Background: Vaccinations are a cornerstone of public health. However, reluctance to accepting vaccines is common. Using longitudinal data, we investigated which individual and contextual factors were associated with switching preferences from initial hesitancy or unwillingness toward acceptance of a first COVID-19 vaccination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the future, new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus might emerge and cause outbreaks. If this occurs, the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) can be reconsidered. Consideration of the potential benefits and harms of implementing NPIs, and ultimately deciding about implementing NPIs, is currently mainly executed by experts and governments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Vaccine uptake within the Dutch National Immunisation Programme (NIP) has slightly declined since the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied psychosocial factors of vaccine uptake, namely parental intention, attitudes, beliefs, trust and deliberation (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Worldwide, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were implemented during the COVID-19 crisis, which heavily impacted the daily lives of citizens. This study considers public perspectives on whether and how public engagement (PE) can contribute to future decision-making about NPIs.
Methods: An online survey was conducted among a representative sample of the public in the Netherlands from 27 October to 9 November 2021.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, public groups mobilised themselves in civil-society engagement practices (CSEPs) aiming to improve or suggest alternative epidemic management. This study explores the motivation to establish CSEPs and their perceived contributions to epidemic management, to gain insight whether integrating views of CSEPs could add value. A systematic online search was executed to identify CSEPs focused on COVID-19 management between January 2020 and January 2022 in the Netherlands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn spring 2021, several countries, among which the Netherlands, suspended vaccinations against COVID-19 with the Vaxzevria vaccine from AstraZeneca after reports of rare but severe adverse events. This study investigates the influence of this suspension on the Dutch public's perceptions of COVID-19 vaccinations, trust in the government's vaccination campaign, and COVID-19 vaccination intentions. We conducted two surveys in a population of general Dutch public (18 + ), one shortly before the pause of AstraZeneca vaccinations and one shortly thereafter (N eligible for analysis = 2628).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndonesia is one of the world's economies contributing the most to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the global food system. This study aimed to quantify the environmental impacts of Indonesian vegetable production and the relative contribution of different farm inputs. Data were collected from 322 vegetable farms in the Lembang sub-district in West Java.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigh vaccination coverage is considered to be key in dealing with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, vaccine hesitancy can limit uptake. We examined the specific coronavirus beliefs that persons have regarding COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines and to what extent these beliefs explain COVID-19 vaccination intentions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: From 2015 to 2018, the Netherlands faced an outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) caused by serogroup W. To counter the rise in infections, the government introduced a catch-up menACWY vaccination campaign for teenagers in 2018 and 2019. The outbreak situation induced substantial media attention and a run on menACWY vaccines outside the vaccination campaign.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To counter the rise in invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) serogroup W, the Netherlands introduced a menACWY catch-up vaccination campaign for teenagers in 2018 and 2019. Teenagers and parents who have questions or who seek advice from a professional about vaccinations are likely to consult a youth healthcare professional or their general practitioner. This study aimed to appraise the ability of these healthcare professionals to meet the information needs of teenagers and their parents at the start of the vaccination campaign.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aims to increase insights into the potential role of the media in the amplification and attenuation of modern risks in society, by studying the dynamics and contents of the newspaper coverage about the potential health risk posed by rubber granulate in the Netherlands. We thematically analysed 153 national newspaper articles about the risks posed by rubber granulate between September 2016 and February 2017. Our results suggest that newspaper coverage might have contributed to heightened public risk perceptions by presenting the negligible health risk as uncertain, focusing on controversy between authorities and experts, describing responses such as concerns, commotion, and adopted risk mitigation measures by members of the public, and by providing insufficient contextualization on whether hazardous substances in rubber granulate pose a threat to health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA key component of outbreak control is monitoring public perceptions and public response. To determine public perceptions and public responses during the first 3 months of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in the Netherlands, we conducted 6 repeated surveys of ≈3,000 persons. Generalized estimating equations analyses revealed changes over time as well as differences between groups at low and high risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo control the rise in Neisseria meningitidis strain W infections, during 2018-2019, the Netherlands launched a catch-up meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) vaccination campaign for teenagers (13-18 years of age). Applying a mental models approach, we surveyed teenagers and their parents about their knowledge and beliefs about meningococcal disease, the MenACWY vaccination, vaccinations in general, and their MenACWY vaccination intentions. Using random forest analysis, we studied predictions of vaccination intentions by knowledge and beliefs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
June 2019
This paper reports on the perceptions of risk related to practicing sports on fields containing rubber granulate infill, and preferences for mitigation measures, among people with and without offspring exposed to rubber granulate. Two repeated surveys were conducted among members of the general population and parents of children aged under 18, in the middle of a dynamic public discussion about the potential health risks of exposure to rubber granulate. The first survey (N = 1033) was administered in December 2016 at a time characterized by considerable public uncertainty and contrasting opinions in the public risk debate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The likelihood of large-scale outbreaks of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) is growing. MDRO outbreaks can affect a wide range of healthcare institutions. Control of such outbreaks requires structured collaboration between professionals from all involved healthcare institutions, but guidelines for cross-institutional procedures are, however, often missing.
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