A longitudinal perspective on perceived vulnerability to disease during the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, individuals relied heavily on media sources to stay informed about the disease and public health measures. However, differences exist in the type and frequency of news media consumption, which can be linked to their perceived vulnerability to disease. In this longitudinal study, 1000 Flemish (Belgium) individuals were followed from March 2020 until September 2020, focussing on the evolution in perceived vulnerability to disease (i.

Do optimism and moralization predict vaccination? A five-wave longitudinal study.

Objective: To examine if personal and comparative optimism, perceived effectiveness, and moralization of vaccination predict people's decision to get vaccinated.

Methods: We measured self-reported vaccination decisions in a five-wave longitudinal study ( ≍ 5,000/wave) in Belgium over a six months period (December 2020-May 2021) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the predictors were demographic factors, personal and comparative optimism for three aspects of COVID-19 (infection, severe disease, good outcome), perceived effectiveness of vaccination, and the extent to which vaccination is being viewed in prosocial terms (altruism, civic spirit) versus as instrumental in one's self-interest (common sense, concern about one's health).

Age-related changes in the fractal dimension of the retinal microvasculature, effects of cardiovascular risk factors and smoking behaviour.

Purpose: This cross-sectional study investigates the association between retinal vessel complexity and age and studies the effects of cardiovascular health determinants.

Methods: Retinal vessel complexity was assessed by calculating the box-counting fractal dimension (D ) from digital fundus photographs of 850 subjects (3-97 years). All photographs were labelled as 'non-pathological' by the treating ophthalmologist.