Development of Promising Interventions to Improve Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in a School-Based Program in Quebec, Canada: Results From a Formative Evaluation Using a Mixed Methods Design.

Background: Despite the availability of school-based human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs, disparities in vaccine coverage persist. Barriers to HPV vaccine acceptance and uptake include parental attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, and system-level barriers. A total of 3 interventions were developed to address these barriers: an in-person presentation by school nurses, an email reminder with a web-based information and decision aid tool, and a telephone reminder using motivational interviewing (MI) techniques.

Sex Differences in the Immunogenicity and Efficacy of Seasonal Influenza Vaccines: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Sex impacts individuals' response to vaccination. However, most vaccine studies do not report these differences disaggregated by sex. The aim of this study was to assess sex differences in the immunogenicity and efficacy of influenza vaccine.

Neighborhood-level vaccine impact on COVID-19 infection and hospital admission in Quebec, Canada, during the Delta and early Omicron periods.

Objective: To assess the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on COVID-19 infection and hospitalisation at the population-level, and to assess the indirect effects of vaccination in the province of Quebec, Canada.

Methods: We performed a time-stratified, neighborhood-level ecologic study. The exposure was neighborhood-level vaccination (primary series) coverage; outcomes were COVID-19 infection and hospitalisation rates.

School-based vaccination program against HPV and Hepatitis B: A longitudinal analysis of vaccine coverage between 2015 and 2021 in Quebec.

Background: HPV vaccination prevents cancers, including 90% of cervical cancer. Since 2008, a school-based HPV vaccination program has been implemented in Quebec, but vaccine coverage is suboptimal. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted school-based vaccination programs.

"The problem is not lack of information": A qualitative study of parents and school nurses' perceptions of barriers and potential solutions for HPV vaccination in schools.

Background: HPV vaccination has been offered in school programs for over a decade in Quebec, Canada, but the vaccine coverages are not reaching the target coverage in several regions. This qualitative study aimed to describe barriers and enabling conditions of HPV vaccination as perceived by parents and school nurses and identify potential solutions to improve HPV vaccine uptake rates and acceptance in school-based programs.

Methods: Three focus group discussions were conducted with parents of children in Grades 2 or 3 who were unsure or unwilling to vaccinate.

Sex differences in adverse events following seasonal influenza vaccines: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Background: Despite being a vaccine-preventable disease, influenza remains a major public health threat with vaccine safety concerns reducing vaccine acceptability. Immune responses to vaccines and adverse events may differ between males and females, but most studies do not report results by sex. Using data from clinical trials, we explored sex differences in adverse events following seasonal influenza vaccines.

Effectiveness of hospital-based strategies for improving childhood immunization coverage: A systematic review.

Background: Hospital settings represent an opportunity to offer and/or promote childhood vaccination. The purpose of the systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of different hospital-based strategies for improving childhood vaccination coverage.

Methods: A systematic search of multiple bibliographic databases, thesis databases, and relevant websites was conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles published up to September 20, 2021.

Impact of the first vaccine dose on COVID-19 and its complications in long-term care facilities and private residences for seniors in Québec, Canada.

Background: Residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and private residences for seniors (PRSs) were given priority for vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Given the shortage of vaccine in the winter of 2021, the recommended postponing the administration of second doses to ensure more rapid and widespread administration of first doses. The objective of this study was to measure the impact of first-dose vaccination on 1) the incidence of cases and complications in LTCFs and PRSs and 2) the frequency of outbreaks in LTCFs.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccine coverage for early childhood vaccines in Alberta, Canada: a population-based retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early childhood vaccination coverage in Alberta, Canada.

Setting: Alberta, a western Canadian province, which has a population of 4.4 million and approximately 50 000 births annually.

Sexual behavior, clinical outcomes and attendance of cervical cancer screening by HPV vaccinated and unvaccinated sexually active women.

Concerns were raised about HPV vaccination possibly leading to riskier sexual behavior. We assessed sexual behaviors, risk of sexually transmitted infection, and attendance to cervical cancer screening by HPV vaccinated and unvaccinated young women. In this analysis, 1475 questionnaires completed by women aged 17-29 years were included.

Outbreak investigation of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in an emergency childcare centre.

Objective: To characterize SARS-CoV-2 transmission following a COVID-19 outbreak in an emergency childcare centre (ECCC) in April 2020 in Quebec, Canada.

Methods: The study population consisted of all the children and employees who attended the ECCC as well as household contacts of the confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of the 120 individuals in the study, five cases were confirmed by epidemiological link and 25 were identified as COVID-19 by RT-PCR among which 19 were analyzed by viral whole genome sequencing.

Participation in an action research project on vaccine services for children: relationship with vaccine delays.

Multicomponent interventions are effective in improving vaccine coverage. However, few studies have assessed their effect on timely vaccination. The aim of this study was to compare the proportion of children with vaccine delays at 2- and 12-month visits according to whether or not health centers have participated in an action research project on the organization of vaccination services for 0-5-year-olds.

Children vaccination coverage surveys: Impact of multiple sources of information and multiple contact attempts.

Background: Monitoring vaccination coverage is an essential component of vaccination program evaluation. In Québec (Canada), children vaccination coverage surveys are conducted every two years since 2006. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of supplementing data based on vaccination booklets with data from vaccine providers, on the final estimated vaccination coverage and to compare vaccination coverage between respondents to each survey contact attempt.

Impact of vaccine delays at the 2, 4, 6 and 12 month visits on incomplete vaccination status by 24 months of age in Quebec, Canada.

Background: Timeliness in the administration of recommended vaccines is often evaluated using vaccine delays and provides more information regarding the susceptibility of children to vaccine-preventable diseases compared with vaccine coverage at a given age. The importance of on-time administration of vaccines scheduled at the first visit is well documented, but data are scarce about the impact of vaccine delays at other visits on vaccination status by 24 months of age. Using vaccine delays for the first three doses of DTaP-containing vaccines and for the first dose of measles-containing vaccines as markers of timeliness at the 2, 4, 6 and 12 month visits, we estimated the proportion of incomplete vaccination status by 24 months of age attributable to a vaccine delay at each of these visits.

Impact of the addition of new vaccines in the early childhood schedule on vaccine coverage by 24 months of age from 2006 to 2016 in Quebec, Canada.

Context: Between 2004 and 2016, in the province of Quebec (Canada), 4 new antigens were added in the early childhood vaccine schedule from birth to 18 months, increasing the number of injections or doses needed from 7 to 12. These additions may have decreased the proportion of children who had received all recommended vaccines.

Objectives: To assess the impact of the introduction of new vaccines to the childhood schedule on the 24-month vaccine coverage from 2006 to 2016 and identify factors associated with incomplete vaccination status by 24 months of age.

Delayed measles vaccination of toddlers in Canada: Associated socio-demographic factors and parental knowledge, attitudes and beliefs.

Delaying vaccination increases the period of vulnerability of children against vaccine-preventable diseases. We used a nationally representative sample of Canadian two-year-old children to explore factors associated with delays in the uptake of the first dose of measles-containing vaccine, recommended in Canada for children at 12 months of age. Distribution of delays was determined using data from the 2013 Childhood National Immunization Coverage Survey.

Risk of Recurrence of Adverse Events Following Immunization: A Systematic Review.

Context: Reimmunizing patients who had an adverse event following immunization (AEFI) is sometimes a challenge because there are limited data on the risk and severity of AEFI recurrence.

Objective: To summarize the literature on the risk of AEFI recurrence.

Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library.

Acceptability of live attenuated influenza vaccine by vaccine providers in Quebec, Canada.

A live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) was offered during the 2012-13 influenza season in Quebec, Canada, to children aged between 2 and 17 years with chronic medical conditions. Despite the offer, uptake of the vaccine was low. We assessed the perceptions and opinions about seasonal influenza vaccination and LAIV use among vaccine providers who participated in the 2012-13 campaign.

Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in Quebec, Canada, 2 years after the influenza A(H1N1) pandemic.

Background: A decrease in seasonal influenza vaccine uptake was observed after the influenza A(H1N1) pandemic in 2009. The goal of our study was to assess seasonal influenza vaccine uptake in 2011-2012, 2 years after the influenza A(H1N1) pandemic mass immunization campaign and to identify the main reasons for having or not having received the vaccine.

Methods: A telephone survey using random-digit dialing methodology was conducted.

Factors associated with HPV vaccination among adult women in Quebec.

Background And Objective: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are the most common sexually transmitted infections in North America and are associated with cervical cancer. A publicly-funded HPV immunization program was launched in the province of Quebec, Canada, in the fall of 2008. The aim of this study was to explore factors associated with HPV immunization among young adult women not targeted by this program.

[Human papilloma virus: knowledge, beliefs and behavior of Quebec women].

Objective: A program providing free immunization against human papillomavirus (HPV) was launched in the province of Quebec in 2008. A survey was conducted to describe the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of young women in Quebec regarding HPV infections.

Method: In 2009, a questionnaire was sent by mail to 2,400 women, 24 years of age, randomly selected from the Quebec provincial health insurance database (RAMQ).