van Wijlick Jantine Marly, Sahana K S, Jayaraj B S, Pell Christopher, Rajagopal Gangadhar Mysore, Mahesh P A
Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Jul 30;5(7):e0004982. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004982. eCollection 2025.
Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) remain an important cause of mortality and morbidity, particularly among older adults. Annual influenza epidemics cause around 127,000 deaths in India of which 65% are among adults of 65 years and older. Because of India's rapidly growing older adult population, RTIs are likely to become an even greater public health issue and implementing effective preventive strategies will be crucial. To inform pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical prevention strategies for RTIs among older adults, this study explored the perceptions of RTIs and their implications for disease preventive practices of older adults visiting a tertiary hospital in Mysuru, India. Qualitative research methods, including structured observations and in-depth interviews with older adults and healthcare workers were used. Deductive and inductive analysis highlighted how common colds and influenza infections were regarded as inevitable and not considered severe illnesses by older adults. Whereas COVID-19 prompted fear because of severe illness episodes and sudden deaths among family members. Common colds and influenza were often related to eating 'cold' food and a 'cold' environment, and preventive measures reflected these beliefs. Language played a significant role in the understandings of RTIs in older adults. Different terms for influenza, common cold and vaccination in Kannada and English could lead to lack of awareness of preventive measures including vaccination for RTIs. Because of campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults were familiar with non-pharmaceutical prevention techniques such as hand hygiene and social distancing. In conclusion, using relatable medical terms when providing information about RTI prevention and the possibility of taking a holistic approach towards prevention and healthy aging including diet, vaccination and non-pharmaceutical practices means that those are more likely to resonate among the targets. To promote preventive practices, those would ideally also describe the health risks of common RTIs.
呼吸道感染（RTIs）仍然是导致死亡和发病的重要原因，在老年人中尤为如此。印度每年的流感流行导致约12.7万人死亡，其中65%是65岁及以上的成年人。由于印度老年人口迅速增长，呼吸道感染很可能成为一个更严重的公共卫生问题，实施有效的预防策略至关重要。为了为老年人的呼吸道感染制定药物和非药物预防策略，本研究探讨了印度迈索尔一家三级医院的老年人对呼吸道感染的看法及其对疾病预防措施的影响。采用了定性研究方法，包括对老年人和医护人员的结构化观察和深入访谈。演绎和归纳分析突出了老年人如何将普通感冒和流感感染视为不可避免的，并不认为是严重疾病。而新冠疫情因家庭成员中的严重发病和突然死亡引发了恐惧。普通感冒和流感通常与食用“寒性”食物和“寒冷”环境有关，预防措施也反映了这些观念。语言在老年人对呼吸道感染的认知中起着重要作用。卡纳达语和英语中流感、普通感冒和疫苗接种的不同术语可能导致对包括呼吸道感染疫苗接种在内的预防措施缺乏认识。由于新冠疫情期间的宣传活动，老年人熟悉了如手部卫生和社交距离等非药物预防技术。总之，在提供呼吸道感染预防信息时使用通俗易懂的医学术语，以及采取包括饮食、疫苗接种和非药物措施在内的整体预防和健康老龄化方法，更有可能在目标人群中引起共鸣。为了促进预防措施的实施，最好还能描述常见呼吸道感染的健康风险。
