scholarly journals COVID-19-related stigma and its influencing factors: a nationwide cross-sectional study during the early stage of the pandemic in China

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. e048983
Author(s):  
Tianyu Jiang ◽  
Xudong Zhou ◽  
Leesa Lin ◽  
Yanzheng Pan ◽  
Yuyuan Zhong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
Related Stigma ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The City

ObjectivesTo describe the situation of COVID-19-related stigma towards patients with COVID-19 and people from the city of Wuhan in China and to assess the associations between COVID-19-related stigma, health literacy and sociodemographic characteristics during March 2020, the early stage of the pandemic.DesignA cross-sectional online survey.SettingThe study surveyed 31 provinces in China.ParticipantsThis study surveyed 5039 respondents in China.Outcome measuresPublic stigma towards both patients with COVID-19 and Wuhan residents was measured. Binary logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with public COVID-19-related stigma.ResultsAmong the participants, 122 (2.4%) reported themselves and 254 (5.0%) reported the communities they lived in as holding a stigmatising attitude towards patients with COVID-19, respectively. Additionally, 114 (2.5%) and 475 (10.3%) reported that themselves and the communities they lived in, respectively, held a stigma against people from Wuhan, which was the most severely affected area in China. People aged over 40, lived in areas with severe epidemics (adjusted OR (aOR)=2.03, 95% CI (1.05 to 3.92)) and who felt it difficult to find and understand information about COVID-19 (aOR=1.91, 95% CI (1.08 to 3.37); aOR=1.88, 95% CI (1.08 to 3.29)) were more likely to stigmatise patients with COVID-19. People who were male, aged 41–50 and had difficulty understanding information (aOR=2.08, 95% CI (1.17 to 3.69)) were more likely to stigmatise people from Wuhan.ConclusionsPatients with COVID-19 and Wuhan residents suffered stigma at both the individual and the community levels. Those who had low health literacy, who lived in areas with a large number of COVID-19 cases and who were of ethnic minorities were more likely to stigmatise others. Tailored interventions are encouraged to improve health literacy and consequently to reduce public COVID-19-related stigma.

scholarly journals Low health literacy is associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Tajdar ◽  
Dagmar Lühmann ◽  
Regina Fertmann ◽  
Tim Steinberg ◽  
Hendrik van den Bussche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Statistical Models ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Diabetes Risk ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Background Low health literacy is believed to be associated with behaviours that increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. But there is limited knowledge on the relation between health literacy (HL) and diabetes risk, and whether improving HL could be a potential prevention strategy. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to examine the link between HL and diabetes risk among non-diabetic adults. Methods We used data from the Hamburg Diabetes Prevention Survey, a population-based cross-sectional study in Germany. One thousand, two hundred and fifty-five non-diabetic subjects aged 18–60 years were eligible. The German Diabetes Risk Score (GDRS, ranging 0 to 123 points) was used to determine the individual risk of type 2 diabetes. The short version of the European Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16, ranging 0 to 16 points) was applied to assess the individual self-reported HL. Subjects were asked to self-estimate their diabetes risk, which was then compared with the calculated GDRS. Descriptive statistics were calculated to investigate group differences in the GDRS and self-estimated diabetes risk. Linear as well as logistic regression models were performed to analyse potential influencing variables of the GDRS as well as incorrect self-estimated diabetes risk. In three nested statistical models for each outcome, these analyses were adjusted for age, gender, educational level and the presence of chronic conditions. Results According to the criteria of the GDRS, 996 (79.4%) subjects showed “low risk”, 176 (14.0%) “still low risk”, 53 (4.2%) “elevated risk”, and 30 (2.4%) “high to very high risk” to develop type 2 diabetes within the next 5 years. In the statistical models including all control variables, subjects with “inadequate HL” scored 2.38 points higher on the GDRS (95% CI 0.378 to 4.336; P = 0.020) and had a 2.04 greater chance to estimate their diabetes risk incorrectly (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.33 to 3.14; P = 0.001) compared to those with “sufficient HL”. Conclusion The risk of type 2 diabetes is increased in people with inadequate self-reported HL. People with high diabetes risk and inadequate HL might be provided with educational programs to improve diabetes knowledge and reduce behavioural risk factors.

scholarly journals COVID-19-related stigma and its' influencing factors: a rapid nationwide study in China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianyu Jiang ◽  
Xudong Zhou ◽  
Leesa Lin ◽  
Yanzheng Pan ◽  
Yuyuan Zhong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Stigma ◽  
Outbreak Areas ◽  
Logistic Regressions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The City ◽  
Improve Health

Abstract Background：COVID-19 poses a significant challenge to global public health. During the pandemic, COVID-19 patients and people in outbreak areas have suffered from stigma associated with the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of COVID-19-related stigma toward COVID-19 patients and people from the city of Wuhan in China and assess the association of COVID-19-related stigma, health literacy, and sociodemographic characteristics.Methods：A cross-sectional survey covering 5,039 respondents was conducted in 31 provinces in China using a convenience sampling method. Binary logistic regressions were used to identify the factors associated with COVID-19-related stigma.Results：Among the participants, 122 (2.4%) reported themselves and 254 (5.0%) reported the communities they lived in held a stigmatizing attitude toward COVID-19 patients, respectively. Additionally, 114 (2.5%) and 475 (10.3%) reported that themselves and the communities they lived in, respectively, held a stigma against people from Wuhan, where was the most severely affected area in China. People aged over 40, lived in areas with severe epidemics (aOR=2.15, 95% CI [1.12-4.13]), and who felt it difficult to find and understand information about COVID-19 (aOR=1.91, 95% CI [1.08-3.27]; aOR=1.88, 95% CI [1.08-3.29]) were more likely to stigmatize COVID-19 patients. People who were male, aged 41 to 50, and had difficulty understanding information (aOR=2.08, 95% CI [1.17-3.69]) were more likely to stigmatize people from Wuhan.Conclusions：COVID-19 patients and Wuhan residents suffered stigma at both the individual and community levels, although proportion of those holding a stigma was not very high. Provinces close to Wuhan had relatively high stigma toward COVID-19 patients and people from Wuhan. There was a correlation between better health literacy and lower stigma during the COVID-19 outbreak. Tailored interventions were encouraged to improve health literacy and consequently to reduce stigma toward both COVID-19 patients and Wuhan people from individual and community levels, respectively.

scholarly journals Dissociation, Cognitive Reflection and Health Literacy Have a Modest Effect on Belief in Conspiracy Theories about COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5065
Author(s):  
Vojtech Pisl ◽  
Jan Volavka ◽  
Edita Chvojkova ◽  
Katerina Cechova ◽  
Gabriela Kavalirova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Cognitive Reflection ◽  
Variance Explained ◽  
Modest Effect

Understanding the predictors of belief in COVID-related conspiracy theories and willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 may aid the resolution of current and future pandemics. We investigate how psychological and cognitive characteristics influence general conspiracy mentality and COVID-related conspiracy theories. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on data from an online survey of a sample of Czech university students (n = 866) collected in January 2021, using multivariate linear regression and mediation analysis. Sixteen percent of respondents believed that COVID-19 is a hoax, and 17% believed that COVID-19 was intentionally created by humans. Seven percent of the variance of the hoax theory and 10% of the variance of the creation theory was explained by (in descending order of relevance) low cognitive reflection, low digital health literacy, high experience with dissociation and, to some extent, high bullshit receptivity. Belief in COVID-related conspiracy theories depended less on psychological and cognitive variables compared to conspiracy mentality (16% of the variance explained). The effect of digital health literacy on belief in COVID-related theories was moderated by cognitive reflection. Belief in conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 was influenced by experience with dissociation, cognitive reflection, digital health literacy and bullshit receptivity.

scholarly journals A predictive model for early diagnosis of keratoconus

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
GRACIA CASTRO-LUNA ◽  
ANTONIO PÉREZ-RUEDA
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Predictive Model ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Corneal Thickness ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Diagnostic Model ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Background: The diagnosis of keratoconus in the early stages of the disease is necessary to initiate an early treatment of keratoconus. Furthermore, to avoid possible refractive surgery that could produce ectasias. This study aims to describe the topographic, pachymetric and aberrometry characteristics in patients with keratoconus, subclinical keratoconus and normal corneas. Additionally to propose a diagnostic model of subclinical keratoconus based in binary logistic regression models Methods: The design was a cross-sectional study. It included 205 eyes from 205 patients distributed in 82 normal corneas, 40 early-stage keratoconus and 83 established keratoconus. The rotary Scheimpflug camera (Pentacam® type) analyzed the topographic, pachymetric and aberrometry variables. It performed a descriptive and bivariate analysis of the recorded data. A diagnostic and predictive model of early-stage keratoconus was calculated with the statistically significant variables Results: Statistically significant differences were observed when comparing normal corneas with early-stage keratoconus/ in variables of the vertical asymmetry to 90º and the central corneal thickness. The binary logistic regression model included the minimal corneal thickness, the anterior coma to 90º and posterior coma to 90º. The model properly diagnosed 92% of cases with a sensitivity of 97.59%, specificity 98.78%, accuracy 98.18% and precision 98.78%Conclusions: The differential diagnosis between normal cases and subclinical keratoconus depends on the mínimum corneal thickness, the anterior coma to 90º and the posterior coma to 90º.

scholarly journals Factors Associated with Perceived Trust of False Abortion Websites: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarina Rebecca Chaiken ◽  
Lisa Han ◽  
Blair G Darney ◽  
Leo Han
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Correlation Matrices ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Perceived Trust ◽  
Neutral Site ◽  
Design Characteristics ◽  
The Individual

BACKGROUND The majority of patients use the internet to search for health information. While there is a vast repository of searchable information online, much of the content is unregulated and therefore potentially incorrect, conflicting, or confusing. Abortion information online is particularly prone to being inaccurate as anti-choice websites publish purposefully misleading information in formats that appear as neutral resources. To understand how anti-choice websites appear neutral, we need to understand the specific website features of anti-choice features that impart trust to viewers. OBJECTIVE We sought to identify characteristics of false or misleading abortion websites that make these websites appear trustworthy to the public. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study using Amazon.com Inc’s Mechanical Turk platform. We used validated questionnaires to ask participants to rate eleven anti-choice sites and one neutral site identified by experts, focusing on site content, creators, and design. We collected socio-demographic data and participant views on abortion. We used a composite measure of “mean overall trust” as our primary outcome. Using correlation matrices, we determined which website characteristics were most associated with overall trust. Finally, we used linear regression to identify participant characteristics associated with overall trust. RESULTS Our analytic sample included 498 participants ranging from ages 22 to 70, 50.1% of whom identified as female. Across eleven anti-choice sites, creator trust (“I believe that the creators of this site are honest and trustworthy”) had the highest correlation coefficient with overall trust (0.70). Professional appearance (0.59), look and feel (0.59), perception that the information is created by experts (0.59), association with a trustworthy organization (0.58), valued features and functionalities (0.54), and interactive capabilities (0.52) all demonstrated strong relationships with overall trust. At the individual level, pro-choice leaning was associated with higher overall trust of the neutral site (B: -0.43, CI: -0.87, 0.01) and lower overall trust of the anti-choice sites (B: 0.52, CI: 0.05, .99). CONCLUSIONS The overall trustworthiness of anti-choice websites is most associated with design characteristics and perceived trustworthiness of the site creator. Those who believe that access to abortion should be limited are more likely to trust anti-choice websites.

scholarly journals A Study to Determine the Frequency Rate of Scoliosis Disorder and Compare the Anthropometric Characteristics of Normal versus the Scoliosis Diagnosed Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 288
Author(s):  
Gholamreza Khosravi ◽  
Mohammad Reza Sharif ◽  
Erfan Khosravi ◽  
Fatemeh Kardan ◽  
Hamed Haddad Kashani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Bending Test ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Anthropometric Characteristics ◽  
Spss Software ◽  
The City ◽  
Test Result

<p><strong>INTRODUCTION: </strong>Postural deformities are commonly acquired disorders that occur throughout the life. The purpose of this research was to determine and compare the frequency of scoliosis disorder and anthropometric characteristics of normal versus the disordered Students.</p><p><strong>MATERIALS AND METHODS:</strong> This was a cross-sectional study that was performed on 1416 girls and boys of elementary school students in the city of Kashan in education year 2010-2011. Adams bending test was employed to examine 1416 students to identify the disorder. Seca scale was employed to measure weight and inflexible tape was used to measure the height of students. SPSS software was employed to analyze the data. </p><p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>The result of analysis showed that 63.8 percent of students were boys and 36.2 percent were girls. The frequency of scoliosis in boys and girls was 29.8 and 24.2 percent, respectively. Independent t-test result showed that there was a significant difference between the height and weight of normal versus the scoliosis identified boys and girls student (P=0.004, 0.031; 0.0001, 0.041).</p><p><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> These types of studies are conducted regularly to identify poor postural cases at an early stage. The identification of acquired deformities at an early stage is important since it provides the opportunity to take the appropriate measures to correct them.  Early identification of scoliosis is vital to maximize effectiveness of treatment.</p>

scholarly journals Digital health literacy and online information queries in Portuguese university students

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Rosário ◽  
C Augusto ◽  
MJ Silva ◽  
S Martins ◽  
A Duarte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
University Students ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Logistic Regression Models

Abstract Background Worldwide there is an overwhelming amount of information about COVID-19 circulating online, also named infodemic. Misinformation (the unintentional) and disinformation (the intentional) spreading of false information have proven to be very dangerous to public health. Hence, more than ever, people need skills for searching, evaluating and integrating information related to health in daily life, i.e., health literacy. Until now, little is known about the digital health literacy of university students and their information-seeking behaviour. Hence, this study aimed to analyse the associations between university students' digital health literacy and online information queries during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (and infodemic) in Portugal. Methods A cross-sectional study of 3.084 Portuguese university students (75.7% females), with an average age of 24.2 (SD = 7.5), was conducted using an online survey. We used sociodemographic data (sex, age, subjective social status) and the digital health literacy questionnaire adapted to the specific COVID-19 context. Online information queries included the topics related to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 searched by students. Logistic regression models were performed. Results Online information queries (e.g., individual measures to protect against infection, current spread of the virus, current situation assessments and recommendations) were associated with an increased odds of achieving sufficient digital health literacy. Conclusions Online information queries related to epidemiological and public health topics are significantly associated with digital health literacy in times of COVID-19. Further studies are needed, including programs that improve digital health literacy among university students and increase the availability of high-quality content information.

scholarly journals Use and effectiveness of the Individual Development Plan among postdoctoral researchers: findings from a cross-sectional study

F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan L. Vanderford ◽  
Teresa M. Evans ◽  
L. Todd Weiss ◽  
Lindsay Bira ◽  
Jazmin Beltran-Gastelum
Keyword(s):  
Career Development ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Development Plan ◽  
Individual Development ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Postdoctoral Researchers

The individual development plan (IDP) is a career planning tool that aims to assist PhD trainees in self-assessing skills, exploring career paths, developing short- and long-term career goals, and creating action plans to achieve those goals. The National Institutes of Health and many academic institutions have created policies that mandate completion of the IDP by both graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Despite these policies, little information exists regarding how widely the tool is used and whether it is useful to the career development of PhD trainees. Herein, we present data from a multi-institutional, online survey on the use and effectiveness of the IDP among a group of 183 postdoctoral researchers. The overall IDP completion rate was 54% and 38% of IDP users reported that the tool was helpful to their career development. Positive relationships with one’s advisor, confidence regarding completing training, trainees’ confidence about their post-training career, and a positive experience with institutional career development resources are associated with respondents’ perception that the IDP is useful for their career development. We suggest that there is a need to further understand the nuanced use and effectiveness of the IDP in order to determine how to execute the use of the tool to maximize trainees’ career development.

scholarly journals Use and effectiveness of the Individual Development Plan among postdoctoral researchers: findings from a cross-sectional study

F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan L. Vanderford ◽  
Teresa M. Evans ◽  
L. Todd Weiss ◽  
Lindsay Bira ◽  
Jazmin Beltran-Gastelum
Keyword(s):  
Career Development ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Development Plan ◽  
Individual Development ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Postdoctoral Researchers

The individual development plan (IDP) is a career planning tool that assists PhD trainees in self-assessing skills, exploring career paths, developing short- and long-term career goals, and creating action plans to achieve those goals. The National Institutes of Health and many academic institutions have created policies that mandate completion of the IDP by both graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Despite these policies, little information exists regarding how well the tool is used and whether it is useful to the career development of PhD trainees. Herein, we present data from a multi-institutional, online survey on the use and effectiveness of the IDP among a group of 183 postdoctoral researchers. The overall IDP completion rate was 54% and 38% of IDP users reported that the tool was helpful to their career development. Positive relationships with one’s advisor, confidence regarding completing training, one’s confidence about their post-training career, and a positive experience with institutional career development resources are associated with respondents’ perception that the IDP is useful for their career development. We suggest that there is a need to further understand the nuanced use and effectiveness of the IDP in general, to determine how to execute the use of the tool to maximize trainees’ career development, and to generally enhance the career development support for PhD trainees.

scholarly journals Factors associated with HIV-related stigma toward people living with HIV among nurses in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, China: a cross-sectional study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao Yin ◽  
Angela Chia-Chen Chen ◽  
Shaoping Wan ◽  
Hong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Hiv Knowledge ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Related Stigma ◽  
Tertiary Hospitals ◽  
Living With Hiv

Abstract Background The Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture has one of the most serious human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemics in China. Evidence shows HIV-related stigma toward people living with HIV (PLWH) among nurses impedes HIV prevention and treatment. However, only limited research about HIV-related stigma toward PLWH from the perspective of nurses in Liangshan has been conducted. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess HIV-related stigma toward PLWH among nurses and determine factors associated with it in Liangshan, China. Methods Using a stratified, random cluster sampling method, registered nurses (N=1,248; primary hospitals=102, secondary hospitals=592, tertiary hospitals=554) were recruited 10 hospitals in Liangshan. All participants completed an anonymous online survey measuring sociodemographic characteristics, HIV-related stigma and HIV knowledge. We used multiple stepwise regression analysis to examine factors associated with HIV-related stigma toward PLWH among these nurses. Results The mean score of HIV-related stigma among nurses was 50.7 (SD = 8.3; range 25-78). Nurses who were more experienced, had higher levels of education, and were working in tertiary hospitals reported higher level of HIV-related stigma. Those who had better HIV knowledge, reported a willingness to receive HIV-related training, were working in areas that had a high prevalence of HIV, had prior experience working in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) specialized hospitals, and worked in hospitals that had policies to protect PLWH showed a lower level of HIV-related stigma toward PLWH. Conclusions Findings suggested that providing culturally congruent education and training about HIV and care, and having hospitals that promoted policies protecting PLWH, may reduce HIV-related stigma toward PLWH among nurses in China.

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