The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between dietary fibre intake and rectal cancer (RC) risk. In January 2019, a structured computer search on PubMed/Medline, Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE) and Scopus was performed for studies reporting the results of primary research evaluating dietary fibre intake in women and men as well as the risk of developing RC. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations were followed. Highest vs. lowest fibre concentrations was compared. The Egger test was used to estimate publication bias. Heterogeneity between studies was evaluated with I2 statistics. The search strategy identified 912 papers, 22 of which were included in our meta-analysis. Having evaluated a total of 2,876,136 subjects, the results suggest a protective effect of dietary fibre intake on RC prevention. The effect Size (ES) was [0.77 (95% CI = 0.66–0.89), p-value = 0.001)]. Moderate statistical heterogeneity (Chi2 = 51.36, df = 21, I2 = 59.11%, p-value = 0.000) was found. However, no publication bias was found, as confirmed by Egger’s linear regression test (Intercept −0.21, t = −0.24, p = 0.816). The findings suggest that dietary fibre intake could be protective against RC, with a clinically relevant reduction of RC risk. Identifying preventive measures to avoid the development of RC, especially by following a healthy lifestyle including healthy diet, is pivotal.

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An infodemic represents a concern for public health, influencing the general population’s perceptions of key health issues. Misinformation is rapidly spread by social media, particularly among young generations. We used data from the WHO “Social Media and COVID-19” study, which was conducted in 24 countries worldwide on over 23,000 subjects aged 18–40 years, to explore Generation Z and Millennials’ models for health-information-seeking behaviors on social media. We summarized data on the most used sources of information, content of interest, and content sharing, as well as the sentiment toward the infodemic, through descriptive statistics and Chi-square test to verify the differences between groups. Among the survey respondents, 9475 (40.3%) were from high-income countries (HIC), 8000 (34.1%) from upper-middle-income countries (UMIC), and 6007 (25.6%) from lower-middle-income countries (LMIC). Social media were the most used sources of information to retrieve news on COVID-19 disease (about 79% in HIC, 87% in UMIC, and 90% in LIC) and the COVID-19 vaccine (about 78% in HIC and about 88% in UMIC and LIC). More than a half of the young respondents declared that they pay attention to scientific contents (about 51% in HIC, 59% in UMIC, and 55% in LMIC). Finally, most young participants reported feeling overwhelmed by the infodemic. However, this sentiment did not stop them from seeking information about COVID-19. Our findings highlight the importance of shaping public health interventions and campaigns on social media platforms and leveraging scientific contents. Public health authorities should work also on strategies to improve the digital literacy of the population as a driving force to empower them and achieve better health outcomes.

Diabetic patients are at higher risk of developing infectious diseases and severe complications, compared to the general population. Almost no data is available in the literature on influenza immunization in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). As part of a broader project on immunization in diabetic patients, we conducted a cross-sectional study to: (i) report on seasonal influenza coverage rates in T1DM patients, (ii) explore knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) towards seasonal influenza in this population, and (iii) identify factors associated with vaccine uptake, including the role of family doctors and diabetologists. A survey was administered to 251 T1DM patients attending the Diabetes Clinic at San Raffaele Research Hospital in Milan, Italy and individual-level coverage data were retrieved from immunization registries. Self-reported seasonal influenza immunization coverage was 36%, which decreased to 21.7% when considering regional immunization registries, far below coverage target of 75%. More than a third (36.2%) of T1DM patients were classified as pro-vaccine, 30.7% as hesitant, 17.9% as uninformed, and 15.1% as anti-vaccine. Diabetologists resulted to be the most trusted source of information on vaccines’ benefits and risks (85.3%) and should be more actively involved in preventive interventions. Our study highlights the importance of developing tailored vaccination campaigns for people with diabetes, including hospital-based programs involving diabetes specialists.

Background: Despite the free-of-charge offer of influenza vaccines to at-risk subgroups, vaccine coverage remains low and far from the target, probably due to the false myths and misperceptions. We aimed to explore the healthcare students’ vaccination behavior and beliefs to find any association between vaccination uptake during the last 5 years and future vaccination acceptance. Study design: A multicentre cross-sectional study. Methods: From Oct 2017 to Nov 2018, the Italian healthcare students from 14 different universities in 2017/2018 were enrolled, through an online and anonymous questionnaire previously validated. Absolute and relative frequencies were calculated and Pearson's Chi-square test was used. A multinomial logistic regression model was performed. Results are expressed as relative Risk Ratio (RR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI). The level of significance chosen was P-value <0.05. Results: A total of 3137 students were enrolled and 3131 questionnaires were analysed. 82.7% of the sample declared they had not received any flu vaccination during the last 5 years. Students who received flu vaccination 4 times or more during the last 5 years were more likely to do it again next year as well (95.1% vs 4.9%). The regression model showed that having received flu vaccination over the last 5 years was statistically associated with the intention of getting vaccinated during next season. Conclusions: Frequency of flu vaccination is predictive for future acceptance among healthcare students. This association could have both implications for the organization of vaccination campaigns and improve educational strategies for this category of students.

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