Digital Commons Network^™

Restoring Trust: A Fair Chance At A Bright Smile And The Human Side Of School-Based Dentistry, Rubin Sorrell Ii, Mph, Dds

Journal of the American College of Dentists

The Fair Chance at a Bright Smile (FCAABS) program represents a humanistic, community- centered approach to dentistry that redefines access, education, and dignity in oral health. Developed and refined through a year-long pilot partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District, FCAABS integrates preventive dental care, oral health education, and career exposure for students from pre-kindergarten through high school. This manuscript argues that beyond clinical outcomes, FCAABS reveals a deeper truth: oral health is intrinsically social, emotional, and moral. It examines the program through the lens of the humanities and ethics, exploring how narrative, empathy, and cultural context inform both …

J Am Coll Dent 2026 92 2a

Journal of the American College of Dentists

This special issue of the Journal of the American College of Dentists responds to a growing but long-underrecognized demand for humanities and ethics in dental education, practice, and scholarship. It emerges from the work of the National Collaborative on Humanities and Ethics in Dentistry (NCHED), a multi-institutional partnership formed in 2023 to address the persistent exclusion of dentistry from broader health humanities conversations. Through national webinars and scholarly collaboration, NCHED has demonstrated substantial interest in ethical reflection, historical analysis, narrative inquiry, and the arts as essential to understanding oral health and dental care. The unexpectedly strong response to the call …

Individual Characteristics And National Income Modify The Association Between Cognitive Social Capital And Food Insecurity: Evidence From The Gallup World Poll, 2014–2021, Sejla Isanovic, Kegan O'Connor, Audrey L. Richards, Edward A. Frongillo Jr. Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Background: Food insecurity affects >2.4 billion people globally and persists across income levels. Characteristics such as low income, low education, and unstable employment do not fully explain this persistence. Social resources embedded in networks, specifically cognitive social capital involving trust, reciprocity, and support, may offset constraints and buffer characteristics associated with a higher probability of food insecurity.

Objectives: This study examined whether social capital was associated with a lower probability of food insecurity and whether this as sociation varied by individual characteristics and country contexts, consistent with buffering and compensation.

Methods: Data were drawn from the Gallup World Poll (2014–2021), …

Identifying Barriers And Facilitators To Audit & Feedback In General Practice In Italy: A Qualitative Study, Anna Acampora, Andriy Melnyk, Emanuele La Gatta, Angelo Nardi, Laura Angelici, Rosemary Frasso, Nera Agabiti

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Audit & Feedback (A&F) interventions are recognized as effective strategies for enhancing healthcare quality, yet they remain relatively underutilized in Italian primary care settings. Recent literature highlights the importance of examining the factors influencing the implementation of these interventions across diverse clinical and organizational settings. Thus, this study aimed to identify such factors by exploring the experiences of professionals involved in an A&F intervention tailored for General Practitioners (GPs) treating chronic illnesses.

METHODS: Using qualitative research methods, this study organized focus groups (FGs) separately for each professional role involved in A&F: GPs, GPs acting as internal group coordinators, Public …

The Use Of Storytelling In Covid-19 Vaccine Promotion: A Scoping Review Of Interventions And Campaigns, Suha Ballout, Sabreen A Darwish, Patricia J Kelly, Teresa Keller, Ross Shegog, Basil H Aboul-Enein

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The development of the COVID-19 vaccine, a groundbreaking scientific advancement, also fueled vaccine hesitancy mainly due to vaccine misinformation and the limited public understanding of the new technology and its rapid pace of development and deployment. A variety of public health communication strategies have been used that include engaging the community in identifying and developing messages, using culturally appropriate communication methods, applying behavioral health principles, and storytelling. The purpose of this scoping review was to assess the most relevant evidence from the research literature on storytelling interventions to mitigate COVID vaccine hesitancy during the pandemic.

Methods: A scoping review …

Covid-19 Risky Health Behavior Among College Students, Azait Imtiaz

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

This research explored the behavior of college students before and after the implementation of a mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted at a public university in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia with 807 college students. The study assessed various factors, including living arrangements (shared living spaces such as rooms and bathrooms), social behavior (including social gatherings), adherence to mask protocols during gatherings, and hygiene practices (such as hand sanitization). The results indicated significant differences in social behavior (M_before = 19.82, M_after = 25.85, p =.001), mask-wearing (M_before = 20.73, M_after = 31.41, p …

Ecologic Factors Contributing To West Nile Virus Hyperendemicity In Central South Carolina: An Integrated Vector–Human–Environmental Study, Elba S. Fridriksson, Ahayla Muraleedharan, Kyndall C. Dye-Braumuller, Madeleine M. Meyer, Kia Zellars, Hiuxuan Li, Melissa S. Nolan Ph.D., Mph

Faculty Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) is an endemic arboviral infection in the United States that has undergone phyloge-netic evolution since its introduction 25 years ago. An integrated vector–human–pathogen study was conducted in the summer of 2023 to unearth contemporary Culex quinquefasciatus habitat patterns and human transmission spillover foci in South Carolina, a state with historically little WNV data. A serosurvey revealed WNV seroprevalence 10 times the national average (22% versus 2%, respectively), with unusual epidemiologic risk factors. Female Culex quinquefas-ciatus WNV positivity was low (2.7%), with viral phylogenetics 100% homologous to the WN02 clade. Mosquito vectors clustered in affluent urban neighborhoods …

Multiparent Recombinant Inbred Lines Crossed To A Tester Provide Novel Insights Into Sources Of Cis And Trans Regulation Of Gene Expression, Fabio Marroni, Alison M Morse, Adalena V Nanni, Nadja Nolte, Patricka Williams-Simon, Luis G León-Novelo, Rita M Graze, Paul Schmidt, Elizabeth King, Lauren M Mcintyre

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

To understand the relative importance of cis and trans effects on regulation, we crossed multi-parent recombinant-inbred lines (RILs) to a common tester and measured allele-specific gene expression in the offspring. Testing the difference of allelic imbalance between two RIL × Tester crosses is a test of cis or trans, depending on the RIL alleles compared. The study design also enables to separation of two sources of trans variation, genetic and environmental, detected via interactions with cis effects. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in a long-read RNA-seq experiment in female abdominal tissue at two time points in Drosophila melanogaster. …

Epidemiology Of Healthcare-Associated Ventriculitis And Meningitis (Hcavm) And Community-Acquired Meningitis/Encephalitis And Evaluation Of An Off-Label Pcr Panel For Hcavm Diagnosis, Jaime Nassur, Katarina Schnell, Christine Dolon, Laura Walters, Devin Weber, Matthew Pettengill

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Healthcare-associated ventriculitis and meningitis (HCAVM) is associated with high morbidity and mortality, but rapid diagnostic tests intended to cover microorganisms that typically cause HCAVM are not commercially available. We sought to evaluate the etiology of HCAVM compared to community-acquired meningitis/encephalitis (CAME) at our healthcare system, and to study the utility of repurposing a multiplex molecular panel intended for positive blood cultures for HCAVM cases. Our epidemiologic review demonstrated that HCAVM cases were primarily caused by bacteria and fungi also associated with bloodstream infections, in contrast with CAME cases, which were primarily caused by herpesviruses and Cryptococcus. Eighty-two cerebrospinal fluid …

Fathers, Futures, And Fragile Contexts: Men’S Intergenerational Perspectives On Pregnancy In A Low-Income South African Setting, Urlridge A. Thompson, Johanni Beukes, Michelle Leal, Stephanie Alcock, Stephen Lye, Shane A. Norris, Catherine Draper

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Men’s involvement in their partner’s pregnancy in low-income South African settings is influenced by a complex interplay of contextual factors that influence the nature and extent of their participation. The confluence of these factors contributes to limiting men’s adoption of an intergenerational perspective of their partner’s pregnancy. The adoption of an intergenerational perspective by men may enhance outcomes for maternal and child health, but it remains understudied. This qualitative study explored intergenerational perspectives of men in Soweto, South Africa, regarding their partners’ pregnancies. An exploratory descriptive qualitative approach was employed. We conducted in-depth individual interviews with 19 male partners (fathers …

Jefferson Heart Health (Jhh): A Successful Student-Delivered Motivational Interviewing Pilot Program To Lower Cardiovascular Disease (Cvd) Risk, Nicholas Tomasko, Bs, Cindy Cheng, Md, Phd, Rafael Hernandez, Bs, Alessandra Sapon, Bs

Alpha Omega Alpha Research Symposium Posters

Purpose: The Jefferson Heart Health (JHH) program utilizes student health coaching by trained undergraduate and medical students supporting patients to sustain lifestyle changes and subsequently determine: how can we effectively educate patients by improving adherence to lifestyle recommendations? Also, what is the effectiveness of student-delivered health coaching for reducing patient cardiovascular risk? With our unique student-delivered program, we promote cost-effective lifestyle interventions for lowering overall cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden.

Methods: We successfully completed a four-week pilot with consistent patient attendance. Certified student JHH coaches, supervised by the certified obesity-management specialist and principal investigator, met weekly with 23 patients: 82.6% female/17.4% …

National Landscape Of Pediatric And Adult Inpatient Sickle Cell Disease Care, Ashley M. Jenkins, Spoorthy Vangala, Matthew Mcintosh, Robert Legros, Sophie Lanzkron, Kevin Fiscella

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Anxiety Or Depression Trends By Disability Status And Demographic Intersections In Us Adults, 2019-2023, David Adzrago, Kayo Fujimoto, J Michael Wilkerson, Typhanye V Dyer, Faustine Williams

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Mental health problems, particularly anxiety and depression, remain among the leading causes of disease burden in the US. However, trends in anxiety and depression across disability status and demographics remain understudied.

Objective: To examine trends in anxiety and depression prevalence among US adults from 2019 to 2023 by disability status and demographic characteristics.

Design, setting, and participants: This cross-sectional study used national population-based data from the National Health Interview Surveys from 2019 to 2023. Data were collected from household probability samples of noninstitutionalized US civilian adults aged at least 18 years. Data analyses were performed from December 6, 2024, …

Mom Is Developing Too: Preliminary Evidence For The Reciprocal Effects Of Infant Sensory Reactivity And Maternal Behavior, Emily C. Sweiss, Vincent Berardi, Elysia Poggi Davis, Curt A. Sandman, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Caregiver sensitivity to infant cues is well-established as a predictor of child development. Infants also actively influence their social environment, especially their caregivers, even from their earliest days. Sensory reactivity, characterized as hypo- (under) and hyper- (over) responding to environmental stimuli, is one domain of development that is likely to influence caregiver-infant interaction, due to its role in regulating emotions and responses to both physical and social stimuli. Although sensory reactivity could be an important target for improving caregiver-child interaction, the longitudinal, reciprocal relations between infant sensory reactivity and caregiver behaviors are currently unknown. In the present proof-of-concept study, we …

Midlife Wellness: Building Healthy Lifestyle Habits To Ensure Quality Of Life, Naomi Brower, Elizabeth Davis

All Current Publications

Life expectancy has increased significantly, but women often spend their later years in poor health unless they take proactive steps to build healthy habits early. This fact sheet provides information on healthy habits women can develop to help manage hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause and reduce long-term health risks.

An Exploratory Study Of Social Determinants And Pediatric Lead Exposure In Chemung County, Ny, Jenna Mccracken, Anika Stundtner, Megan Kerbag, Madison Desantis, Jennifer Coseo, Richard Terry

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

Background: Lead exposure in children is a persistent public health concern due to its irreversible neurological and developmental effects. Children under 6 years old are particularly vulnerable due to frequent hand-to-mouth activity and increased environmental exposure. Existing literature suggests a relationship between adverse social determinants of health (SDOH), such as low parental education and residence in high-poverty areas, and elevated pediatric blood lead levels (BLLs). This study, subsidized through a community service grant from Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, aimed to examine the association between BLLs and SDOH among children screened at the ACCEL Community Health Clinic in Chemung County, …

Proceeding Book Of The 17th Indonesian Occupational Medicine Updates (Iomu), Perdoki .

Occupational and Environmental Medicine Journal of Indonesia

Bali, Indonesia, 16th - 18th May 2025

Social, Environmental And Policy Contexts Affecting The Feasibility And Acceptability Of Improving Household Flooring For Better Health In Rural Kenya, Ulrike Fillinger, Victoria Ochwal, Hugo Legge, Sharon Muli, Karisa Kazungu, Carlos Mcharo, Jacinta Mwongeli, Charles Mwandawiro, Katherine Halliday, Doris Njomo

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background Homes with unimproved floors (earth, sand, or clay) are associated with increased risks of soil-transmitted parasites and enteric infections, leading to higher morbidity and reduced quality of life. This study explored the enablers and barriers to adopting improved flooring (sealed, washable, and durable) in three culturally diverse regions of Kenya - Narok, Bungoma, and Kwale - to mitigate disease burdens.

Methods Between August 2021 and July 2022, we conducted 24 focus group discussions with homeowners, stratified by age, gender, and floor type. Additionally, 28 key informant interviews with local government officials, microfinance representatives, and masonry trainers in Kwale and …

Mindfulness Approach Used To Reduce The Impact Of Internalized Psychopathology: Anxiety And Depression, Taniyah Drayton

The Kean Review: Journal in Student Research

The emergence of mindfulness practices has increased in medical spaces throughout recent years. Mindfulness was once seen strictly for its spiritual origins, yet beginning in the late 20th century it began being assessed for its reliability in treating individuals who experienced extreme levels of pain and stress. Its origin “is often spoken of as ‘the heart of Buddhist meditation,’” as Kabat-Zinn discusses (Kabat-Zinn, 2011). Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, introduced a new translation for mindfulness in 1979 through highlighting the skills individuals can learn and apply throughout their daily life. Kabat-Zinn …

Elevated Serum Lipopolysaccharides And Intrinsic Factor Autoantibodies Correlate With Macrocytic Anemia Among People With Hiv, Daniel Amakye, Samuel Hammond, Osbourne Quaye, Upal Roy, Peter Puplampu, Vincent Ganu, Emmanuel Ayitey Tagoe

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with various comorbidities, including macrocytic anemia, though the role of the infection is unclear. HIV has been implicated in microbial translocation and altered immune responses. This study aimed to establish the relationship between gut microbial translocation and immune response, and macrocytic anemia among people with HIV (PWH).

Materials and methods: Fifty-five PWH on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) were age-matched with 55 HIV-negative individuals. Demographic data and blood samples were collected from February to July 2023. Hematological indices, including red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin concentration, and mean corpuscular volume (MCV), were measured. …

Feasibility, Acceptability And Initial Efficacy Of A Community-Based Mental Health Literacy Program Delivered By Civil Society Organizations Among Adults In Kenya: A Quasi-Experimental Study, Patrick Mwangala, Venoranda Rebecca Kuboka, Nimo Sharif, Ann Karendi, Gideon Mbithi, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Mental health literacy (MHL) strategies are crucial for mental health promotion and prevention. This study aimed to determine the acceptability, feasibility, appropriateness and initial efficacy of an adapted MHL program in a community sample of adults in Kenya. This was a quasi-experimental pre-post study conducted from July 2023 through July 2024. The MHL program contained nine modules delivered over 3 days. Participants were assessed at baseline and immediately after the program. The primary outcomes were mental health knowledge and participants’ attitudes on mental health/illness. Secondary outcomes included depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, self-perceived social support, self-perceived wellbeing, MHL program acceptability, feasibility …

Pregnancy Outcomes Among Women With And Without Hiv Infections Who Underwent Excisional Treatment For High-Grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia: A Retrospective Cohort Study In Low-Resource Settings, Poli Amubuomombe, Peter Itsura, Philiph Tonui, Elkanah Orang'o, Benjamin Odongo, Patrick Loehrer, Susan Cu-Uvin

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Objective The standard treatment for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions is excisional involving the uterine cervix, while surveillance is an acceptable approach for low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. There is controversy about excisional treatment on pregnancy outcomes. The objective of this study was to determine pregnancy outcomes in women living with and without HIV who underwent excisional treatment for high-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions.

Design This retrospective cohort study compared the pregnancy outcomes of women with and without HIV who were or were not treated for cervical intraepithelial lesions. A cohort of 488 women with and without HIV infection who did or did …

Prevalence And Risk Factors For Laparoscopic Managed Ectopic Pregnancies At A Tertiary Referral Hospital - A 10-Year Synopsis: A Cross Sectional Study, Steve Mutiso, Eric Mugambi

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background Ectopic pregnancies (EP) are a common pregnancy associated complication. They are associated with significant morbidity, and rarely mortality, if not managed properly. EP have a myriad of predisposing factors that help identify patients at risk and facilitate early diagnosis and intervention. We set out to conduct an audit of EP managed surgically at our hospital for a 10-year period and discern the incidence, prevalence and risk factors of their occurrence.

Methods This study was designed as a Retrospective Clinical Audit based at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH). Study population was all women admitted to AKUH with a diagnosis …

Prediction Of First And Multiple Antiretroviral Therapy Interruptions In People Living With Hiv: Comparative Survival Analysis Using Cox And Explainable Machine Learning Models, Donald Salami, Emily Koech, Janet Turan, Kristen Stafford, Lilly Nyagah, Stephen Ohakanu, Anthony Ngugi, Manhattan Charurat

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background: The Cox proportional hazards (CPH) model is a common choice for analyzing time-to-treatment interruptions in patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART), valued for its straightforward interpretability and flexibility in handling time-dependent covariates. Machine learning (ML) models have increasingly been adapted for handling temporal data, with added advantages of handling complex, nonlinear relationships and large datasets, and providing clear practical interpretations.

Objective: This study aims to compare the predictive performance of the traditional CPH model and ML models in predicting treatment interruptions among patients on ART, while also providing both global and individual-level explanations to support personalized, data-driven interventions …

Early Neonatal Admissions With Feeding Difficulties To Acute Paediatric Services At A Tertiary Paediatric Hospital In England: Sequential Audits Pre-Covid-19 And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kalvin Lee, Thomas Frederick Dunne, Mary Masoud, Hayley Gleig, Heidi Stott, Helen Nabwera, Halina Kamarova

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Introduction: Our objective was to describe the population of infants < 7 days of age admitted to the acute general paediatric services at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and ascertain the proportion with feeding difficulties amenable to community-based support.

Methods: Sequential retrospective audits of all infants < 7 days of age admitted to acute paediatrics at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, England, from March to September 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and March to September 2020 (during COVID-19). All the infants were born and discharged from maternity units in Merseyside, Northwest England. Anonymised data were extracted from the electronic clinical records by three members of the clinical team.

Results: Pre-COVID-19, 38.6% (93) of the 241 admissions to acute general paediatric services had feeding difficulties. 31.2% (29) presented solely with feeding difficulties and 31.2% (29) were exclusively breastfed. However, during COVID-19, although there were fewer admissions (104), more than half (51%, 54) had feeding difficulties and for 54% (29), this was the only reason for admission. Over half (53.7%, 29) were exclusively breastfed.

Conclusion: Our audits showed that at least a third of infants < 7 days of age admitted with feeding difficulties did not have any other features of severe illness. These admissions unnecessarily expose infants to hospital-acquired infections while disrupting the opportunity for families to build close and loving relationships that enhance the establishment of breastfeeding. Co-designing infant feeding strategies with the mothers and stakeholders will be a crucial next step to enhance infant feeding support, particularly in impoverished communities in the region.

Associations Between County-Level Vape-Free Air Law Coverage And E-Cigarette Use Behaviors Among U.S. Adolescents In Monitoring The Future, James H. Buszkiewicz, Yanmei Xie, Catherine A. Vander Woude, Steven Cook, Bukola Usidame, Megan E. Patrick, Michael R. Elliott, James F. Thrasher, Nancy L. Fleischer

Department of Health and Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Purpose

We examined whether workplace and hospitality vape-free air law (VAL) population coverage was associated with adolescent e-cigarette use and related disparities in the United States.

Methods

We analyzed associations between county-level workplace and hospitality VAL coverage (100% vs. < 100%) and current e-cigarette use (2014–2022) and first e-cigarette initiation (2015–2022) among US 8th, 10th, and 12th graders using nationally representative, cross-sectional Monitoring the Future data. We implemented weighted, grade-stratified, modified Poisson regression models, adjusted for individual-, county-, and state-level confounding factors, examining disparities by sex, race and ethnicity, parental education, and college educational expectations through two-way interactions.

Results

Workplace and hospitality VAL coverage was not associated with adolescent e-cigarette use or initiation overall. However, we did find that VAL coverage was associated with lower current e-cigarette use in some sociodemographic subgroups. Full (100%) hospitality VAL coverage was linked to lower e-cigarette use among male 8th and 12th graders, 12th graders with parents without a bachelor's degree, Hispanic 8th …

Demographic And Other Correlates Of Non-Prescription Drug Use Among College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Subi Gandhi, Sidketa Fofana, Md Rafiul Islam, Tamer Oraby

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background and objectives: Substance use among college students in the U.S. remains a pressing concern and may have intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic due to increased stress, uncertainty, and academic disruptions. This study investigates the relationship between non-prescription drug use and various demographic, mental health, and behavioral factors among college students during the pandemic's early stages.

Methods: Data were collected through online and in-person surveys in the summer semester of 2021. Behavioral health was assessed using validated instruments: the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression and the Drug Abuse Screening Test-20 (DAST-20) for substance use. Demographic and behavioral variables were …

Essays On Public Policy And Health Outcomes: Unintended Consequences And The Cost Of Influence, Wenhan Yan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This dissertation investigates the complex behavioral responses to public policy shifts and institutional cues, quantifying their intended and unintended societal impacts. Across two distinct empirical contexts, this research examines how individuals adapt their risk profiles when signals from political or legal authorities change and how these adaptations generate measurable externalities.

The first chapter, "From Punishment to Treatment: Unintended Social Impacts of Changing Drug Policies," shifts the focus to the intersection of health policy and criminal justice. This chapter evaluates the sudden transition from punitive drug enforcement to health-oriented decriminalization, utilizing the 2021 State v. Blake decision in Washington as a …

“Now That The Baby Is Out, I Can Be Vaccinated”: A Qualitative Study On Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy In Pregnant Women In Kilifi, Kenya, Angela Koech, Onesmus Wanje, Grace Mwashigadi, Geoffrey Katana, Richmond Mdindi, Peter Mwangome, Rachel Craik, Marianne Vidler, Mai-Lei Kinshella, Marleen Temmerman

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective in pregnancy, but vaccine hesitancy limits uptake and effectiveness. This study explored COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in pregnancy in Kilifi, coastal Kenya, to elicit reasons for vaccine hesitancy and acceptance, and to compile misconceptions around vaccination in pregnancy. Twenty-three in-depth interviews were conducted with pregnant women, mothers who had given birth in the previous 2 years and health workers (community health promoters, nurses, and supervisors). Data were analyzed using thematic template analysis based on the Vaccine Hesitancy Determinants Matrix. Concern about vaccine safety for the unborn baby was a major driver of hesitancy. Many pregnant …

Qualitative Exploration Of Factors Associated With Covid-19 Vaccination Among Pregnant Women In Kenya, Violet Naanyu, Ferdinand Okwaro, Ingrid Gichere, Mandeep Sura, Prachi Singh, Berhaun Fesshaye, Marleen Temmerman

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted societies worldwide, and COVID-19 vaccination has been identified as instrumental in the fight against the pandemic. While studies have examined uptake of COVID-19 vaccination, more research is needed to gain a better understanding of the factors influencing pregnant women’s decisions to get vaccinated. In this study, we used a cross-sectional descriptive qualitative study to explore the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy in Kenya. A total of 50 in-depth interviews were conducted between October 2023 to March 2024 with a purposively drawn sample of 25 pregnant and 25 postpartum women during …