A Community-Based Survey to Assess Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and Practices Regarding Herpes Zoster in an Urban Setting

Abstract

IntroductionIn the USA, nearly one in three people will experience herpes zoster (HZ) in their lifetime. Underserved communities may be at even higher risk due to several factors, including access to healthcare, education, and co-morbid conditions. The purpose of this study was to investigate current knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices (KABP) relative to HZ and HZ vaccines in a large urban city.MethodsA cross-sectional KABP survey was conducted via in-person interview among 381 participants aged ≥ 50 years in Detroit, MI, USA, from June to August 2018. Survey results were stratified into two groups [< 60 and ≥ 60 years of age (YO)] for comparison.ResultsOf the 381 participants, 373 reported their age (110 < 60 YO and 263 ≥ 60 YO). Overall, the majority of participants reported having heard of HZ and HZ vaccines. In addition, receiving a recommendation from a healthcare provider (37.5%) followed by gaining a better understanding of HZ vaccine (36.7%) and of HZ (29.9%) were leading factors that influenced participants’ willingness to receive the vaccine. Of note, 65.5% of participants < 60 YO reported the belief that HZ is preventable versus only 53.2% in those ≥ 60 YO (p = 0.001).ConclusionOur findings underscore the need to educate patients in underserved communities about HZ as well as new HZ vaccine recommendations to improve vaccination rates and reduce the incidence of HZ and its associated sequelae.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s40121-019-00269-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the United Arab Emirates population towards Herpes Zoster vaccination: A cross-sectional study

“… 23 Additionally, a study conducted in the US found that gaining a better understanding of HZ and its vaccine was a leading factor in participants’ willingness to take the vaccine. 24 Hence, public health awareness campaigns that underscore the importance of vaccination as well as HZ vaccine recommendations, while underlining the HZ associated sequalae, could essentially improve the willingness to take the HZ vaccine.…”

A Cross-Sectional Study of the Knowledge, Practice, and Attitude Towards Herpes Zoster Vaccination Among the General Population in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia

“…Additionally, a US study's findings show that participants' motivation to receive the vaccine was significantly influenced by their increased understanding of HZ and its vaccine [17].…”

“…However, our results differ from a study done in the UAE population, where just 15% of people knew about the HZ vaccine, while just over 60% of people knew about HZ [ 5 ]. Additionally, a US study's findings show that participants' motivation to receive the vaccine was significantly influenced by their increased understanding of HZ and its vaccine [ 17 ].…”

“…In Saudi Arabia, only around 5% received the HZ vaccine. Only about 3% of people in the UAE and Hong Kong, and about 8% in the US, have received the HZ vaccine [ 4 , 5 , 17 ]. In our research, most participants were unaware that the vaccine was recommended for those over 50.…”

Knowledge and Attitudes Concerning Herpes Zoster among People with COPD: An Interventional Survey Study

“…The online survey included items from published patient surveys [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], and its development was guided by experts in internal medicine, family medicine, preventive medicine, and pharmacy, as well as people with COPD, using an iterative process. The survey, including the skip patterns of participants’ possible routes through the survey based on conditional responses, is provided in the supplementary material (Methods S1) .…”