Background While COVID-19 vaccine uptake has been encouraging overall, some individuals are either hesitant towards, or refuse, the vaccine. Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) has been applied to influenza vaccine acceptance, but there is a lack of research applying PMT to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Additionally, prior research has suggested that coronavirus conspiracy beliefs and demographic factors may play a role in attitudes towards the vaccine. This study aimed to predict COVID-19 vaccination intention using PMT, coronavirus conspiracy beliefs, and demographic factors. Furthermore, vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals were compared in relation to their coronavirus conspiracy beliefs. Methods An online survey was administered to 382 (278 vaccinated, and 104 unvaccinated) individuals in the United Kingdom (77 males, 301 females, one non-binary/third gender, and three unstated). Respondents’ mean age was 43.78 ( SD = 12.58). Results A hierarchical multiple linear regression was performed in three stages. Initially, four PMT constructs - severity, susceptibility, maladaptive response costs, and self-efficacy - emerged as significant predictors of COVID-19 vaccination intention. The final model accounted for 75% of the variance and retained two significant predictors from PMT - maladaptive response rewards and self-efficacy - alongside coronavirus conspiracy beliefs and age. An independent t-test established that unvaccinated individuals held greater coronavirus conspiracy beliefs than vaccinated ones. Conclusions Interventions and campaigns addressing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance should employ strategies increasing individuals’ perceived severity of COVID-19, perceived susceptibility, and perceived ability to get vaccinated, while decreasing perceived rewards of not getting vaccinated. Additionally, coronavirus conspiracy beliefs should be addressed, as these appear to play a role for some vaccine-hesitant individuals.

Background and methodology Men's and women's attitudes towards the male contraceptive pill and their trust in the effective use of the male pill were investigated, as well as the associated variables of reported health behaviours, perceived self-efficacy and type of sexual relationship, using a questionnaire survey. ResultsAlthough both sexes had a favourable attitude towards the male pill, females had a more positive attitude than men. Conversely, women had less trust that men would use the male pill effectively. Males in stable sexual relationships were more positive about the male pill than those in casual sexual relationships. Gender, relationship type and trust in the effective use of the male pill reliably predicted attitude towards the male pill. High perceived self-efficacy was related to engaging in more health behaviours, and in men a positive association between Contraceptive failure has further-reaching consequences for women than for men. 3 Even if effective male hormonal contraception (MHC) were to be made available, contradictory findings suggest that men would 4 or would not 5 take over the responsibility for fertility control and could or could not be trusted to do so. Moreover, it has been postulated that the resources currently being directed at new contraceptives for men would be better spent making existing methods more widely available. 6 Men only use contraception in around one-third of heterosexual partnerships. 7,8 Some findings indicated that the majority of men seem to believe that men and women share equal responsibility for the decisions about contraception. 9 However, social research has repeatedly highlighted the contradictory role of men in fertility regulation: although many men believe that the responsibility for contraception should be shared, in practice many prefer not to use any. 10,11 Men are not seen as able to regulate their own fertility, and are likely to reject responsibility when asked. 12 It has been asserted that it is part of the image of male masculinity to exhibit fertility rather than preventing it. 12-14 Similarly attributed to the traditional masculine role are men's reluctant attitudes towards taking care of their own health because that would be a sign of weakness. 15 Discussion and conclusions A positive attitude towards the male pill does not automatically imply that the individual is confident about its effective use. Once the male pill is widely available, promotional campaigns could target not only men but also their female partners, as the latter tend to come into contact with health services more frequently. In order to increase confidence in effective implementation, a variety of presentations of the male pill should be made available in line with individual needs and lifestyles. 161Keywords gender differences, health behaviours, hormonal contraception, male contraception, male pill less regular contact with health care professionals 15,16 and are less likely to seek preventive reproductive and sexual health information and contraceptives. 1...

The clinical and biochemical correlations with joint damage progression over two years in a consecutive group of 68 patients with rheumatoid arthritis with disease duration of less than two years are reported. Joint damage was assessed with Larsen's severity scale and a measure of change in progression rate constructed. Initial haemoglobin concentration, Ritchie index, and Waaler-Rose titre in combination accounted for one third of the variance in joint damage progression. Rheumatoid factor (RF) Patients and methodsSeventy one patients-from primary care units in the area with definite rheumatoid arthritis2 and disease duration of less than two years were enrolled in the study. During a follow up of 24 months two patients died owing to pulmonary carcinoma, and another patient was reclassified as psoriatic arthritis. The remaining 68 patients (26 men, 42 women) had a mean (SD) age of 56 1 (14-1) years and mean (SD) disease duration at the start of the study of 11-8 (6 8) months.During the study period about half of the patients were treated with slow acting antirheumatic drugs, mostly antimalarial drugs (20 patients) or D-penicillamine (10 patients). CLINICAL EVALUATIONThe patients were evaluated at regular intervals by clinical and laboratory measures as previously described.' Briefly, the articular disease was estimated by the Ritchie index3 and an active joint count.4 Grip strength was measured with a sphygmomanometer (mean of readings for right and left hand). Functional capacity was assessed with a validated Swedish version of the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire disability index.5 6 Pain during the preceding week was recorded on a visual analogue scale. RADIOLOGICAL EVALUATIONRadiographic examinations of hands, wrists, and feet were performed at study start and after 12 and 24 months. All radiographs were evaluated by one experienced radiologist and the findings were scored using the method described by Larsen.7 Thus each joint was compared with standard reference films and assigned a score between 0 (normal) and 5 (mutilating changes). Severity stage 1 corresponded to non-erosive changes-that is, soft tissue swelling and periarticular osteoporosis, and stages 2-4 corresponded to increasing degrees of erosions and joint space narrowing. Thirty two joints were evaluated: the wrists, the metacarpophalangeal joints I-V, interphalangeal joint I, proximal interphalangeal joints II-V of the hands and the interphalangeal joint I and metatarsophalangeal joints II-V of the feet. The wrist score was multiplied by five and all the scores added up, together forming the joint damage index. In addition, a modified index omitting severity stage 1 was calculated.In analyses of radiological outcome the absolute difference between scores after two years and at study start was taken into account. A new radiological measure assessing the change in progression rate between the first and second 12 month period was constructed according to the formula illustrated in the figure. The usefulness of the new index wa...

A systematic review and qualitative synthesis of the experience of living with colorectal cancer as a chronic illness.

Even though years of research on the male contraceptive pill have been conducted, a marketable product is still absent from the arsenal of male and female products of contraception. In this paper the following psychosocial and cultural factors have been elicited from the literature in order to reveal explanations for this delay: acceptability, trust, fear of side-effects, perceptions of contraceptive responsibility and fear of losing connotations of masculinity. Regardless of cultural variation, overall there seems to be a positive attitude towards the acceptability of male contraceptive for both males and females, especially males in stable relationships. There has been some indication that the media have played an important role in distorting the results of research regarding male and female trust. Ongoing and future research into several projects on psychosocial and cultural factors is described.