Publications by authors named "Vujovich-Dunn C"
: Given the discrepancies in immunisation coverage, the goal of this study was to explore the barriers and facilitators to effective communication across the school-based vaccination program in South Eastern Sydney schools. : A qualitative study was undertaken with purposively selected immunisation staff, school coordinators, and parents of Year 7 students who had not received two vaccinations (dTpa and HPV) at school. A focus group with immunisation staff and interviews with school coordinators explored the barriers and facilitators to vaccination uptake, including communication across stakeholders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - HPV and adolescent vaccination rates are notably lower in special schools for students with disabilities compared to mainstream schools, prompting this study in New South Wales, Australia to explore parental influences on vaccine uptake.
- - Through focus groups and interviews with 40 participants, two main themes emerged: the varied parental attitudes towards vaccination, and the need for better education and support in addressing vaccination concerns.
- - Many parents showed support for vaccinations, but some were hesitant due to fears linking vaccines to autism, concerns about trauma during vaccination, and misconceptions about their children's sexual activity; special school staff advocated for improved communication resources to help address these hesitations.
Aim: This study aims to establish whether digital surveillance methods for notifiable diseases in Australia collect and report data in relation to marginalised populations.
Methods: The literature was systematically reviewed to identify primary research studies published between January 2005 and July 2023. Studies were included if they described an Australian digital surveillance system for notifiable conditions.
South Africa also has the highest burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related comorbidities in Africa. We aimed to quantify the temporal and geospatial changes in unemployment, food insecurity, and their combined impact on depressive symptoms among South Africans who participated into several rounds of national surveys. We estimated the population-attributable risk percent () for the combinations of the risk factors after accounting for their correlation structure in multifactorial setting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * The findings revealed that 63% of women and 28% of men were overweight or obese, with factors like parity in women and marital status in men significantly contributing to obesity rates.
- * The study highlights an urgent need for culturally tailored prevention programs to combat obesity and related diseases, potentially mitigating poor health outcomes associated with COVID-19.
Objectives: In addition to being home to more than seven million HIV-infected individuals, South Africa also has a high burden of COVID-19 and related comorbidities worldwide. We aimed to identify the most influential "beliefs" and "attitudes" on vaccine decision-making behavior.
Study Design: This study used panel data from cross-sectional surveys.
Article Synopsis
- * A study involving over 80,000 individuals revealed that around 52% of men and 51% of women were classified as hypertensive according to 2017 guidelines, with variations across provinces and a significant link to obesity as a modifiable risk factor.
- * The research indicates persistent geographic disparities in hypertension prevalence and stresses the importance of targeted public health initiatives focused on diet and lifestyle improvements to better address this issue.
Article Synopsis
- African countries, especially South Africa, have the highest rates of hypertension globally, prompting the need for a risk assessment tool.
- Researchers developed a validated hypertension risk scoring algorithm based on a large cohort study (80,270 participants) using logistic regression models to identify significant factors like age, obesity, and smoking.
- The algorithm highlights individuals at the greatest risk, aiming to enhance prevention strategies for hypertension and related health issues by promoting healthier lifestyles, particularly focused on older adults with high body fat.
Background: In Australia in 2017, 89% of 15-year-old females and 86% of 15-year-old males had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine. However, considerable variation in HPV vaccination initiation (dose one) across schools remains. It is important to understand the school-level characteristics most strongly associated with low initiation and their contribution to the overall between-school variation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Australian adolescents often receive HPV and dTpa vaccines together in schools, but some schools show significantly lower initiation rates for the HPV vaccine compared to dTpa.
- In a study analyzing data from 1280 schools, it was found that nearly 24% had HPV initiation rates more than 5% lower than dTpa coverage, with factors like school location, size, and socioeconomic status influencing these rates.
- The findings suggest that HPV vaccine hesitancy may be a concern in certain schools, particularly those that are socioeconomically advantaged, highlighting the need for further research to understand and address the reasons behind this hesitancy.
Background: Schools are the primary setting for the delivery of adolescent HPV vaccination in Australia. Although this strategy has achieved generally high vaccination coverage, gaps persist for reasons that are mostly unknown. This study sought to identify school-level correlates of low vaccination course initiation and completion in New South Wales, Tasmania, and Western Australia to inform initiatives to increase uptake.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of vaccination decision aids compared with usual care on vaccine uptake, vaccine attitudes, decisional conflict, intent to vaccinate and timeliness.
Methods: Searches were conducted in OVID Medline, OVID Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library and SCOPUS. Randomised controlled trials were included if they evaluated the impact of decision aids as defined by the International Patient Decision Aids Standards Collaboration.
Introduction: The Solomon Islands, with a population of 550,000, has significant challenges in addressing non-communicable diseases, including cancer, in the face of significant economic, cultural, general awareness and health system challenges.
Objectives: To summarise the existing knowledge regarding cancer in the Solomon Islands, to gather new data and make recommendations.
Methods: A literature review was undertaken and cancer data from the National Referral Hospital, Honiara were analysed and are presented.
Article Synopsis
- Deformational plagiocephaly, a common condition in infants characterized by altered head shape, may be linked to developmental delays, though the extent and duration of this association are unclear.
- A systematic review of 1315 articles identified 19 studies meeting the criteria, with most studies demonstrating a moderate methodological quality and a positive correlation between plagiocephaly and developmental delay, especially in younger children.
- The review calls for clinicians to monitor infants with plagiocephaly closely and consider early intervention services, such as physiotherapy, to address potential developmental needs.