sector organisations, as psychosocial support, home care, senior university classes, arts activities, and support in medicine management. The elderly population accounts for a large proportion of SP referrals. Further efforts are needed to identify the factors that influence patients’ acceptability and adherence and to promote the sustainability of SP and the well-being of the population.

Key messages
• Older people referred to SP initiative in Portugal have complex health-social needs, which reinforces the relevance of adopting a holistic centred-care approach to respond to the aging challenges.
• Through SP older people have been integrated in community-based activities that promote their health and wellbeing, thus it is needed to develop tailored strategies to improve patient uptake.
How do communities define “work precarity” and “labour exploitation”? Lessons for research from participatory research in high economic hardship communities in Chicago, Illinois/USA
Authors: Forst L ,   obo Greater Lawndale Healthy Work Council
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Labour migration has both social and economic drivers that channel workers into jobs that are less desirable to citizens of the receiving countries. Immigrant workers find jobs through contacts from their home countries, including temporary staffing companies. These workers tend to co-locate in segregated communities and coalesce in jobs that entail hard work, low wages, and limited social benefits. As such, labour migration adds a dimension to the structural and social determinants of health (SDOH) that can broaden our understanding of health inequities, and that can point us toward policies and practices to enhance the health and wellbeing of migrant workforces. However, to generate evidence, align interventions with workers’ needs and priorities, and move evidence to action, it is crucial to engage communities. This presentation describes a community-university research partnership that co-investigates the relationship between work and health as experienced at the community level in two high-economic-hardship neighbourhoods in Chicago, Illinois/USA. The academic and practice partners co-developed and tested a conceptual model of the interrelations among migration, work and health, conducted an inventory of local employers, and executed a street-level survey of 497 workers in these two communities. The research findings helped enhance existing models of the structural/social determinants of health and of work precarity, thus informing methodological approaches to measure work precarity, labour exploitation, and their health effects. The community-based participatory research further led to several action-research projects that are ongoing. This presentation will describe the development of the community-university research partnership and its work, the subsequent enhancements made to the worker precarity and SDOH models, and preliminary findings of the partnership’s current action-research projects.
Measuring laypeople’s notions of intersex in the Netherlands and Flanders
Authors: van Ditzhuijzen J , Hessen D J , Motmans J 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Introduction
In emancipation policy, the ‘I’ is often added to the LGBTI+-acronym. Yet it is still unknown to what extent this term is known and understood by the general population, and what attitudes toward intersex (people) are. In the current study, we describe the construction and development of the Intersex Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (IKAS), as well as the results from this baseline measurement in the Dutch and Flemish population.

Methods
The IKAS was developed after a carefully documented stepped process of literature scan, expert consultations, and pretesting. A representative sample of 2,003 respondents (1,000 Dutch and 1,003 Flemish) participated in the study. To determine the dimensionality of the scale, we performed EFA and CFA with measurement invariance constraints. We also performed a baseline measurement of knowledge and attitudes towards intersex people in the general population, and determined predictors of attitudes toward intersex people in regression analyses.

Results
Two-thirds of the sample had no (correct) knowledge of the term intersex. Even among the intersex respondents, only one person was aware of the term intersex. The average attitude was moderately positive to neutral. Having a female gender or birth sex, an advanced level of education, lower importance of religion, belonging to a minority group, more tolerant gender beliefs, and preexisting knowledge on the topic all resulted in more positive attitudes.

Conclusions
Both in Flanders and the Netherlands there still is room for improvement in terms of knowledge and attitudes towards intersex people. More knowledge may lead to more understanding, so that intersex people can be more open. Second, it is recommended to challenge beliefs of sex and gender as binary categories, because people who have less issues with people who do not entirely fall in these categories, also have more accepting attitudes toward intersex people.

Key messages
• It is vital to include intersex in monitoring studies of population attitudes, to be able to genuinely incorporate the ‘I’ in LGBTI+ in emancipation policies.
• To increase acceptance of intersex people in society, knowledge about intersex in the general population should be expanded, and acceptance of people who do not fit into the binary should be promoted.
Barriers to the application of simulation technologies in the education of health care students
Authors: Usheva N , Bliznakova K , Grancharov D 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Simulation technologies (ST) in health and medical education are undergoing rapid development due to the undoubted advantages of the methods and forms of simulation used - high quality, significant efficiency, economy, reliability and safety for the patient. At the same time, the application of ST is still underrepresented in the education of health care students. The main aim of this study was to identify the barriers and perspectives for the application of ST in the education of health professional students in Bulgaria from the perspective of the respondents’ expertise. A qualitative study of the expert (n = 17) opinion of those directly involved in the introduction, application, and evaluation of the use of ST in the education of healthcare students was conducted in 2023 in Varna. The questionnaire regarding the barriers and perspectives in the use of ST in the education of undergraduate and postgraduate students in health specialties students was used. The main barriers to the widespread use of ST in the training of students were identified as follows: the lack of adapted curricula that combine traditional practical sessions with patients and those on simulators; the lack of a sufficient number of trained and motivated trainers; the reluctance of trainers to introduce or more widely use ST; lack of or insufficient space to locate a simulation centre or equipment in relevant core units; the high cost of purchasing and maintaining ST and limited financial resources, as well as the large number of students in the groups. According to one of the experts, ‘there are no barriers to the use of ST, but real patient contact and a personalized approach to the patient is impossible to replicate through technology,’ highlighting the importance in combining traditional training with real patients and modern with the use of technology. Ethical issues in training healthcare professionals with simulators appear to be a new aspect of medical education with the application of ST.

Key messages
• In the effort for widespread implementation of ST in the training of health professions students, it is important to achieve a balance with traditional training experienced with real patients.
• Identifying and overcoming barriers is an important prerequisite for the rapid and widespread application of ST in the training of health care students.
Organizational barrier to herpes zoster vaccination uptake in Europe: a systematic review
Authors: Fiorilla C , Sorrentino M , Belpiede A , Stilo I , Mercogliano M , Triassi M , Palladino R 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
The Herpes Zoster virus represents a significant public health threat for unvaccinated frail individuals and older adults, aged 50 or older. Globally, 95% of elderly and frail individuals are susceptible to develop Herpes Zoster as already being exposed to Varicella Zoster Virus. Organizational and logistical barriers, such as cost management, vaccine storage requirements, supply limitation, logistic difficulties, absence of a streamlined collection system, and healthcare system deficiencies might reduce vaccination uptake.

Methods
A systematic review was conducted to identify studies published in the last 10 years, and focused on logistic and organizational barriers for Herpes Zoster vaccination uptake among frail and participants aged 50+ in Europe. Prisma guidelines were followed, and AXIS tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias.

Results
After a thorough analysis, 4 studies were selected from a total of 863 for detailed review. The analysis revealed several barriers to vaccination uptake, including challenges involving healthcare professionals, participant-related obstacles concerning perceptions and knowledge, accessibility issues, structural deficiencies, and social dynamics. A significant barrier identified is the perception among participants that general practitioners either do not support the vaccination or that participants themselves underestimate the risk of developing Herpes Zoster. Additionally, current communication strategies have proven inadequate, indicating a need for more effective and updated approaches to increase public awareness. These factors contribute to hesitancy regarding vaccination.

Conclusions
This study provides a comprehensive examination of the organizational and logistical barriers to the Herpes Zoster vaccination uptake. Tailored interventions are essential to overcome these barriers. Successfully addressing these challenges might enhance vaccination rate and reduce the public health burden associated with Herpes Zoster.

Key messages
• Several logistic and organizational barriers reduce the Herpes Zoster vaccination uptake.
• Further literature is required to understand how to overcome those barriers, and increase vaccination uptake.
Epidemiology of obesity during pregnancy in Europe: a systematic review
Authors: Naughton P , Brennan M M , Cosgrave E , Turner M , O’Higgins A C , Kearney P , Buckley C M 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Obesity during pregnancy poses inter-generational health risks and places added burden on healthcare systems. Characterising levels of obesity during pregnancy is necessary to guide future research, policy and practice.

Methods
The systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Embase and Web of Science were searched. Studies published between 2009 and 2023 that report the prevalence of obesity during pregnancy in countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European region were eligible. The Joanna Briggs Institute Prevalence Critical Appraisal tool was used. Two reviewers screened studies independently. A single reviewer completed data extraction and quality assessments, a second checked 20% of extractions and a third resolved disagreements. Narrative synthesis was completed.

Results
100 studies reporting the prevalence of obesity during pregnancy in the WHO European region were identified. 59% from Western Europe, 36% Northern, 4% Southern and 1% Eastern. Data within the studies was collected between 1950 and 2019. 35% of studies reported national estimates, 65% regional. 39% studies had measured height and weight, 34% did not report how either were ascertained, 6% used self-report for both, 17% had self-reported height but measured weight, 4% a mixture of self-report and measurement. The smallest sample was 157 while the largest was 1,891,097. Estimated prevalence of obesity during pregnancy ranged from 2.3% (Sweden, data collected 1982-1989) to 28.3% (England, 2007).

Conclusions
This review identifies variation in the prevalence of obesity during pregnancy in the WHO European region. This may reflect diverse sociocultural contexts, different methodological approaches and temporal trends. There was limited evidence available for Southern and Eastern Europe.

Key messages
• There are high levels of obesity during pregnancy within the WHO European region.
• Enhanced primary prevention and resourcing of obstetric services is needed.
Economic burden of suicide in Sweden in 2022
Authors: Feldman I , Martínez de Alva P 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Suicide and suicidal behaviors bring massive human, social and economic impacts. Estimates of the cost of suicide can give some guidance as to where research on developing new interventions might be focused to give the greatest potential gain. The aim of the study is to quantify the economic cost of suicide in Sweden in 2022.

Methods
Incidence of suicide attempts and mortality due to suicide, intentional and undetermined (ICD10 X60-X84 and Y10-Y34) were sourced from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare databases for 2022. Cost were estimated from a societal perspective, including costs for inpatient and outpatient care, medication, police and justice activities as well as productivity losses due to early mortality.

Results
In 2022, a total of 1,569 suicide death were registered in Sweden (1,102 men and 467 women). The incidence rate remains stable during the last ten years, 17 death per 100 000. In total, 18,854 patients (10, 359 women and 8,459 men) were treated in inpatient and outpatient hospital care with suicide-related diagnoses, generated 32,843 days in inpatient care and 11,471 outpatient care visits. Direct costs for suicide death including forensic examination, emergency services, police investigation and property damage were estimated as €6,02 million, while indirect costs for productivity losses totaled €690 million. Direct healthcare costs for suicide related treatment were estimated at €54.3 million. Overall, suicide and suicide attempts cost around €750 million per year to society.

Conclusions
Estimates of the economic burden of suicide are needed for the Swedish setting, and these amounted to €60.3 million in direct costs and €690 million in indirect costs in 2022. The cost might be underestimated because the societal cost of suicide bereaved persons was not considered. These cost estimates can provide useful inputs to a cost-effectiveness analysis of a specific preventive intervention, and to its subsequent evaluation.

Key messages
• Economic burden of suicide is substantial for society.
• Public health policies aimed at the prevention of suicide should be increased.