Time to reopen schools: COVID-19, health disparity and education

Radicalizing moral conservatism in herd immunity during COVID-19

The concept of herd immunity during the coronavirus disease 2019 is constantly changing. The World Health Organization's current focus is on vaccination. With ties to the bioethics of autonomy and exemptions to mandatory vaccinations, the problem is that moral conservatism tends not to cooperate in the rollouts. Radical means can be applied not just to the concept but also its application, emphasizing the need to depart from conservative hindrances to public health.

Smartphone Usage and Sleep Quality in Korean Middle School Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the quality of sleep and smartphone addiction in Korean adolescents during the coronavirus disease 19 pandemic and analyzed their effects on perceived quality of life.

METHODS

An online survey system provided by the Gwangmyeong City Health Center located in Gyeonggi-do, Korea, was completed by 1,678 local middle school students from April 1 to June 30, 2021. We measured quality of life using the KIDSCREEN-27 health-related quality of life questionnaire, quality of sleep using the Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and smartphone addiction using the Smartphone Addiction Self-Diagnosis Scale. Bed times, wake times, and total sleep hours were also recorded.

RESULTS

Sleep quality and quantity were directly associated with smartphone addiction. The results indicated that lower quality of life was associated with lower sleep quality, delayed onset of sleep, shorter total sleep time, and higher smartphone addiction. Female students reported lower quality of life, lower sleep quality, delayed sleep phases, shorter total sleep hours, and higher smartphone addiction scores than did male students.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that adolescents' quality of life is threatened by poor sleep, which in turn could be due to unhealthy smartphone usage. Girls were more heavily affected by this trend than were boys. Preparations to intervene for further mental health issues that might follow are necessary.

Sustainable diet and cruciform ethics during COVID-19

Health inequalities in food challenge sustainable prospects during the pandemic. Basic sustainable diet practices may address this issue, but problems of nutrition arise due to unhealthy eating habits. An inductive approach through curbing one's diet forms certain ethics, which takes into account one's sacrifices for the collective. This article proposes that cruciform ethics can introduce a reimagination of sustainable diets during coronavirus disease 2019.

The vulnerable in time of pandemic: toward a preferential option for the vulnerable and marginalized

The disproportionate impact of the pandemic on certain populations has highlighted numerous inequities and injustices in our world. In considering the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic, an inclusive approach is not only a humanitarian approach but also a global public health imperative. The rights of the most vulnerable groups, such as women, youth, indigenous people and persons with disabilities and with co-morbidity, among others need to be protected.