Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding “New Normal” Guidelines and Quality of Life Among Thai People During the COVID-19 Outbreak: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey

COVID-19 information sources, knowledge, attitude and control practices among community members during the pandemic in Ebonyi state, Nigeria: an analytical cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

After taking a heavy toll on the world population, the COVID-19 pandemic is now an endemic disease of global public health significance that requires long-term application of control measures, which will likely be influenced by people's sources of information, knowledge and attitude about COVID-19 and their previous use of control measures. This study aimed to further the understanding of COVID-19 information sources, knowledge, attitude and control practices and their predictors among community members in Ebonyi state, Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIGN

Analytical cross-sectional survey.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

We conducted a survey among all consenting/assenting community members aged 15 years and above in 28 randomly selected geographical clusters between 12 March and 9 May 2022. Data were collected through a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire using KoBoCollect installed in Android devices.

ANALYSIS

Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were done, including multivariate generalised estimating equations.

RESULTS

10 825 participants were surveyed. The radio was the most common individual source of information about COVID-19 (used by 71.9% of the participants), and also the main and most trusted source of information for majority of the participants (46.1% and 44.7%, respectively). This was followed by family members/relatives/friends (61.8%) as the next most common source of information about COVID-19. Next to radio, family members/relatives/friends (13.2%) were the second main source of information, followed by health workers (13.0%). Meanwhile, health workers (15.2%) were the second most trusted source of COVID-19 information, next to radio. Traditional media was the main and also the most trusted source of information (55.6% and 54.3%, respectively), followed by interpersonal sources (36.9% and 39.7%, respectively) and internet/social media/text messages (7.5% and 6.0%, respectively). 10.1%, 51.4% and 23.7% of the participants had good knowledge, good attitude and good control practice, respectively. The strongest and most important predictor of the main and most trusted sources of information was gender. Other predictors included marital status, educational level, age and occupation. Good attitude, being married and educational level were strong predictors of good control practices.

CONCLUSION

The evidence from this study should be used to guide subsequent policy actions on COVID-19 or other similar health emergencies in order to enhance effective emergency health information dissemination and optimal use of control measures by community members in Ebonyi state, Nigeria and in other similar settings.

Mental health status and quality of life among Thai people after the COVID-19 outbreak: a cross-sectional study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound impact on individuals' mental health and well-being worldwide. This study investigated the prevalences of and association between mental health and quality of life (QOL) in Thailand after the COVID-19 outbreak. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Thai individuals aged ≥ 20 years across all regions. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between mental health and QOL. A total of 1,133 participants (mean age: 35.1 ± 17.2 years) completed the survey. The prevalence of depression with PHQ-9 instrument was 19.4%. Depression was significantly associated with those who have had family members die from COVID-19 infection (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.13-4.52]). The percentages of depression, anxiety, and stress with DASS-21 instrument were 32.4%, 45.4%, and 24.1%, respectively. Smokers and alcohol consumption had approximately 1.5-time higher risk of stress compared with non-smokers and no alcohol consumption (AOR = 1.50, 95% CI [1.01-2.24], AOR = 1.48, 95% CI [1.09-2.02], respectively). An association was observed between socioeconomic factors such as job and income loss and mental health outcomes. Depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly negatively associated with QOL. This study demonstrates a strong association between mental health and QOL among Thai people after the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings underscore the need for interventions targeting lifestyles, including those addressing alcohol consumption and smoking, especially among those who have had family members die from COVID-19 infection and mental health support services that can address depression, anxiety, and stress to improve the overall well-being of the population.

Assessment of knowledge and practices regarding taeniasis and cysticercosis in Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Taeniasis and cysticercosis are parasitic infections caused by Taenia spp., mainly transmitted through the consumption of undercooked pork. Prevention requires increasing knowledge and awareness, improving meat inspection and hygiene, and promoting safe food handling and sanitation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and practice (KP) of residents in Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, regarding taeniasis and cysticercosis.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, and its 11 subdistrict municipalities. Study participants were selected using a stratified random sampling design. A validated questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha = 0.70) was used to collect socio-demographic information and assess knowledge and practices related to taeniasis and cysticercosis. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression were used for the analysis.

RESULTS

Of the 360 survey respondents, 65.0% (n = 234) were women, 82.2% (n = 296) were aged under 60 years, 99.2% (n = 357) identified as Buddhist, 87.5% (n = 315) had less than a bachelor's degree education level, 54.2% (n = 195) had monthly family income ≥10,000 Thai baht, 10.6% (n = 38) were unemployed, and 26.1% (n = 93) lived in a town municipality. The survey revealed that 98.3% (n = 354) of participants were categorized as having less accurate knowledge and 83.6% (n = 301) were classified as more frequently engaging in correct prevention practices. Our study revealed that pig farmers (1.7%) occasionally permitted the pigs to forage freely. The results of multiple linear regression analysis revealed that knowledge scores were positively associated with household income ≥10,000 Thai baht (βadj = 1.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65 to 2.36). Practice scores were negatively associated with age over 60 years (βadj = -1.77, 95% CI -3.14 to -0.40) and living in a subdistrict municipality (βadj = -2.58, 95% CI -3.77 to -1.39). There was no association between KP regarding taeniasis and cysticercosis in the population of Pak Chong.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, participants' knowledge was lacking. Public education interventions are recommended to improve knowledge among residents with low socioeconomic status. These findings can inform the development of targeted interventions and educational programs in Pak Chong District, especially among elderly people in subdistrict municipalities, to improve practices for the prevention and control of these parasitic infections.

The Relationship between Weight Bias Internalization and Quality of Life among Overweight and Obese Youths in Thailand

Background

Youth with overweight and obesity are susceptible to weight bias internalization (WBI) and tend to experience impaired quality of life (QOL). However, the evidence regarding the relationship between WBI and QOL remains scarce among Thai youth. Thus, this study aimed to assess the association between WBI and QOL among Thai youth with overweight and obesity.

Methods

A cross-sectional design was conducted with 667 university youths with overweight and obesity from northeastern Thailand selected by a multistage sampling method. A self-reported questionnaire was used for data collection. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to examine the association between WBI and QOL.

Results

More than half of the youths (51.4%) were females with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 26.5 kg/m2 (SD = 2.5). More than one third (37.8%) of the participants had a high level of WBI, and 48.9% reported being dissatisfied with their body image. Our results indicate higher BMI and greater WBI, and body image dissatisfactions were strongly associated with worse QOL overall and across all domains (physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment) after adjusting for all covariates.

Conclusions

WBI, BMI, and body dissatisfaction play an important role in impaired QOL. Thus, the development of intervention strategies or programs should consider the reduction of these factors as a key component of care or treatment for youth with overweight and obesity to improve QOL.

Preventive Behaviors and Influencing Factors among Thai Residents in Endemic Areas during the Highest Epidemic Peak of the COVID-19 Outbreak

This research aims to investigate COVID-19 preventive behavior and influencing factors among Thai residents during the highest epidemic peak of COVID-19. Nine hundred and forty-six residents in five districts with high COVID-19 infection cases in Thailand were systematically included in this cross-sectional survey. The results showed that 87.2% and 65.2% of the residents had a high level of general knowledge and preventive measures, respectively. As to COVID-19 attitudes, poor levels of attitude among Thai residents were found in risk perception (53.6%) and mistrust issues (70.4%). Moreover, this study presents good preventive behavior (77.0%) among Thai residents. Multiple logistic regression showed that the influence factors of COVID-19 preventive behavior were the young age group (AOR 2.97, 95% CI 1.68-5.25), high income (AOR 1.38, 95% CI 1.03-1.86), and high level of general COVID-19 knowledge (AOR 2.21, 95% CI 1.64-2.96). The conclusion was that providing information on COVID-19 via social media was the key mechanism of policy action for increasing the level of COVID-19 preventive behavior during the highest epidemic peak in Thailand. In addition, the pandemic preparedness and response policy, with resident participation and involvement, could be recommended for the resilience of pandemic preparedness.

Health-Risk Behaviors, COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors, and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Working-Age Population of Bangkok, Thailand

Although studies have extensively discussed the effects of COVID-19 on global health behaviors, little is known about the extent of COVID-19 preventive behaviors and their negative effects on the working-age population of Bangkok, Thailand. Therefore, this study aimed to examine health-risk behaviors, COVID-19 preventive behaviors, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among the Thai working-age population. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among working-age adults through a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression. Of the 313 Thai participants (227 females, 72.5%), 84.0% had high levels of health-risk behaviors for preventing COVID-19 infection, most respondents (89.1%) had high levels of knowledge about COVID-19, and most respondents (61.7%) had high levels of overall COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that health-risk behaviors (β = 0.445), knowledge of COVID-19 (β = 0.148), gender (β = 0.145), and age (β = 0.133) were predictive of COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Additionally, most respondents (48.9%) had moderate overall effects from COVID-19. Based on our findings, these factors must be considered when implementing public policies to improve COVID-19 preventive behaviors among the currently employed working-age population. In addition, appropriate interventions must be established and evaluated for the pandemic's long-term effects.