Health literacy in Mediterranean general population

INTRODUCTION Health literacy refers to "the ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and access health services in order to make informed choices." In essence, being able to acquire, understand, and use information for one's own health. METHODS Observational study through the administration of a face-to-face questionnaire conducted between July and September 2020 on 260 individuals residing between Calabria and Sicily, aged between 18 and 89 years. Questions related to education, lifestyle (alcohol, smoking, and physical activity). Multiple-choice questions to assess health literacy and conceptual skills, ability to find information on health topics and services, use of preventive medicine especially vaccinations, and ability to make decisions about one's own health. RESULTS Of 260, 43% were male and 57% female. The most represented age group is between 50 and 59 years. Forty-eight percent of respondents had a high school diploma. 39% smoke and 32% habitually consume alcoholic beverages; only 40% engage in physical activity. Ten percent had a low level of health literacy, average 55%, adequate 35%. CONCLUSIONS Given the importance of adequate HL on health choices and on individual and public wellbeing, it is essential to expand the knowledge of the individual, through public and private information campaigns and with an increasing involvement of family physicians, who are fundamental in training and informing their patients

An observational study on the effects of early and late risk factors on the development of childhood obesity in the South of Italy

Background: Child obesity is today one of the greatest health emergencies, on such a large scale as to be considered a global epidemic by the WHO and, unfortunately, Italy holds the worst European record. Methods: We conducted an observational study to investigate the effects of early and late risk factors on the development of primary childhood obesity. We collected anthropometric parameters, information about early risk markers and late risk factors on a sample of 280 children from March 2016 to December 2017. Results: Statistically significant associations emerged between: child's BMI and education level of the mother (p<0.001) and the father (p<0.05); level of parents' education and qualitative variables (subjects’ physical activity level (p<0.05), consumption of carbonated beverages (p<0.05), fruit juices (p <0.05) and snacks (p<0.05); BMI and the presence or absence of a family history of obesity, DM and cardiovascular diseases. Significant linear correlations were found between weight classification (overweight/obese) and the consumption of carbonated drinks (p<0.05), snack consumption (p<0.05), physical activity levels (p<0.001) and duration of sleep in the afternoon (p<0.05). Conclusions: In our sample we found incorrect eating habits to be frequently linked to a low level of parental education; particularly for the mother, the main childcare provider

The Importance of COVID-19/Influenza Vaccines Co-Administration: An Essential Public Health Tool

Vaccine co-administration is an important tool with several advantages for public health, among which is the increase of vaccination coverage, as well as economic and logistical benefits. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the immune response to the COVID-19 first booster dose in healthcare workers (HCWs) who chose co-administration and in HCWs who received only COVID-19 vaccination and to investigate personal opinions about the experience of co-administration. We carried out a retrospective analysis involving two groups of HCWs, both vaccinated with the complete primary cycle and the first booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but one of them was also vaccinated, at the same time as the first booster dose, with the influenza vaccine. Active phone calls were also performed, and specific questions about the onset of side effects and general opinions were asked. A good immune response was found in both two groups without any statistically significant difference in the immune response. No severe reactions occurred in either group. A greater part of the sample was completely satisfied, and they would do it again. Our findings are totally in favor of the co-administration, considering the many positive aspects provided by administering, at the same time, more vaccines

Reactogenicity and Humoral Immune Response after Heterologous Vaxzevria/Comirnaty Vaccination in a Group of Individuals Vaccinated in the AOU Policlinic “G. Martino” (Messina, Italy): A Retrospective Cohort Study

On 11 June 2021, the Italian Ministry of Health authorized the heterologous vaccination schedule. The goals of our retrospective study were to (a) evaluate the undesirable effects after the administration of Vaxzevria and Comirnaty vaccines; (b) evaluate the antibody response after 28 days from the administration of the second dose; and (c) compare the antibody responses after the homologous and heterologous vaccination regimens. The undesirable effects were collected using a survey; IgG Spike was quantified using the electrochemiluminescence method; the comparison between the antibody responses was carried out using the sample of a homologous vaccine schedule previously analyzed. Pain at the injection site is the most common undesirable effect after the administration of both vaccines (62.1% after Vaxzevria vs. 82.75% after Comirnaty); swelling at the injection site is more frequent after the administration of Vaxzevria than after the administration of Comirnaty: (15.52% vs. 5.17%); headache is more frequent in women than in men for both the vaccination types (p < 0.05); 49.09% of the sample reported IgG Spike ≥ 12,500 U/mL; the antibody titer of the heterologous schedule is higher than that of the homologous vaccination. Our study demonstrated that the undesirable effects after the administration of the second dose are less frequent and less severe than after the administration of the first dose, and that the immunogenicity of the heterologous vaccinations is higher than that of the homologous ones