Knowledge and awareness of COVID-19 among Indonesian migrant workers in the Greater China Region

Antecedents and Consequences of Health Literacy among Refugees and Migrants during the First Two Years of COVID-19: A Scoping Review

Supporting refugee and migrant health has become a critical focus of healthcare policy. Developing and designing health literacy interventions that meet the needs of refugees and migrants is core to achieving this objective. This literature review sought to identify antecedents and consequences of health literacy among refugees and migrants during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. We systematically searched nine electronic databases and numerous grey literature sources to identify studies published between December 2019 and March 2022. The antecedents (societal and environmental determinants, situational determinants, and personal determinants) and consequences of health literacy among refugees and migrants were mapped to a validated integrated health literacy model. Social and environmental determinants (n = 35) were the most reported antecedent influencing health literacy among refugees and migrants during the first two years of COVID-19. Language (n = 26) and culture (n = 16) were these determinants' most frequently reported aspects. Situational determinants (n = 24) and personal determinants (n = 26) were less frequently identified factors influencing health literacy among refugees and migrants. Literacy (n = 11) and socioeconomic status (n = 8) were the most frequently reported aspects of personal determinants. Media use (n = 9) and family and peer influence (n = 7) were the most cited situational determinants reported. Refugees and migrants with higher levels of health literacy were more likely to use healthcare services, resulting in better health outcomes. The findings of this review reveal personal and situational factors that impacted health literacy among refugees and migrants during COVID-19 that require attention. However, the inadequate adaptation of health literacy interventions for linguistic and cultural diversity was a greater problem. Attention to this well-known aspect of public health preparedness and tailoring health literacy interventions to the needs of refugees and migrants during pandemics and other public health emergencies are paramount.

COVID-19 information seeking and individuals' protective behaviors: examining the role of information sources and information content

BACKGROUND

Seeking COVID-19 information promotes individuals to adopt preventive behaviors, including wearing a mask, social distancing, staying away from risky places, and washing hands. This study aims to investigate which information and sources individuals relied on in seeking COVID-19 information and further examine their roles in individuals' adoption of preventive behaviors.

METHODS

Through a statistical analysis of 1027 valid responses from citizens in different Chinese cities in 2022 to the self-designed items in an online survey, this study identified individuals' preferred information sources and content on COVID-19. Regarding the information sources and content, the study used multiple regression analysis to examine their associations with individuals' preventive behaviors, and further applied fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore their configurations that increase the likelihood of individuals adopting preventive behaviors.

RESULTS

Individuals preferred information about the newest prevention and control policies, precautions and treatment, and symptoms from the sources of workplace and community, social media, and social live streaming services. Additionally, individuals' preventive behaviors were positively related to the workplace and community (β = 0.202, p <.001), social live streaming services (β = 0.089, p <.01), government department websites (β = 0.079, p <.05), television (β = 0.073, p <.05), and online news media (β = 0.069, p <.05), but were negatively associated with newspapers (β=-0.087, p <.05). Regarding information content, precautions and treatments (β = 0.211, p <.001), the newest prevention and control policies (β = 0.173, p <.001), symptoms (β = 0.152, p <.001), and official rumor-dispelling information (β = 0.082, p <.05) had a positive relationship with individuals' preventive behaviors. In addition, fsQCA results presented eight configurations that promote individuals to adopt preventive behaviors. The total coverage and solution consistency values were 0.869 and 0.987, respectively. Furthermore, COVID-19 information content, the sources of social media and interpersonal sources, and official news media played an essential role in increasing the likelihood of individuals adopting preventive behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrated that individuals seek various COVID-19 information from multiple sources. The direct and degree of association of information sources and content with individuals' preventive behaviors vary from source to source and from content to content. Information sources and content could combinatorially promote individuals to adopt preventive behaviors through several configurations.

Perception and willingness toward various immunization routes for COVID-19 vaccines: a cross-sectional survey in China

Background

To date, most vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine, are mainly administered by intramuscular injection, which might lead to vaccine hesitancy in some populations due to needle fear. Alternatively, needle-free immunization technology is extensively developed to improve the efficacy and acceptance of vaccination. However, there is no study to report the perception and willingness toward various immunization routes of the COVID-19 vaccine in the general population.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted nationwide using an online questionnaire. Bivariate analyses were undertaken to assess variable associations among the participants who reported a hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 booster vaccination. Multivariable logistic regression with a backward step-wise approach was used to analyze the predicted factors associated with the willingness to receive the COVID-19 booster vaccination.

Results

A total of 3,244 valid respondents were included in this survey, and 63.2% of participants thought they had a good understanding of intramuscular injection, but only 20.7, 9.2, 9.4, and 6.0% of participants had a self-perceived good understanding of inhalation vaccine, nasal spray vaccine, oral vaccine, and microneedle patch vaccine. Correspondingly, there was high acceptance for intramuscular injection (76.5%), followed by oral inhalation (64.4%) and nasal spray (43.0%). Those participants who were only willing to receive an intramuscular vaccine had less vaccine knowledge (OR = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.65-0.94) than those who were willing to receive a needle-free vaccine (OR = 1.97; 95% CI: 1.52-2.57). Some factors were found to be associated with vaccine hesitancy toward booster COVID-19 vaccination.

Conclusion

Needle-free vaccination is a promising technology for the next generation of vaccines, but we found that intramuscular injection was still the most acceptable immunization route in this survey. One major reason might be that most people lack knowledge about needle-free vaccination. We should strengthen the publicity of needle-free vaccination technology, and thus improve the acceptance and coverage of vaccination in different populations.

Death, Funeral Rituals, and Stigma: Perspectives from Mortuary Workers and Bereaved Families

Deaths caused by COVID-19 have affected bereaved family members in several ways, including the inability to perform funeral rites and rituals. Understanding the dynamics and experiences of death and funerals of bereaved families and mortuary workers can lead to improvements in funeral services and the provision of social support for the affected families and mortuary workers. This study aimed to capture the experiences of mourning family members in Indonesia who lost a loved one due to COVID-19 and of mortuary workers who performed funerals according to COVID-19 protocols. Ten family members and 12 mortuary workers living in West Timor, Indonesia, were interviewed using a semistructured interview approach. Findings of the study show that mortuary workers were able to strictly implement the new funeral protocols. However, the rushed nature of these funerals led to resistance from families and prevented bereaved families from performing the usual cultural and religious funeral rituals. This, combined with stigma from their neighbors, led these families to have poor psychological wellbeing.

The Perception of Nurses about Migrants after the COVID-19 Pandemic: Close Contact Improves the Relationship

Nurses have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic a tough professional situation in which they have had to work in a resource-limited context and with a high probability of COVID-19 transmission. In today's multicultural societies, care for immigrant patients is also included. In our study, we have delved into the perception of hospital nurses towards migrant people in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 nurses. Seven categories emerged and were distributed in the three blocks of the interviews: (a) perception before the pandemic: prejudices make a mark and communication problems; (b) perception after the pandemic: prejudices weaken and communication worsens; and (c) how to improve care: improve communication, more nurses, and no need for training. The approach in the interpersonal relationship between nurses and patients during the pandemic has improved health care. Proposals arise to overcome the language barrier such as the incorporation of intercultural translators-mediators and professionals of foreign origin. There is a lack of awareness of the need for training in cultural competence on the part of the nurses in the study.

Understanding Health Information Behaviors of Migrant Domestic Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Migrant domestic workers (MDWs) in Hong Kong remain vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Obtaining accurate information is essential for MDWs as it helps them understand their predicament and protect themselves. Therefore, this study delves into the MDWs' health literacy by scrutinizing how they acquire, verify, and respond to pandemic-related information. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 Indonesian MDWs, recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. The data were examined using a constant comparative approach in grounded theory. The findings reveal that the participants engaged in information seeking and scanning to obtain health crisis information, mainly through their friends, family members, and community organizations. The participants also verified the information using their judgment or by consulting other actors, such as local organizations and media outlets. The messages they obtained informed the means to protect themselves, which motivated them to adopt preventive measures. However, some also engaged in maladaptive coping, such as taking ineffective preventive actions. The participants also disseminated health crisis information throughout their social circle. This study concluded that MDWs performed four health information behaviors during the pandemic, namely information acquisition, authentication, sharing, and adoption of preventive measures. However, their information practices may change at different stages of the pandemic.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices toward COVID-19 and Vaccines among Chinese Small-Town Residents: A Cross-sectional Study

China has basically controlled the COVID-19 epidemic as a result of widespread vaccination and other containment strategies, despite localized outbreaks, as of September 2021. This study investigates the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines among Chinese small-town residents to provide suggestions for public health policy. Residents who were vaccinated against COVID-19 were asked to complete a paper questionnaire on KAP in Xidian, Zhejiang. The knowledge questionnaire consisted of 12 questions regarding COVID-19 and 12 questions regarding COVID-19 vaccines. Attitude and practice evaluation included agreement on the eventual control of COVID-19 and having recently worn a mask outside. Of 405 survey responders, 52.3% were male, 71.4% had middle school education or less, and 59.0% engaged in physical labor as an occupation. The correct answer rates of the COVID-19 section and the vaccine section were 79.2% and 71.7%, respectively. Age groups of 18 to 29 years and > 50 years, occupations of physical labor and unemployment, and primary school education and less were associated with lower knowledge scores. The majority of participants (91.6%) believed that COVID-19 will eventually be controlled, whereas women, students, and patients with chronic held relatively negative attitudes toward epidemic control. Most participants (87.4%) wore masks outside recently. In conclusion, Chinese small-town residents have a medium level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 and vaccines, hold positive attitudes, and have appropriate practices. Health education should be provided to the target populations to enrich their knowledge of COVID-19 and vaccines, and to improve their attitudes toward epidemic control.

Indonesian Migrant Workers: The Migration Process and Vulnerability to COVID-19

Indonesia is one of the largest sources of migrant workers in Southeast Asia. Presently, these workers are vulnerable to COVID-19 due to the prolonged migration process, which requires them to relocate from their villages to another country and back to Indonesia on completion of their working contract. Therefore, this study describes and discusses the vulnerability of Indonesian migrant workers (IMWs) to the pandemic at various phases of the migration process. It is related to the implementation and practice of health protocols, ignorance and indifference to the dangers and transmission of the virus, and also to the national vaccination program. The analysis is based on the review of literature studies, such as studies related to the topic, international and national regulations on migrant workers, and official data and statistics published by the Indonesian government. The materials and data were collected from search engines such as Google Search and Google Scholar and also relevant published reports available. Several policies have been implemented by the government of Indonesia and other destination countries where the prospective IMWs intend to work, to protect and prevent the transmission of COVID-19. However, there is still a contagion among IMWs willing to leave abroad and those returning home after completing their employment contract. Therefore, both countries need to be responsible for each migration process, specifically related to providing health protection, increasing awareness of the danger and transmission of the virus, and applying polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and COVID-19 vaccination for migrant workers.

Predicting self-harm and suicide ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: a nationwide survey report

BACKGROUND

It is estimated that 77.0% of suicide cases occurred in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), which would increase because of the COVID-19 pandemic and socioeconomic inequity. However, there is lack of reports on this topic from LMICs, especially during the pandemic. Therefore, this nationwide study aimed to explore self-harm and suicide ideation and its predictive variables during the pandemic in Indonesia as a MIC with the highest COVID-19 fatality rate in Asia.

METHODS

Non-random sampling online survey was conducted nationwide between 25 May and 16 June 2021. The collected data were demographic variables (i.e. age group), loneliness from social isolation using The UCLA Loneliness Scale Six Items (ULS-6), and self-harm and suicide ideation using item 9 of The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Predictive model was analyzed using hierarchical logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 5211 participants from all 34 provinces in Indonesia completed the survey. Among 39.3% of them reported self-harm and suicide ideation during the pandemic, which significantly correlated with loneliness. The predictive variables associated with the likelihood of self-harm and suicide ideation were age, residence, job, religion, sex-gender, sexual orientation, HIV status, disability status, and loneliness. The predictive model showed a significant goodness-of-fit to the observed data (x² [ (15)] = 1803.46, p < .001), R_N² = .40.

CONCLUSION

Four out of 10 Indonesians experienced self-harm and suicide ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly people within the age range of 18-24, living in the Java Island, unemployed/student/retired and freelancer, women, members of minority and marginalized communities, and experience of loneliness during the pandemic.

COVID-19 Study on Scientific Articles in Health Communication: A Science Mapping Analysis in Web of Science

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause a collapse in the health systems and econo-mies of many countries around the world, after 2 years of struggle and with the number of cases still growing exponentially. Health communication has become as essential and necessary for control of the pandemic as epidemiology. This bibliometric analysis identifies existing contributions, jointly studying health communication and the pandemic in scientific journals indexed. A systematic search of the Web of Science was performed, using keywords related to COVID-19 and health communication. Data extracted included the type of study, journal, number of citations, number of authors, country of publication, and study content. As the number of scientific investigations has grown, it is necessary to delve into the areas in which the most impactful publications have been generated. The results show that the scientific community has been quick to react by generating an extraordinary volume of publications. This review provides a comprehensive mapping of contributions to date, showing how research approaches have evolved in parallel with the pandemic. In 2020, concepts related to mental health, mass communication, misinformation and communication risk were more used. In 2021, vaccination, infodemic, risk perception, social distancing and telemedicine were the most prevalent keywords. By highlighting the main topics, authors, manuscripts and journals since the origin of COVID-19, the authors hope to disseminate information that can help researchers to identify subsisting knowledge gaps and a number of future research opportunities.

Evaluating the Implementation of a Mental Health App for Overseas Filipino Workers in Macao China: A Mixed-Methods Study of Stakeholders' Perspectives

BACKGROUND

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is one of the largest communities of international migrant workers. They face systemic barriers to fulfilling their health needs. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened this condition and provided a context to evaluate the utility of a digital mental health intervention delivered within a stepped-care model to address OFW mental health. Using an implementation science framework, this study aimed to evaluate stakeholders' perspectives on the implementation of Kumusta Kabayan, a mobile phone-based mental health app, for OFWs in Macao.

METHODS

A mixed-methods convergent design was used by conducting two parallel steps, including quantitative and qualitative measures. The quantitative data was collected from Filipino team members and local non-governmental organization (NGO) staff members (N = 12). The qualitative data were gathered from interviews with OFWs in Macao who used the app (N = 25; 80% females, 76% domestic workers).

RESULTS

From the online survey, the staff members of the local partner NGO and the Filipino team members strongly perceived that their organization could adapt Kumusta Kabayan to their program and generally evaluated that Kumusta Kabayan achieved its goal and was received well by OFWs. In the interviews, the OFW app users shared their experiences in using Kumusta Kabayan, which was thematically organized into six aspects of the participants' experience: (1) promotional channel and expectation; (2) when to use the app and in what language; (3) lessons learnt; (4) memorable aspects; (5) key facilitators and barriers; and (6) suggestions.

CONCLUSION

Kumusta Kabayan was well accepted and shows potential to be integrated into the existing support services for OFWs in Macao. This app has the promise of being scaled-up for OFWs in other countries by collaborating with local and overseas stakeholders. Lessons learnt from this evaluation could also be implemented in wider digital mental health services in different settings.

Identification of Workplace Social Sustainability Indicators Related to Employee Ergonomics Perception in Indonesian Industry

Sustainability indicators have provided a breakthrough for companies to assess their performance in supporting corporate sustainability. There is no standard framework for these support-defining indicators to conduct a social sustainability performance assessment. There is a limitation of quantitative social sustainability indicators appropriate for performing ergonomic concept assessments. Ergonomics, as a field concerning people and their interactions with the environment, in particular, the workplace, can play a role in social sustainability, besides its conventional approach of workplace re-engineering. Three major areas of ergonomics were analyzed. The indicators were established based on a review of the literature and confirmed using a factor analysis that covered all major aspects of workplace ergonomics. The factor analysis aimed to reduce the complexity of workplace social sustainability indicators related to ergonomics. The final result integrated 73 indicators into 17 indicators based on three major areas of ergonomics. The findings showed that the best workplace social sustainability indicators were divided into five factors: employee well-being, safety concerns, workplace comfort, musculoskeletal health, and environmental concerns. It would be very beneficial for the industry and the government to support corporate social sustainability and the global sustainability index.