Lisa Fressard

Vaccine Hesitancy Among General Practitioners and Its Determinants During Controversies: A National Cross-sectional Survey in France

Background This study aimed to assess: 1) vaccine hesitancy (VH) prevalence among French general practitioners (GPs) through the frequency of their vaccine recommendations, and 2) the determinants of these recommendations. Methods Cross-sectional observational study in 2014 nested in a national panel of 1712 randomly selected GPs in private practice in France. We constructed a score of self-reported recommendation frequency for 6 specific vaccines to target populations. Results 16% to 43% of GPs sometimes or never recommended at least one specific vaccine to their target patients. Multivariable logistic regressions of the dichotomized score showed that GPs recommended vaccines frequently when they felt comfortable explaining their benefits and risks to patients (OR = 1.87; 1.35–2.59), or trusted official sources of information highly (OR = 1.40; 1.01–1.93). They recommended vaccines infrequently when they considered that adverse effects were likely (OR = 0.71; 0.52–0.96) or doubted the vaccines utility (OR = 0.21; 0.15–0.29). Interpretation Our findings show that after repeated vaccine controversies in France, some VH exists among French GPs, whose recommendation behaviors depend on their trust in authorities, their perception of the utility and risks of vaccines, and their comfort in explaining them. Further research is needed to confirm these results among health care workers in other countries.

Prevalence and correlates of vaccine hesitancy among general practitioners: a cross-sectional telephone survey in France, April to July 2014

This article sought to estimate the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy (VH) among French general practitioners (GPs) and to study its demographic, professional and personal correlates. We conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey about GPs’ vaccination-related attitudes and practices in 2014 in a national panel of 1,712 GPs in private practice, randomly selected from an exhaustive database of health professionals in France. A cluster analysis of various dimensions of VH (self-reported vaccine recommendations, perceptions of vaccine risks and usefulness) identified three clusters: 86% of GPs (95% confidence interval (CI): 84–88) were not or only slightly vaccine-hesitant, 11% (95% CI: 9–12) moderately hesitant and 3% (95% CI: 3–4) highly hesitant or opposed to vaccination. GPs in the latter two clusters were less frequently vaccinated and reported occasional practice of alternative medicine more often than those in the first cluster; they also described less experience with vaccine-preventable diseases and more experience with patients who they considered had serious adverse effects from vaccination. This study confirms the presence of VH among French GPs but also suggests that its prevalence is moderate. Given GPs’ central role in vaccination, these results nevertheless call for a mobilisation of stakeholders to address VH among GPs.

Opening the ‘Vaccine Hesitancy’ black box: how trust in institutions affects French GPs’ vaccination practices

ABSTRACT Background: In recent years, vaccine hesitancy among health professionals has emerged as an important issue on public health agendas. However, we do not yet know very much about whether, and if so how, trust in institutions affects their practices. Methods: A path analysis model explaining the influence of trust on GPs’ vaccine hesitancy was applied to a cross-sectional survey of 1,582 French GPs performed in 2014. We hypothesized that distrust in public health institutions influences GPs’ concerns about the safety of various vaccines, their perceptions about the importance of vaccination, their self-efficacy in the doctor-patient relationship, and ultimately their vaccination recommendations to patients. Results: GPs’ trust in institutions was found to be significantly associated with lower vaccine hesitancy, an association mediated to a large extent by the vaccine’s perceived safety (β = 0.09, P < 0.01) and the importance of vaccination (β = 0.46, P < 0.001). Conclusion: These results suggest that restoration of high vaccination coverage may require the re-establishment of a significant degree of trust in the public health system among health professionals.

Suicide risk in a representative sample of people receiving HIV care: Time to target most-at-risk populations (ANRS VESPA2 French national survey)

Background Suicide risk is high among people living with HIV (PLHIV). This study aimed to identify major correlates of suicide risk in a representative sample of PLHIV in France, in order to help target individuals who would benefit from suicide risk screening and psychiatric care. Methods The ANRS VESPA2 cross-sectional survey (April 2011-January 2012) collected socio-demographic, medical and behavioral data from 3,022 PLHIV recruited in 73 French HIV hospital departments. The study sample comprised the 2,973 participants with available self-reported data on suicide risk (defined as having either thought about and planned to commit suicide during the previous 12 months or attempted suicide during the same period of time) and medical data on comorbidities. Weighted Poisson models adjusted for HCV co-infection and significant clinical variables were used to estimate the relationship between suicide risk and HIV transmission groups, experience with HIV disease and other psychosocial factors. Results Suicide risk was reported by 6.3% of PLHIV in the study sample. After adjustment for HIV immunological status and HCV co-infection, women (IRR [95%CI]:1.93 [1.17; 3.19]) and men who have sex with men (MSM) (1.97 [1.22; 3.19]) had a higher suicide risk than the rest of the sample. Moreover, the number of discrimination-related social contexts reported (1.39 [1.19; 1.61]), homelessness (4.87 [1.82; 13.02]), and reporting a feeling of loneliness (4.62 [3.06; 6.97]) were major predictors of suicide risk. Conclusions Reducing the burden of precarious social conditions and discrimination is an important lever for preventing suicide risk among PLHIV in France. Comprehensive care models involving peer/community social interventions targeted at women and MSM need to be implemented to lower the risk of suicide in these specific subgroups of PLHIV.

Social Differentiation of Sun-Protection Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Factors

INTRODUCTION Adherence to sun-protection guidelines in developed countries is low, especially among people of low SES. Mechanisms underlying this social differentiation are poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the social differentiation of sun-protection behaviors and of two cognitive factors (knowledge about both sun health and behavioral risk factors for cancer) and to determine if these cognitive factors mediate the association between SES and sun-protection behaviors. METHODS Data came from the 2010 Baromètre Cancer survey (analyzed in 2014), a random cross-sectional telephone survey conducted among the French general population (n=3,359 individuals aged 15-75 years). First, bivariate associations between a composite individual SES indicator (based on education level, occupation, and income) and both sun-protection behaviors and cognitive factors were tested with chi-square tests and ANOVA. Then, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test the mediating role of cognitive factors with a multiple mediation model including four latent variables. RESULTS In bivariate analyses, the individual SES indicator was positively associated with sun-protection behaviors and both cognitive factors. Multiple mediation analyses showed that both cognitive factors partially mediated the effect of individual SES on sun-protection behaviors. The overall proportion of mediated effects was 48%. The direct effect of SES remained significant. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that interventions aimed at modifying the knowledge and perceptions of people of low SES might help to reduce social differentiation of sun-protection behaviors. Further qualitative research is needed to better understand these cognitive factors and develop suitable prevention messages.

Low Uptake of Meningococcal C Vaccination in France: A Cross-sectional Nationwide Survey of General Practitioners’ Perceptions, Attitudes and Practices

Background: Meningococcal C glycoconjugate vaccine (MenCV) has been recommended in France since 2010, but its uptake remains low (64% coverage among 2-year-olds in 2014). Because general practitioners (GPs) are the cornerstone of the French vaccination program, we sought to assess their perceptions, attitudes, practices and recommendations to patients for this vaccine. Methods: A cross-sectional survey in 2014 asked a national sample of 1582 GPs if they would recommend MenCV for patients 12 months of age (routine vaccination) and 2–24 years of age (catch-up vaccination) and explored the barriers to vaccination. Results: Overall, 52% of GPs (800/1547) reported they always recommend routine MenCV vaccination and 33% (523/1572), catch-up vaccination. The most frequently reported barriers to vaccination were that parents have never heard of this vaccine (72%, 1094/1523), underestimate the risk of contracting meningococcal disease (69%, 1049/1514) and are unaware of its seriousness (55%, 838/1537). In multivariate analyses, GPs recommended routine and catch-up vaccination significantly more often when they had no doubt about the utility and safety of this vaccine, when they thought that the official MenCV recommendation was clear and when their own children were vaccinated. GPs who reported that their patients either were unaware of the severity of bacterial meningitis (P = 0.012) or had no doubts about the efficacy of MenCV recommended catch-up vaccination more often (P = 0.015). Conclusions: GPs did not appear to recommend MenCV often enough. Our results suggest that clearer recommendations and a better communications campaign directed at patients and healthcare workers could be useful.

Larger is not necessarily better! Impact of HIV care unit characteristics on virological success: results from the French national representative ANRS-VESPA2 study.

OBJECTIVES To determine the impact of hospital caseload size on HIV virological success when taking into account individual patient characteristics. METHODS Data from the ANRS-VESPA2 survey representative of people living with HIV in France was used. Analyses were carried out on the 2612 (86.4% out of 3022) individuals receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for at least one year. Outcomes correspond to two definitions of virological success (VS1 and VS2 respectively) and were analyzed under a multi-level modeling framework with a special focus on the effect of the caseload size on VS. RESULTS Structures with caseloads <1700 patients were more likely to have increased the proportion of patients achieving virological success (59% and 81% for VS1 and VS2, respectively) than structures whose caseloads numbered ≥1700 patients. Our results highlight that patients in the 11 largest care units in the sample were exposed to a context where their VS was potentially compromised by care unit characteristics, independently of both their individual characteristics and their own HIV treatment adherence behavior. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that - at least in the case of HIV care - in France large care units are not necessarily better. This result serves as an evidence-based warning to public authorities to ensure that health outcomes are guaranteed in an era when the French hospital sector is being substantially restructured.

Factors associated with partner notification of STIs in men who have sex with men on PrEP in France: a cross-sectional substudy of the ANRS-IPERGAY trial

Objectives Partner notification (PN) is a useful public health approach to enhance targeted testing of people at high risk of HIV and other STIs, and subsequent linkage to care for those diagnosed. In France, no specific PN guidelines exist and information about current practices is scarce. We used the ANRS-IPERGAY PrEP trial to investigate PN in HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) reporting a bacterial STI. Methods This substudy included 275 participants who completed a specific online PN questionnaire during the open-label extension study of the ANRS-Intervention Préventive de l’Exposition aux Risques avec et pour les Gays (IPERGAY) trial. Variables used as proxies of at-risk practices were defined using data collected at the previous follow-up visit about participants’ most recent sexual encounter and preventive behaviours. χ2 or Fisher’s exact test helped select variables eligible for multiple logistic models. Results Of the 275 participants, 250 reported at least one previous STI. Among the latter, 172 (68.8%) had informed their partner(s) of their most recent STI. Of these, 138 (80.2%) and 83 (48.3%) had notified their casual and main partners, respectively. Participants were less likely to notify their main partner when their most recent sexual encounter involved unsafe anal sex with a casual partner (adjusted OR (aOR) (95% CI) 0.18 (0.06 to 0.54), P=0.02). Older participants were less likely to inform casual partners (aOR (95% CI) 0.44 (0.21 to 0.94), P=0.03), while those practising chemsex during their most recent sexual encounter were more likely to inform their casual partners (aOR (95% CI) 2.56 (1.07 to 6.09), P=0.03). Conclusion Unsafe sexual encounters with people other than main partners and street drugs use were two sociobehavioural factors identified, respectively, as a barrier to main PN and a motivator for casual PN, in a sample of high-risk MSM. These results provide an insight into current PN practices regarding STI in France and might inform future decisions about how to define feasible and acceptable PN programmes.

Seasonal influenza vaccine uptake among people with disabilities: A nationwide population study of disparities by type of disability and socioeconomic status in France

People with disabilities use various preventive health services less frequently than others, notably because of a lower socioeconomic status (SES). We examined variations of seasonal influenza vaccine uptake according to type/severity of disability and SES. We analyzed (in 2016) data from the 2008 French national cross-sectional survey on health and disability (n=12,396 adults living in the community and belonging to target groups for seasonal influenza vaccination). We defined seasonal influenza vaccine uptake during the 2007-2008 season by the self-reporting of a flu shot between September 2007 and March 2008. We built scores of mobility, cognitive, and sensory limitations, and an SES score based on education, occupation, and income. We performed bivariate analyses and then multiple log-binomial regressions. The prevalence of vaccine uptake was 23% in the 18-64 group and 63% in the ≥65 group. In bivariate analyses, it was higher among people in both age groups who had mobility and/or cognitive limitations and in the ≥65 group among those with sensory limitations. In the multiple regression analyses, only the presence of major mobility limitations in the18-64 group remained significant. The probability of vaccine uptake was higher in the highest SES category than in the lowest. Among at-risk groups, people with disabilities were more frequently vaccinated than others, mainly because of their higher levels of morbidity and healthcare use. Socioeconomic inequalities in access to vaccination persist in France. Future research is needed to monitor the trend in vaccine uptake in institutions.

Attitudes et comportements des médecins généralistes français vis-à-vis de la vaccination contre les infections à papillomavirus humains : une enquête auprès d’un panel national

Objectifsles medecins generalistes (MG) jouent un role crucial dans l’acceptation de la vaccination contre les infections a papillomavirus humains (HPV). Nous avons cherche a etudier : 1) les perceptions des MG quant aux risques et a l’efficacite du vaccin HPV ainsi que la frequence de leurs recommandations ; 2) l’importance relative de divers facteurs associes a celle-ci.