Target Age Group Research Articles

School-based delivery of routinely recommended vaccines and opportunities to check vaccination status at school, a global summary, 2008–2017

School-based vaccination (SBV) and checking students’ vaccination records at school have the potential to optimize vaccination coverage among school-aged children. The primary aim of this paper is to describe adoption of SBV by countries from 2008 to 2017, including target age groups and vaccines delivered in 2017, as reported annually through the World Health Organization (WHO)-United Nations Children’s fund (UNICEF) Joint Reporting Form (JRF). Expanding upon previous analyses, country-specific rates of primary school enrollment and home-based record (HBR) ownership were linked to the WHO-UNICEF JRF data, to identify countries with high potential to implement vaccination record checks at school. The proportion of countries reporting delivery of at least one routinely recommended vaccine dose in school settings increased from 95 (of 163 reporting; 58%) in 2008 to 108 (of 181 reporting; 60%) in 2017. The 13 additional countries that reported using SBV in 2017 were among 31 countries for which SBV data from the JRF were unavailable in 2017. The most common antigens delivered through SBV in 2017 were tetanus (94 countries), diphtheria (89 countries), and human papillomavirus (52 countries). Among 93 countries with data available for net primary school enrollment and HBR ownership, 52 (56%) countries had both ≥80% net primary school enrollment and ≥80% of children aged 12–23 months ever owning an HBR; 33 (63%) of these used SBV. If not already doing so, these 33 countries represent an opportunity to introduce routine checking of vaccination status at entry to, or during primary school. With the growing number of new vaccines and booster doses of childhood vaccines targeting school-age children, implementation of SBV and checking of student vaccination records at school may help improve vaccination coverage; however, additional data are needed to assess global prevalence of checking vaccination status at school and to identify factors facilitating optimal implementation of this strategy.

Inventory of child bicycle education programs reveals need for age, development, and skill-level considerations

Objective: There are a plethora of child bicycle safety education programs worldwide. However, the content and durations vary widely from program to program and no gold standard has been established. The main objective of this project was to create an inventory of youth bicycle safety education programs and their content, approaches, and age and developmental considerations.Methods: Methods used to gather program information included web and online database searches, extraction from personal lists, and a widely distributed online survey. A total of 89 programs met inclusion criteria and were reviewed (78 from the United States and 11 from other countries).Results: Over half (56.2%) of the included programs were not explicitly age specific, meaning that the content was not appropriately designated by age and developmental cut points. Many programs had target age groups, but these were often very wide age ranges (e.g., all elementary school–age children) resulting in content too advanced for the youngest children. Only 12.4% of included programs had published program evaluations and their scientific rigor varied widely. Main results from this inventory revealed a weak evidence base for program effectiveness due to lack of program evaluations. Results also highlighted a need for age, development, and skill-level considerations in youth bicycle education programs.Conclusions: This study provides a comprehensive list of program components and approaches that can be used as a foundation upon which child bicycle education standards can be evaluated and built, with the long-term goal of increased childhood safety.

Exploring Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, to Improve Health and Nutrition Outcomes in Children Under 2 Years of Age

Introduction: The UK, like many other countries, is struggling to achieve two of the Global Nutrition Targets, namely increasing exclusive breastfeeding and halting the rise of childhood obesity. Identifying the infant feeding interventions that are having an impact could increase the effectiveness of cash strapped public health services in London. Improving infant feeding practices could also help halt the dangerous rise in childhood obesity.
 Study Aim: This study explored the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices and support in place to improve health and nutrition outcomes of children under 2 years of age in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London
 Methodology: The study applied a qualitative methodology, supplemented with data on demographic characteristics of participants, collected via standardised questionnaires prior to the qualitative data collection. Categorical data are presented as absolute (n) and relative frequency (%). Qualitative data were collected using focus group discussions, semi structured interviews and key informant interviews and analysed using a thematic approach.
 Participants: The total sample included 35 participants: four focus groups with fifteen mothers, nine semi structured interviews, six with mothers and three fathers--all with at least one child in the target age group--and 11 key informants.
 Findings: Five main themes and twenty-five subthemes emerged from the qualitative data including a high level of awareness on the importance of infant feeding practices. However, only six of the key informants were aware of the borough IYCF Policy. Key informants felt that they personally would benefit from more training and resources, while more support from health workers, family and friends was very important for the other participants. Support services offered at the Children’s Centres appeared to be the most effective, in comparison to support at hospital and at home. There was a lack of cohesion among messages given at the different points of care of breastfeeding moms. Respondents reported that the Borough was implementing some aspects of its infant feeding support programmes effectively, especially through the breastfeeding support groups.
 Conclusions: Continuous monitoring and evaluation of current programmes and creation of sustainable links between all points of care from antenatal to postnatal period will help the Borough in achieving improved breastfeeding rates. This should improve health and nutrition outcomes for children under 2 years of age in the borough.

Impact of universal health care and screening on incidence and survival of Thai women with cervical cancer: A population-based study of the Chiang Mai Province

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) was implemented in Thailand in 2002. This study aims to compare cervical cancer incidence and survival before and after the implementation of UHC, including the national screening program, in the Chiang Mai population in Northern Thailand. Data of women diagnosed with in situ or malignant cervical cancer in Chiang Mai during 1998–2012 were used in our analysis. Annual age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) and age-adjusted relative survival (RS) were estimated for the following three diagnosis periods: period I: 1998–2002 (before UHC), period II: 2003–2007 (UHC implementation) and period III: 2008–2012 (after UHC). The ASR peaked in 2001 at 38 per 100,000, and then subsequently declined to 23 per 100,000 in 2012. The proportion of in situ and localized tumors increased in all age groups, while regional tumors declined. In all women (aged 15–89) with malignant cervical cancer or in situ, the 5-year RS in Period I, Period II and Period III was 73%, 74% and 77%, respectively; when only malignant cases were considered, the RS was 63%, 61% and 62%, respectively. In the screening target women (aged 30–59) with malignant or in situ tumors, the 5-year RS was 84%, 88% and 90%, respectively, in the three periods, while the RS was 71%, 74% and 75%, respectively, in only those with malignant cancers. The introduction of UHC including national cervical cancer screening program has likely reduced the magnitude and severity of cervical cancer and improved the survival of cervical cancer in the screening target age group.

The Results of the Mass Immunization Program against Rotavirus Infection of Children of the First year of Life in a Separate Territory of the Moscow Region

Relevance. The rotavirus infection (RI) is one of the leading causative agent in the structure of acute enteric infections, established etiology. Long term epidemiological monitoring RI was shown that Podolsk-city in Moscow region was unfavorable place concerning prevalence of RI. Aims. Studying epidemiological efficiency and collective immunization safety of infancy children in Podolsk-city, Moscow region. Materials and methods. Registration rates of this morbidity and coverage of RI prophylactic immunization were analyzed on the basis of formal registration forms, epidemiological detection cards, out-patient cards for observation over a patients, medical reports, case register in policlinics and hospitals, vaccination documents (f. № 5, f. № 6, f. 025/a, f. 058/a, f. 060/a, f. 063/a, f. 064/a). RI data have been provided over a period of time from 2008 to 2018. Data coverage of vaccination have been given from 2015 to 2018. Used method is statistic observation. Results. Vaccination program concerning RI has been implemented in Podolsk-city from 2008 till 2018. Babies at breast in their first being were vaccinated. Live pentavalent was used for immunization. The coverage target contingent of vaccination reached 68%. This preparation was withstood by children well, unwanted effects and intestines invaginations during the vaccination were not registered. During vaccination, the number children gone to hospital with acute intestinal infections was decreasing annually. The number of children to hospital admissions at the age of one year decreased from 15.8 to 12.5%, at the age of 2–3 decreased from 43.8 to 36.3%, with small increase in specific weight of patients of an age group of 7–14 years from 7.70 to 11.2%, but at the reduced total number of inpatients of this age category. Reduction of RI morbidity marked as in target age group as in another groups which were not vaccinated. Thus, formation of population benefits was confirmed. Conclusion. Clinicoepidemiologic research paper was studied in 2014–2018 allowed to make a conclusion that the cohort immunization of infancy children with the rotavirus infection, contributes to decreasing rate morbidity in certain territory Moscow region which had surpassing factors of this infection in comparison with other cities. The number of covering collective immunization was not lower 60% of infancy children and assisted falling enteric infections in their 0–6 years, made a big impression on reducing of acute intestinal diseases among all age groups during immunization implementation company within three years.

Targeted Therapy for Severe Asthma in Children and Adolescents: Current and Future Perspectives.

Severe asthma in children remains a significant issue. It places a heavy burden on affected individuals and society as a whole in terms of high morbidity, mortality, consumption of healthcare resources, and side effects from high-dose corticosteroid therapy. New, targeted biologic therapies for asthma have emerged as effective add-on options, complementing our expanding understanding of asthma phenotypes/endotypes and the underlying immunopathology of the disease spectrum. They include omalizumab, mepolizumab, reslizumab, benralizumab, and dupilumab. Omalizumab represents the first available therapeutic option for allergic asthma in patients as young as 6years of age. Its efficacy and safety have been established by several randomized controlled trials specifically conducted in pediatric patients, leading to its final registration > 10years ago. Three new interleukin (IL)-5 targeted agents, mepolizumab, reslizumab, and benralizumab, have been approved for the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma starting from 6years of age, and varying by country. More recently, dupilumab, a targeted agent against the IL-4 receptor α-chain, was approved for patients ≥12years of age in the United States after pivotal trials were completed. The late-stage clinical testing of these targeted agents has mostly involved patients aged 12years and up, and the application of those data to younger children can be inappropriate and carry risk. The efficacy and safety of these newer biologics in children should be supported by adequate research within this targeted age group. In this review, we will present the most recent evidence on these five biological therapies for severe asthma and will discuss dosage and administration, their efficacy, safety, and future prospects, with a focus on the pediatric age group, defined as age < 18years.

A bibliometric analysis of social media in hospitality and tourism research

PurposeWhile the importance of social media will continue to grow, the purpose of this study is to provide a retrospective systematic literature review of the social media research published in major hospitality and tourism journals over a specific time period.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducted a bibliometric analysis to review the literature of 439 social media articles published in 51 hospitality and tourism journals over a 15-year time span (2002-2016).FindingsUlrike Gretzel authored the highest fractional citations. The results indicated that social media-related research was mostly published in top-tier journals. The International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management was amongst the four leading journals in terms of the percentage of published social media articles. While inter-country social media research collaborations were relatively modest, interestingly, inter-country collaborations have been steadily increasing in the past five years. Another finding indicated that social media research in hospitality and tourism journals has been predominantly quantitative. The results revealed six new areas within the consumer behaviour research theme, namely, eWOM, service recovery, customer satisfaction, brand/destination image and service quality. Finally, it is important to note that four new trends in social media research appeared between 2011 and 2016, namely, big data, netnography, Travel 2.0 and Web 2.0.Research limitations/implicationsWhile this study made significant contributions to the social media literature, some limitations do exist. For example, the current research excluded publications from major conferences, books, book chapters and dissertations. Additionally, it is not within the scope of this paper to take into account issues related to self-citations.Practical implicationsThe results obtained from analysis contribute to a comprehensive understanding of social media research progress in hospitality and tourism. For example, evaluating the performance of individual scholars helps educational institutions to compete in the global university ranking system. Additionally, to compete for funding opportunities on the topic of social media, institutions can use citation counts to demonstrate their competitiveness. Furthermore, due to the expected future growth in the number of social media platforms, practitioners need to understand motivating factors and tourists’ needs in different countries, target market segments, age groups and cultures to create highly engaging communities around their brands.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, the sample of this study synthesized the largest selection of social media articles published in hospitality and tourism journals. This is the first study to apply the fractional score at the author level, the adjusted appearance score at the university level and the average citation score at the journal and inter-country levels in the analysis. In addition, prevalent research orientations and research trends in social media made significant contributions to existing literature.

Organizational Conflicts During Universities Transformation: Destruam et Aedificabo

Introduction. The authors tackle the topical problem of assessing the conflict level between subidentical groups: “management academics” (professors and lectures staff) and “academic managers” (administrative managing staff). The aim of the paper is to construct a new method of quantitative assessment of the conflict level between professional groups generated by the organizational culture; to study the dynamics of the change in the conflict level between professional and age-based cohorts existing in Russian universities. Materials and Methods. In this study, the conflict level is defined as a difference of common cultural vectors found for each of target age-groups, demonstrating generations’ behavioral features and their professional competence, set up as the result of analysis of expert assessments with the help of organizational culture methods developed by the Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument of K. Сameron and R. Quinn. Empirical data are taken from sociological research involving 384 respondents from 18 universities representing 12 regions of the Russian Federation. Results. It is shown that activity of the considered target bunches is under significant influence of hierarchical (bureaucratic) organizational culture. This objective circumstance of proceeding transformation processes forms the basis for fragmentation of existing academic identity into those intra-university bunches which are combined both in terms of valuable patterns of generations and patterns formed under the influence of social and economic conditions. Interference of various age-grade valuable patterns under permanent current transformation invokes escalation of strife, its minimum level is reached in identical age-grades of professors and lectures staff (“management academics”) and administrative managing staff (“academic managers”). A certain influence on the level of conflicts between the target groups under consideration is produced by the degree of goals adequacy and objectives of the university available resources (competence, material, technical, and financial base). Discussion and Conclusion The novelty of the conducted research lies in consideration of conflict problems in universities arisen from the increasing differentiation of general cultural vectors of university communities. Complex, sustainable and reproducible nature of this social phenomenon, linking together both value and behavioral aspects of university communities, requires a transformation of research tactics. The research materials might be useful in practical work of heads of universities as scientific and methodological recommendations for the study and prediction of conflict processes i n universities.

Cost effectiveness of school-located influenza vaccination programs for elementary and secondary school children

BackgroundStudies have noted variations in the cost-effectiveness of school-located influenza vaccination (SLIV), but little is known about how SLIV’s cost-effectiveness may vary by targeted age group (e.g., elementary or secondary school students), or vaccine consent process (paper-based or web-based). Further, SLIV’s cost-effectiveness may be impacted by its spillover effect on practice-based vaccination; prior studies have not addressed this issue.MethodsWe performed a cost-effectiveness analysis on two SLIV programs in upstate New York in 2015–2016: (a) elementary school SLIV using a stepped wedge design with schools as clusters (24 suburban and 18 urban schools) and (b) secondary school SLIV using a cluster randomized trial (16 suburban and 4 urban schools). The cost-per-additionally-vaccinated child (i.e., incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER)) was estimated by dividing the incremental SLIV intervention cost by the incremental effectiveness (i.e., the additional number of vaccinated students in intervention schools compared to control schools). We performed deterministic analyses, one-way sensitivity analyses, and probabilistic analyses.ResultsThe overall effectiveness measure (proportion of children vaccinated) was 5.7 and 5.5 percentage points higher, respectively, in intervention elementary (52.8%) and secondary schools (48.2%) than grade-matched control schools. SLIV programs vaccinated a small proportion of children in intervention elementary (5.2%) and secondary schools (2.5%). In elementary and secondary schools, the ICER excluding vaccine purchase was $85.71 and $86.51 per-additionally-vaccinated-child, respectively. When additionally accounting for observed spillover impact on practice-based vaccination, the ICER decreased to $80.53 in elementary schools -- decreasing substantially in secondary schools. (to $53.40). These estimates were higher than the published practice-based vaccination cost (median = $25.50, mean = $45.48). Also, these estimates were higher than our 2009–2011 urban SLIV program mean costs ($65) due to additional costs for use of a new web-based consent system ($12.97 per-additionally-vaccinated-child) and higher project coordination costs in 2015–2016. One-way sensitivity analyses showed that ICER estimates were most sensitive to the SLIV effectiveness.ConclusionsSLIV raises vaccination rates and may increase practice-based vaccination in primary care practices. While these SLIV programs are effective, to be as cost-effective as practice-based vaccination our SLIV programs would need to vaccinate more students and/or lower the costs for consent systems and project coordination.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.govNCT02227186 (August 25, 2014), updated NCT03137667 (May 2, 2017).

Impact of a mass vaccination campaign against Serogroup B meningococcal disease in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec four years after its launch

In the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, 83% of the population ≤20 years (n ≅ 59,500) was immunized in 2014 with the four-component Serogroup B meningococcal vaccine to control a long-lasting outbreak caused by a virulent ST-269 Serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis clone. Following the campaign, invasive meningococcal B disease (B-IMD) incidence fell sharply in the target population from 11.4/100,000 in 2006–2014 to 0.4/100,000 in 2014–2018 (p < 0.0001). Five B-IMD cases occurred in the region from July 2014 to June 2018, including one vaccinated child, one unvaccinated young adult and 3 unvaccinated elderly adults. Estimate of direct vaccine protection was 79% [95%CI:−231%;99%]. The overall campaign impact in the region taking into account the decrease in B-IMD incidence at provincial level was a 86% [95%CI:−2%;98%] decrease in B-IMD risk. The campaign impact was mostly seen in the target age-group suggesting no herd effect among unvaccinated older adults.

Dietary Supplements Containing the Upper Tolerable Limit Amount or More of Pyridoxine (P24-034-19)

ObjectivesTo estimate what proportion of pyridoxine containing-dietary supplements available in the USA contain higher than the upper tolerable limit of pyridoxine. MethodsThe Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) from the National Institutes of Health was chosen as the data source to characterize how many supplements contain an amount of pyridoxine (vitamin B6) that is at the upper tolerable limit (UL) or above. DSLD was searched for all dietary supplement labels that contain pyridoxine. Label data was downloaded into an excel spreadsheet and characterized based on target age group and amount of pyridoxine contained per serving size. ResultsA total of 5615 pyridoxine-containing dietary supplement label entries were reviewed. Of these labels, 4871 were for patients 4 years and older, 106 were for pregnant or lactating women, 148 were for toddlers ages 1–4 years, 8 were for infants less than 1 year of age, and the rest did not specify a target age group. From the dietary supplements targeting people 4 years and older, 288/4871 (5.9%) contained 100 mg of pyridoxine or more per serving, which is the UL for adults 19 years and older; 330/4871 (6.8%) contained 80 mg of pyridoxine or more, the UL for children 14–18 years; 449/4871 (9.2%) contained 60 mg of pyridoxine or more, the UL for children 9–13 years; 1031/4871 (21.1%) contained 40 mg of pyridoxine or more, the UL for children 4–8 years old. From the dietary supplements targeting pregnant or lactating women, 2/106 (1.8%) contained 100 mg pyridoxine per serving which is the UL for this patient population. From dietary supplements targeting toddlers ages 1–4 years, 1/148 (0.6%) contained 30 mg of pyridoxine which is the UL for this target group. Finally, because there is not an established UL for infants 12 months or less of age, those labels could not be characterized. ConclusionsIn spite of the ULs set by the Institute of Medicine’s Food & Nutrition Board, an alarming number of manufactures produce dietary supplements that contain pyridoxine at the UL level or higher per serving size. This poses a significant safety risk to patients consuming dietary supplements. Funding SourcesNone.

Dealing with the remaining controversies of probiotic safety.

A clear safety profile of probiotics in clinical practice is essential in decision-making for all stakeholders and regulators. Probiotics have been investigated in different target populations, conditions and age groups. This also includes the use of probiotics in critically ill patients. Despite promising results reported with the use of probiotics and synbiotics, there is still a lively discussion regarding the proper and safe use of probiotics among physicians, researchers and regulators. This doubt and debate was sparked by the high incidence in mortality reported in a study with critically ill patients. Whereas no causal relationship has been established since, safety of probiotic has been questioned. In response, an overwhelming body of evidence suggesting that probiotics are safe has been compiled. Moreover, data indicates that probiotics reduce the number of adverse events compared to the control. However, due to a lack of standardised safety reporting in clinical studies, a strong evidence base on probiotic safety remains to be established. Here, we will discuss: (1) the rationale for using probiotics in the critically ill; (2) what happened during the Dutch Pancreatitis trial; (3) what are the known safety risks of probiotics based on the available data; and finally (4) how standardisation in safety reporting can drive probiotic innovation. Building a strong safety profile for probiotic strains will solidify its use in individuals that can benefit the most from microbial modulation.

Perceptions of School Shooters Depend on Prior Criminal Record but Not Targeted Age Group.

Individuals with a prior criminal record are viewed more negatively than those with a clean record, which is often exemplified in harsher sentencing, higher risk assessment ratings, and higher psychopathy ratings. However, what has not yet been explored is whether the age of the targeted victim population (children vs. adults) affects these perceptions. Given that school shooting incidents are a current societal issue, this study aimed to investigate whether the presence of a prior criminal record and age of the victim population affect decisions regarding school shooting offenders. Participants were exposed to school shooting vignettes describing the offender (prior criminal record vs. not) and targeted victims (children vs. adults). They were asked to determine an appropriate sentence and rate the offender's risk of future violence and psychopathy score. Violence risk ratings (measured by the Historical Clinical Risk Management-20 [HCR-20]) and psychopathy ratings (measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised [PCL-R]) depended on the presence of a prior criminal record, such that those with a prior criminal record were perceived as a greater violence risk and as exhibiting more psychopathic traits than their clean-record counterparts. However, punishment severity did not depend on prior criminal record. Likewise, age group of the targeted population had no effect on participants' perceptions of school shooting offenders. These findings contribute to our knowledge of how offender- and incident-specific factors affect perceptions, which has important implications for understanding which factors affect impartiality within our criminal justice system.

B Part of It School Leaver protocol: an observational repeat cross-sectional study to assess the impact of a meningococcal serogroup B (4CMenB) vaccine programme on carriage of Neisseria meningitidis

IntroductionInvasive meningococcal disease is uncommon but associated with a high-case fatality rate. Carriage prevalence of the causative bacteria, Neisseria meningitidis, is high in adolescents. A large (n=34 500) cluster randomised...

Psychographic predictors of intention to use cervical cancer screening services among women attending maternal and child health services in Southern Ethiopia: the theory of planned behavior (TPB) perspective

BackgroundDetection of the premalignant forms cervical cancer through screening in the target age group is one of the effective strategies in the prevention of the disease. Nevertheless, the cervical cancer screening service use remains considerably low in Ethiopia. Indeed; promoting screening behaviors requires understanding the factors influencing women’s motivation towards the service. Our study has explored the psycho-graphic factors associated to intention to use cervical cancer screening among women visiting maternal and child health services in Southern Ethiopia, 2017.MethodsInstitution based cross-sectional study was used employing 422 women’s age between 30 and 49 years old. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on interviewer-administered basis. All assumptions of theory of planned behavior (TPB) were considered to measure intention, attitude, perceived social pressure and perceived ability to control circumstances against cervical cancer screening. Data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences version 21.0. Multiple linear regression models were conducted to identify factors associated to intention to use cervical cancer screening. P-value less than 5% was considered to indicate significant association.ResultFour hundred and two (95%) of the respondents completed the interview. Knowledge of the disease signs, symptoms, risk factors and prevention methods was 162(41.4%). Knowledge about the disease and past screening experience were positively associated with intention to use cervical cancer screening (β = 0.145, 95% CI = [0.047, 0.170]) and (β = 0.098, 95% CI = [0.093, 1.001]) respectively. Further; standardized regression coefficient showed that all dimensions of TPB were positively associated to intention to use the services with perceived behavioral control (β = 0.297, 95% CI = [0.172, 0.343]), perceived social pressure (β = 0.248, 95% CI = [0.131, 0.301]) and attitude towards screening (β = 0.110, CI = [0.018, 0.158]).ConclusionOverall; the intention to use cervical cancer screening was a function of attitude, perceived social pressure and perceived behavioral control confirming the hypothesis of the study. None of the socio-demographic variables were associated to intention. Health behavior change interventions should focus on increasing knowledge and empowering women that enable them to evaluate their control beliefs and develop ability against social norms and circumstances that compete with the use of cervical cancer screening services.

Adolescent providers’ knowledge of human papillomavirus vaccination age guidelines in five countries

ABSTRACT Purpose: To examine provider knowledge of HPV vaccination age guidelines in five countries. Methods: A total of 151 providers of adolescent vaccinations in Argentina, Malaysia, South Africa, South Korea, and Spain were interviewed between October 2013 and April 2014. Univariate analyses compared providers’ understanding of recommended age groups for HPV vaccination to that of each country’s national guidelines. Results: In three of five countries surveyed, most providers (97% South Africa, 95% Argentina, 87% Malaysia) included all nationally recommended ages in their target age group. However, a relatively large proportion of vaccinators in some countries (83% Malaysia, 55% Argentina) believed that HPV vaccination was recommended for women above age 26, far exceeding national guidelines, and beyond the maximum recommended age in the United States. National median minimum and maximum age recommendations cited by the respondents for HPV vaccination were 11 and 29 years in Argentina (national guideline: 11–14), 13 and 48 years in Malaysia (guideline 13–14), 8 and 14 years in South Africa (guideline 9–14), 10 and 20 years in South Korea (guideline 11–14), and 11 and 12 years in Spain (guideline 11–14). In all countries, a higher percentage of vaccinators included all nationally recommended ages for vaccination, as compared to providers who did not administer HPV vaccination. Conclusions: Overall, a substantial proportion of providers incorrectly reported their country’s age guidelines for HPV vaccination, particularly the upper age limit. As provider recommendation is among the strongest predictors of successful vaccination uptake among adolescents, improved education and clarification of national guidelines for providers administering HPV vaccination is essential to optimize prevention of infection and associated disease.

An embodied approach to consumer experiences: the Hollister brandscape

PurposeThis paper aims to use embodied theory to analyze consumer experience in a retail brandscape, Hollister Co. By taking a holistic, embodied approach, this study reveals how individual consumers interact with such retail environments in corporeal, instinctive and sensual ways.Design/methodology/approachThe primary source of data was 97 subjective personal introspective accounts undertaken with the target age group for the store. These were supplemented with in-depth interviews with consumers, managers and employees of Hollister.FindingsThe authors offer a conceptualization of consumers’ embodied experience, which they term The Immersive Somascape Experience. This identifies four key touch points that evoke the Hollister store experience – each of which reveals how the body is affected by particular relational and material specificities. These are sensory activation, brand materialities, corporeal relationality and (dis)orientation. These may lead to consumer emplacement.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors propose that taking an “intelligible embodiment” approach to consumer experiences in retail contexts provides a deeper, more holistic understanding of the embodied processes involved. They also suggest that more anthropological, body-grounded studies are needed for the unique insights they provide. Finally, they note that there is growing consumer demand for experiences, which, they argue, points to the need for more research from an embodied experience perspective in our field.Practical implicationsThe study reveals the perils and pitfalls of adopting a sensory marketing perspective. It also offers insights into how the body leads in retail brandscapes, addressing a lack in such approaches in the current retailing literature and suggesting that embodied, experiential aspects of branding are increasingly pertinent in retailing in light of the continued growth of on-line shopping.Originality/valueOverall, the study shows how an embodied approach challenges the dominance of mind and representation over body and materiality, suggesting an “intelligible embodiment” lens offers unique insights into consumers’ embodied experiences in retail environments.

A developmental study of L1 idiom comprehension in Farsi Language

This quantitative study investigated the comprehension of Farsi idioms with a developmental view and explored at what age, these idiomatic expressions are acquired. We also examined different categories of idiomatic expressions, embracing biological and cultural idioms to see whether they are acquired differently. To this end, three target age groups, including 6-year-olds (n = 20), 10-year-olds (n=20), and adults (n=20) were selected. To collect data, 40 most frequent Farsi idioms were selected as the material of the study and the participants were asked to orally provide a free explanation of the meaning of these idioms in their own words. To analyze data, descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and paired samples t-test were calculated. The findings indicated that around age 6 is almost the beginning of the idiom acquisition process and around age 10 children's idiomatic comprehension starts approximating that of adults. It was also found that primarily, children exhibit knowledge of transparent biological idioms rather than idiosyncratic cultural idioms. The conclusions and implications of the study are discussed.

A National Survey to Evaluate Measles-Rubella National Vaccination Campaign Coverage in Egypt

Background: A national vaccination campaign for measles and rubella (MR) was conducted in Egypt in the period from October 31st to November 21st, 2015, across Egyptian governorates by the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP), in collaboration with World Health Organization and UNICEF. It targeted 24 million children aged 9 months to 10 years. Objectives: The present survey aimed at evaluating coverage of the MR national vaccination campaign, to identify the gaps and generate sound recommendations for the upcoming campaigns. Methods: A cluster survey was conducted targeting children aged 9 months to less than 10 years. This household survey was carried out in 26 governorates of Egypt. In each governorate 240 interviews were completed. Results: The survey revealed that the campaign achieved an overall coverage of 98.2% compared to 109.8% vaccination coverage as reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH). Some clusters showed below target coverage in a couple of governorates (Port Said 93.3% and Qena 93.8%). Non-vaccinated children constituted 1.8% of all surveyed children. When causes of non-vaccination were enquired about, the most frequently mentioned cause was ignorance of parents about the vaccination campaign (43 children, 38.1%). Conclusion: The MOHP implementation of the national MR campaign was successful and achieved its objective for increased coverage with MR vaccine among the target age group.

Modelling a Supplementary Vaccination Program of Rubella Using the 2012⁻2013 Epidemic Data in Japan.

From 2012–2013, Japan experienced a major epidemic of rubella, involving a total of 12,614 rubella cases and 45 confirmed cases of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). One of the contributory factors in this outbreak may have been that the majority of adult males remained unvaccinated. To plan for a supplementary immunization program (SIP) to elevate the herd immunity level, it is critical to determine the required amount of vaccine and identify the target age groups among males for the SIP. The present study aimed to answer these policy questions, employing a mathematical model and analyzing epidemiological datasets from 2012–2013. Our model allowed us to reconstruct the age- and sex-dependent transmission patterns, and the effective reproduction number during the exponential growth phase in 2013 was estimated to be 1.5. The computed next-generation matrix indicated that vaccinating adult males aged from 20–49 years in 2013, using at least 17 million doses, was considered essential to prevent a major epidemic in the future. The proposed model also indicated that, even with smaller doses of vaccine, the SIP in adult males could lead to a substantial reduction in the incidence of rubella, as well as CRS. Importantly, the present study endorses a substantial background risk of observing another major epidemic from 2018–2019, in which cases may be dominated by adult males aged from 25–54 years, that is, our identified age groups plus a five-year time lag from 2013 to 2018.