scholarly journals How evolutionary behavioural sciences can help us understand behaviour in a pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 264-278
Author(s):  
Megan Arnot ◽  
Eva Brandl ◽  
O L K Campbell ◽  
Yuan Chen ◽  
Juan Du ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Inclusive Fitness ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Behavioural Sciences

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has brought science into the public eye and to the attention of governments more than ever before. Much of this attention is on work in epidemiology, virology and public health, with most behavioural advice in public health focusing squarely on ‘proximate’ determinants of behaviour. While epidemiological models are powerful tools to predict the spread of disease when human behaviour is stable, most do not incorporate behavioural change. The evolutionary basis of our preferences and the cultural evolutionary dynamics of our beliefs drive behavioural change, so understanding these evolutionary processes can help inform individual and government decision-making in the face of a pandemic. Lay summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought behavioural sciences into the public eye: Without vaccinations, stopping the spread of the virus must rely on behaviour change by limiting contact between people. On the face of it, “stop seeing people” sounds simple. In practice, this is hard. Here we outline how an evolutionary perspective on behaviour change can provide additional insights. Evolutionary theory postulates that our psychology and behaviour did not evolve to maximize our health or that of others. Instead, individuals are expected to act to maximise their inclusive fitness (i.e, spreading our genes) – which can lead to a conflict between behaviours that are in the best interests for the individual, and behaviours that stop the spread of the virus. By examining the ultimate explanations of behaviour related to pandemic-management (such as behavioural compliance and social distancing), we conclude that “good of the group” arguments and “one size fits all” policies are unlikely to encourage behaviour change over the long-term. Sustained behaviour change to keep pandemics at bay is much more likely to emerge from environmental change, so governments and policy makers may need to facilitate significant social change – such as improving life experiences for disadvantaged groups.

scholarly journals MANEJO DE PACIENTES COM HALITOSE ATENDIDOS NO SERVIÇO PÚBLICO DE SAÚDE

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana Mara Peixôto Araujo ◽  
Ariane De Oliveira Santana ◽  
Iasmin De Sousa Moura ◽  
Jefferson David Melo De-Matos ◽  
Marignês Theotonio dos Santos Dutra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Public Health Service ◽  
Medical Doctors ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Face ◽  
Foul Odor ◽  
The Individual

Halitosis is characterized by a foul odor emanating from the oral cavity. This condition is considered an embarrassing symptom with a significant social impact for the individual. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of professionals working on public health service about halitosis and to examine the criteria for referrals of suspected cases. This study had the participation of 37 health professionals including medical doctors and dentists. All participants answered a questionnaire about the etiology, management and treatment of halitosis. Among all the professionals analyzed 92% (n = 34) reported receiving patients complaining of halitosis. 88% (n = 22) of dentists and 50% (n = 06) of medical doctors believe that the main cause of halitosis has an oral origin. 89.1% (n = 33) of samples reported performing the treatment of halitosis. In addition, the complementary exam most requested for the diagnosis of halitosis was the radiograph of the face. The results suggest that there is a mistake in the management of patients with halitosis attended in the public health service. This study brings to light the need to educate and train medical doctors and dentists about the etiological factors, forms of diagnosis and treatment of halitosis.

Dilemmas of nudging in public health: an ethical analysis of a Danish pamphlet

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Busch ◽  
Emilie Kirstine Madsen ◽  
Antoinette Mary Fage-Butler ◽  
Marianne Kjær ◽  
Loni Ledderer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Screening Programme ◽  
Screening Program ◽  
Ethical Analysis ◽  
Choice Making ◽  
The Face ◽  
Information Materials ◽  
The Individual ◽  
To Receive

Summary Nudging has been discussed in the context of public health, and ethical issues raised by nudging in public health contexts have been highlighted. In this article, we first identify types of nudging approaches and techniques that have been used in screening programmes, and ethical issues that have been associated with nudging: paternalism, limited autonomy and manipulation. We then identify nudging techniques used in a pamphlet developed for the Danish National Screening Program for Colorectal Cancer. These include framing, default nudge, use of hassle bias, authority nudge and priming. The pamphlet and the very offering of a screening programme can in themselves be considered nudges. Whether nudging strategies are ethically problematic depend on whether they are categorized as educative- or non-educative nudges. Educative nudges seek to affect people’s choice making by engaging their reflective capabilities. Non-educative nudges work by circumventing people’s reflective capabilities. Information materials are, on the face of it, meant to engage citizens’ reflective capacities. Recipients are likely to receive information materials with this expectation, and thus not expect to be affected in other ways. Non-educative nudges may therefore be particularly problematic in the context of information on screening, also as participating in screening does not always benefit the individual.

Recommended Policies for Uses of Human Tissue in Research, Education, and Quality Control

1999 ◽  
Vol 123 (4) ◽  
pp. 296-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Grizzle ◽  
Wayne W. Grody ◽  
Walter W. Noll ◽  
Mark E. Sobel ◽  
Sanford A. Stass ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Human Tissue ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Direct Patient Care ◽  
Research Education ◽  
The Public ◽  
Medical Specialists ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Knowledge Interests

Abstract As recipients of tissue and medical specimens, pathologists and other medical specialists regard themselves as stewards of patient tissues and consider it their duty to protect the best interests of both the individual patient and the public. The stewardship of slides, blocks, and other materials includes providing, under appropriate circumstances, patient materials for research, education, and quality control. The decision to provide human tissue for such purposes should be based on the specific (ie, direct patient care) and general (ie, furthering medical knowledge) interests of the patient and of society. The same standards of responsibility should apply to all medical professionals who receive and use specimens. This document proposes specific recommendations whereby both interests can be fostered safely, ethically, and reasonably.

scholarly journals Cognitive and environmental interventions to encourage healthy eating: evidence-based recommendations for public health policy

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. 190624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay A. Walker ◽  
Christopher D. Chambers ◽  
Harm Veling ◽  
Natalia S. Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Environmental Interventions ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Public Health Burden ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Do So

Policymakers are focused on reducing the public health burden of obesity. The UK average percentage of adults classified as obese is 26%, which is double that of the global average. Over a third of UK adults report using at least one weight management aid. Yet, many people still struggle to change their diet-related behaviour, despite having the awareness, intention and capability to do so. This ‘intention–behaviour gap’ may be because most existing dietary-choice interventions focus on individual decision-making, ignoring the effects of environmental cues on human behaviour. Behaviour change interventions that ‘nudge’ people into making healthier choices by modifying the food environment have been shown to be effective. However, this type of intervention is typically challenging for policymakers to implement for economic, ethical and public accessibility reasons. To overcome these concerns, policymakers should consider ‘boosting’ interventions. Boosting involves enhancing competences that help people make decisions consistent with their goals. Here, we outline cognitive training as a boosting intervention to tackle obesity. We synthesize the evidence for one type of cognitive training (go/no-go training) that may be effective at modifying food-related decisions and reducing body weight. We offer evidence-based recommendations for an obesity-focused Public Health Wales behaviour change programme.

The National Association for the Promotion of Social Science: Its Contribution to Victorian Health Reform, 1857–1886

1985 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald K. Huch
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Poor Law ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sanitary Condition ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
The Face ◽  
Government Interference ◽  
National Control

The campaign for better public health was a major social issue in England during the second half of the nineteenth century. As in the case of Poor Law and factory reform, Edwin Chadwick stands as the person who directed public interest toward the need for sanitary reform. He did this through his association with the Poor Law Commission in the late 1830s, then through his seminal and widely read 1842 Report on the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population. Chadwick's report captured the minds of many in the British upper middle class. The Health of Towns Association, founded in 1844, helped to diffuse information on the “physical and moral evils that result from the present defective sewerage, drainage, supply of water, air, and light. …” Although the sanitary reformers had made some minor gains by 1847, they had failed to produce a satisfactory bill that would allow government some role in coordinating sanitary improvement. At this point, neither Chadwick, nor any other leading proponent of sanitary legislation wanted to put full authority in the hands of the central government, but they did desire a more efficient combination of local and national control.The sanitary reformers, and particularly Chadwick, achieved a measure of success in 1848 when the Public Health Bill received parliamentary approval. It was hoped the Act would bring about a useful consolidation of responsibility for drainage, sewerage, water supply, and road maintenance. Instead, the legislation spurred a furious debate over how much national government interference was acceptable. It did little to improve public health because the argument over government interference for a time took attention away from critical issues of sanitation reform. Although never completely overcome, the argument over principles faded in the 1850s in the face of an urgent need for reform.

scholarly journals Ecological aspects of visual tracking technology and personal data protection

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 142-144
Author(s):  
E.A. Remmikh ◽  
A.A. Vasiliev ◽  
A.A. Vasiliev
Keyword(s):  
Visual Tracking ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
The Public ◽  
Personal Data Protection ◽  
Ecological Aspects ◽  
Improper Use ◽  
The Face ◽  
Protection Of Human Rights ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship

The article deals with the most important problems of protection of human rights in the field of personal data connected with information collection through the visual tracking. The possible risks of using CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras and the consequences of their improper use are considered. In addition, the authors assessed the relationship between the public security interests and the need to protect the privacy of the individual citizen. This study is related to the widespread digitalization of society and the expansion of application scope regards the face recognition technology.

scholarly journals Human Rights in a Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 219-252
Author(s):  
A. Zhebit
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
The Political ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Actions ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
The Face

The article is focused on the problem of human rights (HRs), limited or derogated from, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While addressing some HRs limitations, derogations and even abuses, and their consequent problems, the aim is to try to analyze policy, social, moral and personal dilemmas of HRs restrictions as well as motivations behind the types of public and social behavior, in the course of the pandemic, in response to the public measures of sanitation, social distancing and confinement, travel restrictions and social assistance, recommended by the WHO and selectively followed by governments. Learning from some old experience and deriving new lessons from the pandemic, as well as from public and social actions and reactions, the purpose of the present article is to assess whether or not public health policies in this context, implemented nationally or internationally, can promote change in the HRs paradigm in the face of the existing dilemmas and dichotomies in HRs, aggravated by the pandemic. The conclusion is that the extant HRs paradigm should be redefined to address better the political, social, economic, environmental and, especially, existential exigencies of “rainy times”, thus leading to the creation of a new universal HRs code or to harmonizing the existing one.

scholarly journals BUSINESS PLAN OF A UNIVERSITY PRESS TO THE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF PLOVDIV

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1663-1670
Author(s):  
Kristina Kilova ◽  
Desislava Bakova ◽  
Nonka Mateva ◽  
Zhivko Peychev ◽  
Antoniya Yaneva
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Output ◽  
The Public ◽  
University Life ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
The Face ◽  
Access To Books ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University ◽  
Medical University

The creation of a University Press is a prerequisite for raising the reputation of the Medical University - Plovdiv. With its significant scientific output and the large number of students, it will represent the face of the University in front of the scientific communities and will be an important element of the national and international interuniversity communication. By documenting the individual qualities of the teachers, knowledge is preserved and its development is assisted, thus meeting the public demands. Without a developed publishing activity, it is difficult to evolve the creative potential of teachers and students. The University Press, on the one hand, is a real participant in the learning process, as it facilitates students' access to books as well as novelties in science. On the other hand, it is also a natural center of university life.

scholarly journals Team Based Learning in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences: experience in the Public Health qualification

Revista CEFAC ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edinalva Neves Nascimento ◽  
Gabriela Maria de Oliveira Moreira ◽  
Keylla Geovanna Laureano Tolentino ◽  
Ana Cláudia Figueiredo Frizzo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Experience Report ◽  
The Public ◽  
Team Based Learning ◽  
The Individual ◽  
E Mail

ABSTRACT Purpose: to present an experience report about Team-Based Learning utilization as an active methodology of learning in a Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences graduation course. Methods: students enrolled in the public health II subject in the graduation course received the material about breastfeeding by e-mail in advance and were informed about how the activity using Team-Based Learning would be developed. In class, they initially answered to a questionnaire, individually, which was later discussed in teams formed, randomly, by the professor. The answers were placed in charts, to compare individual and teams performances. Results: 25 female students participated in this study, with ages varying from 18 to 25 years, and differences were found between the individual and the team answers, since the answers chosen by the teams corresponded more to the template elaborated by the teacher. The percentage of correct individual answers was 69,6% and the percentage of correct team answers was 96%. Conclusion: the Team-Based Learning utilization showed to be viable from a pedagogical perspective, promoted greater engagement by the students and contributed in the development of teamwork.

scholarly journals Public behaviour in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: understanding the role of group processes

BJPsych Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Drury ◽  
Holly Carter ◽  
Evangelos Ntontis ◽  
Selin Tekin Guven
Keyword(s):  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Group Processes ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
The Public ◽  
Identity Processes ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Many

Background In the absence of a vaccine, behaviour by the public is key to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, as with other types of crises and emergencies, there have been doubts about the extent to which the public are able to engage effectively with the required behaviour. These doubts are based on outdated models of group psychology. Aims and argument We analyse the role of group processes in the COVID-19 pandemic in three domains: recognition of threat, adherence by the public to the required public health behaviours (and the factors that increase such adherence) and actions of the many community mutual aid groups that arose during lockdown. In each case, we draw upon the accumulated research on behaviour in emergencies and disasters, as well as the latest findings in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, to show that explanations in terms of social identity processes make better sense of the patterns of evidence than alternative explanations. Conclusions If behaviour in the pandemic is a function of mutable group processes rather than fixed tendencies, then behavioural change is possible. There was evidence of significant change in behaviour from the public, particularly in the early days of the pandemic. Understanding the role of group processes means we can help design more effective interventions to support collective resilience in the public in the face of the pandemic and other threats. We draw out from the evidence a set of recommendations on facilitating the public response to COVID-19 by harnessing group processes.

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