Peruvian COVID-19 vaccine scandal spreads

Preventive measures and concern for SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with lifestyle changes in the Peruvian population

The study was conducted to establish the association between knowledge of preventive measures and concern about SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection and lifestyle changes in the Peruvian population during the health emergency. This was an analytical and cross-sectional study, with a voluntary non-probabilistic sample of 1101 Peruvian population over 18 years old, from the three regions of the country (Coast, Highlands, and Jungle) who answered the digital questionnaires between June and July 2021. The questionnaires "Knowledge about preventive measures on COVID-19″, PRE-COVID-19, and "Changes in lifestyles during the pandemic," instruments validated in the Peruvian population, were used to determine the association of the variables, the Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used, considering changes in lifestyles as the dependent variable. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Of the participants, 57.4% were women, 42.6% were men, with an average age of 30.9 years (SD = 13.14). The descriptive analysis showed that 50.8% of the participants were not worried about SARS-CoV-2 infection, 72.2% knew about preventive measures, and 56.4% stated that they had changed their lifestyles during the pandemic. A significant association was found between educational level (p = 0.000), having a job (p = 0.048), and being worried about SARS-CoV-2 infection (p = 0.001) with lifestyle changes. In the regression analysis, technical/higher education (95% CI = 1.51-2.67) and being worried about SARS-CoV-2 infection (95% CI = 1.71-1.91) were associated with lifestyle changes during the pandemic. The greater the degree of education and concern or fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the greater the lifestyle changes.

Food insecurity associated with self-reported mental health outcomes in Peruvian households during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

The global pandemic of COVID-19 and the social distancing efforts implemented worldwide to limit its spread have disrupted the economy, increased food insecurity, and mental health problems.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine the association between food insecurity and mental health outcomes (stress, depression, and anxiety) in Peruvian households during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and methods

A cross-sectional investigation was conducted with 525 participants of both sexes (68% women), over 18 years of age and from the three geographic regions of Peru: Coast (54.9%), Highlands (28.4%), and Jungle (16.8%). The data were collected during the year 2021, between July 6 and September 22 through a self-administered online survey designed to assess socio-demographic, socioeconomic, food insecurity, and mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and stress).

Results

The majority of households (71.4%) experienced some degree of food insecurity. Mild food insecurity was the most frequent, affecting 49.1%, followed by moderate 15.4%, and severe 6.9%. Regarding mental health outcomes, 24.8% manifested depression, 26.7% anxiety, and 15.3% stress. With respect to the association between the level of food insecurity and anxiety, this was highly significant (p &lt; 0.01). Households with mild, moderate and severe food insecurity are 2.04, 4.5, and 10.44 times, respectively, more likely to have moderate-severe anxiety. On the other hand, the mild food insecurity was not associated with moderate-severe depression. In contrast, households with moderate and severe food insecurity are 2.8 and 5.7 times, respectively, more likely to have moderate-severe depression. Finally, households with moderate food insecurity are 5.9 times more likely to have moderate-severe stress, and households with severe food insecurity are 8.5 times more likely to have moderate-severe stress, both having a highly significant association (p &lt; 0.01).

Conclusion

In conclusion, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru, household food insecurity was independently associated with worse mental health outcomes. Monitoring of both food insecurity and mental health will be important as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Factors associated with the intention to participate in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials: A cross-sectional study in Peru

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the factors associated with the intention to participate in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials in the Peruvian population.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study and secondary analysis of a database that involved Peruvian population during September 2020. The Poisson regression model was used to estimate the associated factors.

RESULTS

Data from 3231 individuals were analyzed, 44.1% of whom intended to participate in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. Factors associated with the outcome were being male (RPa: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.15-1.35), being from the highlands region (RPa: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.09-1.28) or jungle (RPa: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.15-1.47), having a relative that is a healthcare professional (PRa: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.06-1.28), using a medical source of information (PRa: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.17-1.41), and trusting in the possible effectiveness of vaccines (PRa: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.29-1.51). The main reason for not participating in the trial was the possibility of developing side effects (69.80%).

CONCLUSION

There is an urgent need to generate a perception of safety in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, to increase the population's intention to participate in these studies, and to provide evidence-based information about the vaccine.

What Is the Support for Conspiracy Beliefs About COVID-19 Vaccines in Latin America? A Prospective Exploratory Study in 13 Countries

Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 began to emerge immediately after the first news about the disease and threaten to prolong the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by limiting people's willingness of receiving a life-saving vaccine. In this context, this study aimed to explore the variation of conspiracy beliefs regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine against it in 5779 people living in 13 Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) according to sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, educational level and source of information about COVID-19. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic between September 15 and October 25, 2021. The Spanish-language COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (ECCV-COVID) and a sociodemographic survey were used. The results indicate that, in most countries, women, people with a lower educational level and those who receive information about the vaccine and COVID-19 from family/friends are more supportive of conspiracy ideas regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. In the case of age, the results vary by country. The analysis of the responses to each of the questions of the ECCV-COVID reveals that, in general, the countries evaluated are mostly in some degree of disagreement or indecision regarding conspiratorial beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines. The findings could help open further study which could support prevention and treatment efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cross-cultural validation of the new version of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale in twelve Latin American countries

The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) was recently developed to assess dysfunctional anxiety related to COVID-19. Although different studies reported that the CAS is psychometrically sound, it is unclear whether it is invariant across countries. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the measurement invariance of the CAS in twelve Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay). A total of 5196 people participated, with a mean age of 34.06 (SD = 26.54). Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the measurement invariance of the CAS across countries and gender. Additionally, the graded response model (GRM) was used to provide a global representation of the representativeness of the scale with respect to the COVID-19 dysfunctional anxiety construct. The unidimensional structure of the five-item CAS was not confirmed in all countries. Therefore, it was suggested that a four-item model of the CAS (CAS-4) provides a better fit across the twelve countries and reliable scores. Multigroup CFA showed that the CAS-4 exhibits scalar invariance across all twelve countries and all genders. In addition, the CAS-4 items are more informative at average and high levels of COVID-19 dysfunctional anxiety than at lower levels. According to the results, the CAS-4 is an instrument with strong cross-cultural validity and is suitable for cross-cultural comparisons of COVID-19 dysfunctional anxiety symptoms in the general population of the twelve Latin American countries evaluated.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02563-0.

Predictors of Intention to Vaccinate Against COVID-19 in a Peruvian Sample

BACKGROUND

Vaccination against COVID-19 is considered one of the most effective strategies to control this global public health crisis. However, vaccine hesitancy is one of the main threats to mitigating the pandemic. The present study aimed to identify predictors of intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in 3 geographical regions of Peru.

METHODS

An online analytical cross-sectional study was conducted. Participants were selected by non-probability convenience sampling and size was estimated using the online statistical calculator proposed by Soper. A total of 529 Peruvian nationals completed the questionnaires. Student's t-test and Fisher's F test (ANOVA) were used. A significance level of .05 was considered.

RESULTS

Face-to-face work (β = 2.037, P < .001), fear of COVID-19 (β = .461, P < .001), vaccine confidence (β = 2.881, P < .001) and trust in health care institutions (β = .432, P < .01) predict a higher intention to receive the vaccine. However, the variables perception of a worldwide conspiracy (β = -1.900, P < .001), and practice Protestant religion (β = -2.274, P < .001) predict negatively their acceptance.

CONCLUSION

Several positive predictors of intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 have been identified. However, having a perception of a global conspiracy and practice Protestant religion are shown to be risk variables for vaccine acceptance. Therefore, there is a need to develop strategies to ensure high uptake and success of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.

Validity and Reliability of a Brief Scale of Intention to Vaccinate Against COVID-19 in a Peruvian Sample

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of a brief scale measuring intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in a Peruvian sample in the context of the current pandemic.

METHODS

A cross-sectional and instrumental study was carried out. A total of 547 Peruvian citizens selected through non-probability convenience sampling participated. Considering existing theories of vaccination hesitancy, 12 items were proposed that evaluate the intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 and the internal structure was evaluated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was analyzed with the ordinal alpha coefficient.

RESULTS

The exploratory factor analysis yielded a structure of 2 oblique factors that explain 69% of the total variance and the items saturated between 0.52 and 0.97. The confirmatory factor analysis showed that, of 4 models analyzed, the fourth model that was composed of 6 items presented optimal indices of goodness-of-fit (X² = 11.089, P = .197, CFI = 0.999, TLI = 0.999, RMSEA = 0.034 [IC 90%, 0.000-0.077], SRMR = 0.016). Reliability analysis through the ordinal alpha coefficient yielded that the brief scale of intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 has adequate internal consistency (α = .91).

CONCLUSIONS

The brief scale of intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 presents adequate psychometric properties that demonstrate validity and reliability and can be used in future research and clinical practice.

Sociodemographic Predictors Associated with the Willingness to Get Vaccinated against COVID-19 in Peru: A Cross-Sectional Survey

During the race for the development of a vaccine against COVID-19, even before its commercialization, part of the population has already shown a growing fear of its application. We designed an analytical cross-sectional study using an anonymous survey in the 25 departments of Peru. We surveyed whether the participants were planning on getting vaccinated, as well as other characteristics that were cross-checked in a uni-, bi- and multivariate manner. Of the 1776 respondents, 70% (1251) stated that they were planning to be vaccinated, 20% (346) did not know yet or doubted it, and 10% (179) did not want to be vaccinated. We observed that those who did not get infected with COVID-19 exhibited a higher frequency to not wanting or were uncertain about getting vaccinated (aPR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.09-1.81; p-value = 0.008). In contrast, there was a lower frequency of vaccine refusal among university students (aPR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.61-0.92; p-value = 0.005) and healthcare workers (aPR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.44-0.80; p-value = 0.001); adjusted by place of residence. There is still an important percentage of respondents who do not want to be vaccinated or are hesitant to do it, which was associated with educational level, being a healthcare worker and if they were previously infected with COVID-19. Our results could offer useful information about COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.

Cross-sectional analysis of COVID-19 vaccine intention, perceptions and hesitancy across Latin America and the Caribbean

Background

Determinants of vaccine acceptance are multifactorial, complex, and in most cases, context-dependent. We determined the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccination intention (VI) and fear of its adverse effects (FAE) as well as their associated factors in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

Methods

We conducted a secondary cross-sectional analysis of a database collected by the University of Maryland and Facebook. We included participants aged 18 and over from LAC surveyed, January 15 to February 1, 2021. We evaluated VI, FAE, sociodemographic characteristics, COVID-19 symptomatology, compliance with community mitigation strategies, food and economic insecurity, mental health evaluation and the influence in VI when recommended by different stakeholders. We calculated crude and adjusted prevalence ratios with their 95%CIs.

Results

We analyzed 472,521 responses by Latin American adults, finding a VI and FAE prevalence of 80.0% and 81.2%, respectively. We found that female and non-binary genders were associated with a lower probability of VI and a higher probability of FAE. Besides, living in a town, village or rural area and economic insecurity was associated with a higher FAE probability. The fears of becoming seriously ill, a family member becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 and having depressive symptoms were associated with a higher probability of VI and FAE.

Conclusion

Eight out of 10 adults in LAC have VI and FAE. The factors identified are useful for the development of communication strategies to reduce FAE frequency. It is necessary to guarantee mass vaccination and support the return of economic activities.