scholarly journals How shades of truth and age affect responses to COVID-19 (Mis)information: randomized survey experiment among WhatsApp users in UK and Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Santosh Vijaykumar ◽  
Yan Jin ◽  
Daniel Rogerson ◽  
Xuerong Lu ◽  
Swati Sharma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Mixed Design ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Perceived Credibility ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Corrective Information

AbstractWe examined how age and exposure to different types of COVID-19 (mis)information affect misinformation beliefs, perceived credibility of the message and intention-to-share it on WhatsApp. Through two mixed-design online experiments in the UK and Brazil (total N = 1454) we first randomly exposed adult WhatsApp users to full misinformation, partial misinformation, or full truth about the therapeutic powers of garlic to cure COVID-19. We then exposed all participants to corrective information from the World Health Organisation debunking this claim. We found stronger misinformation beliefs among younger adults (18–54) in both the UK and Brazil and possible backfire effects of corrective information among older adults (55+) in the UK. Corrective information from the WHO was effective in enhancing perceived credibility and intention-to-share of accurate information across all groups in both countries. Our findings call for evidence-based infodemic interventions by health agencies, with greater engagement of younger adults in pandemic misinformation management efforts.

scholarly journals Understanding Leisure Centre-Based Physical Activity after Physical Activity Referral: Evidence from Scheme Participants and Completers in Northumberland UK

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2957
Author(s):  
Jordan Bell ◽  
Lis Neubeck ◽  
Kai Jin ◽  
Paul Kelly ◽  
Coral L. Hanson
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Ordinal Regression ◽  
World Health ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
The World ◽  
The Uk

Physical activity referral schemes (PARS) are a popular physical activity (PA) intervention in the UK. Little is known about the type, intensity and duration of PA undertaken during and post PARS. We calculated weekly leisure centre-based moderate/vigorous PA for PARS participants (n = 448) and PARS completers (n = 746) in Northumberland, UK, between March 2019–February 2020 using administrative data. We categorised activity levels (<30 min/week, 30–149 min/week and ≥150 min/week) and used ordinal regression to examine predictors for activity category achieved. PARS participants took part in a median of 57.0 min (IQR 26.0–90.0) and PARS completers a median of 68.0 min (IQR 42.0–100.0) moderate/vigorous leisure centre-based PA per week. Being a PARS completer (OR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.61–2.82) was a positive predictor of achieving a higher level of physical activity category compared to PARS participants. Female PARS participants were less likely (OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43–0.97) to achieve ≥30 min of moderate/vigorous LCPA per week compared to male PARS participants. PARS participants achieved 38.0% and PARS completers 45.3% of the World Health Organisation recommended ≥150 min of moderate/vigorous weekly PA through leisure centre use. Strategies integrated within PARS to promote PA outside of leisure centre-based activity may help participants achieve PA guidelines.

scholarly journals Standardised, quantitative neutralisation responses to SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern by convalescent anti-sera from first wave infections of UK Health Care Workers and Patients

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Cantoni ◽  
Martin Mayora-Neto ◽  
Angalee Nadesalingam ◽  
David A. Wells ◽  
George W. Carnell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Care Centre ◽  
International Standard ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The World ◽  
Antibody Titres ◽  
The Uk

One of the defining criteria of Variants of Concern (VOC) is their ability to evade pre-existing immunity, increased transmissibility, morbidity and/or mortality. Here we examine the capacity of convalescent plasma, from a well defined cohort of healthcare workers (HCW) and Patients infected during the first wave from a national critical care centre in the UK, to neutralise B.1.1.298 variant and three VOCs; B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1. Furthermore, to enable lab to lab, country to country comparisons we utilised the World Health Organisation (WHO) International Standard for anti-SARS-CoV-2 Immunoglobulin to report neutralisation findings in International Units. These findings demonstrate a significant reduction in the ability of first wave convalescent plasma to neutralise the VOCs. In addition, Patients and HCWs with more severe COVID-19 were found to have higher antibody titres and to neutralise the VOCs more effectively than individuals with milder symptoms. Widespread use of the WHO International Standard by laboratories in different countries will allow for cross-laboratory comparisons, to benchmark and to establish thresholds of protection against SARS-CoV-2 and levels of immunity in different settings and countries.

scholarly journals Chelmsford Borough Council: A designated International Safe Community

1970 ◽  
pp. 230-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Averil Price
Keyword(s):  
Local Authority ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
The World ◽  
Demonstration Site ◽  
Borough Council ◽  
Authority Area ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Safe Community

This article provides some background to the Safe Communities concept and sets out the criteria to be satisfied as an International Safe Community (ISC). It concludes with reflections about Chelmsford Borough Council’s responsibilities as a Demonstration Site within the UK, and how Council has contributed within an International Network.There are currently over 200 communities across the world that have been designated as International Safe Communities by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and in June 2010, the Chelmsford Borough Council became the first local authority area to achieve this recognition in the UK. International Safe Communities is a World Health Organisation initiative that recognises safety as a ‘universal concern and a responsibility for all’. 1 It is an approach to community safety that encourages greater cooperation and collaboration between a range of non-government organisations, the business sector and local and government agencies. In order to be designated as an ISC, communities are required to meet six criteria developed by the WHO Collaborating Centre on Community Safety. The ISC accreditation process provides support for communities and indicates a level of achievement by an organisation within the field of community safety.

scholarly journals How did the UK government face the global COVID-19 pandemic?

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamiris Cristhina Resende ◽  
Marco Antonio Catussi Paschoalotto ◽  
Stephen Peckham ◽  
Claudia Souza Passador ◽  
João Luiz Passador
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
First Case ◽  
The World ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk

Abstract This paper aims to analyse the coordination and cooperation in Primary Health Care (PHC) measures adopted by the British government against the spread of the COVID-19. PHC is clearly part of the solution founded by governments across the world to fight against the spread of the virus. Data analysis was performed based on coordination, cooperation, and PHC literature crossed with documentary analysis of the situation reports released by the World Health Organisation and documents, guides, speeches and action plans on the official UK government website. The measures adopted by the United Kingdom were analysed in four periods, which helps to explain the courses of action during the pandemic: pre-first case (January 22- January 31, 2020), developing prevention measures (February 1 -February 29, 2020), first Action Plan (March 1- March 23, 2020) and lockdown (March 24-May 6, 2020). Despite the lack of consensus in essential matters such as Brexit, the nations in the United Kingdom are working together with a high level of cooperation and coordination in decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals New Caledonian biology teachers’ opinions about vaccination: Preliminary findings

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (5) ◽  
pp. 594-606
Author(s):  
Stephane Frayon
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Biology Teachers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Electronic Survey

Objective: Vaccine hesitancy is increasing worldwide and the World Health Organisation has declared it to be one of the 10 threats for global health in 2019. Lack of confidence in vaccines and fear of side effects seem to be the key reasons. Education may help restore confidence, and middle and high school biology teachers may have a particularly powerful role in countering vaccine hesitancy. The aim of this study was to compare biology teachers’ opinions about vaccination with those of other teachers. Design: Cross-sectional study. Method: An electronic survey was sent to middle and high school teachers in New Caledonia. A total of 280 participants were recruited: 110 biology teachers and 170 teachers of other subjects. Attitudes about three common vaccine controversies were measured using Likert-type scales. Results were analysed using multiple logistic regression. Results: Biology teachers showed greater confidence in their knowledge about vaccines than other teachers. In general, their opinions agreed more with scientific knowledge than those of the other teachers, despite some disparities depending on their specific sub-specialty. Highest university qualification obtained was not correlated with the opinions expressed about vaccines. Conclusion: Biology teachers may be better able to restore confidence about vaccines than other teachers. Additional training and information are needed however to allow them to transmit accurate information about vaccines to adolescents.

scholarly journals Effective Consumer Consultation in the Planning and Delivery of  Health and Social Services: A New Zealand Case Study: A Comparative Study of the Theory and Practice of Government Organisations in Engaging Consumers in Consultation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Julz Britnell
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Services ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
World Health ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health And Social Services ◽  
Planning Decisions ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Right

<p>About 600 million people in the world live with disabilities (World Health Organisation, 2007). Over the past ten years there has been increasing calls for government organisations in the health and disability sector to involve consumers in their decision-making, service design and general governance. This has led government health and disability organisations in different countries to try and find ways to ensure consumers are consulted with and involved in decision-making processes (Coney, 2004). The potential benefits of effective consumer consultation are better quality services, policy and planning decisions that a more consumer focused, improved communications and greater ownership of the local health services. For consumers effective consultation can mean they get better outcomes of treatment and support, a more accessible and responsive service and improved health. For the community consultation can help bring about a reduction in health inequalities and provide a health service better able to meet the needs of its constituents (Anderson et al., 2002). There are a number of real and perceived barriers to consumer consultation. Consumers may be anxious that their views will not be taken seriously, that they will look foolish or that they won’t understand what’s being talked about. Staff and organisations might be anxious that their work will be criticised, that there will be unrealistic demands to change services or that their role and authority might be undermined (Fletcher & Bradburn, 2001). For consultation to work there needs to be commitment from the organisation to plan and provide adequate resources. Developing a strategy is critical before organisations start down this path. The UK Audit Commission (2003) believe developing a strategy will help organisations to define exactly what the purpose of the consultation is, what they want to achieve, help them identify the relevant stakeholders and assess what level of engagement to undertake. Consultation is an important part of designing, delivering and managing effective health and social services. There are many different ways of engaging consumers and finding the right way for each organisation takes planning, commitment, time and energy.</p>

OBESITY IN PREGNANCY

2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-132
Author(s):  
JANE E RAMSAY ◽  
IAN A GREER
Keyword(s):  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
World Health ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Moderate Activity ◽  
Prevalence Of Obesity ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Uk

Obesity is the modern health epidemic of Western society. The World Health Organisation estimated in the year 2000 that as many as 300 million people worldwide are clinically obese. European countries are now following the worrying trends set by our American neighbours with as many as 30% of adults now classified as overweight and obese (Table 1). In the recent British Women's Heart and Health Study over 4000 women from 23 towns in England, Scotland and Wales were surveyed to establish the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. Over one quarter of the participants were obese (Body mass index (BMI)>30 kg/m2) with the mean BMI of the sample being 27.7 kg/m2 (SD 5.2). One fifth of the women were inactive (participated in less than one episode of moderate activity per week) and two fifths of women did not eat a portion of fresh fruit at least daily. In Sweden, 5600 individuals were surveyed to assess the trends for lifestyle changes between the periods 1986 and 1994. The prevalence of obesity (BMI>30 kg/m2) increased from 6.1% to 9.8% and overweight (BMI 25–29.9 kg/m2) from 19.6%–29.1% in women over this time period. In support of this the proportion of leisure time physical inactivity increased from 19.4% to 26.7%. Perhaps of more concern is the alarming increase in the prevalence of obesity in children. Data from a nationally representative sample of 2630 English children showed that the frequency of overweight (>85th centile) ranged from 22% at age 6 years to 31% at age 15 years and that of obesity (>95th centile) ranged from 10% at age 6 years to 17% at age 15 years. Obesity rates also vary in different ethnic groups with Afro-Caribbean and Pakistani girls living in the UK being more likely to be obese than the general population (OR 2.74 (95%CI 1.74–4.31), OR 1.71 (95%CI 1.06–2.76) respectively. A recent study has suggested that these concerning statistics may not be totally attributable to poor diet but also to a decline in total energy expenditure. For example, at age three the median time spent in sedentary behaviour was 79% of monitored hours and 76% by age five. In general these children spent only 20–25 minutes per day in moderate to vigorous physical activity. The most severe consequences of these observations is the fact that type 2 diabetes, once virtually unheard of in adolescence, now accounts for as many as half of all new diagnoses of diabetes in some populations in North America.

scholarly journals How Data is Helping to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harsh Arvind Athavale ◽  
Sunita Arvind Athavale ◽  
Amey Subodh Pathak ◽  
Tanmay Subodh Pathak
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Treatment Regimes ◽  
Different Types

Early in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic emerged as a global public health concern requiring urgent attention, concerted efforts and intervention to avoid catastrophe. This necessitated optimal use of fast-emerging data to be analysed to draw out inferences that would shape our response. World Health Organisation (WHO) called this pandemic an infodemic where data played a crucial role. This paper reviews how data from varied sources and different types helped delay the outbreak, limit the spread, initiate social and public health measures, decide treatment regimes, optimise healthcare infrastructure and human resources and helped to initiate a multipronged strategy with emerging evidence for further course correction as the world progressed through the pandemic. The classical mathematical tools, i.e., Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model and its variants, were the primary analytical techniques utilised to analyse such data. However, newer data analytical techniques utilising artificial intelligence and machine learning, were also extensively used. These techniques have the capability to handle large quantities of data and develop prediction models of various emerging situations that offer foreknowledge for policymakers and provide solutions. Data Science has witnessed a leap in the past few years, and the way it helped shape our response to this pandemic is a testimony to the promise that it holds for humankind.

scholarly journals Effective Consumer Consultation in the Planning and Delivery of  Health and Social Services: A New Zealand Case Study: A Comparative Study of the Theory and Practice of Government Organisations in Engaging Consumers in Consultation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Julz Britnell
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Services ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
World Health ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health And Social Services ◽  
Planning Decisions ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Right

<p>About 600 million people in the world live with disabilities (World Health Organisation, 2007). Over the past ten years there has been increasing calls for government organisations in the health and disability sector to involve consumers in their decision-making, service design and general governance. This has led government health and disability organisations in different countries to try and find ways to ensure consumers are consulted with and involved in decision-making processes (Coney, 2004). The potential benefits of effective consumer consultation are better quality services, policy and planning decisions that a more consumer focused, improved communications and greater ownership of the local health services. For consumers effective consultation can mean they get better outcomes of treatment and support, a more accessible and responsive service and improved health. For the community consultation can help bring about a reduction in health inequalities and provide a health service better able to meet the needs of its constituents (Anderson et al., 2002). There are a number of real and perceived barriers to consumer consultation. Consumers may be anxious that their views will not be taken seriously, that they will look foolish or that they won’t understand what’s being talked about. Staff and organisations might be anxious that their work will be criticised, that there will be unrealistic demands to change services or that their role and authority might be undermined (Fletcher & Bradburn, 2001). For consultation to work there needs to be commitment from the organisation to plan and provide adequate resources. Developing a strategy is critical before organisations start down this path. The UK Audit Commission (2003) believe developing a strategy will help organisations to define exactly what the purpose of the consultation is, what they want to achieve, help them identify the relevant stakeholders and assess what level of engagement to undertake. Consultation is an important part of designing, delivering and managing effective health and social services. There are many different ways of engaging consumers and finding the right way for each organisation takes planning, commitment, time and energy.</p>

The WHO Strategy and Community Nutrition in the UK

1989 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 129-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Scott-Samuel
Keyword(s):  
Social Epidemiology ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Political Commitment ◽  
Community Nutrition ◽  
The Public ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Local Initiatives ◽  
The Uk

The World Health Organisation (WHO), in its global and European strategies for health for all, has provided an excellent framework for the promotion of community nutrition. Sadly, the UK government has not responded adequately in terms of health-promoting public policy. However, regional and local initiatives in the public sector give much cause for hope. Major areas for action include the creation of political commitment and the development of a new social epidemiology of food and nutrition.

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