METHODS: This study was conducted with 314 participants from Delhi's Sanjay Colony, divided into control and intervention groups. The study spanned 14 months (August 2020 to September 2021). The intervention program comprised two educational sessions held one month apart, covering dengue awareness, health self-care, and environmental maintenance. Data were collected at baseline, after each intervention session, and during a final follow-up assessment three months later.
RESULTS: The primary outcome, the house index (HI), revealed statistically significant differences (P<0.001) favoring the intervention group. The total score (TS) for mosquito-borne disease, TS of knowledge, TS of attitude, and TS of practices all exhibited significant improvements in the intervention group. Participants showed an enhanced understanding of dengue causes, symptoms, and mosquito behavior related to breeding and biting. The HI in the intervention group decreased significantly from 21.65% to 4.45% (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION: This study, grounded in the health belief model (HBM), demonstrated the effectiveness of the intervention program in reducing HI and improving knowledge and preventive practices regarding dengue fever in impoverished urban neighborhoods of Delhi. The intervention program may be beneficial in such a poor urban community.
METHODS: An anonymous cross-sectional survey was conducted between 4 January and 5 March 2021 in 17 countries worldwide. Proportions and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and vaccine characteristics influencing vaccination acceptance were generated and compared across countries and regions. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
RESULTS: Of the 19,714 responses received, 90.4% (95% CI 81.8-95.3) reported likely or extremely likely to receive COVID-19 vaccine. A high proportion of likely or extremely likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was reported in Australia (96.4%), China (95.3%) and Norway (95.3%), while a high proportion reported being unlikely or extremely unlikely to receive the vaccine in Japan (34.6%), the U.S. (29.4%) and Iran (27.9%). Males, those with a lower educational level and those of older age expressed a higher level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Less than two-thirds (59.7%; 95% CI 58.4-61.0) reported only being willing to accept a vaccine with an effectiveness of more than 90%, and 74.5% (95% CI 73.4-75.5) said they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine with minor adverse reactions. A total of 21.0% (95% CI 20.0-22.0) reported not accepting an mRNA vaccine and 51.8% (95% CI 50.3-53.1) reported that they would only accept a COVID-19 vaccine from a specific country-of-origin. Countries from the Southeast Asia region reported the highest proportion of not accepting mRNA technology. The highest proportion from Europe and the Americas would only accept a vaccine produced by certain countries. The foremost important vaccine characteristic influencing vaccine choice is adverse reactions (40.6%; 95% CI 39.3-41.9) of a vaccine and effectiveness threshold (35.1%; 95% CI 33.9-36.4).
CONCLUSIONS: The inter-regional and individual country disparities in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy highlight the importance of designing an efficient plan for the delivery of interventions dynamically tailored to the local population.