Annali dell'Istituto superiore di sanita最新文献

Background: Measuring access to assistive technology (AT) has become a global priority. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed the rapid assistive technology assessment (rATA), a population-based household survey that measures the use, need, unmet need, and barriers to accessing AT.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to report on the translation and adaptation process undertaken to implement the rATA survey in the Italian context.

Method: The Translate, Review, Adjudicate, Pretest, and Document (TRAPD) approach was used to translate and adapt the rATA from English to Italian. Eleven independent reviewers and 23 AT users were involved to validate the Italian translation of the rATA and pilot the survey, respectively.

Results: The feedback provided by the first users of the rATA indicate that the data collected are reliable and well reflect the state of AT provision in Italy.

Conclusion: This study confirmed the applicability of the rATA survey to the Italian context. The Italian version of the rATA can be used to support the government, the health system as well as the civil society to monitor the current state of AT access (and abandonment) in the country.

Introduction: Limited evidence exists on migrants with disability. A comprehensive assessment is mandatory required to organize specific services within the community and reception centers. The present study explores needs of refugees and asylum seeker within a community-based inclusive development framework.

Methods: To interview migrants, in this study we used the Community-Based Rehabilitation Indicators (CBR-Is) developed by the World Health Organization.

Results: The sample consisted of 41 people with disability and 59 without disability. Sample was homogeneous for gender and age. Our findings reveal how migrants with disability experienced poor outcomes in each domain of CBR-Is, namely health, education, livelihood, social end empowerment.

Conclusion: Differences between migrants with and without disabilities have some distinctive features. However, both groups are influenced by the social determinants of health: in addition to health issues, challenges in social life, livelihood and empowerment also clearly emerge. Different stakeholders are invited to promote inclusive communities, facilitating access to social and health services.

Aims: To assess whether the use of multiple cause-of-death data could improve reporting of AIDS mortality in Italy.

Method: Population-based, record-linkage study, on 3,975,431 deaths recorded in the National Registry of Causes of Death (RCoD) and 4,530 deaths recorded in the National AIDS Registry (RAIDS), during 2006-2012.

Results: The record-linkage identified 3,646 AIDS-related deaths present in both registries, 884 deaths in the RAIDS without mention of HIV/AIDS in the RCoD, and 3,796 deaths in the RCoD with mention of HIV/AIDS that were not present in the RAIDS. In the latter, in-depth analysis of multiple cause-of-death allowed the identification of 1,484 deaths that were AIDS-related. On these results, we estimated 6,014 deceased people with AIDS. Of them, 14.7% (884) were not present in the RCoD and 24.7% (1,484) derived from the RCoD only.

Conclusions: The integration of different nationwide registries allowed a more comprehensive estimate of the impact of AIDS-associated mortality in Italy.

Background: Low compliance with drug therapy in patients with chronic respiratory diseases was a well-known issue even before the coronavirus pandemic, but its causes are not yet fully defined.

Objective: To verify the adherence to drug therapy in patients with respiratory disease during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: From June to September 2020, about 700 patients of the Forlanini Hospital who had been unmonitored during the March-May 2020 lockdown in Italy received a questionnaire during the pneumological check-up based on self-reported information on compliance with therapy during lockdown.

Results: 284 out of the 418 returned questionnaires could be used in this study: 179 patients (63.0%) responded positively to the continuation of therapy, 18 (6.3%) reduced the dosage of their medication and 82 (28.9%) interrupted the therapy.

Conclusions: The low percentage of patients that reduced their drug dosage may be due to an increased awareness of drug treatment benefits, and may also be ascribed to the Government healthcare strategy during lockdown.

Background: This work aims to identify policies implemented for healthy food environments in Italy within The Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) project.

Methods: Food-EPI tool, which includes two components, thirteen domains and fifty good practice indicators, was adapted for the Italian context. Evidence for implementation was gathered and summarized for all fifty indicators from data sources such as governmental websites, non-government organizations publications and websites and via direct contact with Government officials.

Results: The highest level of evidence was found within five domains: food composition (2/2 indicators), labelling (3/4), promotion (4/5), provision (4/5) and leadership (5/5). The domains with less identified evidence were food prices (1/4), food in retail (0/4), trade and investment (0/2) and platforms and interaction (1/4).

Conclusions: The evidence summarization and the upcoming stakeholders' meeting to rate the level of implementation for each indicator in Italy have the potential to improve Government commitment to shape healthier food environments.

Introduction: Multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, since the end of 2020 have emerged in many geographical areas and are currently under surveillance worldwide highlighting the continuing need for genomic monitoring to detect variants previously not yet identified.

Methods: In this study, we used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and phylogenetic analysis to investigate A.27 lineage SARS-CoV-2 from Sardinia, Italy.

Results: The Italian A.27 lineage genomes from Sardinia appeared related in a clade with genomes from France. Among the key mutations identified in the spike protein, the N501Y and the L452R deserve attention as considered likely vaccine escape mutations. Additional mutations were also here reported.

Conclusion: A combination of features could explain our data such as SARS-CoV-2 genetic variability, viral dynamics, the human genetic diversity of Sardinian populations, the island context probably subjected to different selective pressures. Molecular and genomic investigation is essential to promptly identify variants with specific mutations with potential impact on public health and vaccine formulation.

Introduction: In Italy, regional governments are in charge of implementing cervical, breast and colorectal cancer screening programmes. The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic led to a national lockdown and the temporary suspension of several non-urgent healthcare activities, including cancer screening. This paper aims to describe the results of a national survey carried out by the National Centre for Screening Monitoring (ONS) on cervical, breast and colorectal cancer screening activities in 2020.

Materials and methods: A national survey was conducted by ONS in 2020 to assess: the number of screening invitations by Region; the volumes of screening tests and the attitude to attend the screening programme compared to 2019; the number of delayed diagnoses of malignant or pre-malignant lesions caused by the slowing down of screening programmes, based on the average Region-specific screening detection rate for cervical, breast and colorectal cancers.

Results: Screening tests for breast, colorectal and cervical cancer decreased by 37.6%, 45.5% and 43.4% in 2020 compared with 2019. In 2020 the estimated numbers of undiagnosed lesions are: 3,324 breast cancers, 1,299 colorectal cancers, 7,474 colorectal advanced adenomas and 2,782 CIN2 or more severe cervical lesions. Participation in cancer screening programmes decreased by 15%, 15% and 20%, for cervical, breast and CRC screening, respectively.

Discussion and conclusions: An urgent call to action is needed to prevent further delays and to limit the impact of the pandemic on cancer diagnosis and prevention.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arthropod-borne virus transmitted through infected mosquitos. The aim of this Italian nation-wide study was to evaluate general population's knowledge and attitudes towards ZIKV, its transmission, and travel-related preventive measures.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between July and August 2017, through a validated questionnaire. Predictors of knowledge were analysed through multivariate regression.

Results: Among 1119 respondents, 20% and 71% knew etiological agent and transmission route of ZIKV infection, respectively. Approximately 43% ignored the preventive measures to be taken after returning from endemic areas. At multivariate analysis, predictors of poor knowledge were age, living in Central or South Italy and Islands, being poorly educated, having never heard of or attended a travel clinic.

Conclusions: This study captures an overall poor knowledge of Zika among general public. This research highlights the need of designing and implementing measures to improve travellers' awareness and protection against ZIKV.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic came along with several health and social unprecedented emergencies, among which handling people with substance use disorder issues.

Methods: In this work, data from a cross-sectional online survey conducted among more than 40,000 adults in 21 European countries during the spring of 2020 are analyzed. The survey recorded participants drinking habits during the year preceding the survey and the changes in alcohol consumption during lockdown. The analyses focused on alcohol consumers' type, investigating on the behavioral change in people who already had a problematic alcohol consumption attitude.

Results and conclusion: The results show how subjects with risky or hazardous use of alcohol increased both drinking quantity and frequency in most European countries, underlining the urge to establish regulations on online and home delivered alcoholic beverages availability and reinforcing and restructuring health care services.