Parental concerns and vaccine hesitancy against COVID-19 vaccination for children in Greece: A cross-sectional survey

INTRODUCTION

Parental hesitancy against children's COVID-19 vaccination remains a challenge globally. Although many studies have explored parental hesitancy, less is known about parental intentions towards COVID-19 vaccination of 6-month to 4-year-old children who were the last age group that became eligible for vaccination and for older children throughout the Omicron predominance period.

METHODS

We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional survey from November to December 2022 in Greece. We aimed to explore parental COVID-19 vaccination intentions for their children, reasons against vaccination, and to estimate the association between parents' intentions and child and parental characteristics and parental attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination.

RESULTS

Of 431 parents, 243 (56.4 %) had not or did not intend to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. Most parents were vaccinated against COVID-19 (64.7 % no booster; 14.2 % at least one booster). Among parents with children under the age of 5, 13.0 % intended to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, while 47.3 % of parents with children 5 years of age or older reported intention or had already completed vaccination. The most common reasons against COVID-19 vaccination were fear of side effects (32.9 %), perceived short length of clinical trials (29.2 %), and the child having previously contracted COVID-19 (12.0 %). The strongest factors associated with intention or already completed vaccination were parental own vaccination against COVID-19, using a pediatrician or a healthcare professional as the main source of vaccine-related information for their children, agreeing with their pediatrician regarding COVID-19 vaccination, and trusting official healthcare guidelines. Stratified analyses by the two children's age groups (<5 and 5 to 17) yielded similar estimates. Among parents who had not or did not intend to vaccinate their children, 11.9 % would do so if recommended by a pediatrician.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the need to incentivize healthcare professionals and pediatricians to inform parents about vaccines, clarify misconceptions and address concerns.

Impact of COVID-19 vaccination on parental and childhood stress levels in Greece

OBJECTIVE

The impact of COVID-19 vaccination on parental and childhood stress levels has not been thoroughly investigated. Our aim was to explore the above relationship and identify factors that may influence the dissemination of stress within the family during the pandemic.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional e-survey was conducted among a nationwide sample of parents in May 2021 in Greece. Parental stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Revised Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) tools. Childhood mental well-being was evaluated with the Children's Revised Impact of Event 13 (CRIES 13) scale.

RESULTS

1,703 unique questionnaires were analyzed; 19.5% of responders were completely vaccinated, 23.7% were partially vaccinated, 38.3% were awaiting vaccination, and 18.5% were classified as vaccine-hesitant (15.2% would delay, and 3.3% refused the vaccination). Stress levels were significantly lower in completely or partially vaccinated parents than in vaccine-hesitant ones (p<0.001 for PSS/IES-R). Vaccination status emerged as a strong and independent predictor of PSS and IES-R. A significant decrease in PSS and IES-R scores was observed in 991 participants between March 2020 and May 2021 (p<0.001 for PSS/IES-R). Vaccine uptake was associated with lower PSS and IES-R scores, irrespective of the phase of the pandemic or other sociodemographic factors. The CRIES 13 score of the participant's children (n=2,969) was 19.4 ±14.9 and positively correlated with the PSS and IES-R scores. Children whose parents were vaccinated had lower stress levels than those of vaccine-hesitant parents (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Parental vaccination against COVID-19 is a significant stress and anxiety predictor for both parents and their offspring. Parental and childhood stress levels were correlated, while the effect of vaccination was independent of the pandemic phase. The campaigns to promote vaccine uptake against COVID-19 should also highlight its potential benefit on the psychological well-being of the family.

Child abuse experience, training, knowledge, and attitude of healthcare professionals in sixty hospitals in Greece

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to record the overall perception of healthcare professionals on child abuse and identify potential affecting factors in a nationwide scale in Greece as well as to provide information that might be useful for future educational actions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 1,185 healthcare professionals in 60 hospitals with pediatric departments across Greece participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants included pediatricians, pediatric surgeons, residents, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers. Sections under investigation involved experience and training in child abuse, knowledge of formal and judicial issues, clinical knowledge, and self-assessment.

RESULTS

Although more than half of the participants had confronted child abuse (n=712, 60.08%), only 273 (38.34% of them) submitted reports. One third of participants reported that they had received some training (n=440, 37.13%), mainly of postgraduate nature and based on personal initiative. Of those who reported child abuse, 175 (64.10%) had been trained. Each professional category was aware of topics regarding its own interest, without adequate knowledge of other disciplines. One third of psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers felt confident in discussing with children and parents. Relevant scores were lower in the other categories. The lower scores were recorded among nurses and residents. The training deficit and reluctance to engage with judicial issues were the main causes of avoidance to deal with child abuse.

CONCLUSIONS

Focused and organized training in child abuse is crucial to create reliable professionals in the field. The internet is a considerably helpful tool. Professionalism must characterize knowledge and practice in child abuse at the same level as in other medical topics. Motivation to engage should be early inspired and developed during the graduate years.

Healthcare workers' hand hygiene knowledge and compliance evaluation, in a Greek university hospital

OBJECTIVE

Healthcare associated infections affect both patients and employees, in terms of morbidity, mortality, and financial costs. Routine hand hygiene is the most important factor against this pestilence. Hand hygiene knowledge and compliance of healthcare workers are considered poor worldwide. Herein, we aimed to measure knowledge and compliance with hand hygiene of the healthcare workers at a university hospital.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The "WHO hand hygiene knowledge questionnaire for healthcare workers" was translated in the Greek language, and was validated linguistically, culturally, and psychometrically. Reliability, content, construct, and convergent validity were measured. A survey on hand hygiene knowledge, and compliance, based on this questionnaire, was conducted on 439 employees.

RESULTS

The translated questionnaire presented good reliability, with Guttman's Lambda-6 evaluation (0.7). Content Validity Ratio was 84.6%. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis showed moderate construct validity. Convergent validity showed low correlation between the questionnaire items. Regarding the answers received, it was found that only 55.3% of the respondents received formal training on hand hygiene during the last three years prior to the study. Furthermore, 74.0% of them used alcohol-based solutions routinely. Only 54.3% of the participants presented an acceptable level of hand hygiene knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

The translation and validation of the WHO questionnaire resulted in an acceptable, reliable, and valid instrument. The survey showed that hand hygiene is rather a matter of habit, than of knowledge, and that there is great need of more organized training.

Burnout in the intensive care units in Western Greece

OBJECTIVE

Prevention of burnout is a national imperative, and blame-free investigations of clinical events are advocated. Reflective inquiry techniques are helpful in processing adverse events while minimizing blame. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the factors inducing occupational exhaustion, staff perceptions through their interdisciplinary collaboration and communication, as well as the possibility of any conflicts in the Intensive Care Units of Western Greece. Moreover, we also aimed at developing an inter-professional peer-review program to process emotions and improve teamwork, which will also lead to the improvement of the care provided to patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Healthcare workers of four Intensive Care Units from three (3) Hospitals in Western Greece participated in the present study. Our manuscript included all items according to STROBE statement.

RESULTS

We found a moderate to high choice in the collaboration scale and showed that one of the major reasons for conflict was the lack of mutual understanding between coworkers. It was also shown that all participants were characterized by moderate to high levels of occupational exhaustion.

CONCLUSIONS

Effective relationships to establish constructive communication, require the development of skills aiming at building mutual understanding. Possible proposals for future directions in this area of research are discussed. Aiming at improving clinical practice it would be helpful the design of staff support services for better management of exhaustion.

Prediction of complicated appendicitis risk in children

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to predict the risk of complicated appendicitis in children, constructing a risk-based prediction tool with the optimal combination of sensitivity and specificity outcomes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This is a prospective study on a random sample of children with acute appendicitis who underwent appendectomy. Clinical examination, history, routine laboratory tests, Alvarado and pediatric appendicitis scores, operative and histopathological findings were taken into consideration. The predictive ability of the outcome variables was assessed by the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis. The overall predictive ability and determination of the best cut-off value (the higher sum of sensitivity plus specificity) were calculated. A Classification and Regression Tree (CRT) was used to create a multi-level classification algorithm. The model was set to predict the outcome of complicated appendicitis, considering as potential predictors the demographic characteristics, the clinical findings, and the outcome parameters.

RESULTS

The various combinations of clinical and laboratory parameters did not improve their overall diagnostic ability. However, the CRT analysis resulted in a short classification algorithm based on the Pediatric appendicitis score, neutrophils percentage and the CRP. This model yielded a significantly better predictive ability than all the other combinations of the outcome parameters. The application of the model would predict complicated appendicitis with 90% sensitivity and 78.6% specificity.

CONCLUSIONS

The constructed predictive model may be a useful tool for daily practical use by the clinician, especially in areas where modern diagnostic imaging facilities are absent or not always available. Clinical evaluation and close follow-up remain the more accurate preoperative method to decide the performance and timing of appendectomy.

The association between obesity and the risk for development of eating disorders - A large-scale epidemiological study

OBJECTIVE

Eating disorders and obesity are serious, multifactorial diseases with increasing prevalence worldwide, often manifesting during childhood and adolescence. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk for developing eating disorders in children and adolescents of Primary and Secondary Education, with normal or excessive body weight.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A representative sample (N=3504) of students from schools of Western Greece, 50.2% boys, aged 10-16 years old, participated in the present cross-sectional epidemiological study. The students' dietary habits were assessed through multiple-choice questions and the risk for the development of eating disorders was evaluated using the Eating Attitudes Scale (EAT-13) validated questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were obtained and the BMI, BMI% and BMI z-score were calculated.

RESULTS

Nearly 20% of the participants, particularly those with overweight or obesity, were at increased risk for developing eating disorders (25% of normal weight-, 28.2% of overweight- and 33% of participants with obesity). Boys were more likely to develop eating disorders than girls, but not statistically significantly. A positive correlation of: (1) the overall EAT-13 score, (2) food pre-occupation score and (3) dieting score, with BMI z-score and obesity was found, as opposed to a negative correlation of Important Others score with BMI z-score and obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased awareness regarding the risk for developing eating disorders or disordered eating in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity is recommended to avoid underdiagnosis of this condition. Prompt identification of children at risk contributes to the implementation of targeted and effective prevention and treatment interventions.

Vaccination coverage among school children in Western Greece from 2016 to 2019

Vaccine hesitancy has increased, which has an effect on vaccine uptake. The aim of our study was to investigate childhood vaccination coverage in Western Greece and identify factors affecting it. We also aimed to assess trends in childhood vaccination coverage nationwide. A cross-sectional study was conducted (2016-2019) in all the primary schools in Patras, the third largest city in the country. Data collection was undertaken using child vaccination booklets and questionnaires on socio-demographics. Multiple regression analyses were performed to evaluate relevant associations. We also performed a systematic review of published data on childhood vaccination coverage in Greece during the last two decades. Data for 1657 children was collected and 371 questionnaires were returned. High vaccination coverage (>90%) was observed for the majority of the vaccines. For the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), coverage with four doses, as recommended at the time of study, was suboptimal (39.2%). For human papillomavirus vaccines and the meningococcal serogroup B vaccine, full vaccination coverage was 2.6% and 6.5%, respectively. No association with socio-demographics was found for vaccines with high coverage. For PCV the number of doses given was related to Greek nationality (β = 0.185, p < .001) and parental employment status (β = -0.115, p = .043). Compared to previous studies (16 eligible), there was a trend toward higher coverage. Public health interventions should focus on increasing vaccine uptake of specific vaccines among populations with particular characteristics. A national network recording vaccine coverage is urgently required in the country to monitor vaccine uptake and assess trends over time.

Alterations in lymphocyte subsets and monocytes in patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia: a mini review of the literature

OBJECTIVE

Complete blood count parameters are frequently altered in COVID-19 patients. Leucopenia and lymphopenia are the most common findings. This is not specific to COVID-19 as similar alterations are found in various other viral infections. This work is intended to summarize the evidence regarding white blood cell and lymphocyte subset alterations in COVID-19 and their clinical implications.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A PubMed search was conducted to identify relevant original studies. Articles not available in English or referring exclusively to pediatric patients were excluded. The study was designed as a narrative review from its inception.

RESULTS

Complete white blood cell number and lymphocytes may be reduced in COVID-19 patients. Circulating CD4+ cells (helper T lymphocytes), CD8+ cells (cytotoxic T lymphocytes), regulatory T cells and natural killer (NK) cells may be reduced, with a greater reduction observed in critically ill patients. CD4+ and regulatory cell deficiencies may contribute to the cytokine storm and subsequent tissue damage observed in severe COVID-19 infection. NK and CD8+ cell deficiency might delay infection clearance. These aberrations of cellular immunity may contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of the disease. Alterations observed in monocyte function can also be implicated as they are effector cells responsible for tissue damage and remodeling. B cell dysfunction and maturation abnormalities have also been reported, suggesting that the virus also impairs humoral immunity.

CONCLUSIONS

Lymphocyte subset abnormalities may be useful prognostic biomarkers for COVID-19, with circulating CD8+ cell count being the most promising as a predictor of severe disease requiring mechanical ventilation and mortality.

The prolonged effects of COVID-19. A new "threat"?

Coronavirus 'long-haulers" currently represent a significant public health concern. Recent reports suggest that persistent effects of COVID-19, such as fatigue, dyspnea, chest pain, anxiety, depression, arthralgia, may last for months and lead to a decline in quality of life. Risk factors for long COVID are still not very well understood. Survivors suffer from ongoing symptoms. This new entity highlights the need for a multidisciplinary approach that would enable closer monitoring of affected patients and implementation of measures that could reduce the impact of the pandemic on the overall patient wellbeing after the resolution of acute symptoms.

Anxiety and depression among parents of children with mild head injuries

OBJECTIVE

Parents who escort their children in hospital may present emotional disorders. Personnel pressure and reduced time availability often prevent their detection, reducing the efficacy of parental support. We aimed to identify the prevalence and assess the severity of anxiety and depression among parents of children with mild head injuries who were admitted for a 24-hour observation period in a pediatric hospital, and to detect possible determinants for the severe forms of the two emotional disorders.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A cohort of 163 parents participated in our survey for anxiety and depression with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Associations of the two disorders with factors of possible prognostic significance, such as gender, age, family status, residence, education, employment, and income were studied. Multinomial logistic regression analysis, with anxiety and depression of the parents as dependent variables, was performed.

RESULTS

More than half of parents presented clinical scores for both disorders. Female gender, distant residence, high school level education, unstable employment, and low income were determinants for severe anxiety. Depression in fathers was five times more likely to be severe than subclinical compared to mothers.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychological support and guidance of parents who escort their children with mild head injuries are mandatory. When accredited trauma support is not available, it is the hospital personnel who must identify and support these parents.