Abstract: Introduction
School-based vaccine programme delivery offers convenience to parents, and reduces the burden on primary care capacity. Vaccine coverage among school-age children is lower in Hackney (northeast London), and post-pandemic coverage recovery has been limited in Hackney compared to London and England. Hackney is home to the largest Orthodox Jewish (OJ) population in Europe where most children attend independent faith schools. This study aimed to assess (i): vaccine programme delivery gaps via independent OJ schools in Hackney; and (ii) the primary care catch-up and commissioning strategies undertaken to help close gaps.
Methods
Qualitative evaluations of national incident responses for poliovirus and measles tailored to underserved communities in northeast London (2022–24). Data consisted of in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 53) with public health professionals, healthcare practitioners, community partners, and OJ parents. Vaccine clinic visits (n = 11) were conducted in northeast London, affording additional (n = 43) focused and opportunistic interviews with OJ parents attending for catch-up.
Results
Evaluating the delivery of routine and outbreak vaccination campaigns to school-age children demonstrates that independent OJ schools in Hackney are a key programme delivery gap, directly impacting access to catch-up and routine adolescent programmes. OJ parents reported that they did not receive relevant vaccine programme information and invitations for school-age children via independent faith schools. Primary care-led outreach clinics were hosted to offer school-age immunisations to OJ adolescents, but did not offer HPV vaccines. Sub-commissioning community organisations to liaise with independent schools may be a strategy to help resolve this delivery gap, but would require responsibilities within school-age immunisation partnerships to be clearly assigned.
Conclusion
Limitations in vaccine programme delivery via independent faith schools in northeast London may play a role in suboptimal vaccination coverage. Programme gaps must be addressed to help ensure that every eligible child is invited for, and can access, routine vaccination via accessible pathways.
Abstract: This study explores the religious practices of the general Ukrainian population and the Jewish community, focussing on their role in fostering social identity and psychological resilience in contemporary Ukraine. It examines how religious rituals, as key sociocultural mechanisms, contribute to a collective sense of belonging and help individuals adapt to social and cultural disruptions, especially during national crises like the war in Ukraine. The article compared religious trends and the level of secularisation among European and Ukrainian Jews. Particular emphasis was placed on religious rituals in the context of social upheavals and national conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, where religion and rituals became a support for individual and collective psychological resilience. The sociocultural, psychological and spiritual aspects of rituals, as well as the impact on the formation of positive emotional and cognitive coping strategies, were studied. The application of Tajfel’s theories of social identity, Durkheim’s concept of rituals, and Bolby’s approaches to psychological resilience provided a deeper theoretical justification for the role of rituals in strengthening both individual and group resilience. Based on an interdisciplinary analysis, it was determined that religious rituals not only supported cultural continuity but also formed new models of social interaction and adaptation to modern challenges. The study has contributed to a broader understanding of the relationship between religious activity, social structure and psychological mechanisms of resilience, which was especially important in the context of current crisis events.
