scholarly journals People’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during its early stages and factors affecting those responses

Author(s):  
Junyi Zhang

AbstractThe world has suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic. While it is expected that societies will learn lessons from this experience, knowledge about how people responded to the pandemic in its early stages is very limited. With the aim of urgently providing policymakers with scientific evidence about how to better inform the public about fighting against COVID-19, this study made an initial attempt to assess how people responded to the COVID-19 outbreak during its early stages. Based on a life-oriented approach, this study collected data on a large set of behaviors and attitudes through a nationwide retrospective panel survey conducted in Japan at the end of March 2020, when the country had 1953 confirmed infection cases in total. Valid data were collected from 1052 residents from the whole of Japan, taking into account a balanced population distribution in terms of age, gender, and region. Respondents were asked to report changes in their daily activity-travel behavior, long-distance trips, and other life activities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated factors (information reliability, risk perception, attitudes about policy-making and communications with the public, etc.). Results of both aggregate and modeling analyses (using a structural equation model and a data mining approach) indicate that poor communication with the public may have been closely related to the spread of COVID-19 in Japan, and that effective interventions should be made by focusing on interactions between target persons and close members of their social networks. It is also revealed that differentiated communications are necessary to encourage different types of behavioral changes. Risk communication should be better designed to encourage people to voluntarily modify their needs in life [L] and perform the needed activities [A] at places with sufficient spaces [S] and proper duration of time and at the proper timing [TING]. Such a LASTING approach may be crucial to enhance the effects of massive public involvement in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. The findings from this study are not only useful to tackle the current pandemic, but also have a long-term value for addressing future pandemics.

Author(s):  
EVA MOEHLECKE DE BASEGGIO ◽  
OLIVIA SCHNEIDER ◽  
TIBOR SZVIRCSEV TRESCH

The Swiss Armed Forces (SAF), as part of a democratic system, depends on legitimacy. Democracy, legitimacy and the public are closely connected. In the public sphere the SAF need to be visible; it is where they are controlled and legitimated by the citizens, as part of a deliberative discussion in which political decisions are communicatively negotiated. Considering this, the meaning of political communication, including the SAF’s communication, becomes obvious as it forms the most important basis for political legitimation processes. Social media provide a new way for the SAF to communicate and interact directly with the population. The SAF’s social media communication potentially brings it closer to the people and engages them in a dialogue. The SAF can become more transparent and social media communication may increase its reputation and legitimacy. To measure the effects of social media communication, a survey of the Swiss internet population was conducted. Based on this data, a structural equation model was defined, the effects of which substantiate the assumption that the SAF benefits from being on social media in terms of broadening its reach and increasing legitimacy values.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 592-605
Author(s):  
Melchior Bria ◽  
Ludfi Djakfar ◽  
Achmad Wicaksono

Abstract The impacts of work characteristics on travel mode choice behavior has been studied for a long time, focusing on the work type, income, duration, and working time. However, there are no comprehensive studies on the influence of travel behavior. Therefore, this study examines the influence of work environment as a mediator of socio-economic variables, trip characteristics, transportation infrastructure and services, the environment and choice of transportation mode on work trips. The mode of transportation consists of three variables, including public transportation (bus rapid transit and mass rapid transit), private vehicles (cars and motorbikes), and online transportation (online taxis and motorbike taxis online). Multivariate analysis using the partial least squares-structural equation modeling method was used to explain the relationship between variables in the model. According to the results, the mediating impact of work environment is significant on transportation choices only for environmental variables. The mediating mode choice effect is negative for public transportation and complimentary for private vehicles and online transportation. Other variables directly affect mode choice, including the influence of work environment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7885
Author(s):  
Kardina Kamaruddin ◽  
Indra Abeysekera

The New Public Management allows us to reflect upon whether intellectual capital helps public sector organisations meet their performance benchmarks. Sustainable economic performance gains importance from the public sector’s service ideal. Although there have been empirical endeavours using intellectual capital as operational variables, this study examines the theoretically informed relationship between the intellectual capital construct and its construct dimensions and the sustainable economic performance construct and its construct dimensions. The decision-making inputs of senior officials in the Malaysian public sector are vital for evaluating the relationship, as these officials are the individual strategists of the collective organisational strategy. The study conducted a survey that received 1092 usable responses and analysed them using the structural equation modelling research method. The findings showed a robust theoretical relationship between intellectual capital and sustainable economic performance. Furthermore, the study identified intellectual capital items that play a vital role in supporting public sector sustainable economic performance in Malaysia under New Public Management. The findings provide useful knowledge for public sector officials and policymakers, and for further research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Ben Charif ◽  
◽  
Karine V. Plourde ◽  
Sabrina Guay-Bélanger ◽  
Hervé Tchala Vignon Zomahoun ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The scale-up of evidence-based innovations is required to reduce waste and inequities in health and social services (HSS). However, it often tends to be a top-down process initiated by policy makers, and the values of the intended beneficiaries are forgotten. Involving multiple stakeholders including patients and the public in the scaling-up process is thus essential but highly complex. We propose to identify relevant strategies for meaningfully and equitably involving patients and the public in the science and practice of scaling up in HSS. Methods We will adapt our overall method from the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method. Following this, we will perform a two-prong study design (knowledge synthesis and Delphi study) grounded in an integrated knowledge translation approach. This approach involves extensive participation of a network of stakeholders interested in patient and public involvement (PPI) in scaling up and a multidisciplinary steering committee. We will conduct a systematic scoping review following the methodology recommended in the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers Manual. We will use the following eligibility criteria: (1) participants—any stakeholder involved in creating or testing a strategy for PPI; (2) intervention—any PPI strategy proposed for scaling-up initiatives; (3) comparator—no restriction; (4) outcomes: any process or outcome metrics related to PPI; and (5) setting—HSS. We will search electronic databases (e.g., Medline, Web of Science, Sociological Abstract) from inception onwards, hand search relevant websites, screen the reference lists of included records, and consult experts in the field. Two reviewers will independently select and extract eligible studies. We will summarize data quantitatively and qualitatively and report results using the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. We will conduct an online Delphi survey to achieve consensus on the relevant strategies for PPI in scaling-up initiatives in HSS. Participants will include stakeholders from low-, middle-, and high-income countries. We anticipate that three rounds will allow an acceptable degree of agreement on research priorities. Discussion Our findings will advance understanding of how to meaningfully and equitably involve patients and the public in scaling-up initiatives for sustainable HSS. Systematic review registration We registered this protocol with the Open Science Framework on August 19, 2020 (https://osf.io/zqpx7/).


Author(s):  
Guangchao Charles Feng ◽  
Zhiliang Lin ◽  
Wanhua Ou ◽  
Xianglin Su ◽  
Qing Yan

Although early screening tests are beneficial for the detection and treatment of cancers, many people have failed to participate in screening tests. The present study aims to explore the theoretical underpinning of low participation in screening programs using the method of meta-analytic structural equation modeling. It was found that the health belief model is the most adopted theoretical framework. Moreover, the intended uptake of screening was positively predicted only by cues to action, health literacy, and perceived susceptibility. As a result, a health intention model, including the three significant variables, is proposed. The practical implications of the findings are that health communication campaigns should focus on enlightening and engaging the public through all necessary means to raise awareness and transfer knowledge in relation to screening procedures as well as cancers per se.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e046450
Author(s):  
Samantha Cruz Rivera ◽  
Richard Stephens ◽  
Rebecca Mercieca-Bebber ◽  
Ameeta Retzer ◽  
Claudia Rutherford ◽  
...  

Objectives(a) To adapt the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT)-patient-reported outcome (PRO) Extension guidance to a user-friendly format for patient partners and (b) to codesign a web-based tool to support the dissemination and uptake of the SPIRIT-PRO Extension by patient partners.DesignA 1-day patient and public involvement session.ParticipantsSeven patient partners.MethodsA patient partner produced an initial lay summary of the SPIRIT-PRO guideline and a glossary. We held a 1-day PPI session in November 2019 at the University of Birmingham. Five patient partners discussed the draft lay summary, agreed on the final wording, codesigned and agreed the final content for both tools. Two additional patient partners were involved in writing the manuscript. The study compiled with INVOLVE guidelines and was reported according to the Guidance for Reporting Involvement of Patients and the Public 2 checklist.ResultsTwo user-friendly tools were developed to help patients and members of the public be involved in the codesign of clinical trials collecting PROs. The first tool presents a lay version of the SPIRIT-PRO Extension guidance. The second depicts the most relevant points, identified by the patient partners, of the guidance through an interactive flow diagram.ConclusionsThese tools have the potential to support the involvement of patient partners in making informed contributions to the development of PRO aspects of clinical trial protocols, in accordance with the SPIRIT-PRO Extension guidelines. The involvement of patient partners ensured the tools focused on issues most relevant to them.


Data ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Dong Chen ◽  
Varada Shevade ◽  
Allison Baer ◽  
Jiaying He ◽  
Amanda Hoffman-Hall ◽  
...  

Malaria is a serious infectious disease that leads to massive casualties globally. Myanmar is a key battleground for the global fight against malaria because it is where the emergence of drug-resistant malaria parasites has been documented. Controlling the spread of malaria in Myanmar thus carries global significance, because the failure to do so would lead to devastating consequences in vast areas where malaria is prevalent in tropical/subtropical regions around the world. Thanks to its wide and consistent spatial coverage, remote sensing has become increasingly used in the public health domain. Specifically, remote sensing-based land cover/land use (LCLU) maps present a powerful tool that provides critical information on population distribution and on the potential human-vector interactions interfaces on a large spatial scale. Here, we present a 30-meter LCLU map that was created specifically for the malaria control and eradication efforts in Myanmar. This bottom-up approach can be modified and customized to other vector-borne infectious diseases in Myanmar or other Southeastern Asian countries.


2021 ◽  
pp. 027507402110033
Author(s):  
Hongseok Lee ◽  
Minsung Michael Kang ◽  
Sun Young Kim

Whistleblowing is a psychological process that involves the calculation of risks and benefits. While there exists a broad range of research on whistleblowing in the public sector, previous studies have not examined its entire process due to the limited focus on either whistleblowing intention or whistleblowing behavior. This study aims to fill this gap by applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to the whistleblowing context. Specifically, we examine how individual beliefs about the likely consequences of whistleblowing (attitude toward whistleblowing), others’ expectations about whistleblowing (subjective norm), and the capability of blowing the whistle (perceived behavioral control) influence public employees’ actual whistleblowing by way of their intention to report wrongdoings. A series of structural equation models are tested using data from the 2010 Merit Principles Survey. The findings show that the more the employees perceive that the consequences of whistleblowing are important, the more the key referents support whistleblowing, and the more the protections for whistleblowers are available, the more likely are their intentions to disclose wrongdoings and then actually engage in whistleblowing behavior. We conduct additional analyses for internal and external whistleblowers separately and find that there are both meaningful similarities and differences between the two groups. This study provides support for the validity of TPB as a theoretical framework for better understanding and explicating the psychological process of bureaucratic whistleblowing.


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