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ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of non-vaccination against influenza among Brazilian older adults with systemic arterial hypertension and determine the main reasons for non-adherence. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from older adults (≥ 60 years of age) with hypertension who participated in the 2013 National Health Survey and reported not having been vaccinated against flu over the previous 12 months (n = 1,295). The analyses were performed using the Stata 14.0 software. The data were weighted because of the sampling design. An estimated 3,026,080 older adults with hypertension had not received a flu vaccine over the 12 months prior to the survey (22.6%). No significant associations were found with sex, age group or schooling. The prevalence of unvaccinated older adults was lower in the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil than in the northern and northeastern regions, even after adjusting for age. The prevalence was higher among individuals without private health insurance. The main reasons for non-vaccination were fear of a reaction, rarely having the flu and not believing in the protection of the vaccine. The present findings underscore the need for healthcare professionals to explain to the population the benefits of the vaccine for preventing severe influenza (protective effect and possible reactions) and for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. Increasing the prevalence of vaccination in older adults with hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases is of fundamental importance within the realm of public health as a strategy for reducing occurrences of complications and deaths associated with influenza.

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The aim of this work was to conduct a systematic review on psychological behavior in the context of pandemic scenarios during the twenty-first century. We focused on empirical works and brief case reports of H1N1 flu and COVID-19. Our review included 32 papers published both in English or Spanish. We built a set of tables that allowed us to classify the information in four main categories, namely the psychological impact of the pandemic, whether people follow or not official measures to protect themselves against the pandemic, psychological adherence considerations implied as mediators to respect official strategies, and relevant methodological characteristics of the pandemic research. Results show that there are significant impacts on the psychological behavior of people, social groups and organizations in several dimensions, namely emotion, cognition, behavior, mental health, organization and psychosocial factors. In addition, we found that certain social groups experienced a critical psychosocial impact likely due to the pandemic. Psychosocial factors affecting adherence were also identified, which allow us to better understand how health strategies are followed by the population. Different psychosocial suggestions, which emerged from the papers reviewed, were systematized and should be considered as possible pandemic strategies to be implemented.

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The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of non-vaccination against influenza among Brazilian older adults with systemic arterial hypertension and determine the main reasons for non-adherence. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from older adults (≥ 60 years of age) with hypertension who participated in the 2013 National Health Survey and reported not having been vaccinated against flu over the previous 12 months (n = 1,295). The analyses were performed using the Stata 14.0 software. The data were weighted because of the sampling design. An estimated 3,026,080 older adults with hypertension had not received a flu vaccine over the 12 months prior to the survey (22.6%). No significant associations were found with sex, age group or schooling. The prevalence of unvaccinated older adults was lower in the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil than in the northern and northeastern regions, even after adjusting for age. The prevalence was higher among individuals without private health insurance. The main reasons for non-vaccination were fear of a reaction, rarely having the flu and not believing in the protection of the vaccine. The present findings underscore the need for healthcare professionals to explain to the population the benefits of the vaccine for preventing severe influenza (protective effect and possible reactions) and for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. Increasing the prevalence of vaccination in older adults with hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases is of fundamental importance within the realm of public health as a strategy for reducing occurrences of complications and deaths associated with influenza.

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The aim of this work was to conduct a systematic review on psychological behavior in the context of pandemic scenarios during the twenty-first century. We focused on empirical works and brief case reports of H1N1 flu and COVID-19. Our review included 32 papers published both in English or Spanish. We built a set of tables that allowed us to classify the information in four main categories, namely the psychological impact of the pandemic, whether people follow or not official measures to protect themselves against the pandemic, psychological adherence considerations implied as mediators to respect official strategies, and relevant methodological characteristics of the pandemic research. Results show that there are significant impacts on the psychological behavior of people, social groups and organizations in several dimensions, namely emotion, cognition, behavior, mental health, organization and psychosocial factors. In addition, we found that certain social groups experienced a critical psychosocial impact likely due to the pandemic. Psychosocial factors affecting adherence were also identified, which allow us to better understand how health strategies are followed by the population. Different psychosocial suggestions, which emerged from the papers reviewed, were systematized and should be considered as possible pandemic strategies to be implemented.

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Outbreaks of emerging infectious disease are a constant threat. In the last 10 years, there have been outbreaks of 2009 influenza A (H1N1), Ebola virus disease, and Zika virus. Stigma associated with infectious disease can be a barrier to adopting healthy behaviors, leading to more severe health problems, ongoing disease transmission, and difficulty controlling infectious disease outbreaks. Much has been learned about infectious disease and stigma in the context of nearly 4 decades of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome pandemic. In this paper, we define stigma, discuss its relevance to infectious disease outbreaks, including how individuals and communities can be affected. Adapting lessons learned from the rich literature on HIV-related stigma, we propose a strategy for reducing stigma during infectious disease outbreaks such as Ebola virus disease and Zika virus. The implementation of brief, practical strategies such as the ones proposed here might help reduce stigma and facilitate more effective control of emerging infectious diseases.

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Low vaccine-effectiveness has been recognised as a key factor undermining efforts to improve strategies and uptake of seasonal influenza vaccination. Aiming to prevent disease transmission, vaccination may influence the perceived risk-of-infection and, therefore, alter the individual-level behavioural responses, such as the avoidance of contact with infectious cases. We asked how the avoidance behaviour of vaccinated individuals changes disease dynamics, and specifically the epidemic size, in the context of imperfect vaccination. For this purpose, we developed an agent-based simulation model, and parameterised it with published estimates and relevant databases for population demographics and agent characteristics. Encapsulating an age-stratified structure, we evaluated the per-contact risk-of-infection and estimated the epidemic size. Our results show that vaccination could lead to a larger epidemic size if the level of avoidance behaviour in vaccinated individuals reduces below that of susceptible individuals. Furthermore, the risk-of-infection in vaccinated individuals, which follows the pattern of age-dependent frailty index of the population, increases for older age groups, and may reach, or even exceed, the risk-of-infection in susceptible individuals. Our findings indicate that low engagement in avoidance behaviour can potentially offset the benefits of vaccination even for vaccines with high effectiveness. While highlighting the protective effects of vaccination, seasonal influenza immunisation programmes should enhance strategies to promote avoidance behaviour despite being vaccinated.

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Worldwide, the leading causes of death could be avoided with health behaviors that are low-cost but also difficult to adopt. We show that exogenous health shocks could facilitate the adoption of these behaviors and provide long-lasting effects on health outcomes. Specifically, we exploit the spatial and temporal variation of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic in Mexico and show that areas with a higher incidence of H1N1 experienced larger reductions in diarrhea-related cases among young children. These reductions continue even three years after the shock ended. Health improvements and evidence of information seeking via Google searches were consistent with changes in hand washing behaviors. Several robustness checks validate our findings and mechanism.

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BACKGROUND: Theory suggests that individual behavioral responses impact the spread of flu-like illnesses, but this has been difficult to empirically characterize. Social distancing is an important component of behavioral response, though analyses have been limited by a lack of behavioral data. Our objective is to use media data to characterize social distancing behavior in order to empirically inform explanatory and predictive epidemiological models. METHODS: We use data on variation in home television viewing as a proxy for variation in time spent in the home and, by extension, contact. This behavioral proxy is imperfect but appealing since information on a rich and representative sample is collected using consistent techniques across time and most major cities. We study the April-May 2009 outbreak of A/H1N1 in Central Mexico and examine the dynamic behavioral response in aggregate and contrast the observed patterns of various demographic subgroups. We develop and calibrate a dynamic behavioral model of disease transmission informed by the proxy data on daily variation in contact rates and compare it to a standard (non-adaptive) model and a fixed effects model that crudely captures behavior. RESULTS: We find that after a demonstrable initial behavioral response (consistent with social distancing) at the onset of the outbreak, there was attenuation in the response before the conclusion of the public health intervention. We find substantial differences in the behavioral response across age subgroups and socioeconomic levels. We also find that the dynamic behavioral and fixed effects transmission models better account for variation in new confirmed cases, generate more stable estimates of the baseline rate of transmission over time and predict the number of new cases over a short horizon with substantially less error. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that A/H1N1 had an innate transmission potential greater than previously thought but this was masked by behavioral responses. Observed differences in behavioral response across demographic groups indicate a potential benefit from targeting social distancing outreach efforts.

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INTRODUCTION: In the past two decades, childhood vaccination coverage has increased dramatically, averting an estimated 2-3 million deaths per year. Adult vaccination coverage, however, remains inconsistently recorded and substandard. Although structural barriers are known to limit coverage, social and psychological factors can also affect vaccine uptake. Previous qualitative studies have explored beliefs, attitudes and preferences associated with seasonal influenza (flu) vaccination uptake, yet little research has investigated how participants' context and experiences influence their vaccination decision-making process over time. This paper aims to provide a detailed account of a mixed methods approach designed to understand the wider constellation of social and psychological factors likely to influence adult vaccination decisions, as well as the context in which these decisions take place, in the USA, the UK, France, India, China and Brazil. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We employ a combination of qualitative interviewing approaches to reach a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing vaccination decisions, specifically seasonal flu and tetanus. To elicit these factors, we developed the journey to vaccination, a new qualitative approach anchored on the heuristics and biases tradition and the customer journey mapping approach. A purposive sampling strategy is used to select participants who represent a range of key sociodemographic characteristics. Thematic analysis will be used to analyse the data. Typical journeys to vaccination will be proposed. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Vaccination uptake is significantly influenced by social and psychological factors, some of which are under-reported and poorly understood. This research will provide a deeper understanding of the barriers and drivers to adult vaccination. Our findings will be published in relevant peer-reviewed journals and presented at academic conferences. They will also be presented as practical recommendations at policy and industry meetings and healthcare professionals' forums. This research was approved by relevant local ethics committees.

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Web-based methodologies may provide a new and unique insight into public response to an infectious disease outbreak. This naturalistic study investigates the effectiveness of new web-based methodologies in assessing anxiety and information seeking in response to the 2009 H1N1 outbreak by examining language use in weblogs ("blogs"), newspaper articles, and web-based information seeking. Language use in blogs and newspaper articles was assessed using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, and information seeking was examined using the number of daily visits to H1N1-relevant Wikipedia articles. The results show that blogs mentioning "swine flu" used significantly higher levels of anxiety, health, and death words and lower levels of positive emotion words than control blogs. Change in language use on blogs was strongly related to change in language use in newspaper coverage for the same day. Both the measure of anxiety in blogs mentioning "swine flu" and the number of Wikipedia visits followed similar trajectories, peaking shortly after the announcement of H1N1 and then declining rapidly. Anxiety measured in blogs preceded information seeking on Wikipedia. These results show that the public reaction to H1N1 was rapid and short-lived. This research suggests that analysis of web behavior can provide a source of naturalistic data on the level and changing pattern of public anxiety and information seeking following the outbreak of a public health emergency.

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OBJECTIVE: To gain insight into how the Dutch general public viewed the risk during the course of the recent pandemic, into how many and which people took precautionary measures, and into the extent to which people trust the information provided by the government. DESIGN: Online survey, cross-sectional (the first two measurements) and follow-up investigations (the last two measurements). METHOD: Between 10 and 17 November 2009, 754 people completed the online questionnaire. Earlier survey rounds were held in May (n = 572), June (n = 620) and August (n = 934). RESULTS: In November 2009, 38% of respondents considered the Mexican flu a serious disease and 36% viewed themselves as vulnerable to this flu. Feelings of anxiety had decreased versus earlier survey rounds. Of the respondents, 73% took precautionary measures against the disease. This concerned mainly hygiene measures, which were most frequently taken by people who were anxious, found hygiene measures effective, paid considerable attention to the media information on flu, and found information from the government reliable and those without children living at home. More than fifty percent (58%) of respondents indicated that they would be willing to have the vaccination if they would be eligible for this. Of the other 315 respondents, 40% indicated that they feared serious side effects, 35% that they doubted the effectiveness of the vaccine and 33% that they considered the vaccine to be insufficiently tested. Almost half of the respondents had read the information leaflet 'Fight the flu', which was sent to every home in the country. One third had seen the television campaign. Governmental institutions, notably the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, were the most important sources of information and more than half of the respondents trusted this information. CONCLUSION: During the course of the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, anxiety among the Dutch general public decreased progressively, while people increasingly considered themselves more vulnerable to the flu. The public therefore had a realistic view of the situation. Three quarters of the general public had taken precautionary measures against the flu. More than fifty percent would be willing to have the vaccination if they would be eligible for this. The most important reason for not wanting the vaccination was fear of serious side effects and doubts about the effectiveness of the vaccine. This is a point of attention for the development of public information campaigns about vaccinations in the future.

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As of July 1st 2009, 90300 cases of the new Influenza A (H1N1) have been officially reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in more than 80 countries. Venezuela does not seem to be the exception, but it was not until June 11th 2009, when the first case was reported; however, the Venezuelan sanitary authorities maintain active the epidemiologic monitoring and controls to avoid the propagation of the virus. A positive aspect, in this instance, is that the world is better prepared to confront an influenza pandemic; but it is generally accepted that the preparation against a pandemic requires the participation, not only of the health sector, but of all society. There are many challenges in the present and in the future, for the production of an effective vaccine against this new strain of the virus, which will create a sense of hope for the people who have not yet been affected by this disease.

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OBJECTIVE: To determine the reaction of the general public on the information regarding the Mexican flu. DESIGN: Online panel interview. METHOD: From April 30 to May 4 2009, 572 people filled out an online questionnaire. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: 88% of the respondents had sufficient general knowledge about the Mexican flu. This information was mostly acquired by watching television (69%). More information was desired regarding the symptoms of the flu and those personal measures that could be taken to avoid infection.

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Beginning in April 2009, global attention began focusing on the emergence in Mexico of a potentially highly lethal new influenza strain of porcine origin that has successfully jumped species barriers and is now being transmitted around the world. Reported on extensively by the mass media, commented on by public health and government officials across the globe, and focused on with nervous attention by the general public, the so-called swine flu pandemic raises important questions, addressed here, concerning the capacity of medical anthropology to respond usefully to such disease outbreaks and their health and social consequences.

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