CONOSCENZE E ATTITUDINI DELLA POPOLAZIONE ADULTA NEI CONFRONTI DELLE PATOLOGIE CAUSATE DA S. PNEUMONIAE, N. MENINGITIDIS, HPV E HZV E DELLE RELATIVE VACCINAZIONI

[Autom. eng. transl.] Introduction: Vaccinations are one of the most effective and proven public health interventions. However, although the scientific evidence and ethical considerations require investing resources for the implementation of vaccination programs in the forms and modalities most suited to the epidemiological and socio-health situation of each country, skepticisms continue to be present that risk invalidate the expected benefits of vaccination programs. Testing the level of knowledge of the population regarding vaccine-preventable diseases and attitudes towards related vaccinations is essential to understand on which levers to go and act to reduce such skepticism. The purpose of this study is to carry out an evaluation of the knowledge and attitudes of the adult population towards the diseases sustained by S. pneumoniae, N. meningitidis, HPV and HZV for which ad hoc vaccinations exist. Methods: In order to study the knowledge and attitudes of the adult population towards the diseases sustained by S. pneumoniae, N. meningitidis, HPV and HZV and related vaccinations, a questionnaire was elaborated which investigated, in addition to demographic and social aspects, the knowledge about the etiology, the transmission modalities, the symptoms and the sequelae of the diseases under study and the propensity towards the relative vaccinations. The questionnaire was administered to users over 18 years of age of the services of the Prevention Departments of ASL Rome A, of ASL3 of Genoa, of ASL2 of Savona and of the ASL of Viterbo. The administration of the questionnaires took place in specific index days in the period between May and October 2013. All users who turned to the Prevention Departments mentioned above were consecutively enrolled in the study, subject to the expression of consent. The collected data were summarized through the elaboration of absolute frequencies and relative percentages and indices of central tendency and dispersion. Results: A total of 530 questionnaires were collected and analyzed, 284 (53.6%) of which were administered in the Prevention Departments of Genoa and Savona and 246 (46.4%) in the Prevention Departments of Rome and Viterbo. The compilers were women in 72.7% of cases and men in 27.3%. The average age of the sample was 50.5 years (Standard Deviation 10.6; Minimum; 19; Maximum: 86). 94.4% of the compilers were of Italian nationality, 84.2% of the subjects declared themselves in possession of a high school diploma or a degree and 79.4% claimed to have an occupation at the time of compilation of the questionnaire. Overall, approximately 60% of the sample showed good knowledge of S. pneumoniae and N. meningitidis diseases, while the percentages of knowledge of HPV diseases were lower (Table 1). About 70% of the sample correctly identified the so-called shingles with the pathology supported by HZV (Table 1). Most of the subjects identified the General Practitioner (GP), followed by other health professionals, the Internet, newspapers and TV as a source of information on the vaccines available for the prevention of the four pathologies in question. However, the different sources were consulted differently according to the type of pathology. The GPs were more commonly called upon for S. pneumoniae and N. meningitidis diseases, newspapers and TV for HPV and Internet for HPV and HZV. Regarding attitudes towards vaccinations, 96.2% of the compilers said they favored vaccination against meningococcus, 94% against pneumococcus, 92.7% against HPV and 77.6% against HZV . Finally, faced with the question relating to the preparation