AIMS Public Health最新文献

{"title":"Prehospital emergency care patient satisfaction scale [PECPSS] for care provided by emergency medical teams: Scale development and validation.","authors":"Junpei Haruna, Nobuyasu Hayasaka, Yukiko Taguchi, Saori Muranaka, Sachi Niiyama, Hirotoshi Inamura, Shuji Uemura, Keigo Sawamoto, Hirotoshi Mizuno, Nobuaki Himuro, Eichi Narimatsu","doi":"10.3934/publichealth.2023011","DOIUrl":"10.3934/publichealth.2023011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an emergency medical technician (EMT) care patient satisfaction scale to measure patient satisfaction with prehospital emergency care. To date, patient satisfaction surveys of EMTs have been performed subjectively, e using each facility's questionnaire, without the use of a validated patient satisfaction scale. However, no specific scale has been devised to assess patient satisfaction with EMTs. The study population comprised patients who used an ambulance between November 2020 and May 2021 (N = 202). A survey instrument was administered to participants who provided informed consent. In the process of validating the patient satisfaction scale, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of construct validity was performed. The results of the EFA showed a factor structure consisting of five factors: \"teamwork\", \"explanation and communication\", \"physical treatment and psychological support\", \"quickness of transport\", and \"environment in the ambulance\". In addition, domain and summary scores showed good internal reliability (Cronbach's range = 0.82-0.94). The patient satisfaction scale developed in this study was designed and validated considering the role of EMTs and patients' needs for prehospital care. This scale may be useful in the development of assessments and interventions to improve patient satisfaction with EMTs.</p>","PeriodicalId":45684,"journal":{"name":"AIMS Public Health","volume":"10 1","pages":"129-144"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10091127/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9308991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Passive recruitment reach of a lifestyle management program to address obesity in the deep south during the COVID-19 pandemic.","authors":"Jennifer L Lemacks, Laurie S Abbott, Cali Navarro, Stephanie McCoy, Tammy Greer, Sermin Aras, Michael B Madson, Jacqueline Reese-Smith, Chelsey Lawrick, June Gipson, Byron K Buck, Marcus Johnson","doi":"10.3934/publichealth.2023010","DOIUrl":"10.3934/publichealth.2023010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Obesity is a significant public health concern, especially in the Deep South and in Mississippi where prevalence is among the worst in the nation paired, with other poor health outcomes and socioeconomic conditions. Lifestyle management programs that address modifiable risk factors, such as nutrition and physical activity, can be effective mitigation strategies to halt weight accumulation patterns and ameliorate metabolic risk factors for some populations. However, there is limited evidence regarding the implementation of effective practice models to address obesity risk in underserved and underrepresented populations, such as African Americans, and people in the stage of earlier adulthood. Furthermore, there is growing evidence supporting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle management programs that should be considered in these populations. The purpose of this manuscript was to describe the development and telehealth implementation of a weight management program during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide a preliminary examination of recruitment strategies and baseline characteristics for enrolled participants. Passive recruitment (social media, web, email, and other media advertisements) resulted in 157 screening initiations, and 79 of those participants met the study inclusion criteria. Further, of the 79 eligible participants, 38 completed all study enrollment requirements and presented with metabolic abnormalities. The study findings add to the emerging body of evidence for how the pandemic may have impacted lifestyle management programs and is representative of an understudied and underrepresented population.</p>","PeriodicalId":45684,"journal":{"name":"AIMS Public Health","volume":"10 1","pages":"116-128"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10091136/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9315585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of sex and comorbid diabetes on hospitalization outcomes in acute pancreatitis: A large United States population-based study.","authors":"Simcha Weissman, Stephen J Pandol, Umar Ghaffar, Melody Boafo, Chukwuemeka E Ogbu, Tamer Zahdeh, Mohammed Ashary, Vignesh Krishnan Nagesh, Anushka Kigga, Ayrton Bangolo, Aditi Bhargava","doi":"10.3934/publichealth.2023009","DOIUrl":"10.3934/publichealth.2023009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Backgrounds: </strong>Data on the association between comorbid diabetes mellitus (DM) and acute pancreatitis (AP) remains limited. Utilizing a large, nationwide database, we aimed to examine the impact of comorbid diabetes mellitus on patients admitted for acute pancreatitis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a retrospective case-control study of adult patients with AP utilizing the National Inpatient Sample from 2015-2018, using ICD-10 codes. Hospitalization outcomes of patients admitted for AP with comorbid DM were compared to those without comorbid DM at the time of admission. The primary outcome was a mortality difference between the cohorts. Multivariable-adjusted cox proportional hazards model analysis was performed. Data was analyzed as both sex aggregated, and sex segregated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>940,789 adult patients with AP were included, of which 256,330 (27.3%) had comorbid DM. Comorbid DM was associated with a 31% increased risk of inpatient mortality (aOR: 1.31; p = 0.004), a 53% increased risk of developing sepsis (aOR: 1.53; p = 0.002), increased hospital length of stay (LOS) (4.5 days vs. 3.7 days; p < 0.001), and hospital costs ($9934 vs. $8486; p < 0.001). Whites admitted for AP with comorbid DM were at a 49% increased risk of mortality as compared to Hispanics (aOR: 1.49; p < 0.0001). Different comorbidities had sex-specific risks; men admitted for AP with comorbid DM were at a 28% increased risk of mortality (aOR: 1.28; p < 0.0001) as compared to women. Men with comorbid DM plus obesity or hypertension were also at increased risk of mortality as compared to women, whereas women with comorbid DM plus renal failure were at greater risk of mortality as compared to men.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Comorbid DM appears to be a risk factor for adverse hospitalization outcomes in patients admitted for AP with male sex and race as additional risk factors. Future prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings to better risk stratify this patient population.</p>","PeriodicalId":45684,"journal":{"name":"AIMS Public Health","volume":"10 1","pages":"105-115"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10091131/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9308996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"Mind the Gap\" - An overview of the role of the Extensions Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) model in enhancing value in health care delivery.","authors":"Christina Kenny, Anushree Priyadarshini","doi":"10.3934/publichealth.2023008","DOIUrl":"10.3934/publichealth.2023008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The ECHO (Extensions Community Healthcare Outcomes) model of healthcare delivery has grown rapidly since its establishment and increased in popularity in recent years. This expansion has developed alongside the growing incidence of chronic diseases and the need to better manage them. The increasing uptake in ECHO has presented a requirement to assess its true value as healthcare costs are increasing globally, resulting in a growing demand by governments and policy makers to ensure chronic disease management strategies provide true value. Therefore, the aim of this review is to examine the impact that ECHO has on clinical practice and how such impacts are measured or evaluated. A narrative literature review is carried out to examine the outcomes assessed in ECHO-related studies. Three key academic databases were utilised for the literature search: Web of Science, PubMed, and Medline. Keywords relating to the review were chosen and searched for. Papers were screened using specified inclusion and exclusion criteria relating to years of publication (2000-2020), type of publication (original research, review papers and meta-analyses) and language requirements (English language only). This review found that while the ECHO model is expanding, and improving the so-called \"knowledge gap\" between specialists and primary care physicians, there is also a gap in the ways value is examined within ECHO. Most studies on ECHO lack an examination of patient reported health outcomes and appropriate, comparative costing methods. Current ECHO-related studies lack vital components that demonstrate the value of the model. Such components include patient reported health outcomes and detailed costing comparisons between the ECHO model and the traditional care pathway it is replacing.</p>","PeriodicalId":45684,"journal":{"name":"AIMS Public Health","volume":"10 1","pages":"94-104"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10091128/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9308994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determinants of tuberculosis treatment support costs to the treatment supporters in rural Ghana.","authors":"Robert Bagngmen Bio, Patricia Akweongo, Augustine Adomah-Afari, Augustina Koduah","doi":"10.3934/publichealth.2023007","DOIUrl":"10.3934/publichealth.2023007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The Ghana Health Service has been implementing the Directly Observed Therapy Short Course (DOTS) strategy for decades now, to cure and reduce the transmission of tuberculosis. DOTS strategy requires TB patients and their treatment supporters to make multiple clinic visits in the course of treatment, and this may place financial burden on treatment supporters with low socio-economic status. However, the determinants of tuberculosis treatment support costs to treatment supporters are unknown in Ghana.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study determined the costs associated with treatment support to the treatment supporters in Bono Region, Ghana.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In a cross-sectional study using cost-of-illness approach, 385 treatment supporters were selected and interviewed. A validated questionnaire for the direct and indirect costs incurred was used. Descriptive statistics and bivariate techniques were used for data analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Averagely, each treatment supporter spent GHS 122.4 (US$ 21.1) on treatment support activities per month, which is about 19% of their monthly income. The findings also revealed that highest level of education, household size, monthly income and district of residence were significant predictors of the direct costs. On the other hand, gender of the respondents, highest level of education, ethnicity, household size, income level and relationship with patient were some of the factors that significantly influenced the indirect costs. The significance levels were set at a 95% confidence interval and p < 0.05.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study concludes that the estimated cost associated with assisting tuberculosis patients with treatment is significant to treatment supporters. If these costs are not mitigated, they have the tendency of affecting the socio-economic status and welfare of individuals assisting tuberculosis patients with treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":45684,"journal":{"name":"AIMS Public Health","volume":"10 1","pages":"78-93"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10091134/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9315582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The mental health of laboratory and rehabilitation specialists during COVID-19: A rapid review.","authors":"Liam Ishaky, Myuri Sivanthan, Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia, Andrew Papadopoulos, Basem Gohar","doi":"10.3934/publichealth.2023006","DOIUrl":"10.3934/publichealth.2023006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Backgrounds: </strong>Healthcare workers have experienced considerable stress and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these healthcare workers are medical laboratory professionals and rehabilitation specialists, specifically, occupational therapists, and physical therapists, who all perform critical services for the functioning of a healthcare system.</p><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This rapid review examined the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of medical laboratory professionals (MLPs), occupational therapists (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs) and identified gaps in the research necessary to understand the impact of the pandemic on these healthcare workers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We systematically searched \"mental health\" among MLPs, OTs and PTs using three databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and CINAHL).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our search yielded 8887 articles, 16 of which met our criteria. Our results revealed poor mental health among all occupational groups, including burnout, depression, and anxiety. Notably, MLPs reported feeling forgotten and unappreciated compared to other healthcare groups. In general, there is a dearth of literature on the mental health of these occupational groups before and during the pandemic; therefore, unique stressors are not yet uncovered.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results highlight poor mental health outcomes for these occupational groups despite the dearth of research. In addition to more research among these groups, we recommend that policymakers focus on improving workplace cultures and embed more intrinsic incentives to improve job retention and reduce staff shortage. In future emergencies, providing timely and accurate health information to healthcare workers is imperative, which could also help reduce poor mental health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":45684,"journal":{"name":"AIMS Public Health","volume":"10 1","pages":"63-77"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10091133/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9308993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of guardians' health literacy on the child's spending time at home: A cross-sectional study among Japanese schoolchildren.","authors":"Yuki Sato, Reiko Suzuki, Michiko Shigihara, Chieko Suzuki","doi":"10.3934/publichealth.2023005","DOIUrl":"10.3934/publichealth.2023005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The contents of children's daily activities and the amount of time spent on them has been directly linked to their health and development. Parental health behavior has also been considered a key factor, and the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between parent/guardian health literacy (HL) and their child's time spent at home by behavioral types. The study was conducted in elementary schools in Japan.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The target subjects for this study were elementary schoolchildren (all grades, aged 6 to 12 years) and their parents/guardians, and almost 3000 schoolchildren and their parents/guardians in the Northern and Southern districts in Japan participated. The questionnaire for parents/guardians included amount of time spent per day on the seven major behavioral contents of their child's time at home, on weekdays and weekends, respectively, and a shortened five-item health literacy (HL) scale. Parent/guardian HL results were categorized into two groups (low HL group and high HL group), and we analyzed the association between the HL and child's time spent at home by behavioral contents.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Children in the high HL parent/guardian group spent significantly less time watching TV and playing games than those in the low HL group, both on weekdays and weekends. Time spent playing outside on weekdays and on hobbies on weekdays and weekends was significantly longer for children in the high HL parent/guardian group than in the low HL group. Results of logistic regression analyses adjusted for confounders showed that higher parental/guardian HL reduced children's spending more than 30 minutes watching TV or playing games and increased children's spending more than 30 minutes on outside playing and doing hobbies.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Parental/guardian HL affected the child's time spent at home. The results could suggest that increasing parental/guardian HL has strong potential to improve children's major lifestyle behaviors．.</p>","PeriodicalId":45684,"journal":{"name":"AIMS Public Health","volume":"10 1","pages":"52-62"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10091124/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9315589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ADHD in children and adolescents: Review of current practice of non-pharmacological and behavioural management.","authors":"Michael O Ogundele, Hani F Ayyash","doi":"10.3934/publichealth.2023004","DOIUrl":"10.3934/publichealth.2023004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Attention deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the commonest childhood neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting 3 to 9% by school age, and often persists into adulthood. ADHD in children and young people (CYP) has wide ranging multi-modal impacts on the affected CYP, their carers and the society. Co-morbidity with other neurodevelopmental, behavioural and emotional disorders is the rule rather than exception. Pharmacological treatment is not recommended as the sole therapeutic intervention, and several other non-pharmacological interventions have been advocated within a framework of Multi-modal strategy as the norm, to address both the core symptoms as well as the behavioural and other related difficulties. All paediatric professionals need to be familiar with the principles of different modalities of non-pharmacological or behavioural interventions for managing ADHD in CYP. Most published up-to-date evidence for behavioural interventions both for the core ADHD symptoms and other outcome measures are summarized in this article, including the peculiar problems related to their research. The most effective evidence-based strategies for controlling ADHD core symptoms are combination of stimulant medications with Behavioural therapy (BT) or Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), as well as group-based parental Psychoeducation. Standalone BT, CBT, Mindfulness, Neurocognitive training and Neurofeedback cannot currently be recommended for controlling core symptoms due to limited evidence. Other Behavioural interventions could lead to improvements in ADHD-related outcomes, including parenting skills, CYP's social skills, academic performance and disruptive behaviours. School-based non-pharmacological interventions have been shown to reduce disruptive behaviours. Executive skills are also significantly improved with use of computer-based Neurocognitive training and regular physical Cardio exercises. It is disappointing that combinations of different types of psychosocial interventions have low efficacy on both the core ADHD symptoms and other related outcomes. The readers are welcome to test their knowledge and learning efficacy through an accompanying quiz.</p>","PeriodicalId":45684,"journal":{"name":"AIMS Public Health","volume":"10 1","pages":"35-51"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10091126/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9685821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychosocial risk factors associated with social anxiety, depressive and disordered eating symptoms during COVID-19.","authors":"Carlee Bellapigna, Zornitsa Kalibatseva","doi":"10.3934/publichealth.2023003","DOIUrl":"10.3934/publichealth.2023003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted society and negatively impacted mental health. Various psychosocial risk factors have been exacerbated during the pandemic, leading to the worsening of psychological distress. Specifically, a need for structure, loneliness, concerns about body image and social media use are risk factors previously implicated in poor mental health. The current study examines how these risk factors are associated with mental health outcomes (i.e., social anxiety, depressive and disordered eating symptoms) during the COVID-19 pandemic (January-March 2021). A total of 239 participants were recruited (average age = 24.74, 79% female, 68% White). The results revealed that a need for structure, loneliness and social media use were positively associated with social anxiety. In addition, loneliness, negative concerns about body image and social media use were significantly related to disordered eating and depressive symptoms. Lastly, when examined all together, the overall model for risk factors predicting mental health outcomes was significant: Wilks' Λ = 0.464, <i>F</i>(12, 608.814) = 17.081, <i>p</i> < 0.001. Loneliness and social media use were consistently associated with all psychological symptoms. These results emphasize the need for interventions for social anxiety, depressive and disordered eating symptoms that encourage structured daily activities, social connection, positive perception of oneself and mindful social media use.</p>","PeriodicalId":45684,"journal":{"name":"AIMS Public Health","volume":"10 1","pages":"18-34"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10091130/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9315586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Public beliefs and willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines among adults in South-Western Nigeria: A cross-sectional study.","authors":"Itse Olaoye, Aniebet Ekong, Abiona Samuel, Eirini Kelaiditi, Kyriaki Myrissa, Tsemaye Jacdonmi, Famokun Gboyega","doi":"10.3934/publichealth.2023001","DOIUrl":"10.3934/publichealth.2023001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite the government's and development partners' unmatched efforts to ensure that every eligible person receives vaccinations, there have been concerns about vaccine fear, government mistrust, vaccine hesitancy and rejection expressed by the public, as well as various conspiracy theories involving the COVID-19 vaccines. This study assessed the public beliefs and willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines and related factors among residents of Ondo State, Nigeria.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a convenience sample technique, a cross-sectional survey of the adult population was carried out in the months of February and March of 2022. Factors influencing beliefs and willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines were found by using univariate and multivariate statistical analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>306 out of 323 respondents completed the survey and were included in the final analysis. The respondents mean age was 28.16 ± 16.2 years. Although <i>n</i> = 223, 72.9% of respondents reported to have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines, (<i>n</i> = 205) 67.0% believed COVID-19 vaccines to be effective. Among the individuals who had not yet had any COVID-19 vaccinations, 2.6% (<i>n</i> = 8) of respondents were willing to accept the vaccines, whereas 14.1% (<i>n</i> = 43) were unwilling. Respondents' beliefs about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines were influenced by their gender, occupation, religion and educational attainment (p < 0.005).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study revealed a good level of positive beliefs about the vaccine, which was mirrored in vaccination history. However, those who had not yet received the vaccine were unwilling to do so, opening the door for more aggressive risk communication to be able to alter the course of events. In addition to addressing additional COVID-19 vaccination myths, we advise policy-makers to develop communication strategies that emphasise the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. It is advised that all relevant stakeholders be included in government COVID-19 vaccination programmes by sharing timely, transparent information that fosters accountability.</p>","PeriodicalId":45684,"journal":{"name":"AIMS Public Health","volume":"10 1","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2023-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10091129/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10129719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}