1. Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake among health and medical college students : a discrete choice experimentMonika Lamot, Andrej Kirbiš, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Seasonal influenza is a highly contagious virus posing significant health risks, especially tochildren, pregnant women, and older adults. Despite its crucial role in prevention andreducing severity, vaccination rates among medical and health students, who frequentlyinteract with vulnerable groups, remain low. This study investigates attributes of influenzavaccines that predict vaccination decisions within this population, while also examininghow these preferences vary based on the health literacy levels of the respondents.Between May and June 2024, 239 Slovenian medical and health students completed anonline discrete choice experiment presenting vaccines varying in efficacy, side effects, andadministration site. Preferences were analyzed to identify key attributes. Results showedthat higher efficacy and fewer side effects drove vaccine choice across all disciplines.Medical students favored faculty-based vaccination, whereas nursing and other healthdiscipline students preferred GP offices and NIPH units. Health literacy did not alter theimportance of efficacy and safety, but those with sufficient literacy showed a strongerpreference for GP settings over faculty sites. Campaigns should emphasize vaccine efficacyand the low risk of severe side effects, reassuring that mild reactions are transient.Facilitating GP-based vaccination for nursing and other health discipline students mayfurther improve uptake.
Keywords: seasonal influenza, vaccination, decision-making, health behavior, students, discrete choice experiment
Published in DKUM: 25.08.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 7
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2. The impact of affective polarization on political participation : a systematic reviewMaruša Lubej, Martin Dolezal, Andrej Kirbiš, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Affective polarization is widely considered detrimental to democratic processes, yet recent research suggests it may play an important role in political participation. This systematic review investigates the impact of affective polarization on political participation, synthesizing findings from 18 empirical studies. Through a comprehensive search across multiple databases, we address the fragmented understanding of the link between affective polarization and institutional (e.g. voter turnout) and non-institutional (e.g. protest) forms of participation. Our findings indicate that most studies show a positive association between affective polarization and political participation, with stronger evidence for its impact on institutional than on non-institutional participation. This pattern also holds for habitual versus non-habitual participation, albeit with variations across different cultural and political contexts. Finally, we highlight the need for further research, particularly through longitudinal and experimental designs and by examining the mechanisms through which affective polarization is linked to political participation.
Keywords: affective polarization, political participation, systematic review, institutional participation, non-institutional participation
Published in DKUM: 22.07.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 8
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3. Education for future? Investigating the role of education in explaining active green engagement : a multilevel moderated mediation analysisMatthias Penker, Andrej Kirbiš, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Despite extensive literature emphasizing the role of education in promoting engagement in environmental movements, international comparative research has yet to fully elucidate the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Using data from 44,100 respondents across 28 countries in the ISSP's fourth environmental module, we demonstrate that individuals' willingness to pay for environmental protection (WTP) partially mediates the relationship between education and environmental public sphere behavior (PSB). Furthermore, drawing on the Quality of Government literature, we show that the link between education and WTP is significantly stronger in countries with low corruption levels, a pattern that extends to the indirect effect of education on PSB. Although the magnitude of this effect is reduced, the direct positive association between education and PSB persists even in high-corruption contexts. These findings underscore the transnational importance of education in shaping environmentally significant attitudes and behaviors, as well as the crucial role of corruption in moderating how education translates into both WTP and PSB.
Keywords: politic sphere behaviour, environmental activism, education, moderated mediation analyses, multilevel model
Published in DKUM: 16.04.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 23
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4. Why does health literacy matter, and for whom? Explaining the differentiating impact of health literacy on vaccine attitudesMaruša Lubej, Andrej Kirbiš, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Introduction: Vaccination has substantially reduced the spread and severity of infectious diseases. Despite its efficacy, vaccine hesitancy remains a global challenge, often linked to inadequate health literacy and unfavorable vaccine attitudes. Understanding the mechanisms through which health literacy influences vaccine-related attitudes is crucial because it could inform policy interventions aimed at fostering more favorable vaccine attitudes. Method: The present cross-sectional study of Slovenian adults (n = 3,360) examined the impact of health literacy on vaccine attitudes, focusing on the mediating role of beliefs in vaccine myths and the moderating effects of gender, education, economic status, healthcare training, and self-rated health. Results: Using mediation and moderated mediation models, we found that health literacy positively influences vaccine attitudes both directly and indirectly by reducing beliefs in myths. The relationship between health literacy and vaccine attitudes is moderated by healthcare training, with stronger positive effect among individuals with such training. Additionally, the negative effect of health literacy on beliefs in myths is stronger among individuals with higher education. Discussion: Our findings indicate that broader educational inequalities should be addressed to ensure that the positive effect of health literacy on vaccine attitudes is distributed more equitably across groups with different educational levels and fields of expertise.
Keywords: vaccine hesitancy, vaccine attitudes, vaccine myths, socioeconomic inequalities, sociodemographic inequalities
Published in DKUM: 28.03.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 7
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5. Does health literacy mediate sociodemographic and economic inequalities in fruit and vegetable intake? : an analysis of Slovenian national HLS19 survey dataAndrej Kirbiš, Stefani Branilović, Maruša Lubej, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Health literacy plays an important role in promoting healthier behaviors. However, less is known about its impact on dietary habits, such as fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. This study examines the mediating role of health literacy in the relationship between FV intake and demographic and socioeconomic factors among Slovenian adults. We used Slovenian national data from the 19-country Health Literacy Survey 2019–2021 (HLS19) (n = 3360). Results indicate that health literacy plays a complex role in mediating the relationship between demographic and socioeconomic factors and FV intake. Women and financially stable individuals have higher levels of health literacy, which positively predicts higher FV intake. While older individuals demonstrated greater FV intake, they reported lower health literacy, suggesting other mechanisms may drive their dietary behavior. Additionally, while higher education was associated with improved health literacy, its direct relationship with FV intake was negative, though health literacy partially mitigated this effect. These results underscore the importance of health literacy as a mediating factor in improving dietary behaviors and highlight the need for targeted interventions and policies to enhance nutritional education, particularly for marginalized groups.
Keywords: health literacy, fruit and vegetable intake, mediation analyses, health, demographic inequalities, socioeconomic inequalities
Published in DKUM: 18.03.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 8
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6. Measuring climate knowledge : a systematic review of quantitative studiesMaruša Lubej, Žiga Petraš, Andrej Kirbiš, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Climate change is a pressing issue that necessitates a climate-literate population. This systematic literature review investigates how climate knowledge, a key component of climate literacy, is measured in scientific research. Analysis of 92 studies reveals that climate knowledge is primarily assessed as objective knowledge (facts and evidence). A minority of studies measured subjective knowledge. Most often, the target population was general adult population, followed by students and teachers. Furthermore, most studies are concentrated in North America and Europe, while climate knowledge remains underexplored in other regions. This review highlights the lack of consistency in the measurement of climate knowledge, particularly in defining its dimensions. Our findings underscore the need for future research to focus on developing a standardized, reliable, valid, and comprehensive instrument for measuring climate knowledge. This would enable the comparison of findings across different regions and populations.
Keywords: climate changes, climate literacy, climate knowledge measurment, systematic literature review
Published in DKUM: 17.03.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 7
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7. The validity and reliability of the Slovenian version of the health literacy questionnaire short-form (HLS-EU-Q16) among adults and older adultsMonika Lamot, Andrej Kirbiš, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Introduction: Health literacy is an important predictor of health behavior and self-rated health, playing a crucial role in shaping public health outcomes. Valid and reliable health literacy assessments are essential for effectively tailoring health interventions, particularly in different cultural contexts. Several questionnaires have been developed to measure health literacy, including the widely used 47-item Health Literacy Questionnaire and its shorter versions. However, the validity of these shorter and more time efficient HLS-EU versions, such as the 16-item HLS-EU-Q16, has been less extensively researched in different age subgroups. Given Slovenia’s aging population and the differences in health literacy between adults and older adults, it is important to assess whether the HLS-EU-Q16 performs reliably across these groups. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the 16-item health literacy questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16) in Slovenia across two age groups: adults and older adults. Methods: We analyzed representative Slovenian sample data from the Health Literacy of Adults study. The sample included 2,327 adults aged 23–64 years (53.7% women) and 876 older adults aged 65–99 years (55.7% women). Results: Construct validity revealed a modified three-factor structure of the HLS-EU-Q16 among adults, reflecting a broader conceptualization of health literacy that encompasses overlapping domains of health promotion, disease prevention, and health care. In contrast, a two-factor structure emerged among older adults, indicating a more consolidated approach where these domains are perceived as part of an integrated health management strategy. This suggests that adults may conceptualize health literacy across multiple, yet interconnected dimensions, while older adults approach it more holistically. Convergent validity, reliability, concurrent-predictive, concurrent, and discriminant validity results were satisfactory for both age groups. Predictive validity, however, provided somewhat inadequate results, as the tool poorly predicted certain health behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity, in both age groups. Conclusion: Overall, the HLS-EU-Q16 demonstrated adequate validity and reliability among both adults and older adults, indicating that it is an appropriate instrument for assessing health literacy in Slovenia.
Keywords: HLS-EU-Q16, Slovenia, health literacy, adults, validity
Published in DKUM: 14.03.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 11
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8. Dejavniki, pogojevalci in pojasnjevalci namere za cepljenje proti covidu-19 v Sloveniji in Evropi : doktorska disertacijaMonika Lamot, 2024, doctoral dissertation Abstract: Oklevanje pred cepljenjem je že pred pandemijo covida-19 veljalo za eno izmed osrednjih groženj javnemu zdravju, pandemija covida-19 pa je problem oklevanja pred cepljenjem samo še bolj osvetlila. Politična prepričanja posameznikov, institucionalno zaupanje in prepričanja v teorije zarote je že obstoječa literatura opredelila kot ene izmed močnejših napovednikov cepljenja, a so bili ti praviloma obravnavani kot neposredni napovedniki stališč do cepljenja oziroma namere cepljenja, in manj v sklopu kompleksnejših modelov mediacije. Ob tem je večina raziskav pri stališčih do cepljenja slednje proučila na ravni posameznika, manjkajo pa raziskave, ki vključujejo tudi vlogo strukturnih, makro značilnosti družb. Primanjkuje tudi raziskav, ki namero cepljenja proučujejo v sklopu analiz, usmerjenih k posameznikom, ki omogočajo identifikacijo njihovih lastnosti. Obenem je večina študij s področja stališč do cepljenja proti covidu-19 in namere cepljenja opravljena v tujih državah. V Sloveniji gre za pretežno neraziskano področje. To je še posebej problematično, ker gre za državo, ki je tako pred kot tudi po pandemiji spadala med tiste, kjer prebivalci izkazujejo večje oklevanje pred cepljenjem. V doktorski disertaciji smo tako proučili vlogo strukturnih značilnosti pri dejavnikih namere cepljenja proti covidu-19, analizirali lastnosti posameznikov glede na njihovo namero cepljenja ter proučili možne mehanizme odnosa med političnimi prepričanji posameznika in njegovo namero glede cepljenja. Analizirali smo mednarodno anketno podatkovno bazo evropskih držav European Social Survey 10. V prvi študiji smo preverjali strukturne dejavnike v sklopu med-nivojskih interakcij in ugotovili, da ima zaupanje v politične institucije močnejši pozitiven učinek na namero cepljenja proti covidu-19 v državah z višjim BDP na prebivalca in državah, kjer je nižja zaznana korupcija. Ugotovili smo tudi, da bolj individualistično vrednotno usmerjene družbe okrepijo pozitiven učinek zadovoljstva z zdravstvenim sistemom na namero cepljenja. Ob tem se je izkazalo, da nižji BDP na prebivalca, višja zaznana korupcija in bolj kolektivistična usmerjenost družbe okrepijo negativen učinek prepričanj v teorije zarote na namero cepljenja. V drugi študiji smo proučili lastnosti Slovencev in Slovenk glede na njihovo namero cepljenja proti covidu-19. Uvrstili smo jih v latentne profile, ki smo jih analizirali glede na njihovo zaupanje znanosti, zadovoljstvo z delom vlade v času pandemije in prepričanjih v teorije zarote. Izkazalo se je, da so se bili najbolj pripravljeni cepiti posamezniki, uvrščeni v profil, ki je bil najbolj zadovoljen z delom vlade, je v največji meri zaupal znanosti in najmanj izražal zarotniška prepričanja. V tretji študiji smo preverjali razlike v nameri cepljenja glede na politično usmeritev (levo-desno), populistična stališča (dimenziji stališča o ljudski suverenosti in protimigrantska stališča) in politični ekstremizem prek zaupanja političnim institucijam, znanosti in prepričanj v teorije zarote. Ugotovili smo, da so v času pandemije desno politično usmerjeni posamezniki v večji meri zaupali znanosti in v manjši meri izražali prepričanja v teorije zarote, kar je prispevalo k njihovi večji pripravljenosti za cepljenje proti covidu-19, v primerjavi z bolj levo usmerjenimi posamezniki. Ugotovili smo tudi, da podpiranje ideje o ljudski suverenosti pozitivno učinkuje na zaupanje znanosti, to pa na namero za cepljenje; po drugi strani pa pozitivno učinkuje na prepričanja v teorije zarote, kar negativno učinkuje na cepljenje. Pri izražanju protimigrantskih stališč smo ugotovili, da negativno učinkujejo na zaupanje znanosti in pozitivno na prepričanja v teorije zarote, kar pa negativno učinkuje na namero cepljenja. Nenazadnje smo ugotovili, da se politična ekstrema ne razlikujeta v zaupanju političnim institucijam, zaupanju znanosti, prepričanjih v teorije zarote in nameri cepljenja proti covidu-19.
Keywords: covid-19, cepljenje, prepričanja v teorije zarote, politična prepričanja, institucionalno zaupanje, med nivojske interakcije, analiza latentnih profilov, modeliranje strukturnih enačb, Slovenija
Published in DKUM: 22.10.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 94
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9. Understanding vaccine hesitancy : a comparison of sociodemographic and socioeconomic predictors with health literacy dimensionsMonika Lamot, Andrej Kirbiš, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Vaccine hesitancy represents a global public health challenge that can diminish the effectiveness of vaccination programs. Research indicates that various sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors, along with health literacy, predict vaccine hesitancy. In this study, we analyzed data from a Slovenian health literacy survey that included 3360 adult participants. We examined the effects of sociodemographic (gender and age) and socioeconomic factors (education, economic deprivation, and self-assessed socioeconomic status), as well as different dimensions of health literacy (general, communicative, and navigational), on vaccine hesitancy. The results show that age, education, and economic deprivation are statistically significant predictors of vaccine hesitancy; younger individuals, those with lower education levels, and those experiencing greater economic deprivation express increased vaccine hesitancy. Higher levels of general and communicative health literacy are associated with lower vaccine hesitancy, while navigational health literacy was not found to be a statistically significant predictor of vaccine hesitancy.
Keywords: vaccine hesitancy, Slovenia, health literacy, sociodemographic factors, socioeconomic factors
Published in DKUM: 08.10.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 11
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10. Exploring the inherent heterogeneity of vaccine hesitancy : a study of a childhood-vaccine-hesitant populationMonika Lamot, Andrej Kirbiš, Mitja Vrdelja, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Vaccine hesitancy and its determinants have been previously widely researched. Vaccine hesitancy has been defined as a continuum of attitudes, ranging from accepting vaccines with doubts to rejecting them. The present study aims to explore the heterogeneity of a childhood-vaccine-hesitant group by using a person-oriented approach-latent profile analysis. A non-representative cross-sectional sample of vaccine-hesitant Slovenians (N = 421, Mage = 35.21, 82.9% women) was used to identify differences based on their reliance on personal research (“self” researching instead of relying on science), overconfidence in knowledge, endorsement of conspiracy theories, complementary and alternative medicine, and trust in the healthcare system. The analysis revealed three profiles of vaccine-hesitant individuals. The most hesitant profile-vaccine rejecting-expressed the greatest reliance on personal research, expressed the highest endorsement of conspiracy theories and complementary and alternative medicine, showed moderate overconfidence in their knowledge, and expressed the highest levels of distrust in the healthcare system. We further found differences in sociodemographic structure and that the identified profiles differed in their attitudes regarding MMR, HPV, and Seasonal Influenza vaccinations. The present study demonstrates the heterogeneity of the vaccine-hesitant community and offers insights into some of the traits, which are crucial for designing pro-vaccine campaigns.
Keywords: vaccine hesitancy, heterogeneity, latent profile analysis, complementary and alternative medicine, CAM, conspiracy theories, trust in healthcare system
Published in DKUM: 21.08.2024; Views: 101; Downloads: 23
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