Background: Our study aimed to estimate the prevalence of pregnancy e-health seekers in a large Italian sample; to explore the factors influencing the choices of the childbearing women regarding their lifestyles after internet consultation; and finally to investigate potential differences between primiparous and multiparous women in internet use to find information about pregnancy. Methods: A multicentre survey was carried out in seven Italian cities. Data were collected through a validated questionnaire administered in waiting rooms of outpatient departments by medical doctors. Respondents were questioned about their sociodemographic status, their use of the internet to seek pregnancy information and their consequent choices to modify their lifestyles. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Results: Almost all women were pregnancy e-health seekers (95%), including those who also received information from healthcare professionals. Indeed, the main reason for searching the web was the need of further knowledge on pregnancy-related topic, over and beyond other key advantages of the net such as anonymity, simplicity and rapidity. A higher likelihood of changing lifestyle after pregnancy e-health was observed among the women who searched institutional websites; declared more confidence in the information retrieved; participated into pregnancy-centred forum online; and were residents in Italy. Conclusions: To reduce the likelihood for women of both finding erroneous information or misinterpreting correct ones, healthcare professionals should commit to fill the information gap and guide pregnant women in the online searches. Also, future studies are strongly needed to analyse the quality and accuracy of health information found on the web.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 2030 Agenda represent global development programs. Education can widen the acknowledgement of their relevance and their applications. This survey aims to assess awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards SDGs and sustainability among first-year students in nine Italian Universities. A Likert scale-based online questionnaire of 70 items was compiled by students from March to July 2019. It examined knowledge and expectations referred to sustainable development concepts, indicators and documents/models accounting for sociodemographic variables. Statistical analyses performed were Chi-square test, Fisher’s Exact test, Kendall’s W correlation coefficient, univariate and multivariate analysis. The questionnaire was completed by 1676 students. A low percentage referred a good knowledge of SDGs and 2030 Agenda, most of them had never attended related educational activities previously. Better knowledge of SDGs and 2030 Agenda was observed in case of previous specific educational activities (p < 0.001). The expectation towards university guaranteeing an education on SDGs was high, both for personal wisdom and for usefulness in future professional context. A significant difference (p < 0.001) in such expectations was found, as healthcare students were less interested than colleagues of other areas. The results showed low knowledge but interest towards sustainable development. A scheduled implementation of academic initiatives should be considered.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: The eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) is a tool for the self-assessment of perceived comfort and skills in using the Internet as a source for health-related information. Although evidence exists of reliability, construct and structural validity of the scale, there is a lack of evidence for criterion validity in relation to what is proposed by Norman and Skinner in their theoretical model of eHealth literacy (lily model), in particular it is not clear whether having more health literacy can positively influence eHealth literacy as measured by the eHEALS. Objective: Our study aim was to assess whether real-life experiences in the area of health, as a proxy of higher health literacy, could influence eHealth literacy as measured using the eHEALS and proposed in the lily model of e-health literacy, while also validating the scale in the adult Italian population by exploring its internal consistency and component structure. Methods: Two web-based surveys were conducted among adults living in Northeast Italy. In order to be able to measure the impact of a real-life experience in the health field, we divided our sample into two groups, respectively characterized by experience in studying or working in the health sector and by lack thereof. Results: We recruited a total of 1135 subjects, of which 326 were included in the group with studying and working experiences in the health field. After removing subjects who didn’t complete the whole eHEALS, a total of 868 eHEALS respondents were included for further analysis. Mean eHEALS total score was 28.2±6.2 for the whole sample, with statistically significant differences (P<.001) between the two groups, with the higher health literate group scoring significantly better (31.9±5.9 vs 26.7±5.6). Cronbach alpha was high for all groups (.90 for the whole sample of eHEALS respondents, and .91 and .87 for the two groups separately), and Principal Factor Component analysis showed good factor loadings for all items ranging from 0.68 to 0.83 in the whole sample, with an eigenvalue of 4.90 explaining 61% of the total variability. Analysis of convergent validity showed results in line with current literature, with a significant, yet moderate, correlation of eHEALS score with frequency of Internet use for health-related purposes. Conclusions: The study demonstrated health literacy positive influence on eHEALS results and its complex relation with eHealth literacy, corroborating what was initially proposed by Norman and Skinner in the lily model. Also, we have been able to test an alternative Italian translation of the eHEALS (IT-eHEALS), which can be used as a valid tool to measure eHealth literacy in the adult Italian population.

After the national lockdown imposed on March 11, 2020, the Italian government has gradually resumed the suspended economic and social activities since May 4, while maintaining the closure of schools until September 14. We use a model of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission to estimate the health impact of different exit strategies. The strategy adopted in Italy kept the reproduction number R_t at values close to one until the end of September, with marginal regional differences. Based on the estimated postlockdown transmissibility, reopening of workplaces in selected industrial activities might have had a minor impact on the transmissibility. Reopening educational levels in May up to secondary schools might have influenced SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility only marginally; however, including high schools might have resulted in a marked increase of the disease burden. Earlier reopening would have resulted in disproportionately higher hospitalization incidence. Given community contacts in September, we project a large second wave associated with school reopening in the fall. Significance We use a mathematical model to evaluate the Italian exit strategy after the lockdown imposed against the COVID-19 epidemics, comparing it to a number of alternative scenarios. We highlight that a successful reopening requires two critical conditions: a low value of the reproduction number and a low incidence of infection. The first is needed to allow some margin for expansion after the lifting of restrictions; the second is needed because the level of incidence will be maintained approximately constant after the reproduction number has grown to values close to one. Furthermore, we suggest that, even with significant reductions of transmission rates, resuming social contacts at prepandemic levels escalates quickly the COVID-19 burden.

In the last decade, the public use of complementary and alternative therapies for the solution of various health problems has increased dramatically. Listening to music can be considered a support to the traditional medical practice for the reduction of anxiety and stress related to chemotherapy.