Pregnancy and internet: sociodemographic and geographic differences in e-health practice. Results from an Italian multicenter study

Since the new millennium, the number of e-health users has significantly increased. Among these, a particular category of people who are interested by this phenomenon is the one of pregnant women. The aim of the present study is to assess the sociodemographic and geographic differences existing in a sample of Italian pregnant women who search for information on the web.Multicenter cross-sectional survey.The present study has been conducted from November 2011 to September 2012, in seven Italian cities, located in the North, in the Centre and in the South of Italy. Data were collected through an anonymous questionnaire, administered in waiting rooms of outpatient departments by trained medica…

Stress in Medical Students: PRIMES, an Italian, Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Medical students (MSs) are healthcare workers and must also cope with education-related stressors. This study aims to assess factors associated with perceived stress in Italian MSs. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 Italian medical schools (MSCs) in November 2018. A questionnaire assessed socio-demographic characteristics, habits, opinions about MSC, and concerns about the future. Stress was assessed with the PSS-10. Descriptive and univariable tests were performed. A linear model was fitted to find associations of the PSS-10 score with characteristics. There were 2513 collected questionnaires. Median PSS-10 score was 18 (IQR 11). Median age was 22 (IQR 4) and 61% of the sample wa…

What do parents know about antibiotics? A multicenter Italian survey on antibiotics knowledge

Knowledge and attitudes towards the use of antibiotics in the paediatric age group: a multicenter survey in Italy

Background : The misuse of antibiotics is one of the leading causes of antibiotic resistance. Paediatric patients are highly involved in this issue, as they are those who receive the largest amount of prescriptions of these drugs. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the general knowledge regarding the use of antibiotics, as well as the attitudes related to the administration of these drugs to children, amongst parents of children in the paediatric age-group. Methods : In 2014, a multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted amongst parents of children aged 0–14. A questionnaire made up of 33 items was administered in waiting rooms of outpatient departments. Multivariable logistic r…

Tobacco use prevalence, knowledge and attitudes, and tobacco cessation training among medical students: results of a pilot study of Global Health Professions Students Survey (GHPSS) in Italy

Aim The aims of this study were to examine tobacco use prevalence, knowledge and attitudes, and tobacco cessation training among students attending Italian medical schools using the Global Health Professions Student Survey approach and to identify possible factors associated with smoking status. Subjects and Methods A multicentre cross-sectional pilot study was carried out in five Italian Schools of Medicine from March to April 2009. Questionnaires were administered in anonymous, voluntary and self-administered form to third year students attending medical schools. The outcome measure was “being a current smoker”. A logistic regression was used to evaluate possible factors associated with s…

Prevalence of depressive symptoms among Italian medical students: The multicentre cross-sectional "PRIMES" study.

Background Four percent of the world’s population suffers from depression, which is a major public health issue. Medical students are at risk, as their depressive symptoms (DS) prevalence is reported to be approximately 27% worldwide. Since few data on Italian medical students exist, this study aimed to estimate their DS prevalence and assess risk and protective factors. Methods The PRIMES was a multicentre cross-sectional study performed in 12 Italian medical schools. Questionnaires were self-reported and included 30 sociodemographic items and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). The primary outcome was the presence of DS (BDI-II score≥14). The main analyses were chi-squared tests an…