scholarly journals Perceptions of workplace heat exposure and adaption behaviors among Chinese construction workers in the context of climate change

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Rong Han ◽  
Mingru Wei ◽  
Zhifeng Wu ◽  
Shanshan Duan ◽  
Xiangzhe Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Heat Exposure ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Work Efficiency ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Workplace heat exposure can cause a series of heat-related illnesses and injuries. Protecting workers especially those undertake work outdoors from the risk of heat strain is a great challenge for many workplaces in China under the context of climate change. The aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions and adaptation behaviors of heat exposure among construction workers and to provide evidence for the development of targeted heat adaptation strategies nationally and internationally. Methods In 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional online questionnaire survey via WeChat Survey Star in China, using a purposive snowball sampling approach. A total of 326 construction workers submitted completed questionnaires. The perceptions of workplace heat exposure were measured using seven indicators: concerns over high temperature, perception of high temperature injury, attitudes towards both heat-related training and regulations, adjustment of working habits during heat, heat prevention measures in the workplace, and reduction of work efficiency. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to identify the factors significantly associated with workers’ heat perceptions and behavioral responses. Results 33.3% of the respondents were moderately or very concerned about heat exposure in the workplace. Less than half of the workers (43.8%) were worried about heat-related injuries. Workers who have either experienced work-related injuries (OR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.03–1.62) or witnessed injuries to others during high temperatures (OR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.02–1.27) were more concerned about heat exposure compared to other workers. Most respondents (63.5%) stated that their work efficiency declined during extremely hot weather. The factors significantly associated with a reduction of work efficiency included undertaking physically demanding jobs (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.07–1.54) and witnessing other workers’ injuries during high temperatures (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.11–1.43). More than half of the workers were willing to adjust their work habits to adapt to the impact of high temperatures (81.6%). The internet was the most common method to obtain heat prevention information (44.7%), and the most frequently used heat prevention measure was the provision of cool drinking water (64.8%). Conclusions Chinese construction workers lack heat risk awareness and are not well prepared for the likely increasing heat exposure in the workplace due to global warming. Therefore, there is a need to improve their awareness of heat-related injuries, strengthen high temperature related education and training, and update the current heat prevention policies to ensure compliance and implementation.

scholarly journals Does Climate Change Matter to Us? Knowledge, Attitudes, and Environmental Behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Dopelt ◽  
N Davidovitch ◽  
O Loren ◽  
G Gapich
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Behavior ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Climate change is one of the greatest global threats to humanity in the 21st century, and it is directly or indirectly caused by human activity. In view of the effects of climate change, it is important to examine the level of knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of the public. A better understanding of these variables should improve the current debate on the impact of human behavior on environment and health. Methods In a cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire, 704 students were asked about their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to climate change. The data were analyzed using correlations, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and linear regression models. Results We found that students have a medium level of knowledge about the impact of climate change and that their attitudes are moderately pro-environmental, yet they are not strict about pro-environmental behavior. Students with higher levels of environmental knowledge demonstrated more pro-environmental attitudes and behavior, and attitudes mediate the relationship between level of knowledge and behavior. Women demonstrated more pro-environmental behavior than did men, and computer science and management students have the highest levels of knowledge, while health sciences students hold the most positive attitudes and more pro-environmental behavior. Conclusions Our results highlight the importance of raising awareness of the effects of climate change and increasing knowledge about how climate change can be mitigated. To this end, an introductory course on environmental science should be integrated into various academic study programs. Further research is needed in order to understand the factors associated with pro-environmental behavior and how to promote it. Key messages Environmental behavior is a function of knowledge, skills, and values. Nevertheless, gaps might exist between social and environmental values that a person aspires to believe in and his/her behavior. Preferring the present over the future is a classic sustainability problem, as intentional sustainable behavior necessitates long-term thinking and gives precedence to future benefits.

scholarly journals Moving From Indifference to Responsibility: Reframing Environmental Behavior Among College Students in Israel

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keren Dopelt ◽  
Ori Loren ◽  
Gal Gapich ◽  
Nadav Davidovitch
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Behavior ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Individual Contributions ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Objectives: To examine the level of knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of students on topics related to climate change and the relationship between those variables.Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire, including 704 students. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson correlations, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and regression models.Results: Only 42% of participants understood what climate change meant, and 14% indicated their indifference toward it. Students had a moderate level of knowledge about the impact of climate change, and their attitudes were moderately positive, yet they demonstrated poor environmental behavior. We found positive relationships between variables, with attitudes mediating the relationship between knowledge and behavior. Women demonstrated more pro-environmental behavior than men.Conclusions: Our results highlight the importance of raising awareness of climate change's effects and its mitigation. Pro-environmental behavior requires long-term thinking and priorities for the future rather than benefits in the present. Future environmental education campaigns should emphasize individual contributions to environmental impacts in the context of climate change, as well as environmentally relevant consumption habits. We suggest including an introductory reflective and emancipatory course in environmental studies in all departments, emphasizing public health aspects.

scholarly journals Female fruit flies cannot protect stored sperm from high temperature damage

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin S Walsh ◽  
Steven R Parratt ◽  
Rhonda R Snook ◽  
Amanda Bretman ◽  
David Atkinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
High Temperature Stress ◽  
Population Persistence ◽  
Drosophila Virilis ◽  
Mature Sperm ◽  
Temperature Damage ◽  
The Impact

Recently, it has been demonstrated that heat-induced male sterility is likely to shape population persistence as climate change progresses. However, an under-explored possibility is that females may be able to successfully store and preserve sperm at temperatures that sterilise males, which could ameliorate the impact of male infertility on populations. Here, we test whether females from two fruit fly species can protect stored sperm from a high temperature stress. We find that sperm carried by female Drosophila virilis are almost completely sterilised by high temperatures, whereas sperm carried by female Zaprionus indianus show only slightly reduced fertility. Heat-shocked D. virilis females can recover fertility when allowed to remate, suggesting that the delivered heat-shock is destroying stored sperm and not directly damaging females in this species. The temperatures required to reduce fertility of mated females are substantially lower than the temperatures required to destroy mature sperm in males, suggesting that females are worse than males at protecting mature sperm. This suggests that female sperm storage is unlikely to ameliorate the impacts of high temperature fertility losses in males, and instead exacerbates fertility costs of high temperatures, representing an important determinant of population persistence during climate change.

scholarly journals Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Epidemic and Mental Health Status in the General Adult Population of Serbia: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1957
Author(s):  
Isidora Vujčić ◽  
Teodora Safiye ◽  
Bojana Milikić ◽  
Emina Popović ◽  
Draško Dubljanin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Severe Depression ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
State Of Emergency ◽  
The Impact

Since its outbreak, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread throughout the world. The Serbian government declared a state of emergency on 15 March 2020, implementing some of Europe’s strictest measures to combat the pandemic. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the mental health of the general adult Serbian population and to identify associated factors during the state of emergency and lockdown. Data were collected with a snowball sampling method between 23 March and 25 April 2020, by using an online questionnaire. Multiple ordinal regression was performed to establish the associations between socio-demographic characteristics, self-estimated health status, and depression, anxiety, and stress. Out of 1057 participants included in the study, 28.9%, 36.9%, and 38.1% reported moderate to severe depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Uneasiness related to COVID-19 news, the feeling of helplessness, likeliness of impending death, and presence of COVID-19 symptoms were associated with higher depression, anxiety, and stress scores. Current smoking status was associated with a higher risk of depression and stress. Students had a significantly higher level of depression and stress, while older age was protective against anxiety and stress. Higher socioeconomic status was significantly associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Psychological Impact on Health Care Workers in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6076
Author(s):  
Hasan S. Alamri ◽  
Wesam F. Mousa ◽  
Abdullah Algarni ◽  
Shehata F. Megahid ◽  
Ali Al Bshabshe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Psychological Outcomes ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Impact

Objective: Little is known about the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 among the health care workers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May till mid-July among 389 health care workers from government and private hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a pre-structured online questionnaire that measured adverse psychological outcomes, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale. The Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the distribution of depression and anxiety among health care workers. Results: A high level of anxiety was recorded among the health care workers, and 69.3% of health care workers below the age of 40 were found to have depression. There was a significant increase in depression among staff with chronic health problems (72.1% vs. 61.9%; p = 0.048). High anxiety levels were detected among young staff compared to others (68.7% vs. 43.8%; p = 0.001). Moreover, 82.1% of the female staff were anxious, as compared to 55.6% of the males (p = 0.001). Conclusions: We found increased prevalence of adverse psychological outcomes among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia during the outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, there is a need for proper screening and development of corresponding preventive measures to decrease the adverse psychological outcomes.

scholarly journals Stress Perceived by University Health Sciences Students, 1 Year after COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5233
Author(s):  
Yolanda Marcén-Román ◽  
Angel Gasch-Gallen ◽  
Irene Isabel Vela Martín de la Mota ◽  
Estela Calatayud ◽  
Isabel Gómez-Soria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
University Students ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Occupational Therapy Students ◽  
Health Sciences Students ◽  
The Impact

Today’s COVID-19 situation can affect university Health Sciences students’ psychological health. This study aimed to analyze the stress caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Health Sciences students from the University of Zaragoza (Spain) almost 1 year after the pandemic began. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with a sample of 252 university students who completed a self-administered online questionnaire. It evaluated the impact of perceived stress with a modified scale (PSS-10-C), and assessed anxiety and depression on the Goldberg scale. Students presented stress (13.1%), anxiety (71.4%) and depression (81%). Females (81.7%) and the third-year Occupational Therapy students (p = 0.010) reported perceived stress. Nursing students perceived less stress (OR: 0.148; 95% CI: 0.026 to 0.842). University students developed stress and anxiety due to COVID-19 almost 1 year after the pandemic began. Psychological support measures for these groups should be prioritized.

Intimate Partner Violence and its Mental Health Implications Amid COVID-19 Lockdown: Findings Among Nigerian Couples

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110152
Author(s):  
Margaret Isioma Ojeahere ◽  
Sahmicit Kankemwa Kumswa ◽  
Frances Adiukwu ◽  
Janet Punyit Plang ◽  
Yetunde Folake Taiwo
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Health Consequences ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Implications

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been identified as a global health problem with increasing mental health consequences. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Nigeria, couples were compelled to spend more time together, regardless of their pre-existing challenges. Our study aims to determine the prevalence of IPV, its forms, and mental health implications among Nigerian households amid the COVID-19 lockdown. A cross-sectional study was implemented which used the snowball sampling technique to recruit 474 participants across 31 states in Nigeria. A semi-structured online questionnaire was distributed using the WhatsApp platform. The relationship between IPV, its forms, and associated factors were analyzed using descriptive analysis and logistic regression with significant value at p ≤ .05 and confidence interval of 95%. Majority (98.1%) of the participants had at least a college degree and 90.1% were employed. Overall prevalence of IPV ranged from 7.2% to 13.5%. Using the lockdown as the landmark, higher prevalence was found before than during the lockdown across physical, emotional, financial, and sexual forms of IPV. Emotional form had the highest prevalence both before and during the lockdown with 11.4% and 3.8% respectively. Furthermore, 22.6% of participants reported that the lockdown affected their mental health. Hopelessness, feelings of failure, being irritable, and constantly under strain were psychological symptoms significantly associated with IPV amid the lockdown. Decreased prevalence of IPV were found in the early phase of the pandemic, suggesting that couples can experience less partner violence during periods of confinement. Our study supports existing evidence that forms of IPV have negative mental health consequences on abused partners.

scholarly journals Factors influencing users' willingness to share health information in the social question-and-answer community represented by Zhihu: An online questionnaire survey (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
PengFei Li ◽  
Lin Xu ◽  
TingT Tang ◽  
Xiaoqian Wu ◽  
Cheng Huang
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Question ◽  
The Social ◽  
Question And Answer

BACKGROUND Social Q&A communities are playing an increasingly important role in the dissemination of health information. The identification of influencing factors of user willingness to share health information (WSHI) is very important to improve public health literacy. OBJECTIVE in order to provide a reference for the construction of high-quality health information sharing community, this paper studied the influencing factors of social question-and-answer community users sharing health information. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted through snowball sampling among 921 users of Zhihu in China. Structural equation analysis was used to verify the interaction and influence strength between variables in the model. Hierarchical regression was also used to test the mediating effect in the model. RESULTS Altruism (AL, β=0.264, P＜0.001), Intrinsic Reward (IR, β=0.260, P＜0.05), Self-Efficacy (SE, β=0.468, P＜0.001) and Community Influence (CI, β=0.277, P＜0.01) had a positive effect while Extrinsic Reward (ER, β=0.351, P＜0.001) had a negative effect on WSHI. SE also had a mediating effect (βmediation=0.147, 29.15%, 0.147/0.505) between CI and WSHI. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that WSHI is simultaneously influenced by many factors such as AL, SE, CI and IR. Improving the social atmosphere of the platform is an effective method to encourage users to share health information.

scholarly journals Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Related to COVID-19 Among Healthcare Workers in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-sectional Study.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina M. Al Marzouqi ◽  
Michael E. Otim ◽  
Heba H. Hijazi ◽  
Leena S. Kehail ◽  
Ramsha A. Kamal
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

Abstract Objectives: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is a global health pandemic that continues to have an impact on many aspects of everyday life. This study investigates the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) related to COVID-19 among healthcare workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: This study uses a cross-sectional study design. The original data were collected using an online questionnaire distributed via a Google Forms link. Participants were healthcare workers currently working in the UAE healthcare facilities and recruited using snowball sampling. The questionnaire collected information on demographic variables and COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practice.Results: In total, the sample of 107 healthcare workers completed the survey. About 92% of the participants worked in public institutions, 87% were from Dubai, and 673% were female. The majority were aged 31–40 years (34.6%), and 43% were radiographers. 66.4% held bachelor’s degrees and Indian nationalities were (28%) and the Philippinos were (28%). Most (90.7%) participants knew the absence of fever did not mean that the virus could not transmit from an infected person, and 84.1% agreed that wearing general medical masks prevented one from contracting COVID-19. However, only 36.4% strongly believed that wearing a well-fitting face mask was effective. In addition, only 15.9% reported confidently managing patients with symptoms of COVID-19, and 54.2% reported that they were afraid of contracting the virus from patients. Almost half of the participants avoided patients who had symptoms of COVID-19. Conclusion: Overall, healthcare workers’ COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices for healthcare workers in UAE healthcare facilities was very high. However, we found gaps in awareness regarding the spread of the pandemic. Our study recommends that providing healthcare workers with education programs and counseling services would help increase their confidence in treating patients with COVID-19.

scholarly journals Impact of High Temperature and Drought Stresses on Chickpea Production

Agronomy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viola Devasirvatham ◽  
Daniel Tan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Residual Soil ◽  
Germplasm Collections ◽  
Legume Crop ◽  
Terminal Drought ◽  
The Impact

Global climate change has caused severe crop yield losses worldwide and is endangering food security in the future. The impact of climate change on food production is high in Australia and globally. Climate change is projected to have a negative impact on crop production. Chickpea is a cool season legume crop mostly grown on residual soil moisture. High temperature and terminal drought are common in different regions of chickpea production with varying intensities and frequencies. Therefore, stable chickpea production will depend on the release of new cultivars with improved adaptation to major events such as drought and high temperature. Recent progress in chickpea breeding has increased the efficiency of assessing genetic diversity in germplasm collections. This review provides an overview of the integration of new approaches and tools into breeding programs and their impact on the development of stress tolerance in chickpea.

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