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Jo H, Baek EM. The sound of safety: exploring the determinants of prevention intention in noisy industrial workplaces. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:90. [PMID: 38178066 PMCID: PMC10768458 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17618-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Occupational noise exposure is a pervasive issue in many industries, leading to a range of health issues and sleep disturbances among workers. Additionally, there is a strong desire among these workers to prevent industrial accidents. This study, aimed at enhancing worker health and well-being, utilized a survey distributed by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions to field workers. Data from 1285 workers were collected and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to identify and understand the factors affecting prevention intention in noisy work environments. Our findings indicate that health problems resulting from occupational noise exposure significantly influence insomnia, perceived severity of potential accidents, perceived benefits of preventive measures, and perceived barriers. Perceived severity was significantly correlated with prevention intention, emphasizing the role of risk perception in motivating preventive behaviors. Perceived benefits were also significantly associated with prevention intention, highlighting the importance of positive outcomes in influencing workers' behaviors. Additionally, perceived barriers showed a significant relationship with prevention intention, suggesting that overcoming these barriers is crucial in promoting preventive behaviors. Demographic factors such as gender displayed a significant association with prevention intention, while age did not. This study provides valuable insights into the multifaceted factors influencing workers' intention to prevent industrial accidents in noisy environments, underlining the importance of comprehensive data collection tools in understanding these dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon Jo
- Headquarters, HJ Institute of Technology and Management, 71 Jungdong-ro 39, 14721, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Mi Baek
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, 06591, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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2
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Nerini A, Duradoni M, Matera C, Guazzini A, Paradisi M, Schembri A. Predictors of Vaccination Intentions and Behaviour during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:950. [PMID: 37998696 PMCID: PMC10669074 DOI: 10.3390/bs13110950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The present research aimed at understanding individuals' vaccination intentions and protective behaviours against COVID-19 through two different studies. In Study 1 (N = 213, 73% women; mean age = 24.03) the Protection Motivation Theory model was tested considering the fear of COVID-19 as a possible mediator between threat appraisal (in terms of both health and social life) and intentions to get vaccinated when the vaccination was not yet available. Study 2 (N = 1111, 68.9% women; mean age = 38.33) was conducted when the vaccine became available for the entire population. Through this study, by adopting the 5C model of vaccine hesitancy as a theoretical framework, we aimed to understand how people who got vaccinated and the ones who did not differed, considering fear of vaccination, personality and vaccination hesitancy. In Study 1, social limitations, perceived severity and COVID-19 perceived vulnerability were significantly and positively related to fear of COVID-19. Contrary to what we expected, fear of COVID-19 was not a significant predictor of vaccination intention, which was predicted by both response efficacy and self-efficacy. In Study 2, in line with previous studies, vaccine hesitancy was negatively related to vaccination. More specifically, the social-oriented dimension of collective responsibility was the strongest predictor of effective behaviour. Our findings provide insights into the complexity of vaccine acceptance and emphasise the need for targeted interventions to promote vaccination and mitigate the spread of infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Nerini
- Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 50135 Florence, Italy; (M.D.); (C.M.); (A.G.); (M.P.)
| | - Mirko Duradoni
- Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 50135 Florence, Italy; (M.D.); (C.M.); (A.G.); (M.P.)
| | - Camilla Matera
- Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 50135 Florence, Italy; (M.D.); (C.M.); (A.G.); (M.P.)
| | - Andrea Guazzini
- Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 50135 Florence, Italy; (M.D.); (C.M.); (A.G.); (M.P.)
| | - Monica Paradisi
- Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 50135 Florence, Italy; (M.D.); (C.M.); (A.G.); (M.P.)
| | - Adriele Schembri
- School of Psychology, University of Florence, 50135 Florence, Italy;
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Hedayati S, Damghanian H, Farhadinejad M, Rastgar AA. Meta-analysis on application of Protection Motivation Theory in preventive behaviors against COVID-19. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DISASTER RISK REDUCTION : IJDRR 2023:103758. [PMID: 37359108 PMCID: PMC10278899 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
The present study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on quantitative conclusion and appraisal of findings from Protection Motivation Theory to predict protective behaviors against COVID-19. This meta-analysis covered the period between 2019 and 2022. Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, Emerald, PubMed, Springer, Sage, Online Wiley Library, Taylor & Francis and ProQuest were searched to find related articles to the study topic. Using Effect Size of Random model, the quality of each study, homogeneous of studies and Publication bias of data were analyzed and assessed by CMA2 software. The results indicate that perceived severity (β=0.197), perceived vulnerability (β=0.160), response efficacy (β=0.251) and self-efficacy (β=0.270) are positively associated with COVID-19 disease. In addition, the results show that Response cost (β=-0.074) is a negative and weak predictor of motivation to protect against COVID-19. The results of this study regarding Protection Motivation Theory (PMT)- as a very strong and flexible theory during outbreak of COVID-19- may suggest that despite positive protection, the mean of Effect Size of total PMT elements is less than average size. Meta-analysis of studies shows that coping appraisal variables provide the strongest predictors of behavior and intention. Furthermore, self-efficacy was identified as the most important determinant in protective behaviors against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadegh Hedayati
- Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
| | - Hossein Damghanian
- Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
| | - Mohsen Farhadinejad
- Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
| | - Abbas Ali Rastgar
- Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
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4
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Lee PC, Huang CY, Liang LL, Huang MH, Hsu MJ. The choice of Taiwanese college students to vaccinate against severe special infectious pneumonia COVID-19 based on the integrated theory of planning behavior. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2022; 18:2148500. [PMID: 36415127 PMCID: PMC9762833 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2148500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Taiwan's coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine procurement was delayed until October 2021. With the vaccine's introduction in Taiwan, the public will have an opportunity to choose vaccination. Choosing to vaccinate involves considerations regarding the trade-off between the protective power of the vaccine and its side effects, which is a planned behavior. College students have considered high-risk objects for COVID-19 outbreaks given their lifestyle, and their efficient vaccination may help reduce mutual infection between college students and the general public. This study obtained 707 valid questionnaires from Taiwan college students (20 years old and above). We investigated several factors during our college students' survey regarding vaccination. Among this integrated TPB model, "Attitude," "Subjective Norm," "Perceived Behavioral Control," and "COVID-19 Information Asymmetry" had a positive impact on vaccination "Behavioral Intention." COVID-19 information asymmetry positively and significantly affected behavioral intention through perceived behavioral control, while perceived behavioral control had a mediating effect. To promote the behavioral intention of college students to choose COVID-19 vaccination, public and private departments for epidemic prevention must aim to overcome the self-efficacy barriers of perceived behavioral control and promote the primary group influence effect of subjective norm and the self-interest factor of attitude. Governments and NGOs should also ensure prompt and accurate transmission of epidemic and vaccine information and actively investigate and prohibit misleading details from unknown sources and no scientific basis. Such a policy will generate trust, effectively increasing the vaccination rate and reducing cluster infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Chun Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan,Department of Business Management, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan,CONTACT Po-Chun Lee Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, 7F., No. 1, Ln. 218, Jianxing S. Rd., Kaohsiung, Pingtung County 900044, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
| | - Ching-Yuan Huang
- Department of Marketing Management, SHU-TE University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Li-Lin Liang
- Department of Business Management, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan,Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Min-Hsin Huang
- Department of Business Management, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Meng-Jun Hsu
- Department of Hotel Management, National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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Veronese G, Pepe A. Factor structure and psychometric proprieties of the COVID-19 prevention behaviours (COV19-PB) scale. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 42:1-9. [PMID: 36593908 PMCID: PMC9795933 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-04167-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
We sought to test the COVID19-PB scale's psychometric properties and its dimensionality in a sample composed of 1107 Italian adults aged from 18 to 80 years (M = 39.59; SD = 16.36), 75% (n = 830) females, and 25% (n = 277) males. Exploratory, Confirmatory factor analysis and parallel analysis were used to validate the instrument that resulted from the Ebola Virus protective behaviours scale adaptation. Fear of covid-19 and a 1-item level of adherence to the Covid-19 protection scale were used to test the measure's convergent validity. A four-factor structure emerged from exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis: direct avoidance, avoidance of public spaces, avoidance of social interaction, and talking about the virus as protection. COVID-19 PB was a valuable measure to assess individuals' competencies in assuming correct behaviours during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido Veronese
- Department of Human Sciences “R. Massa”, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Alessandro Pepe
- Department of Human Sciences “R. Massa”, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1 20126 Milano, Italy
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Schumann P, Scholz M, Trentzsch K, Jochim T, Śliwiński G, Malberg H, Ziemssen T. Detection of Fall Risk in Multiple Sclerosis by Gait Analysis-An Innovative Approach Using Feature Selection Ensemble and Machine Learning Algorithms. Brain Sci 2022; 12:1477. [PMID: 36358403 PMCID: PMC9688245 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12111477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the common causes of falls in people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) is walking impairment. Therefore, assessment of gait is of importance in MS. Gait analysis and fall detection can take place in the clinical context using a wide variety of available methods. However, combining these methods while using machine learning algorithms for detecting falls has not been performed. Our objective was to determine the most relevant method for determining fall risk by analyzing eleven different gait data sets with machine learning algorithms. In addition, we examined the most important features of fall detection. A new feature selection ensemble (FS-Ensemble) and four classification models (Gaussian Naive Bayes, Decision Tree, k-Nearest Neighbor, Support Vector Machine) were used. The FS-Ensemble consisted of four filter methods: Chi-square test, information gain, Minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance and RelieF. Various thresholds (50%, 25% and 10%) and combination methods (Union, Union 2, Union 3 and Intersection) were examined. Patient-reported outcomes using specialized walking questionnaires such as the 12-item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale (MSWS-12) and the Early Mobility Impairment Questionnaire (EMIQ) achieved the best performances with an F1 score of 0.54 for detecting falls. A combination of selected features of MSWS-12 and EMIQ, including the estimation of walking, running and stair climbing ability, the subjective effort as well as necessary concentration and walking fluency during walking, the frequency of stumbling and the indication of avoidance of social activity achieved the best recall of 75%. The Gaussian Naive Bayes was the best classification model for detecting falls with almost all data sets. FS-Ensemble improved the classification models and is an appropriate technique for reducing data sets with a large number of features. Future research on other risk factors, such as fear of falling, could provide further insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Schumann
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, TU Dresden, Fetscherstr. 29, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Maria Scholz
- Center of Clinical Neuroscience, Neurological Clinic, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Katrin Trentzsch
- Center of Clinical Neuroscience, Neurological Clinic, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Thurid Jochim
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, TU Dresden, Fetscherstr. 29, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Grzegorz Śliwiński
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, TU Dresden, Fetscherstr. 29, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Hagen Malberg
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, TU Dresden, Fetscherstr. 29, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Tjalf Ziemssen
- Center of Clinical Neuroscience, Neurological Clinic, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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Postill G, Adams CL, Zanin C, Halpin M, Ritter C. Adherence of those at low risk of disease to public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276746. [PMID: 36282884 PMCID: PMC9595514 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Public health measures (PHMs) proactively and reactively reduce the spread of disease. While these measures target individual behaviour, they require broad adherence to be effective. Consequently, the World Health Organization issued a special appeal to young adults, a known non-adherent population, for increased adherence with COVID-19 guidelines. However, little is known about why these low-risk individuals do or do not adhere to PHMs. This study investigates why young adults in a low-risk setting adhered to PHMs implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative research approach was chosen to gain an in-depth understanding of participants’ thoughts and experiences related to PHM adherence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in April-May 2021 with 30 young adults living in Prince Edward Island (PEI), the province with the lowest COVID-19 case rate in Canada at that time. Thematic analysis was used to create a codebook based on the Theoretical Domains Framework, which was then inductively modified. The analysis identified eight themes that explained the adherence of young adults: (1) clear, purpose-driven adherence rationale, (2) developing trust in the local leadership, (3) adapting to novel measures, (4) manageable disruption, (5) adhering to reduce anxiety, (6) collective duty towards one’s community, (7) moral culpability and (8) using caution rather than compliance. Together, these themes demonstrate that young adults adhered to PHMs because of their sense of connection to their community, public health leadership, and concerns over stigma. We further argue that clear guidelines and communication from public health officials during both periods of high and low COVID-19 cases facilitate adherence. These findings are important for mitigating future public health emergencies as they explain why young adults, an important segment of the population whose adherence is critical to the success of PHMs, follow PHMs. Further, these findings can inform public health officials and other stakeholders aiming to develop successful adherence strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Postill
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Cindy L. Adams
- Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Claire Zanin
- Faculty of Science, University of Guelph, East Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Halpin
- Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Caroline Ritter
- Department of Health Management, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Wang G, Li L, Wang L, Xu Z. The Effect of Governmental Health Measures on Public Behaviour During the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak. Int J Health Policy Manag 2022; 11:2166-2174. [PMID: 34814663 PMCID: PMC9808271 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.2021.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in radical changes in many aspects of life. To deal with this, each country has implemented continuous health measures from the beginning of the outbreak. Discovering how governmental actions impacted public behaviour during the outbreak stage is the purpose of this study. METHODS This study uses a hybrid large-scale data visualisation method to analyse public behaviour (epidemic concerns, self-protection, and mobility trends), using the data provided by multiple authorities. Meanwhile, a content analysis method is used to qualitatively code the health measures of three countries with severe early epidemic outbreaks from different continents, namely China, Italy, and the United States. Eight dimensions are coded to rate the mobility restrictions implemented in the above countries. RESULTS (1) Governmental measures did not immediately persuade the public to change their behaviours during the COVID-19 epidemic. Instead, the public behaviour proceeded in a three-phase rule, which is typically witnessed in an epidemic outbreak, namely the wait-and-see phase, the surge phase and the slow-release phase. (2) The strictness of the mobility restrictions of the three countries can be ranked as follows: Hubei Province in China (with an average score of 8.5 out of 10), Lombardy in Italy (7.125), and New York State in the United States (5.375). Strict mobility restrictions are more likely to cause a surge of population outflow from the epidemic area in the short term, whereas the effect of mobility restrictions is positively related to the stringency of policies in the long term. CONCLUSION The public showed generally lawful behaviour during regional epidemic outbreaks and blockades. Meanwhile public behaviour was deeply affected by the actions of local governments, rather than the global pandemic situation. The contextual differences between the various countries are important factors that influence the effects of the different governments' health measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoyan Wang
- School of Communication, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Li Li
- Health Inspection Institute, Health Commission of Suzhou, Suzhou, China
| | - Lingfei Wang
- School of Communication, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Zhi Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Culture and Tourism for Digital Twin Perception Technology in Museums, Suzhou, China
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Tomietto M, Simonetti V, Comparcini D, Stefanizzi P, Cicolini G. A large cross-sectional survey of COVID-19 vaccination willingness amongst healthcare students and professionals: Reveals generational patterns. J Adv Nurs 2022; 78:2894-2903. [PMID: 35301774 PMCID: PMC9111790 DOI: 10.1111/jan.15222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To determine coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination hesitancy in healthcare professionals and healthcare students in Italy across four generations (baby boomers, generations X, Y and Z). DESIGN A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed through an online survey conducted from May to June 2021. The STROBE guidelines were adopted for reporting. METHODS Data were collected by initially sending a survey link to a convenience sample of healthcare professionals and students, which was followed by snowball sampling. The VAX scale was validated and adopted. An ANOVA was performed to detect differences in vaccine-hesitancy beliefs between the four generational groups. RESULTS The survey was completed by 1226 healthcare professionals and students. Worries about unforeseen future effects accounted for the higher vaccination hesitancy factor across generations. More positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination were expressed by members of generation Z than by members of generation Y and baby boomers. Members of generation X had the highest vaccination hesitancy scores in the overall scale. CONCLUSION The results suggest that public health campaigns should take into account the generational differences in COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy to achieve higher levels of vaccine acceptance, including amongst healthcare professionals and students. IMPACT Vaccination is the most effective strategy to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. The advice of health professionals strongly influences vaccination willingness in the general population. A consideration of the generational patterns in the COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy of healthcare workers and students may increase vaccination uptake in these populations, which in turn may lead to greater public acceptance of the vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Tomietto
- Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- Research Unit of Nursing Science and Health Management, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Valentina Simonetti
- Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Dania Comparcini
- Politecnica delle Marche University of Ancona, Ancona, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria "Ospedali Riuniti" di Ancona, Ancona, Italy
| | - Pasquale Stefanizzi
- Research Unit of Nursing Science and Health Management, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Giancarlo Cicolini
- Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
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Dasgupta A, Bakshi A, Mukherjee S, Das K, Talukdar S, Chatterjee P, Mondal S, Das P, Ghosh S, Som A, Roy P, Kundu R, Sarkar A, Biswas A, Paul K, Basak S, Manna K, Saha C, Mukhopadhyay S, Bhattacharyya NP, De RK. Epidemiological challenges in pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Role of artificial intelligence. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. DATA MINING AND KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY 2022; 12:e1462. [PMID: 35942397 PMCID: PMC9350133 DOI: 10.1002/widm.1462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
World is now experiencing a major health calamity due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus clade 2. The foremost challenge facing the scientific community is to explore the growth and transmission capability of the virus. Use of artificial intelligence (AI), such as deep learning, in (i) rapid disease detection from x-ray or computed tomography (CT) or high-resolution CT (HRCT) images, (ii) accurate prediction of the epidemic patterns and their saturation throughout the globe, (iii) forecasting the disease and psychological impact on the population from social networking data, and (iv) prediction of drug-protein interactions for repurposing the drugs, has attracted much attention. In the present study, we describe the role of various AI-based technologies for rapid and efficient detection from CT images complementing quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunodiagnostic assays. AI-based technologies to anticipate the current pandemic pattern, prevent the spread of disease, and face mask detection are also discussed. We inspect how the virus transmits depending on different factors. We investigate the deep learning technique to assess the affinity of the most probable drugs to treat COVID-19. This article is categorized under:Application Areas > Health CareAlgorithmic Development > Biological Data MiningTechnologies > Machine Learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhijit Dasgupta
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Abhisek Bakshi
- Department of Information TechnologyBengal Institute of TechnologyKolkataWest BengalIndia
| | - Srijani Mukherjee
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Kuntal Das
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Soumyajeet Talukdar
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Pratyayee Chatterjee
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Sagnik Mondal
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Puspita Das
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Subhrojit Ghosh
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Archisman Som
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Pritha Roy
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Rima Kundu
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Akash Sarkar
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Arnab Biswas
- Department of Data Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Karnelia Paul
- Department of BiotechnologyUniversity of CalcuttaKolkataWest BengalIndia
| | - Sujit Basak
- Department of Physiology and BiophysicsStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNew YorkUSA
| | - Krishnendu Manna
- Department of Food and NutritionUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Chinmay Saha
- Department of Genome Science, School of Interdisciplinary StudiesUniversity of Kalyani, KalyaniNadiaWest BengalIndia
| | - Satinath Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Endocrinology and MetabolismInstitute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial HospitalKolkataWest BengalIndia
| | - Nitai P. Bhattacharyya
- Department of Endocrinology and MetabolismInstitute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial HospitalKolkataWest BengalIndia
| | - Rajat K. De
- Machine Intelligence UnitIndian Statistical InstituteKolkataWest BengalIndia
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Goren T, Vashdi DR, Beeri I. "Apples and Oranges": Examining Different Social Groups' Compliance With Government Health Instructions During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Health Policy Manag 2022; 11:1172-1186. [PMID: 33904702 PMCID: PMC9808174 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.2021.21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The coronavirus outbreak has demonstrated the crucial effect of the public's compliance with the government's health instructions on the population's health. However, evidence shows that some communities are less likely to comply with such instructions than others. This study highlights the factors related to intentions to comply with newly issued health directives during an ongoing extreme crisis, such as the current pandemic. In addition, it compares the impact of these factors on different minority groups and the general population in Israel. METHODS Using an online survey (N=1005), we examined the impact of compliance-related factors on compliance intentions with newly issued health directives in two minority groups in Israel: the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community (N=323) and the Arab community (N=361), as well as in the general population (N=321), during the first outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Participants were presented with a new made-up COVID-19-related instruction simulated to be issued by the Israeli Ministry of Health. Compliance intentions and compliance-related factors were measured. RESULTS The Arab minority expressed greater intentions of complying with the instructions than the other groups. Perceptions on risk and the effectiveness of the instruction were the only two significantly associated factors with compliance intentions in all of the social groups. Additional factors affected different groups to different extents. Trust in government was related to compliance intentions only in the Arab minority. CONCLUSION Intentions to comply with health instructions during a crisis differ in various minority groups and in comparison to the general population, both in their levels and in the factors related to them. Policy-makers and health authorities should consider providing information about the risks and negative outcomes of the crisis as well as the expected effectiveness of the recommended behaviors. Future research should examine other minority groups and other types of instructions in different stages of a crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talia Goren
- Division of Public Administration and Policy, School of Political Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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12
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Murukutla N, Gupta AK, Maharjan M, Fabrizio C, Myers EW, Johnson A, Nkwanzi V, Wilkason CA, Lacey N, Tshangela A, Djoudalbaye B, McClelland A. Psychosocial determinants of adherence to public health and social measures (PHSMs) in 18 African Union Member States during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: results of a cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e054839. [PMID: 35728899 PMCID: PMC9213762 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of the psychosocial and sociodemographic factors that affected adherence to COVID-19 public health and social measures (PHSMs), and to identify the factors that most strongly related to whether citizens followed public health guidance. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Nationally representative telephone surveys were conducted from 4-17 August 2020 in 18 African Union Member States. A total of 21 600 adults (mean age=32.7 years, SD=11.4) were interviewed (1200 in each country). OUTCOME MEASURES Information including sociodemographics, adherence to PHSMs and psychosocial variables was collected. Logistic regression models examined the association between PHSM adherence (eg, physical distancing, gathering restrictions) and sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics (eg, risk perception, trust). Factors affecting adherence were ranked using the Shapley regression decomposition method. RESULTS Adherence to PHSMs was high, with better adherence to personal than community PHSMs (65.5% vs 30.2%, p<0.05). Psychosocial measures were significantly associated with personal and community PHSMs (p<0.05). Women and older adults demonstrated better adherence to personal PHSMs (adjusted OR (aOR): women=1.43, age=1.01, p<0.05) and community PHSMs (aOR: women=1.57, age=1.01, p<0.05). Secondary education was associated with better adherence only to personal PHSMs (aOR=1.22, p<0.05). Rural residence and access to running water were associated with better adherence to community PHSMs (aOR=1.12 and 1.18, respectively, p<0.05). The factors that most affected adherence to personal PHSMs were: self-efficacy; trust in hospitals/health centres; knowledge about face masks; trust in the president; and gender. For community PHSMs they were: gender; trust in the president; access to running water; trust in hospitals/health centres; and risk perception. CONCLUSIONS Psychosocial factors, particularly trust in authorities and institutions, played a critical role in PHSM adherence. Adherence to community PHSMs was lower than personal PHSMs since they can impose significant burdens, particularly on the socially vulnerable.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Colby A Wilkason
- Resolve To Save Lives, An initiative to Vital Strategies, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Akhona Tshangela
- Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, African Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Benjamin Djoudalbaye
- Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, African Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Amanda McClelland
- Resolve To Save Lives, An initiative to Vital Strategies, New York, New York, USA
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13
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Woodland L, Hodson A, Webster RK, Amlôt R, Smith LE, Rubin J. A Qualitative Study Evaluating the Factors Affecting Families' Adherence to the First COVID-19 Lockdown in England Using the COM-B Model and TDF. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19127305. [PMID: 35742548 PMCID: PMC9223726 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19127305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
The ability of families to adhere to public health guidance is critical to controlling a pandemic. We conducted qualitative interviews with 30 parents of children aged 18 and under, between 16 and 21 April 2020 when schools in England were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the Theoretical Domains Framework, we classified the factors that influenced adherence to seven non-pharmaceutical interventions. We found 40 factors that influenced a family’s ability to adhere. Parents generally indicated they could adhere and reported how their family had changed their behaviour to comply with the guidance. Parents primarily reported they were motivated to adhere out of concern for the health consequences of COVID-19, and because the guidance was delivered by the government. However, we found that reduced access to resources (e.g., technology, transport, and outside space) and social influences that encouraged non-adherent behaviour, decreased adherence. Furthermore, we suggest that families with low psychological and physical ability may face additional challenges to adherence and need to be supported. During future school closures, public health agencies should account for these factors when developing guidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Woodland
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King’s College London, NIHR Health Protection Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response, London SE5 9RJ, UK; (L.E.S.); (J.R.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Ava Hodson
- Department of War Studies, King’s College London, NIHR Health Protection Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response, London WC2R 2LS, UK;
| | - Rebecca K. Webster
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2LT, UK;
| | - Richard Amlôt
- Behavioural Science and Insights Unit, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down, NIHR Health Protection Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK;
| | - Louise E. Smith
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King’s College London, NIHR Health Protection Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response, London SE5 9RJ, UK; (L.E.S.); (J.R.)
| | - James Rubin
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King’s College London, NIHR Health Protection Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response, London SE5 9RJ, UK; (L.E.S.); (J.R.)
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14
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Li YS, Wang R, Deng YQ, Jia XR, Li SP, Zhao LP, Sun XY, Qi F, Wu YB. Influence factors analysis of COVID-19 Prevention behavior of chinese Citizens: a path analysis based on the hypothetical model. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:1098. [PMID: 35650608 PMCID: PMC9159041 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-13514-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Under the outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a structural equation model was established to determine the causality of important factors that affect Chinese citizens' COVID-19 prevention behavior. METHODS The survey in Qingdao covered several communities in 10 districts and used the method of cluster random sampling. The research instrument used in this study is a self-compiled Chinese version of the questionnaire. Of the 1215 questionnaires, 1188 were included in our analysis. We use the rank sum test, which is a non-parametric test, to test the influence of citizens'basic sociodemographic variables on prevention behavior, and the rank correlation test to analyze the influencing factors of prevention behavior. IBM AMOS 24.0 was used for path analysis, including estimating regression coefficients and evaluating the statistical fits of the structural model, to further explore the causal relationships between variables. RESULTS The result showed that the score in the prevention behavior of all citizens is a median of 5 and a quartile spacing of 0.31. The final structural equation model showed that the external support for fighting the epidemic, the demand level of health information, the cognition of (COVID-19) and the negative emotions after the outbreak had direct effects on the COVID-19 prevention behavior, and that negative emotions and information needs served as mediating variables. CONCLUSIONS The study provided a basis for relevant departments to further adopt epidemic prevention and control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Shan Li
- School Of Public Health, Shandong University, 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Qingdao, 175 Shandong Road, 266033, Shandong, China
| | - Yu-Qian Deng
- Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University, 410000, Changsha, China
| | - Xiao-Rong Jia
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Qingdao, 175 Shandong Road, 266033, Shandong, China
| | - Shan-Peng Li
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Qingdao, 175 Shandong Road, 266033, Shandong, China
| | - Li-Ping Zhao
- The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 410000, Changsha, China
| | - Xin-Ying Sun
- School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Qi
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Qingdao, 175 Shandong Road, 266033, Shandong, China.
| | - Yi-Bo Wu
- School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, 100191, Beijing, China. .,Key Research Base of Philosophy and Social Sciences in Shaanxi Province, Health Culture Research Center of Shaanxi, 712046, Xi'an, China.
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15
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The Effect of Perceived Vaccination on Students’ Online Learning Intentions: A Moderated Mediation Model. HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 2022. [DOI: 10.1155/2022/9387583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The current study proposed and tested a moderated mediation model to reveal the effect of perceived vaccination (PV) on students’ online learning intentions (SOLI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A questionnaire was distributed to 663 full- and part-time students at Vietnamese universities, and 632 responses were analyzed. SPSS 20 software and Hayes SPSS Process Macro (model 5) were used to test five hypotheses, all of which were supported. The study found that students’ online learning intentions decreased after being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and that perceived invulnerability played a mediating role in the relationship between perceived vaccination and students’ online learning intentions. The study also revealed that student age moderated a negative association between perceived vaccination and online learning intention, as this negative relationship was stronger for younger students than for older students. Theoretical and practical implications from our research contribute recommendations for governments, policymakers, and educators to consider adjusting educational management strategy, as well as adopting appropriate forms of learning in different epidemic contexts and vaccine coverage rates.
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16
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Kehr HM, Bakaç C, Jais M, Brunner D, Voigt J, Holzemer L. The Role of Death-Anxiety-Induced Fear of COVID-19 in Compliance With and Acceptance of Government-Issued COVID-19 Regulations. Front Psychol 2022; 13:881603. [PMID: 35586230 PMCID: PMC9108415 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.881603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The present research was conducted to empirically examine whether death anxiety is the fundamental fear that feeds people's fear of COVID-19 and leads to increased behavioral compliance with and acceptance of COVID-19 regulations. Results from an online survey of 313 participants from New York City show that death anxiety was, indeed, positively associated with behavioral compliance with, but not acceptance of, COVID-19 regulations via an increased fear of COVID-19. Hence, media campaigns that are designed to increase people's compliance with restrictive COVID-19 measures by stirring up their death anxiety are likely to meet their target, but they do not necessarily lead to increased public acceptance of the measures taken.
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17
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Wesselbaum D, Hansen P. Lockdown design: which features of lockdowns are most important to COVID-19 experts? J R Soc N Z 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2022.2048675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul Hansen
- Department of Economics, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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18
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Shanka MS, Menebo MM. When and How Trust in Government Leads to Compliance with COVID-19 Precautionary Measures. JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH 2022; 139:1275-1283. [PMID: 34744211 PMCID: PMC8559780 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Despite the risks of COVID-19, some people ignore the COVID-19 precautionary measures, endangering public health. We aimed to investigate how and in what conditions trust in government and health authorities encourage individuals to comply with COVID-19 precautionary measures. Based on a sample of 664 respondents, we found that an increase in the level of trust in government is associated with higher compliance with COVID-19 precautionary measures. We also found that problem awareness mediates the effect of trust in government on compliance with COVID-19 precautionary measures. In addition, we examined whether individualistic orientation moderates the mediating effect of problem awareness. We found that individualistic orientation mitigates the mediating effect of problem awareness in the relationship between trust in government and compliance behavior. The findings of this study have the potential to inform policy and practice by addressing the ways in which compliance with COVID-19 precautionary measures can be improved.
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19
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Oleribe OO, Idigbe IE, Osita-Oleribe P, Olawepo O, Musa ZA, Aikhuomogbe S, Ezechi OC, Fertleman M, Salako B, Taylor-Robinson SD. Perceptions and opinions of Nigerians to the management and response to COVID-19 in Nigeria. Pan Afr Med J 2022; 40:185. [PMID: 35059105 PMCID: PMC8728801 DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2021.40.185.31824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION we present a qualitative analysis of opinions of the Nigerian general public as to how successful healthcare strategies have been in containing the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS an online qualitative survey was conducted, consisting of 30 semi-structured questions. RESULTS four hundred and ninety-five (495) respondents participated, ranging in age from 18 to 59 years. Over 40% of all respondents were critical of public health information. Participants saw provision of social support measures (n = 83), lack of economic, financial and social support (n = 65), enforcement of restrictions on movement outside the home, availability of face-masks and social distancing (n = 53) and provision of COVID-19 testing (n = 48) as the major things that were handled poorly by the government and health authorities. CONCLUSION we advocate coordinated forward planning for public safety until vaccines are widely available; while social distancing should continue. Policymakers need to be adaptable to changing conditions, given fluctuating case numbers and fatality rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Obinna Ositadimma Oleribe
- Family Services Department, Klamath Tribal Health and Family Services, Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Ifeoma Eugenia Idigbe
- Department of Public Health, Nigeria Institute for Medical Research, PMB 2013, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria
| | | | - Olatayo Olawepo
- Office of the Central Secretariat, Georgetown Global Health, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Zaidat Adesola Musa
- Department of Public Health, Nigeria Institute for Medical Research, PMB 2013, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria
| | | | | | - Michael Fertleman
- Cutrale Perioperative and Ageing Group, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, White City Campus, 86 Wood Lane, London W120BZ, United Kingdom
| | - Babatunde Salako
- Office of the Director General, Nigeria Institute for Medical Research, PMB 2013, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria
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20
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Szaszi B, Hajdu N, Szecsi P, Tipton E, Aczel B. A machine learning analysis of the relationship of demographics and social gathering attendance from 41 countries during pandemic. Sci Rep 2022; 12:724. [PMID: 35031631 PMCID: PMC8760248 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04305-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowing who to target with certain messages is the prerequisite of efficient public health campaigns during pandemics. Using the COVID-19 pandemic situation, we explored which facets of the society-defined by age, gender, income, and education levels-are the most likely to visit social gatherings and aggravate the spread of a disease. Analyzing the reported behavior of 87,169 individuals from 41 countries, we found that in the majority of the countries, the proportion of social gathering-goers was higher in male than female, younger than older, lower-educated than higher educated, and low-income than high-income subgroups of the populations. However, the data showed noteworthy heterogeneity between the countries warranting against generalizing from one country to another. The analysis also revealed that relative to other demographic factors, income was the strongest predictor of avoidance of social gatherings followed by age, education, and gender. Although the observed strength of these associations was relatively small, we argue that incorporating demographic-based segmentation into public health campaigns can increase the efficiency of campaigns with an important caveat: the exploration of these associations needs to be done on a country level before using the information to target populations in behavior change interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barnabas Szaszi
- Institue of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Nandor Hajdu
- Institue of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Peter Szecsi
- Institue of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Balazs Aczel
- Institue of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
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21
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Gildner TE, Uwizeye G, Milner RL, Alston GC, Thayer ZM. Associations between postpartum depression and assistance with household tasks and childcare during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from American mothers. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2021; 21:828. [PMID: 34903201 PMCID: PMC8666834 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-021-04300-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The early postpartum period is recognized cross-culturally as being important for recovery, with new parents receiving increased levels of community support. However, COVID-19-related lockdown measures may have disrupted these support systems, with possible implications for mental health. Here, we use a cross-sectional analysis among individuals who gave birth at different stages of the pandemic to test (i) if instrumental support access in the form of help with household tasks, newborn care, and care for older children has varied temporally across the pandemic, and (ii) whether access to these forms of instrumental support is associated with lower postpartum depression scores. METHODS This study used data from the COVID-19 And Reproductive Effects (CARE) study, an online survey of pregnant persons in the United States. Participants completed postnatal surveys between April 30 - November 18, 2020 (n = 971). Logistic regression analysis tested whether birth timing during the pandemic was associated with odds of reported sustained instrumental support. Linear regression analyses assessed whether instrumental support was associated with lower depression scores as measured via the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression survey. RESULTS Participants who gave birth later in the pandemic were more likely to report that the pandemic had not affected the help they received with household work and newborn care (p < 0.001), while access to childcare for older children appeared to vary non-linearly throughout the pandemic. Additionally, respondents who reported that the pandemic had not impacted their childcare access or help received around the house displayed significantly lower depression scores compared to participants who reported pandemic-related disruptions to these support types (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The maintenance of postpartum instrumental support during the pandemic appears to be associated with better maternal mental health. Healthcare providers should therefore consider disrupted support systems as a risk factor for postpartum depression and ask patients how the pandemic has affected support access. Policymakers seeking to improve parental wellbeing should design strategies that reduce disease transmission, while facilitating safe interactions within immediate social networks (e.g., through investment in COVID-19 testing and contact tracing). Cumulatively, postpartum instrumental support represents a potential tool to protect against depression, both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa E Gildner
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Glorieuse Uwizeye
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
- Society of Fellows, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | | | - Grace C Alston
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Zaneta M Thayer
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
- Ecology, Evolution, Environment & Society Program, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
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22
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Kaim A, Siman-Tov M, Jaffe E, Adini B. Factors that enhance or impede compliance of the public with governmental regulation of lockdown during COVID-19 in Israel. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DISASTER RISK REDUCTION : IJDRR 2021; 66:102596. [PMID: 34567963 PMCID: PMC8455356 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, compliance to governmental orders is a challenge in the effort to contain the spread of the virus. A cross-sectional study of the Israeli population during the first wave of the outbreak is utilized to elucidate factors that enhance or impede public compliance to the governmental regulation of lockdown and illustrate the practical complexities of staying at home for an elongated time duration. METHODS A structured questionnaire was utilized to investigate compliance with home isolation, factors that enhance and impede compliance, activities engaged during lockdown, personal resilience, and level of individual distress during the first wave of COVID-19 in Israel. RESULTS The most salient factors for enhanced compliance were concern for family or self-health (63.4 % and 56.3 % respectively), while deterrence played little role (18.5 %). Desire to maintain a normal life and fear of economic loss were the most significant factors that impeded compliance. A negative correlation between the levels of resilience and distress symptoms (r = 0.318 p < .001), and a positive correlation between resilience and enhanced compliance with home isolation (r = 0.225 p < .001) were identified. CONCLUSIONS Utilizing tools for empowering the population rather than instilling fear or other deterrence measures are more effective approaches to increase compliance with governmental directives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health officials and authorities need to engage the public in resilience building activities, in order to promote compliance to isolation measures. These findings have valuable implications for authorities in ensuring compliance to current and potential future stay-at-home orders for outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arielle Kaim
- Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, Tel Aviv, 6139001, Israel
- Israel National Center for Trauma & Emergency Medicine Research, The Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat-Gan, 5266202, Israel
| | - Maya Siman-Tov
- Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, Tel Aviv, 6139001, Israel
- PR, Training and Volunteers Division, Magen David Adom, Igal Alon 70, 6706215, Aviv, Israel
| | - Eli Jaffe
- PR, Training and Volunteers Division, Magen David Adom, Igal Alon 70, 6706215, Aviv, Israel
| | - Bruria Adini
- Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, Tel Aviv, 6139001, Israel
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23
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Gallè F, Sabella EA, Roma P, Ferracuti S, Da Molin G, Diella G, Montagna MT, Orsi GB, Liguori G, Napoli C. Knowledge and Lifestyle Behaviors Related to COVID-19 Pandemic in People over 65 Years Old from Southern Italy. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182010872. [PMID: 34682618 PMCID: PMC8535846 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182010872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Control measures adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic had a considerable impact on human daily life and lifestyles. Adherence to the recommended measures is influenced by knowledge and attitudes towards the disease. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the level of knowledge regarding COVID-19, the related control measures, and lifestyle behaviors adopted during the pandemic in a sample of elderly Italian people. METHODS A web-based questionnaire investigating socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of COVID-19, the related preventive measures, and lifestyle changes that occurred during the pandemic, were distributed to ≥65 years old people living in South Italy. RESULTS A satisfactory level of knowledge about COVID-19 and the related control measures has been found in the enrolled sample. However, a decrease in physical activity, as well as worsening sleeping and dietary habits, were found in roughly 60% of participants. Females were impacted greater by these lifestyle changes. CONCLUSIONS Participants in this study showed a good level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 and its prevention. Nevertheless, they reported an increase in unhealthy habits that may have important health consequences in the long term and should be addressed by public health interventions targeted at older people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Gallè
- Department of Movement Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Via Medina n. 40, 80133 Naples, Italy;
- Correspondence:
| | - Elita Anna Sabella
- Inter-University Research Centre “Population, Environment and Health”, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Piazza Umberto I, 1, 70121 Bari, Italy; (E.A.S.); (G.D.M.)
| | - Paolo Roma
- Department of Human Neurosciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (P.R.); (S.F.)
| | - Stefano Ferracuti
- Department of Human Neurosciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (P.R.); (S.F.)
| | - Giovanna Da Molin
- Inter-University Research Centre “Population, Environment and Health”, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Piazza Umberto I, 1, 70121 Bari, Italy; (E.A.S.); (G.D.M.)
| | - Giusy Diella
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy; (G.D.); (M.T.M.)
| | - Maria Teresa Montagna
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy; (G.D.); (M.T.M.)
| | - Giovanni Battista Orsi
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Giorgio Liguori
- Department of Movement Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Via Medina n. 40, 80133 Naples, Italy;
| | - Christian Napoli
- Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Via di Grottarossa 1035/1039, 00189 Rome, Italy;
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Ho TC, Chen YMA, Chan HP, Chang CC, Chuang KP, Lee CH, Yuan CH, Tyan YC, Yang MH. The Effects of Heterologous Immunization with Prime-Boost COVID-19 Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:1163. [PMID: 34696271 PMCID: PMC8537265 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9101163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become the global challenge. Reaching global herd immunity will help end the COVID-19 pandemic. However, vaccine shortage and vaccine hesitancy are the obstacles to achieve global herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2. The current homologous vaccine regimen is experimentally switching to heterologous vaccination at several study sites. However, the reactogenicity of heterologous ChAdOx1-S and mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is still unclear. We have conducted a systematic review to summarize the current findings on the safety and immunogenicity of this heterologous vaccination and elucidate their implications against SARS-CoV-2. This systematic review was conducted by the guidelines of PRISMA. Articles were searched from PubMed and other sources (MedRixv and Google scholar) starting from 1 January to 5 September 2021. The search term was heterologous ChAdOx1-S and BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 vaccination. Our review found that participants with ChAdOx1/BNT162b2, ChAdOx1-S/mRNA-1273 or BNT162b2/ChAdOx1-S did not have the serious adverse events seen with homologous vaccination. Participants with the heterologous regimen (ChAdOx1/BNT162b2, ChAdOx1-S/mRNA-1273 or BNT162b2/ChAdOx1-S), compared with those with two doses of ChAdOx1-S, have shown a more robust immune responses against SARS-CoV-2, such as higher levels of responsive antibodies or increased numbers of spike-specific T-cells. Nevertheless, these immune responses were slightly diminished in the recipients of BNT162b2/ChAdOx1-S. Also, the safety study of heterologous ChAdOx1-S/mRNA vaccination was based on small populations. Further studies to enclose diverse categories, such as race/ethnicity or geography, may be necessary. Overall, the heterologous immunization with ChAdOX1-S and the mRNA vaccine may improve the vaccine shortage related slow pace of reaching herd immunity, especially using the heterologous immunization with ChAdOx1-S/BNT162b2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzu-Chuan Ho
- Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
| | - Yi-Ming Arthur Chen
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 242, Taiwan;
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County 350, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Pin Chan
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan;
| | - Chin-Chuan Chang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
- School of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Neuroscience Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Department of Electrical Engineering, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 840, Taiwan
| | - Kuo-Pin Chuang
- Graduate Institute of Animal Vaccine Technology, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 900, Taiwan;
| | - Che-Hsin Lee
- Department of Biological Science, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan;
| | - Cheng-Hui Yuan
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore;
| | - Yu-Chang Tyan
- Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
- School of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Animal Vaccine Technology, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 900, Taiwan;
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Institute of Medical Science and Technology, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hui Yang
- Department of Medical Education and Research, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan
- Center of General Education, Shu-Zen Junior College of Medicine and Management, Kaohsiung 821, Taiwan
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25
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The Relation between Perceived and Actual Understanding and Adherence: Results from a National Survey on COVID-19 Measures in Belgium. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph181910200. [PMID: 34639503 PMCID: PMC8508212 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph181910200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
To reduce the spread of COVID-19 among the population, Belgium has implemented various infection prevention and control measures over time. This study investigated the extent to which understanding of the COVID-19 measures contributed to adherence, and which personal characteristics were considered risk factors for lower adherence. It consisted of a large online survey among a sample of the population (n = 2008), representative of citizens of Belgium in terms of gender, age, province and socio-economic status. The survey was conducted in September 2020, and included questions on perceived and actual understanding of COVID-19 protective measures in place during that time, as well as past and future adherence to those measures. The results showed that both perceived and actual understanding contributed significantly to past as well as future adherence. Risk factors for perceived understanding included being male and belonging to a younger age group, while risk factors for actual understanding were speaking French (versus Dutch) and belonging to a lower socio-economic level. Communication about COVID-19 measures should put more focus on trying to improve the understanding of the measures, instead of only making them known, particularly for those who are less health literate and as such at risk of poor understanding.
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Kim J, Hong K, Yum S, Gómez Gómez RE, Jang J, Park SH, Choe YJ, Ryu S, Park DW, Lee YS, Lee H, Kim DH, Kim DH, Chun BC. Factors associated with the difference between the incidence and case-fatality ratio of coronavirus disease 2019 by country. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18938. [PMID: 34556739 PMCID: PMC8460795 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98378-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been spreading all over the world; however, its incidence and case-fatality ratio differ greatly between countries and between continents. We investigated factors associated with international variation in COVID-19 incidence and case-fatality ratio (CFR) across 107 northern hemisphere countries, using publicly available COVID-19 outcome data as of 14 September 2020. We included country-specific geographic, demographic, socio-economic features, global health security index (GHSI), healthcare capacity, and major health behavior indexes in multivariate models to explain this variation. Multiple linear regression highlighted that incidence was associated with ethnic region (p < 0.05), global health security index 4 (GHSI4) (beta coefficient [β] 0.50, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.14-0.87), population density (β 0.35, 95% CI 0.10-0.60), and water safety level (β 0.51, 95% CI 0.19-0.84). The CFR was associated with ethnic region (p < 0.05), GHSI4 (β 0.53, 95% CI 0.14-0.92), proportion of population over 65 (β 0.71, 95% CI 0.19-1.24), international tourism receipt level (β - 0.23, 95% CI - 0.43 to - 0.03), and the number of physicians (β - 0.37, 95% CI - 0.69 to - 0.06). Ethnic region was the most influential factor for both COVID-19 incidence (partial [Formula: see text] = 0.545) and CFR (partial [Formula: see text] = 0.372), even after adjusting for various confounding factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeehyun Kim
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of Public Health, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Transdisciplinary Major in Learning Health Systems, Department of Healthcare Sciences, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwan Hong
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of Public Health, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sujin Yum
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of Public Health, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Raquel Elizabeth Gómez Gómez
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of Public Health, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jieun Jang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Hee Park
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Young June Choe
- Department of Pediatrics, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sukhyun Ryu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae Won Park
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Ansan, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Seok Lee
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Heeyoung Lee
- Center for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Hyun Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Hyun Kim
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Gangwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung Chul Chun
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Graduate School of Public Health, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Transdisciplinary Major in Learning Health Systems, Department of Healthcare Sciences, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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Riza E, Kakalou E, Nitsa E, Hodges-Mameletzis I, Goggolidou P, Terzidis A, Cardoso E, Puchner KP, Solomos Z, Pikouli A, Stoupa EP, Kakalou C, Karamagioli E, Pikoulis E. Appraisal of a Contact Tracing Training Program for COVID-19 in Greece Focusing on Vulnerable Populations. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:9257. [PMID: 34501844 PMCID: PMC8431650 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18179257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Contact tracing as an epidemiological strategy has repeatedly contributed to the containment of various past epidemics and succeeded in controlling the spread of disease in the community. Systematic training of contact tracers is crucial in ensuring the effectiveness of epidemic containment. METHODS An intensive training course was offered to 216 health and other professionals who work with vulnerable population groups, such as Roma, refugees, and migrants in Greece, by the scientific team of the postgraduate programme "Global Health-Disaster Medicine" of the Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, with the support of the Swiss embassy in Greece. The course was delivered online due to the pandemic restriction measures and was comprised of 16 h over 2 days. The course curriculum was adapted in Greek using, upon agreement, a similar training course to what was developed by the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Evaluation of the course was conducted in order to determine the short term satisfaction from participating in this training course. RESULTS A total of 70% of the course participants completed the evaluation questionnaires and all trainers gave feedback on the course. The training modules were ranked as extremely useful by the majority of the participants and over 50% of the participants specifically stated that the course content was directly related to their work with vulnerable groups. Content about the ethics of contact tracing and the effective communication skills presented were deemed most useful. CONCLUSION The course was well organised and provided the required skills for effective contact tracing. Many course participants intend to use some components in their work with vulnerable populations groups. Contact tracing efforts work best in a systematic and coordinated way and the provision of systematic and organised training can greatly increase its effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Riza
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology & Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mikras Asias 75, 11527 Athens, Greece; (E.R.); (E.N.)
| | - Eleni Kakalou
- Postgraduate Programme “Global Health-Disaster Medicine”, Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dilou 1 Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (E.K.); (I.H.-M.); (A.T.); (E.C.); (K.P.P.); (A.P.); (E.-P.S.); (C.K.); (E.P.)
| | - Evangelia Nitsa
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology & Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mikras Asias 75, 11527 Athens, Greece; (E.R.); (E.N.)
| | - Ioannis Hodges-Mameletzis
- Postgraduate Programme “Global Health-Disaster Medicine”, Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dilou 1 Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (E.K.); (I.H.-M.); (A.T.); (E.C.); (K.P.P.); (A.P.); (E.-P.S.); (C.K.); (E.P.)
| | - Paraskevi Goggolidou
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY, UK;
| | - Agis Terzidis
- Postgraduate Programme “Global Health-Disaster Medicine”, Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dilou 1 Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (E.K.); (I.H.-M.); (A.T.); (E.C.); (K.P.P.); (A.P.); (E.-P.S.); (C.K.); (E.P.)
| | - Eleni Cardoso
- Postgraduate Programme “Global Health-Disaster Medicine”, Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dilou 1 Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (E.K.); (I.H.-M.); (A.T.); (E.C.); (K.P.P.); (A.P.); (E.-P.S.); (C.K.); (E.P.)
| | - Karl Philipp Puchner
- Postgraduate Programme “Global Health-Disaster Medicine”, Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dilou 1 Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (E.K.); (I.H.-M.); (A.T.); (E.C.); (K.P.P.); (A.P.); (E.-P.S.); (C.K.); (E.P.)
| | | | - Anastasia Pikouli
- Postgraduate Programme “Global Health-Disaster Medicine”, Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dilou 1 Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (E.K.); (I.H.-M.); (A.T.); (E.C.); (K.P.P.); (A.P.); (E.-P.S.); (C.K.); (E.P.)
| | - Eleni-Panagiota Stoupa
- Postgraduate Programme “Global Health-Disaster Medicine”, Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dilou 1 Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (E.K.); (I.H.-M.); (A.T.); (E.C.); (K.P.P.); (A.P.); (E.-P.S.); (C.K.); (E.P.)
| | - Christina Kakalou
- Postgraduate Programme “Global Health-Disaster Medicine”, Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dilou 1 Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (E.K.); (I.H.-M.); (A.T.); (E.C.); (K.P.P.); (A.P.); (E.-P.S.); (C.K.); (E.P.)
| | - Evika Karamagioli
- Postgraduate Programme “Global Health-Disaster Medicine”, Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dilou 1 Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (E.K.); (I.H.-M.); (A.T.); (E.C.); (K.P.P.); (A.P.); (E.-P.S.); (C.K.); (E.P.)
| | - Emmanouil Pikoulis
- Postgraduate Programme “Global Health-Disaster Medicine”, Medical School National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dilou 1 Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (E.K.); (I.H.-M.); (A.T.); (E.C.); (K.P.P.); (A.P.); (E.-P.S.); (C.K.); (E.P.)
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Rahmouni M. Efficacy of Government Responses to COVID-19 in Mediterranean Countries. Risk Manag Healthc Policy 2021; 14:3091-3115. [PMID: 34345190 PMCID: PMC8321879 DOI: 10.2147/rmhp.s312511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective This article aims to provide empirical evidence on the effectiveness of the governments' policy measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Mediterranean countries. Methods We considered five categories of response: lockdowns, social distancing, movement restrictions, public health measures, and governance and socio-economic measures. Our main research question is, How long do these measures take to become effective? Our analysis, by longitudinal regressions and panel count data analyses, focuses on one region-the Mediterranean countries-to avoid differences, such as cultural factors, that may influence the evolution of the viral pandemic. We start by investigating heteroscedasticity, and both serial and contemporaneous correlation of the disturbance term across cross-sectional countries. Results Our different estimation methods paint very similar trajectories of the efficacy of governments' response measures. The benefits of these measures increase exponentially with time. We find that the net effects can be divided into three phases. In the first week, the benefits are not guaranteed unless the total number of contamination cases is less than some threshold values, ie if the spread of the virus is not already advanced. Then, indirect effects are revealed. After three weeks, we observe a reduction in the number of the new confirmed viral cases and, thus, the direct net benefits are observed. Conclusion The earlier governments act, in relation to the evolution of the epidemic, the lower the total cumulative incidence due to the epidemic wave.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohieddine Rahmouni
- Community College in Abqaiq, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Economics and Quantitative Methods, High School of Economic and Commercial Sciences (ESSECT), University of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
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Dziemidok P, Gorczyca-Siudak D, Danielak M. Is It Possible to Prevent Sars-Cov-2 Infection in a Non-Infectious Diseases Ward during the Pandemic on the Example of a Diabetes Clinic Institute of Rural Health, Lublin, Poland? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:7593. [PMID: 34300043 PMCID: PMC8307400 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18147593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Diabetes is considered an epidemic of the 21st century. On 11 March 2020, two months after the outbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease of 2019) epidemic in China, the World Health Organization announced COVID-19 to be a pandemic. From that time, many hospitals and wards have started to function as both infectious and non-infectious ones; so did the Diabetes Clinic Institute of Rural Health in South-Eastern Poland. Considering the global importance of diabetes and its prevalence worldwide, it seemed important to investigate how the Diabetes Clinic passed through the individual phases of the pandemic, and the possibility of protecting hospitalized patients against future pandemic infection. We present detailed characteristics of the situation in a ward which used to treat non-infectious patients with diabetes only and, nowadays, has been obliged to take into account the risk of spreading SARS-Cov-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2) infection also. Moreover, we suggest solutions to avoid cases of infectious diseases in non-infectious wards in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Dziemidok
- Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Economics and Innovation, Projektowa Street 4, 20-209 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Daria Gorczyca-Siudak
- Diabetology Clinic and Department, Institute of Rural Health in Lublin, Jaczewskiego Street 2, 20-554 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Marzena Danielak
- Diabetology Clinic and Department, Institute of Rural Health in Lublin, Jaczewskiego Street 2, 20-554 Lublin, Poland;
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30
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Kuo CT, Sue HJ, Chen PH. The Impact of Community Housing Characteristics and Epidemic Prevention Measures on Residents' Perception of Epidemic Prevention. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18147289. [PMID: 34299740 PMCID: PMC8307103 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18147289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many parts of the world have fallen into deep recession. Governments in every country have adopted various measures to restrict social gatherings due to the need to control the pandemic. This includes restrictions on activities in homes and communities. Fundamentally, epidemic prevention relies on the measures individuals take. A community’s epidemic prevention measures become more critical as activities are held in houses or communities once again. From the perspective of the theory of planned behavior, this study investigates whether the various epidemic prevention measures and characteristics of a community affect residents’ perception of epidemic prevention. We use the truncated regression model as the primary research method. The empirical results show that the community’s epidemic prevention measures can change residents’ awareness of the importance of epidemic prevention. Moreover, the scale of the community and management committee are also found to have a partial impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Tz Kuo
- Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan;
- Correspondence:
| | - Hsiao-Jui Sue
- Department of Land Economics, National Chengchi University, Taipei 11601, Taiwan;
| | - Po-Han Chen
- Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan;
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31
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Li J, Liu X, Zou Y, Deng Y, Zhang M, Yu M, Wu D, Zheng H, Zhao X. Factors Affecting COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors among University Students in Beijing, China: An Empirical Study Based on the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18137009. [PMID: 34209072 PMCID: PMC8297113 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18137009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Higher education institutions (HEIs), among other social systems, have an irreplaceable role in combating COVID-19. However, we know little about institutional and individual factors that might facilitate university students’ beliefs and behaviors toward preventive behaviors for COVID-19 within the higher education context. Our study applies an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) model to investigate the structural relationships among the institutional climate, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and preventive behaviors of university students and to detect the moderating impacts of perceived risk on the structural model. Data were collected from 3693 university students at 18 universities in Beijing, China through an online survey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multigroup analysis were performed to examine the empirical model. The results reveal that (1) the institutional climate has a significant, direct effect on preventive behaviors for COVID-19 among university students, (2) the TPB components, namely attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control, partially mediate the relationship between the institutional climate and preventive behaviors for COVID-19, and (3) perceived risk moderates several paths in the model. Theoretical and practical implications are offered, and recommendations for future research are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiabin Li
- Advising Center for Student Development, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China;
| | - Xianwei Liu
- Institute of Higher Education, Research Centre for Capital Engineering Education Development, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-010-6739-2673
| | - Yang Zou
- College of Business Administration, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing 100070, China;
| | - Yichu Deng
- Publicity Department, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China;
| | - Meng Zhang
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 102616, China;
| | - Miaomiao Yu
- Institute of Education Economics and Management, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China;
| | - Dongjiao Wu
- School of Marxism, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China;
| | - Hao Zheng
- China Youth & Children Research Center, Beijing 100089, China;
| | - Xinliang Zhao
- Beijing Academy of Educational Sciences, Beijing 100045, China;
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32
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Monzani D, Marinucci M, Pancani L, Rusconi P, Mazzoni D, Pravettoni G. Thinking of future as an older individual increases perceived risks for age-related diseases but not for COVID-19. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 57:96-106. [PMID: 34169518 PMCID: PMC8426922 DOI: 10.1002/ijop.12789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Actively thinking of one's future as an older individual could increase perceived risk and risk aversion. This could be particularly relevant for COVID‐19, if we consider the common representation of the risk of being infected by COVID‐19 as associated with being older. Increased perceived risk could bear consequences on the adoption of preventive behaviours. Thus, we investigated whether increasing the salience of individuals' future as an older adult would impact on their perceived risk for COVID‐19 and medical conditions varying for age‐relatedness. One hundred and forty‐four Italian adults (Mage = 27.72, range: 18–56) were randomly assigned to either a future as older adult thinking or control condition. Perceived risk for COVID‐19 and other strongly, and weakly age‐related medical conditions during the lifetime was measured. Results showed that thinking about the future as an older adult increased perceived risk for strongly and weakly age‐related diseases, but not for COVID‐19. The salience of the COVID‐19 outbreak may have raised the perceived risks in both experimental conditions, making the manipulation ineffective. In conclusion, manipulating future‐oriented thinking might be a successful communication strategy to increase people's perceived risk of common diseases, but it might not work for highly salient pathologies such as COVID‐19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Monzani
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Marinucci
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Pancani
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Patrice Rusconi
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.,Department of Cognitive Sciences, Psychology, Education and Cultural Studies (COSPECS), University of Messina, Italy
| | - Davide Mazzoni
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Gabriella Pravettoni
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
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Tonković M, Dumančić F, Jelić M, Čorkalo Biruški D. Who Believes in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories in Croatia? Prevalence and Predictors of Conspiracy Beliefs. Front Psychol 2021; 12:643568. [PMID: 34220613 PMCID: PMC8249866 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.643568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to numerous new conspiracy theories related to the virus. This study aimed to investigate a range of individual predictors of beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories that account for sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, education, economic standard, the importance of religion, and political self-identification), distinctive motivational orientations (social dominance and authoritarianism), relevant social attitudes (sense of political powerlessness and trust in science and scientists), and perceived personal risk (perceived risk for self and family members, the concern of being infected, and the expected influence of pandemic on the economic standard of an individual). Participants were 1,060 adults recruited from the general public of Croatia. The sample was a probabilistic quota sample with gender, age, level of education, size of the dwelling, and region of the country as predetermined quotas. The regression model explained 42.2% of the individual differences in beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Trust in science and scientists and political powerlessness were the strongest predictors, whereas fear of being infected had the weakest contribution in explaining the variance of the criterion. Additionally, results revealed that the relation of conventionalism (as a proxy of authoritarianism) with belief in COVID-19 conspiracies was mediated by trust in science and scientists. The relation between social dominance and belief in conspiracies was also partially mediated by trust in science. The results suggest that (re)building trust in science and lowering the sense of political helplessness might help in fighting potentially harmful false beliefs about the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirjana Tonković
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
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Taylor AM, Page D, Okely JA, Corley J, Welstead M, Skarabela B, Redmond P, Russ TC, Cox SR. Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on psychosocial factors, health, and lifestyle in Scottish octogenarians: The Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253153. [PMID: 34138930 PMCID: PMC8211159 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Little is known about effects of COVID-19 lockdown on psychosocial factors, health and lifestyle in older adults, particularly those aged over 80 years, despite the risks posed by COVID-19 to this age group. Methods Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 members, residing mostly in Edinburgh and the surrounding Lothians regions in Scotland, mean age 84 years (SD = 0.3), responded to an online questionnaire in May 2020 (n = 190). We examined responses (experience and knowledge of COVID-19; adherence to guidance; impact on day-to-day living; social contact; self-reported physical and mental health; loneliness; and lifestyle) and relationships between previously-measured characteristics and questionnaire outcomes. Results Four respondents experienced COVID-19; most had good COVID-19 knowledge (94.7%) and found guidance easy to understand (86.3%). There were modest declines in self-reported physical and mental health, and 48.2% did less physical activity. In multivariable regression models, adherence to guidance by leaving the house less often associated with less professional occupational class (OR = 0.71, 95%CI 0.51–0.98) and poorer self-rated general health (OR = 0.62, 95%CI 0.42–0.92). Increased internet use associated with female sex (OR = 2.32, 95%CI 1.12–4.86) and higher general cognitive ability (OR = 1.53, 95%CI 1.03–2.33). Loneliness associated with living alone (OR = 0.15, 95%CI 0.07–0.31) and greater anxiety symptoms (OR = 1.76, 95%CI 0.45–1.24). COVID-19 related stress associated with lower emotional stability scores (OR = 0.40, 95%CI 0.24–0.62). Decreased physical activity associated with less professional occupational class (OR = 1.43, 95%CI 1.04–1.96), and lower general cognitive ability (OR = 0.679, 95%CI 0.491–0.931). Conclusions Characteristics including cognitive function, occupational class, self-rated health, anxiety, and emotional stability, may be related to risk of poorer lockdown-related psychosocial and physical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adele M. Taylor
- Lothian Birth Cohort Group, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Danielle Page
- Lothian Birth Cohort Group, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Judith A. Okely
- Lothian Birth Cohort Group, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Janie Corley
- Lothian Birth Cohort Group, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Miles Welstead
- Lothian Birth Cohort Group, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Barbora Skarabela
- Lothian Birth Cohort Group, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Redmond
- Lothian Birth Cohort Group, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Tom C. Russ
- Lothian Birth Cohort Group, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Simon R. Cox
- Lothian Birth Cohort Group, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Knowledge and Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination among Undergraduate Students from Central and Southern Italy. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9060638. [PMID: 34200835 PMCID: PMC8230551 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9060638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
At the end of 2020, the Italian Ministry of Health launched a national vaccination campaign to counteract the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed at appraising levels of knowledge about and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination in a sample of Italian undergraduates during the first phase of the immunization plan. A web-based questionnaire was administered to students attending universities in Bari, Naples, and Rome during the period February–April 2021. Of the total of 3226 participants, 91.9% were keen to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. More than 80% gave correct answers to questions about COVID-19 vaccine administration, functioning, and effects on community health. However, only 63.8% identified the correct composition of the available vaccines. Knowledge was found to be related to sociodemographic features and COVID-19 vaccination acceptance (p < 0.05). COVID-19 vaccination acceptance was found to be related to having a previous vaccination against influenza (OR 3.806, CI 95% 1.181–12.267; p = 0.025) and knowledge (OR 4.759, CI 95% 2.106–10.753; p = 0.000). These results show a good level of awareness about COVID-19 vaccination in this population, which may indicate the effectiveness of communication strategies accompanying the COVID-19 immunization campaign in Italy.
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Keyworth C, Epton T, Byrne-Davis L, Leather JZ, Armitage CJ. What challenges do UK adults face when adhering to COVID-19-related instructions? Cross-sectional survey in a representative sample. Prev Med 2021; 147:106458. [PMID: 33607123 PMCID: PMC7885673 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Adherence to government COVID-19-related instructions is reported to be high, but the psychosocial impacts of measures such as self-isolation and physical distancing could undermine long-term adherence to containment measures. The first step in designing interventions to mitigate the impacts of adhering to COVID-19-related instructions is to identify what are the most prevalent challenges and what characterises the people facing them. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a representative sample of the UK population (N = 2252), of whom n = 2139 (94.9%) reported adhering to the UK government's COVID-19-related instructions, and were included in the final analysis. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. Of the people who reported adhering to UK government's COVID-19-related instructions, 80.3% reported experiencing challenges. Adults aged 55 years or over (OR = 1.939, 95%CI 1.331-2.825) and men (OR = 0.489, 95%CI 0.393-0.608) were least likely to report challenges. Adjusting to changes in daily routine (reported by 48.7% of the sample), mental health (reported by 41.4% of the sample) and physical health (reported by 31.5% of the sample) were the most prevalent challenges. For the first time, the present study quantifies the extent to which people experienced challenges when adhering to government COVID-19-related instructions. Few people reported experiencing no challenges when adhering to COVID-19-related instructions. Interventions to address the effects of changes in daily routine, mental health challenges, and physical health challenges should be prioritised, with a focus on key subgroups including women, younger adults, and people without care commitments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Keyworth
- Manchester Centre for Health Psychology, School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom; NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
| | - Tracy Epton
- Manchester Centre for Health Psychology, School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
| | - Lucie Byrne-Davis
- Division of Medical Education, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
| | - Jessica Z Leather
- Manchester Centre for Health Psychology, School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom; NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
| | - Christopher J Armitage
- Manchester Centre for Health Psychology, School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom; NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom; Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
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Biondi S, Casale S, Burrai J, Mazza C, Cavaggioni G, Ferracuti S, Giannini AM, Roma P. Personality and Lockdown: A Study on Italian Undergraduates During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:622366. [PMID: 34122161 PMCID: PMC8192707 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.622366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The current study aimed at increasing our understanding of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on undergraduate students, particularly with respect to the association between personality traits; defense mechanisms (DMs); depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms (DASSs); and compliance with the government recommended health measures. A sample of 1,427 Italian undergraduate students were administered the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5-Brief Form; the Defense Style Questionnaire-40; and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21. Compliance with the COVID-19 behavioral recommendations was measured through a 10-item survey measure. Results showed that immature DMs and internalizing personality traits (i.e., detachment, negative affect, psychoticism) were risk factors of DASSs. Furthermore, subjects with higher levels of DASSs appeared less compliant with the health measures recommended by the Italian government. Experts may use these results to identify and subsequently support (via the Internet) young subjects at greater risk of mental health problems as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Biondi
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Casale
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Jessica Burrai
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Mazza
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | | | - Stefano Ferracuti
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Roma
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Zhang MX, Chen JH, Tong KK, Yu EWY, Wu AMS. Problematic Smartphone Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Its Association with Pandemic-Related and Generalized Beliefs. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:5724. [PMID: 34073562 PMCID: PMC8198438 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18115724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Smartphone technologies have played a crucial role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the increased use of smartphones during the pandemic period may expose the general public to a higher risk of problematic smartphone use (PSU). This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of PSU among Chinese community adults and adopted a social-cognitive theory and social axiom framework to evaluate the effects of beliefs on PSU. A Chinese adult sample (N = 616) was obtained through probability sampling via a telephone survey from Macao, China and included 591 smartphone users' data (39.4% men) for formal analysis. The prevalence of PSU was 43.3% in the overall sample, with 41.9% in women, and 45.5% in men. Two types of beliefs derived from the social-cognitive theory, pandemic-related self-efficacy and government efficacy, both showed significant and negative correlations with PSU (r = -0.13 and -0.10, p < 0.05). As for the two beliefs from the social axiom framework, reward for application was negatively correlated with PSU (r = -0.10, p < 0.05), whereas social cynicism was positively associated with PSU (r = 0.25, p < 0.001). Among those four beliefs, social cynicism exerted the most substantial effect on PSU when controlling for demographics. Our findings enriched the understanding of PSU during the pandemic and provided empirical direction regarding cognition-based intervention strategies for reducing PSU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Xuan Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China; (M.X.Z.); (J.H.C.); (K.K.T.)
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Institute of Collaborative Innovation, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Juliet Honglei Chen
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China; (M.X.Z.); (J.H.C.); (K.K.T.)
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Institute of Collaborative Innovation, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Kwok Kit Tong
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China; (M.X.Z.); (J.H.C.); (K.K.T.)
| | - Eilo Wing-yat Yu
- Department of Government and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China;
| | - Anise M. S. Wu
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China; (M.X.Z.); (J.H.C.); (K.K.T.)
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Institute of Collaborative Innovation, University of Macau, Macao, China
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van Loenhout JAF, Vanderplanken K, Scheen B, Van den Broucke S, Aujoulat I. Determinants of adherence to COVID-19 measures among the Belgian population: an application of the protection motivation theory. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 79:74. [PMID: 33980316 PMCID: PMC8114654 DOI: 10.1186/s13690-021-00565-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Background Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Belgian government has implemented various infection prevention and control measures. This study assessed the extent to which the general population in Belgium adhered to these measures, and which determinants were associated with adherence. Methods We undertook an internet survey among a sample of the Belgian population, representative for sex, age, socio-economic status and province. The questionnaire included various demographic, socio-economic and health-related questions, and also drew upon the Protection Motivation Theory as a theoretical framework to measure levels of perceived severity, vulnerability, perceived usefulness of the measures (response efficacy), perceived personal capacity to adhere (self-efficacy), and past and future adherence. Data were collected in Dutch and French, the main languages of Belgium. Results Our study was carried out in September 2020, and the number of respondents was 2008. On average, respondents provided high scores for each of the measures in place in September in terms of response efficacy (range of 3.54–4.32 on 1 to 5 Likert-scale), self-efficacy (range of 3.00–4.00), past adherence (4.00–4.68) and future adherence (3.99–4.61). The measure that overall received the highest scores was wearing a face mask in public spaces, while ‘the social bubble of 5’ generally received the lowest scores. There was a statistically significant relationship between response efficacy and self-efficacy on the one hand and (past and future) adherence on the other hand, in a multivariate model corrected for confounders. Vulnerability and severity did not show statistical significance. Conclusion Risk communication regarding COVID-19 should place a stronger emphasis on helping people understand why implemented measures are useful and how they can be put into practice, more than on increasing fear appeals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joris Adriaan Frank van Loenhout
- Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), Institute of Health and Society, Université catholique de Louvain, Clos Chapelle-Aux-Champs 30, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Kirsten Vanderplanken
- Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), Institute of Health and Society, Université catholique de Louvain, Clos Chapelle-Aux-Champs 30, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bénédicte Scheen
- Centre for Health promotion knowledge transfer (RESO), Institute of Health and Society, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Stephan Van den Broucke
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Isabelle Aujoulat
- Centre for Health promotion knowledge transfer (RESO), Institute of Health and Society, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
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Ghassemi AE, Azadeh Ranjbar P. Evidenced-based and targeted interventions are required to enhance compliance with COVID-19 public health measures. Evid Based Nurs 2021; 25:64. [PMID: 33958351 DOI: 10.1136/ebnurs-2020-103381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Impacto del COVID-19 en población adulta mexicana: conductas de salud pública y salud mental. REVISTA IBEROAMERICANA DE PSICOLOGÍA 2021. [DOI: 10.33881/2027-1786.rip.14301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
La crisis de salud pública del COVID-19 ha implicado que se lleven a cabo conductas para su prevención y a su vez ha acarreado consecuencias psicológicas en los ciudadanos. El objetivo de esta investigación es comparar las relaciones existentes entre las variables sociodemográficas y las variables de salud mental y de salud pública contra el coronavirus en población mexicana. El estudio se desarrolló mediante un diseño transversal de una sola etapa. Participaron 7,693 adultos quienes contestaron el cuestionario en línea PSY-COVID diseñado ad hoc durante junio de 2020. Los resultados indican que existe una relación positiva entre todas las variables de salud pública: expectativas de resultados, autoeficacia, norma social subjetiva, barreras/facilitadores, experiencia en conductas de prevención e intención de conductas de prevención post-confinamiento y las variables de salud mental: ansiedad, depresión y resiliencia. Por el contrario, hay una correlación negativa de estas últimas. Existen más síntomas de estrés y de depresión entre las mujeres y las personas de 16-26 años. Además, los hallazgos indican que los comportamientos de salud pública difieren de acuerdo con el género, nivel educativo, tener personas al cargo, nivel de información y haberse contagiado. A partir de nuestros hallazgos, consideramos importante el promover intervenciones desde la psicología de la salud, sensibles a los distintos grupos de personas que contribuyan al desarrollo de la resiliencia y, a partir de ello, aminorar el impacto psicológico por la pandemia.
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Zeng W, Zeng Y, Xu Y, Huang D, Shao J, Wu J, Wu X. The Influence of Post-Traumatic Growth on College Students' Creativity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of General Self-Efficacy and the Moderating Role of Deliberate Rumination. Front Psychol 2021; 12:665973. [PMID: 33935927 PMCID: PMC8079774 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.665973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose: This study used a moderated mediation model to test the mediating effect of general self-efficacy on the relationship between post-traumatic growth (PTG) and creativity and the moderating effect of deliberate rumination in the second path of the indirect mediation path during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A sample of 881 university students from Guangdong Province, China, was surveyed with the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, the Runco Ideational Behavior Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Deliberate Rumination Inventory. SPSS (23 version) and PROCESS (3.3 version) were used for correlation analyses, mediation analysis, and moderated mediation analysis. Results: (1) PTG was positively correlated with creativity, self-efficacy, and deliberate rumination. Creativity was positively correlated with self-efficacy and deliberate rumination. Deliberate rumination was positively correlated with self-efficacy. (2) Self-efficacy mediated the relationship between PTG and creativity. (3) Deliberate rumination moderated the second half of the path of "PTG → self-efficacy → creativity." Conclusions: PTG affected creativity directly and also indirectly through self-efficacy. In particular, deliberate rumination moderated the relationship between self-efficacy and creativity, such that the association was stronger when the incidence of deliberate rumination was low. These results provide a more comprehensive understanding of the positive link between PTG and creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zeng
- School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuqing Zeng
- School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanhua Xu
- College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Dongtao Huang
- School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jinlian Shao
- School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiamin Wu
- School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xingrou Wu
- School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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Procentese F, Esposito C, Gonzalez Leone F, Agueli B, Arcidiacono C, Freda MF, Di Napoli I. Psychological Lockdown Experiences: Downtime or an Unexpected Time for Being? Front Psychol 2021; 12:577089. [PMID: 33897516 PMCID: PMC8060458 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.577089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The spread of COVID-19 in Italy resulted in the implementation of a lockdown that obligated the first time the general populace to remain at home for approximately two months. This lockdown interrupted citizens' professional and educational activities, in addition to closing shops, offices and educational institutions. The resulting changes in people's daily routines and activities induced unexpected changes in their thoughts, feelings and attitudes, in addition to altering their life perceptions. Consequently, the present study explores how young adults perceived their lives under lockdown during the final week of March 2020, when the reported number of daily coronavirus infections reached its peak in Italy. The research was carried out among 293 university students (234 women and 59 men) with an average age of 20.85 years old (SD = 3.23). The researchers asked participants to describe the emotions, thoughts and experiences that characterized their time under lockdown. The study analyzed specific narratives related to time and space using grounded theory methodology, which was applied using Atlas 8 software, leading to the creation of 68 codes. The study organized these codes into three specific categories: confined in the present, confined in the past, and striving toward one's goals. Finally, the researchers also created a core-category labeled "continuity of being." The results showed that the closure of open spaces caused a division in participants' perceptions of time continuity, with many viewing themselves as feeling fragmented and as living the present in a static and fixed way. Additionally, participants also saw the present as being discontinuous from the past, while, simultaneously, projecting toward the future and the changes it might bring. Finally, this study examined further implications surrounding individual projecting among young people in greater depth.
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Gallè F, Veshi A, Sabella EA, Çitozi M, Da Molin G, Ferracuti S, Liguori G, Orsi GB, Napoli C, Napoli C. Awareness and Behaviors Regarding COVID-19 among Albanian Undergraduates. Behav Sci (Basel) 2021; 11:45. [PMID: 33807250 PMCID: PMC8067270 DOI: 10.3390/bs11040045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the adoption of restriction measures that have had notable consequences on the health and wellbeing of individuals. This survey was carried out on a sample of 905 Albanian undergraduates to assess their knowledge about COVID-19 and their health-related behaviors and communication changes during lockdown. The students were invited to complete a pre-validated questionnaire during lessons. The results show that the majority of the surveyed students were able to answer correctly about the main epidemiological features of the disease. The level of knowledge was proven to be proportional to the students' education level (enrollment year and age). No considerable relationship emerged with respect to diet or smoking. On the other hand, a relevant portion of the sample (37.6%) declared decreased physical activity (PA). Finally, a notable increase in the intensity and frequency of communication with their peers and with their parents was declared by 34.7% and 50.8% of the sample, respectively. Lifestyle variables were found to be mutually related, as were communication outcomes. The participants showed a satisfactory awareness regarding the COVID-19 epidemic. However, the registered reduction in PA may represent a public health issue and should be addressed with adequate policies. The use of electronic media seems to have increased communication habits in this population group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Gallè
- Department of Movement Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Via Medina n. 40, 80133 Naples, Italy;
| | - Arjeta Veshi
- Fakulteti i Shkencave Psikologjike, Sociale dhe Politike, Universiteti Mesdhetar i Shqipërisë, Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta 52, 1023 Tirana, Albania;
| | - Elita Anna Sabella
- Inter-University Research Centre “Population, Environment and Health”, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza Umberto I, 1, 70121 Bari, Italy; (E.A.S.); (G.D.M.)
| | - Morena Çitozi
- Fakulteti i Shkencave Juridike dhe Marrëdhënieve Ndërkombëtare, Universiteti Mesdhetar i Shqipërisë, Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta 52, 1023 Tirana, Albania;
| | - Giovanna Da Molin
- Inter-University Research Centre “Population, Environment and Health”, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Piazza Umberto I, 1, 70121 Bari, Italy; (E.A.S.); (G.D.M.)
| | - Stefano Ferracuti
- Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Giorgio Liguori
- Department of Movement Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Via Medina n. 40, 80133 Naples, Italy;
| | - Giovanni Battista Orsi
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Christian Napoli
- Department of Computer Control and Management Engineering “Antonio Ruberti”, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Ariosto 25, 00185 Rome, Italy; or
| | - Christian Napoli
- Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Via di Grottarossa 1035/1039, 00189 Rome, Italy;
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Psychological Health Status of Psychiatric Patients Living in Treatment Communities before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Brief Report. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18073567. [PMID: 33808178 PMCID: PMC8037022 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18073567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Many studies investigated the psychological impact of lockdown measures on the general population, while few studies focused on the psychiatric population. This study aimed to investigate the role of therapeutic communities in the management and containment of symptoms of patients with psychosis living in psychiatric residential facilities. Data were collected at two different points: November 2019 (Coronavirus disease 19 had not yet spread) and April 2020 (during the lockdown in Italy). Twenty-two study participants were recruited from three residential accredited psychiatric facilities. During lockdown, the patients showed a small increase in symptomatology in terms of emotional isolation. In addition, it was been observed significant differences in certain functional areas of the behavior, measured as lower inclination towards violent behaviors during lockdown, and higher scores in substance abuse and medical impairment. The lockdown condition could represent a form of containment; daily routines, along with adequate social support, are important aspects of the stability and the level of behavioral functioning of psychiatric patients. Social support and continuity of care offered by psychiatric communities can be an effective safeguard against the psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.
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Im J, Kim J, Choeh JY. COVID-19: Were Public Health Interventions and the Disclosure of Patients' Contact History Effective in Upholding Social Distancing? Evidence from South Korea. J Multidiscip Healthc 2021; 14:705-712. [PMID: 33790569 PMCID: PMC7997587 DOI: 10.2147/jmdh.s303093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has prompted a global-scale public health response. Social distancing, along with intensive testing and contact tracing, has been considered an effective vehicle to reduce new infections. In this study, we aimed to estimate the effect of South Korean public health measures on behavioral changes with respect to social distancing without a nationwide lockdown. The results of this study may provide insights to countries who are planning to relax their aggressive restrictions though still having an unflattened curve of infections. METHODS To estimate how the closure of educational and social welfare facilities and the disclosure of confirmed patients' contact history affected social distancing behaviors, we analyzed public transportation data in Seoul, Korea. For the modeling analysis, we used linear mixed-effects estimation. RESULTS Our estimation showed that the average daily number of bus passengers decreased by 21.8% in February 2020 as compared to the previous year with an additional decrease observed in the areas around educational and social welfare facilities. The highest drop in the daily number of passengers was observed in areas with religious facilities. We also found that individuals avoided areas that were proximate to or within the locations that constituted the confirmed patients' contact history. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate that public health measures can lead people to practice social distancing. Among them, the measures that strongly encourage voluntary social distancing behaviors would play a critical role in suppressing the infections as it becomes increasingly difficult to continue imposing aggressive restrictions due to practical and economic reasons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jongho Im
- Department of Applied Statistics, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jewoo Kim
- Department of Apparel, Events, and Hospitality Management, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Joon Yeon Choeh
- Department of Software, Sejong University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Schmiedeberg C, Thönnissen C. Positive and negative perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic: Does personality play a role? Soc Sci Med 2021; 276:113859. [PMID: 33799202 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The lockdown measures following the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, intended to slow the spread of the virus, forced a sudden and dramatic change to most everyday lives. However, not all individuals may have been affected in the same way. In addition to situational factors such as occupation, family status, and health, personality traits may affect how individuals experienced the initial crisis. METHODS Using data from the pairfam COVID-19 survey, an online survey of the participants of the German Family Panel pairfam conducted from May to July 2020, as well as personality data from the pairfam panel data, this study analyzes whether the Big Five personality traits influence the degree to which young and middle-aged individuals (16-49 years old) felt negatively affected by and were able to see any benefits of the initial COVID-19 lockdown in Germany. RESULTS While neuroticism is linked to a more negative perception of the restrictions to daily life, openness to experiences is associated with more positive perceptions of the situation. Like neuroticism, extraversion is also associated with a more negative perception, but only among respondents without a partner. For respondents with a romantic partner, no association was found. CONCLUSION Results confirm that personality plays a role in individual perceptions of the pandemic situation. Moreover, they show that most individuals perceived not only negative but also positive aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic situation in 2020.
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Does worriedness among the rural adults promote COVID-19 related awareness in Bangladesh? Heliyon 2021; 7:e06556. [PMID: 33842705 PMCID: PMC8020420 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
People living in urban areas are usually more aware of their health issues due to the availability and accessibility of health care facilities. Several studies have illustrated anxiousness, attitudes, and perceptions among urban people during COVID-19. This research attempted to assess how worriedness among rural adults may promote COVID-19 related awareness in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional online survey of 311 respondents aged 18 or greater was conducted through Facebook focusing only on the people living in rural areas. The survey included a consent form and requested demographic as well as pandemic related information in a three-section questionnaire from the respondents. We used the chi-square test statistic for bivariate analysis and the binary logistic regression model along with some tools to validate the model to analyze the impact of worriedness on awareness. The bivariate result showed a significant association among regular hand washing (p=.007), knowledge about the proper amount of time for washing one's hands effectively (p=.004), rules of social distancing (p=.00), and education level (p=.046) with our outcome variable worriedness. From our binary logistic regression model fitting, it emerged that the females (p=.032, OR=.729) who regularly wash their hands (0R=.393, p=.023), know the rules of social distancing for “yes” (0R=14.525,p< .01), and “no” groups (0R= 5.518, p< .01), and age groups (18–27, 28 to 37, 38 to 47) were more worried. Results from our modeling justify an accuracy of 73.08%, a sensitivity of 93.71%, and a specificity of 29.33% with Cohen's kappa statistic = .2716, suggesting a fair model fitting. This study shows that the current COVID-19 situation created awareness among females and adults aged between 18 to 47 years in rural Bangladesh.
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Eder SJ, Steyrl D, Stefanczyk MM, Pieniak M, Martínez Molina J, Pešout O, Binter J, Smela P, Scharnowski F, Nicholson AA. Predicting fear and perceived health during the COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning: A cross-national longitudinal study. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0247997. [PMID: 33705439 PMCID: PMC7951840 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
During medical pandemics, protective behaviors need to be motivated by effective communication, where finding predictors of fear and perceived health is of critical importance. The varying trajectories of the COVID-19 pandemic in different countries afford the opportunity to assess the unique influence of 'macro-level' environmental factors and 'micro-level' psychological variables on both fear and perceived health. Here, we investigate predictors of fear and perceived health using machine learning as lockdown restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were introduced in Austria, Spain, Poland and Czech Republic. Over a seven-week period, 533 participants completed weekly self-report surveys which measured the target variables subjective fear of the virus and perceived health, in addition to potential predictive variables related to psychological factors, social factors, perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD), and economic circumstances. Viral spread, mortality and governmental responses were further included in the analysis as potential environmental predictors. Results revealed that our models could accurately predict fear of the virus (accounting for approximately 23% of the variance) using predictive factors such as worrying about shortages in food supplies and perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD), where interestingly, environmental factors such as spread of the virus and governmental restrictions did not contribute to this prediction. Furthermore, our results revealed that perceived health could be predicted using PVD, physical exercise, attachment anxiety and age as input features, albeit with smaller effect sizes. Taken together, our results emphasize the importance of 'micro-level' psychological factors, as opposed to 'macro-level' environmental factors, when predicting fear and perceived health, and offer a starting point for more extensive research on the influences of pathogen threat and governmental restrictions on the psychology of fear and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Josephine Eder
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - David Steyrl
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Michał Pieniak
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland
| | | | - Ondra Pešout
- Department of Psychology, Jan Evangelista Purkyne University, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Binter
- Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Patrick Smela
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Frank Scharnowski
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zürich, University of Zürich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland
- Zürich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Andrew A. Nicholson
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
- Homewood Research Institute, Guelph, Canada
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Chen Y, Jones C, Dunse N. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and psychological distress in China: Does neighbourhood matter? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 759:144203. [PMID: 33333329 PMCID: PMC7832354 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Using individual data (n = 937) obtained from an online questionnaire between 20th January and 13th February, the early stage of the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in 2020, we explore the direct association between people's perceptions of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and psychological distress. We further examine the moderating role of neighbourhood environment and this distress. We find that people living in infected communities tend to perceive higher level of psychological distress compared to people living in uninfected communities. People's expected duration of COVID-19 is associated with higher psychological distress and this is partially moderated by the perception of neighbourhood noise level and overall environment quality. Additional results quantify the evidence that a quiet and well maintained neighbourhood environment could reduce the negative influences of expectation of a long duration of COVID-19 on people's psychological distress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyi Chen
- The Urban Institute, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK.
| | - Colin Jones
- The Urban Institute, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK.
| | - Neil Dunse
- The Urban Institute, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK.
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