General Positive Attitude Research Articles

Knowledge, Attitude, and Opinions of Egyptian Medical Students Toward Biobanking Issues

ABSTRACT Introduction Biobanking is an emerging concept in Egypt. Medical students represent important future stakeholders in the research community. The objective of this work was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and opinions of Egyptian medical students toward biobanking issues. Methods We designed a structured survey about these issues, which was communicated online with medical students at three universities in Egypt. Results A total of 315 of 364 questionnaires were completed. More than half the students have heard the term “biobanking” before. Approximately 77% had a general positive attitude toward the concept of biobanking; however, only 57.7% were willing to participate with their own or family samples. The positive attitude toward donation was significantly higher in participants with negative family history of inherited diseases (p = 0.02). Conclusion Although some students had limited knowledge of biobanking, they had a positive attitude toward the concept in general. However, this was not reflected in a similar attitude toward donating biospecimens, especially in those with a family history of inherited disease. Moreover, they expressed concerns about data protection and samples sharing with different stakeholders. Taking all these into account, educational activities about biobanking should be given to medical students to fill the knowledge gap on the subject.

Knowledge, perceptions and attitude of Egyptian physicians towards biobanking issues.

Collection and storage of biospecimens and data for biobanking raise many ethical concerns. Stakeholders' opinions about these ethical issues are important since they can help in the development of ethical guidelines to govern biobanking activities. Physicians are among the important stakeholders since they contact potential participants and could be biobank users. The goal of this study is to evaluate the perceptions and attitude of Egyptian physicians towards ethical issues in biobanking. A cross-sectional online survey was designed and distributed with the target group between November 2019 and January 2020. The questionnaire was completed by 223 physicians. While 65.5% reported hearing the term "Biobanking" before, 45.7% knew that there are biobanks in Egypt. Participants had a general positive attitude towards the value of biobanks in research. About 73% agreed that biobanks can share biospecimens with international research organizations, but only 42.6% supported collaboration with pharmaceutical companies, and 44% agreed to the use of user fees by biobanks. About 48% supported the use of broad consent in biobanks, and 73.1% believed that donors of biospecimens should be informed about results of research performed on their biospecimens. Although many Egyptian physicians heard about biobanking, they had limited knowledge about the existence of biobanks in Egypt. They had concerns about commercialization, use of broad consent and user fees. A knowledge gap exists among these stakeholders, which should be covered by different educational activities. Community discussions should start to reach consensus about the issues of commercialization and return of research results.

A Qualitative Exploration of Parental Perceptions Regarding Children's Sun Exposure, Sun Protection, and Sunburn.

Sun protection among children is of utmost importance since sunburn in early life is a major risk factor for skin cancer development. Because parents play a vital role in enhancing sun safety among children, this study explored parental perceptions concerning sun exposure, sun protection behaviors, and sunburn in children. Additionally, the context in which children experience sunburn in order to assist the development, optimization, and targeting of sun safety interventions for parents is revealed. A qualitative study design, using a semi-structured interview guide addressing several themes (e.g., sun exposure, sun protection, and sunburn experiences), was used. Data were collected in the Netherlands in the fall of 2019. Parents were recruited via purposive sampling at schools, youth services centers, and social media. Execution, transcription, and coding of the interviews was done by two researchers, using the qualitative analyzing program Nvivo (interrater reliability of d = 0.84). In total, 26 interviews were performed (n = 17 mothers, n = 17 daughters, aged between 4 and 11 years). Parental perceptions and recall of their child's lifetime sunburn were frequent, even though all parents reported using at least one sun protection measure during sun exposure situations and parents seemed often unaware of their child's sunburn. Moreover, parents reported an overreliance on sunscreen, often failing to adequately protect their children's skin. Water-related activities, a lack of shade, and misconceptions regarding UV-index were often related to sunburn. In addition, unexpected sun exposure or longer exposure duration than initially planned were reported as challenging situations. The majority of parents had positive perceptions regarding tanned skin for both themselves as for children. This study provides directions for skin cancer prevention efforts targeted at both parents and their children. Since a lack of knowledge regarding sufficient sun protection measures and sunburn occurrence in various situations was reported, educational efforts are warranted. Additionally, focusing on clothing, shade-seeking, and adequate sunscreen use is recommended to increase children's sun safety. By intervening in the physical environment as well (e.g., providing shady areas), sun protection barriers can be reduced. Lastly, the general positive attitude toward tanned skin evident in this study is certainly worthy of attention in future interventions.

Students’ coping with the self-regulatory demand of crisis-driven digitalization in university mathematics instruction: do motivational and emotional orientations make a difference?

The COVID-19 pandemic induced a radical shift from face-to-face lectures to online learning in university mathematics instruction, which confronted students with a high self-regulatory demand. We investigated the role of students' motivational and emotional orientations regarding mathematics in coping with this demand. Among N = 123 university students (54 women) studying mathematics at the tertiary level, two clusters differing in mathematics related interest, anxiety, self-concept, and work ethics could be identified—namely less promising (n = 63) and more promising (n = 60) motivational and emotional orientations. Controlling for gender and general attitude towards learning mathematics with information and communications technology (ICT), students in the more promising cluster reported higher expectation of success, higher need for face-to-face social interaction, and less preference for online learning formats after the pandemic situation than students from the less promising cluster. However, students in different clusters did not differ significantly in their subjective task value, their learning outside of course structures, and their appreciation of digital learning formats. The results suggest that a positive general attitude towards learning with ICT was the key element influencing students’ coping with learning in the pandemic situation. In addition, particularly students demonstrating more promising orientations were eager to return to face-to-face instruction.

Young people’s perspectives on patient-reported outcome measures in inflammatory arthritis: results of a multicentre European qualitative study from a EULAR task force

IntroductionAlthough patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly used in clinical practice and research, it is unclear whether these instruments cover the perspective of young people with inflammatory arthritis (IA). The...

Запрос на психологическую помощь студентов педагогического вуза

There is an international consensus regarding the need to develop psychological services in education institutions, including tertiary education. This study evaluates pedagogical university students’ readiness to apply for professional psychological counselling and describes the reasons to seek psychological help among this population. The sample included 1,343 students of Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (Saint Petersburg). Students have relatively little experience of getting professional psychological assistance: 32.5% have received it once, while 13.7% have received it within the last year. The majority of students (75.4%), however, would consider visiting a psychologist in the future. The study demonstrated pronounced gender differences in student attitudes to psychological help-seeking. Though both male and female students had similar rates of previous use of psychological services, male students show a less positive attitude towards using them in the future. When seeking psychological assistance, respondents had the following requests: normalisation of the mental/emotional state — 54.8%; normalisation of interpersonal relations — 16.6%; assistance in self-development — 11.6%; assistance in self-exploration — 10.6%; information — 10.0%; transformation — 8.0%. Despite the general positive attitude towards seeking psychological help, not all students are a priori positive about the idea of seeking help particularly from the university service. Future research should be focused on the source of such a discrepancy. Research such as ours facilitates planning university psychological assistance programs’ capacity and design, as informed by the potential clients’ needs and preferences.

Online examination session: teachers’ and students’ satisfaction level

This paper is aimed at defining the satisfaction level of students and teachers with online examination session. To implement the study, we conducted online surveys for 2nd year bachelor students and 1st year master students (N=97) and online interviews with teachers (N=12). The analysis of received data indicated that students felt more satisfied with online examination session than teachers due to a number of reasons. Firstly, elder teachers faced technical problems on some steps of examination session. Secondly, teachers worried about the reliability of students’ testing results as they had access to any recourse or material and due to bad connection sometimes it was hard to hear or see students. Thus, some problems were revealed despite the general positive attitude to online examination session from students.

Knowledge and attitude toward COVID-19 vaccines amongst medical, dental and pharmacy students. A cross-sectional study from Bulgaria

SARS-CoV-2 has disseminated rapidly, resulting in one of the most severe pandemic outbreaks in decades. Countries around the world have been working hard to acquire legislative authorization for vaccination and its subsequent distribution. However, some members of the European Union registered very low uptake of vaccines. Students in the healthcare field could act as contributors to the conflict resolution of vaccine hesitancy. This study investigated the awareness, knowledge and attitudes of Bulgarian medical, dental and pharmacy undergraduate students toward vaccines against COVID-19. In the period 24th Apr – 10th May 2021, a cross-sectional survey was conducted online. A total of 480 students answered the questionnaire form. Only 27% of the responders were negative regarding the vaccination against COVID-19. About 73% of the responders were either already vaccinated or were on the waiting list. Both groups of students believed that the type of vaccine is important, regardless of their vaccination status. Our findings demonstrate a general positive attitude of Bulgarian medical university students toward coronavirus vaccination. The barriers to vaccinations were mainly related to concerns related to the effectiveness of the vaccines consistent with studies in other countries. Government authorities must oppose barriers to vaccination by introducing pro-vaccination campaigns with the help of a multidisciplinary approach in higher education. Thereby, the positive attitudes of medical students can be successfully formed and further increased. This could be utilized to increase the public trust in the immunization process, which would help to oppose the spread of disinformation.

Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Motives and Barriers Towards Scientific Research among Dentists and Dental Students in Saudi Arabia

Background: Research is crucial for the scientific progress of the health of individuals, communities, and systems. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, motives and barriers among dentists and dental students in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Objective: This study aims to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, motives and barriers toward scientific research among dentists and dental students in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 467 dentists and dental students using a convenience sampling method from seven dental colleges, major governmental and private dental clinics in the Western region of Saudi Arabia. We used a validated self-report questionnaire to collect data and assess the knowledge of, attitude towards and barriers to scientific research. Results: The participants (who are dentists and dental students) have a total knowledge score of m=4.57, SD=2.46, which is slightly lower than the midpoint. Participants who work in governmental clinic were significantly (F (2,464) =13.71, p<0.001) more knowledgeable than those who worked in private clinic and the students. Most participants had positive general and personal attitudes toward scientific research. Of the participants, 40.5% to 60.4% were involved in research activities, and 37.3% have submitted or published scientific articles. The most common motive for scientific research was receiving credit for post-graduate application (58.46%). The most common organizational barrier to conduct a research was the difficulty of finding research supervisor (39.19%) and lack of time due to work overload (32.55%). While most common personal barriers were lack of knowledge/skills (38.76%), lack of personal time (36.83%) and receiving credit for postgraduate application. Conclusion: Saudi dentists and dental students had a moderate level of knowledge and practice in research, but their attitude was highly positive. More efforts are needed to facilitate scientific dental research including supervisors’ availability and time allocation for research. The study has some limitations including using convenience sample from one region and self-report questionnaire that decreases the external validity of the study and increases the potential for self-reported biases.

COVID-19 vaccination intention in the UK: results from the COVID-19 vaccination acceptability study (CoVAccS), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey

ABSTRACT To investigate factors associated with intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1,500 UK adults, recruited from an existing online research panel. Data were collected between 14th and 17th July 2020. We used linear regression analyses to investigate associations between intention to be vaccinated for COVID-19 “when a vaccine becomes available to you” and sociodemographic factors, previous influenza vaccination, general vaccine attitudes and beliefs, attitudes and beliefs about COVID-19, and attitudes and beliefs about a COVID-19 vaccination. 64% of participants reported being very likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19, 27% were unsure, and 9% reported being very unlikely to be vaccinated. Personal and clinical characteristics, previous influenza vaccination, general vaccination beliefs, and beliefs and attitudes about COVID-19 and a COVID-19 vaccination explained 76% of the variance in vaccination intention. Intention to be vaccinated was associated with more positive general COVID-19 vaccination beliefs and attitudes, weaker beliefs that the vaccination would cause side effects or be unsafe, greater perceived information sufficiency to make an informed decision about COVID-19 vaccination, greater perceived risk of COVID-19 to others (but not risk to oneself), older age, and having been vaccinated for influenza last winter (2019/20). Despite uncertainty around the details of a COVID-19 vaccination, most participants reported intending to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Actual uptake may be lower. Vaccination intention reflects general vaccine beliefs and attitudes. Campaigns and messaging about a COVID-19 vaccination could consider emphasizing the risk of COVID-19 to others and necessity for everyone to be vaccinated.

ADAPTATION OF GLOBAL TRENDS IN TERRITORIAL BRANDING TO UKRAINIAN REQUIREMENTS

It is determined that the relevance of local self-government is due to the fact that the level of its development at the territorial level is the main indicator of decentralization of public administration and demonopolization of the economy. The presence of an effective institution of local government ensures the rational distribution of functions, powers, responsibilities and resources at the territorial level and the formation of a qualitatively new, fairer system of relations in society, which allows to obtain a high economic and social effect. It is proved that the system is based on the assumption that at the local level of government, it should be a balance of territorial and sectoral interests, which is possible by combining two strategies: modernization strategy, which is carried out "from above", defined at the state level, and the strategy of advanced development of education, which is formed as an organic part of the territorial development strategy, takes into account the target priorities and accumulated resource potential of the municipality, based on the integration of goals and resources of local society, economic entities on the territory. It is substantiated that improving the quality and accessibility of education, for which the conditions are created at the territorial level of government, is possible only through the holistic development of municipal education systems. It is proved that the implementation of initiatives within the framework of modernization of education requires adaptation to local conditions and the search for those options for innovation, which at the local level of government would create opportunities for the implementation of the strategy of advanced development or would not hinder it. This principle means that in order to achieve socially significant results and rational use of certain resources, it is unacceptable to make changes in the system without adopting a strategy for the development of education, associated with the strategy of sustainable development of the territory. It is determined that the absolutization of economic factors of education development in the complex of modernization projects coming from the state level should be supplemented by strengthening the social direction of local innovations taking into account the specific characteristics and conditions of municipal education. Only in this case it will be possible to ensure the integrity and sustainability of the education system. It is substantiated that the minimum level of inclusion is considered to be awareness of the innovations of all those whom it affects to one degree or another. Even such "passive" inclusion in the innovation process can influence a more positive general attitude of society to changes in education, establish a dialogue between all interested social and professional groups, and move on to cooperation on education development. It is proved that the main conditions for modernization of education at the local level are the development of innovations provided by the state modernization strategy, support of educational institutions to increase the effectiveness of innovations, and provide measures to reduce risks and possible negative consequences in cases where these mandatory innovations are difficult to implement in the municipality.

Language transmission among multilingual Chinese immigrant families in the Northern Netherlands

AbstractMaintaining heritage languages is of vital significance for multicultural families. We present a study of Mandarin transmission among ten Dutch Chinese families in Groningen (Netherlands) associated to a local Saturday school. Data from semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire reveal that personal, integrative, and instrumental values, all play a role in language choices. Remarkably, with general positive attitudes towards multilingualism in Dutch society, families too feel encouraged to maintain Mandarin. Nevertheless, they report lack of school and institutional support, and criticisms about their ability to belong in Dutch society. Parents wish that teachers attached more importance to their heritage languages, rather than solely focusing on children’s learning of Dutch (and English), and that their own multiculturality (not only that of their children) be embraced. Likewise, parents are critical of the Chinese school, and wish teachers better accommodated to the sensitivities and practices their children are used to from their Dutch school experience.

Translanguaging in L3 Spanish Classrooms: Practices and Attitudes

Abstract. Research into pedagogical translanguaging in second/foreign language education has largely been focused on the interplay between two languages, one of which is usually English. Little attention has been paid to the practice of trilingual translanguaging (translanguaging between three languages), and how this can be helpful in the acquisition of a third language. This study, conducted in two Spanish as a third language classrooms in a Chinese university, aims to explore teachers’ translanguaging practices as well as the teachers’ and students’ attitudes to these practices. Analysis of data collected through audio-assisted classroom observation, interviews, and questionnaires reveals that teachers proactively and flexibly mobilize their multilingual resources in classroom talk. Students in general express positive attitudes towards teachers’ translanguaging practices, and express a wish to experience a greater amount of bilingual translanguaging between English (L2) and Spanish (L3). Meanwhile, having access to the views of L3 learners on teachers’ classroom talk proves to be a crucial component in the understanding of how L3 teaching and learning can take place in the most effective way. This study calls for further research into translanguaging practice in multilingual classrooms and its impact on students’ learning.

Overcoming the gap between professional domains: A Dutch case study tackling childhood obesity

Abstract Background and Aim In the Netherlands about one in seven 1- to 11-year-old children are overweight. The multifaceted nature of childhood overweight requires joining forces across the medical, social and public sector. This study evaluated an integrated network approach of preventive care (INPC) for overweight children focusing on the process of intersectoral professional collaboration. Methods Fourteen network partners from the three sectors were interviewed face to face with semi-structured topic lists to determine the extent of collaboration in and outside sectors, the perceived outcomes and the hindering and facilitating factors. Results Collaboration within each sector was adequately established and all partners were in contact with the central care provider who functions as linking pin in the INPC. However, collaboration across sectors was not optimally realized. Both the medical and public domain partners indicated to have minimal contact with professional partners from the social domain, while they were perceived important in the INPC. Main hindering factors were related to the complexity of the childhood overweight problem, a lack of knowledge about network partners, unclarity in referrals, feedback, roles and responsibilities. In addition, frequent changes in policy, in personnel, lacking a visible leader, funding and time, were also hindering. Facilitating factors were: a general positive attitude towards intersectoral collaboration, knowing each other, short communication lines, a shared vision, trusting each other's expertise, and also formalized agreements and local health policy, and periodic meetings with partners. Conclusions Realizing professional collaboration across domains to tackle childhood overweight requires specific attention to structural factors enabling professionals to do so in their daily work. Stable funding and policies, clear responsibilities on the one side, getting to know each other, trust and positive attitudes on the other. Key messages An integrated approach for childhood overweight requires professionals to work across borders. However, in daily practice professionals experience structural factors hindering such collaboration. The functioning of networks linking professionals from public health, medical and social domains, essential in preventing childhood overweight, requires specific attention for organizational aspects.

Attitudes and Perceptions of End-of-Life Dreams and Visions and Their Implication to the Bereaved Family Caregiver Experience.

While the majority of research assesses the impact of end-of-life dreams and visions (ELDVs) on patients, more recent research has begun to explore their impact on family caregivers (FCG). This study evaluates the relationship between general attitudes about dreams, perspectives of ELDV and their role the bereaved FCG experience. Mixed-methods using a cross-sectional survey and five focus groups. A total of 500 FCGs of patients who died under hospice care were recruited for the survey. Focus group members were self-selected through identified interest from the survey. In addition to demographics and ELDV prevalence, general attitude toward dreams, ELDV perspectives, and impact on grief were assessed using ad hoc surveys. Participants reporting ELDVs were significantly more validating of everyday dreams (p < .001). Positive attitudes toward dreams strongly correlated with comfort from ELDVs for both patients and FCGs. Openness correlated positively with comfort from the ELDV for both the patient (r = .149, p = .038) and FCG (r = .217, p = 0.002) and negatively with fear/anxiety (r = -.141, p = 0.050). Negative ELDV perceptions (ex. ELDVs were caused by medications) affected grief in areas such as accepting the loss (r = -.235, p = .010) or maintaining connection (r = -.255, p = .010) with the deceased. Focus group discussions were thematically analyzed resulting in 4 themes: ELDV narrative, Connection, Reflection, and Other Experiences. Positive general attitudes toward dreams and positive ELDV perceptions are correlated with better bereavement outcomes. Therefore, patient and family education on ELDVs that focuses on awareness and understanding of ELDVs may enhance clinical outcomes for both family and patients.

Students’ perceptions of socio-scientific issue-based learning and their appropriation of epistemic tools for systems thinking

ABSTRACT Learning science in the context of socio-scientific issues (SSI) is widely advocated for achieving the goal of scientific literacy that values using science in daily lives. While prior research suggests that SSI-based learning can promote students’ disciplinary knowledge and practices, less is known about students’ perceptions of SSI-based learning and how to support students in considering the epistemic aspects of SSI learning. In this study, we seek to address the research gap by examining students’ perceptions of their learning and how they appropriate the epistemic tools for systems thinking in an issue-based unit on the regulation of e-cigarettes. We used semi-structured interviews from 33 students in a midwestern U.S. high school as our primary data. The results suggest that students in general held positive attitudes towards SSI-based learning experiences and found SSI work to be 1) relevant, 2) interesting, 3) promoting agency, and 4) beneficial for their science learning. Also, we found that students differed in how they appropriated the epistemic tools for systems thinking ranging from lack of appropriation, to appropriating surface features, and to appropriating epistemic purposes. We conclude the paper by discussing how engaging students in meaningful learning activities may support students’ productive engagement in SSI learning.

Environmental attitudes among students of Early Childhood Education program in University of Jember

This study aimed to describe the environmental attitudes of students of Early Childhood Education (ECE) program in University of Jember. Descriptive quantitative approach with survey method were employed. For data collection, the Environmental Attitude Scale were distributed to 102 students of ECE program in University of Jember from 2nd, 4th and 6th semester, with age ranged from 19 – 23 years old. Analysis were done based on mean, standard deviation, maximum and minimum score computation with N=101. The results of this study indicated that (1) Most students of ECE program in University of Jember have general positive environmental attitude, (2) The energy saving is the most concerned environmental issues among the students, and waste products get the least attention. Some additional findings and limitations are discussed.

Safe Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention among Adolescents with Deafness in Uganda: Awareness, Prevalence and Implications for Policy and Programming

Background: Safe Male Circumcision (SMC)[1] has been widely recommended by WHO as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy. However, literature pertaining to SMC amongst adolescents with a disability, and the deaf community in particular, is almost non-existent. This study sought to establish SMC prevalence, knowledge, attitude and post circumcision behaviour among adolescents with deafness in Uganda.&#x0D; Methods: The study was cross-sectional, used a mixed-methods approach and recruited 447 participants. 363 questionnaires were administered to adolescents of age 15 - 24 years (192 males and 171 females) from three study sites. We assessed socio-demographic variables, circumcision status, post circumcision behaviour, attitude and knowledge levels towards SMC. Qualitative data was also collected from 84 participants (m=46, f=38) using focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using Stata software while qualitative was thematically analysed.&#x0D; Results: A total of 60.9% male adolescents with deafness self-reported to be circumcised. Both male and female participants reported SMC information to be highly inaccessible (84%). Only 27.8% study participants knew about the partial protective effect of SMC against HIV, 51.8% were uncertain, while 26% thought that SMC provided full protection. Both male and female respondents had a positive attitude towards SMC (68.3%) and females were more knowledgeable (50.3%) about the partial preventive effect of SMC against HIV transmission and timeframe for the resumption of sexual activity compared to males (30.2%). Linkages were noted between SMC, social networks and key sociodemographic characteristics like ethnicity, religion and education level.&#x0D; Conclusion: Despite a 60.9% prevalence and general positive attitude towards SMC, study findings showed limited service access and substantial knowledge gaps in SMC efficacy, also related to high-risk behaviour after circumcision. This can largely be explained by limited targeting by HIV prevention programmes among this (deaf) category of adolescents, related barriers associated with vulnerability arising from their disability (deafness) and developmental stage (adolescence). Key actors in HIV prevention efforts should demonstrate cognizance of heightened risk among vulnerable adolescent categories through more inclusive interventions to address prevailing knowledge and service gaps.&#x0D; &#x0D; [1] This study was conducted between 2015-2016 when the commonly used term was Safe Male Circumcision (SMC) and not Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) as its popularly being packaged now. This manuscript has stuck to the originally used SMC acronym.

"Vaccinate your child for best protection": attitude towards vaccination in a group of pregnant women.

Although the benefits and importance of vaccination before and right after pregnancy, are well known, vaccination coverage among pregnant women remains very low. The aim of our study was to evaluate pregnant women's knowledge and attitude towards vaccination. A cross sectional study was performed from October 2018 to June 2019 at the University of Messina. We gave pregnant women >18 years old a non-self-compiling paper questionnaire. We stratified the sample according to age (<30 and >30 years old), marital status (single/divorced, in a relationship and married) and level of education (<8 and >8 years of school attendance). All possible correlations between collected data were analysed using software R. The sample included 156 women (mean age 32±0.49 years old). Only 1.4% of the subjects were aware of all the vaccines indicated for children. Luckily, 86.7% of the sample had a positive attitude, believing in the effectiveness and safety of immunization, despite a limited lack of confidence and a belief in false myths was expressed by some of the subjects. Interestingly, results showed that information about vaccination were more frequently obtained from family/friends (52.6%), mass media (49.1%), blogs/forums (19.3%), rather than from medical institutions (only 17.5%) or the family physician (only 35.0%), reflecting the quality of the information obtained. Our results proved that a general positive attitude emerged among our sample towards vaccination, however, correct information was not always provided to women, making it a crucial issue for public health in the future.

Resilience among Youth in the Process of Preparation for Leaving Alternative Care

Young people leaving alternative care in Serbia face numerous challenges while they frequently lack formal and informal support for emancipation. Resilience and preparedness for leaving care increase their chances for successful transition and social integration. This article aims to understand the resilience of youth leaving care in Serbia and the relationship between resilience, type of placement (foster, residential or kinship) and preparedness for leaving care. Quantitative analysis of replies 134 adolescents leaving alternative care had made in self-assessment questionnaires showed: high resilience scores of subjects, lower resilience of youth leaving residential than foster care and interconnectedness between the resilience and most of the indicators of preparedness for emancipation. Results suggest that resilience: (a) could be fostered by improving mental health, structured leisure time, self-care and social skills, and by quality foster carers' support; (b) contributes to positive feelings and general positive attitude toward life; (c) is not connected to school achievements and support by family and other caregivers; (d) of care leavers had more to do with their skills to gain social support than with receiving support from family and the alternative care system. Future research could investigate emancipation outcomes of youth with different baseline resilience and preparedness levels.