scholarly journals Prioritizing public health? Factors affecting the issuance of stay-at-home orders in response to COVID-19 in Africa

2022 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. e0000112
Author(s):  
Gregg R. Murray ◽  
Joshua Rutland
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Event History Analysis ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
The Public ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
History Analysis ◽  
At Home

COVID-19 has sickened and killed millions of people globally. Conventional non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly stay-at-home orders (SAHOs), though effective for limiting the spread of disease have significantly disrupted social and economic systems. The effects also have been dramatic in Africa, where many states are already vulnerable due to their developmental status. This study is designed to test hypotheses derived from the public health policymaking literature regarding the roles played by medical and political factors as well as social, economic, and external factors in African countries’ issuance of SAHOs in response to the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using event history analysis, this study analyzed these five common factors related to public health policy to determine their impact on African states’ varying decisions regarding the issuance of SAHOs. The results of this analysis suggest that medical factors significantly influenced decisions as did factors external to the states, while the role of political factors was limited. Social and economic factors played no discernible role. Overall, this study suggests how African leaders prioritized competing factors in the early stages of a public health crisis.

scholarly journals Following Doctors’ Advice: Explaining the Issuance of Stay-at-Home Orders Related to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by U.S. Governors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregg R. Murray ◽  
Susan M. Murray
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Event History Analysis ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Mixed Support ◽  
History Analysis ◽  
Government Mandates ◽  
Health Experts ◽  
At Home

Public health experts widely and strongly advocate for aggressive social distancing to slow the spread of serious infectious diseases. While government mandates to social distance protect public health, they can also impose substantial social and economic costs on those subject to them. As a result, government leaders may be reluctant to issue such mandates. The objective of this study is to identify political, social, economic, and scientific factors that influence governors of U.S. states to issue stay-at-home orders (SAHOs) or not to slow the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It uses event history analysis to investigate the issuance of COVID-19-related gubernatorial SAHOs in the 50 U.S. states from March 1, 2020, the day after the first reported COVID-19-related death in the U.S., to April 10, 2020, several days after the last SAHO was issued. During this 41-day period, 42 of the 50 governors issued such orders affecting more than 90 percent of the country’s residents. The results indicate that scientific factors alone did not inform governors’ decisions. While public health factors related to the spread of the disease informed these decisions, political factors related to the partisanship of the governor and economic factors related to the health of the economy also informed them. The results also provide mixed support for scientific factors related to state healthcare capacity and external factors related to geographic diffusion.

Anticipating on a post covid-19 world and the pivotal role of science and technology

Coronaviruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed Khan ◽  
Tusha Sharma ◽  
Basu Dev Banerjee ◽  
Scotty Branch ◽  
Shea Harrelson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Outbreak Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Future Outbreak

: Currently, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has transformed into a severe public health crisis and wreaking havoc worldwide. The ongoing pandemic has exposed the public healthcare system's weaknesses and highlighted the urgent need for investments in scientific programs and policies. A comprehensive program utilizing the science and technologydriven strategies combined with well-resourced healthcare organizations appears to be essential for current and future outbreak management.

The Public Health Crisis Survival Guide

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Sharfstein
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Health Agency ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Strong Response ◽  
Popular Imagination ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Critical Skills

Firefighters fight fires. Police officers race to crime scenes, sirens blaring. And health officials? Health officials respond to crises. There are infectious disease crises, budget crises, environmental health crises, human resources crises—and many more. At such critical moments, what happens next really matters. A strong response can generate greater credibility and authority for a health agency and its leadership, while a bungled response can lead to humiliation and even resignation. Health officials must be able to manage and communicate effectively as emotions run high, communities become engaged, politicians lean in, and journalists circle. In popular imagination, leaders intuitively rise to the challenge of a crisis: Either they have what it takes or they do not. In fact, preparation is invaluable, and critical skills can be learned and practiced. Students and health officials alike can prepare not only to avoid catastrophe during crises, but to take advantage of new opportunities for health improvement. The Public Health Crisis Survival Guide provides historical perspective, managerial insight, and strategic guidance to help health officials at all levels not just survive but thrive in the most challenging of times.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Antibiotic Use and Resistance: Are Antibiotics the Dentists’ Anxiolytics?

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 735
Author(s):  
Julie Dormoy ◽  
Marc-Olivier Vuillemin ◽  
Silvia Rossi ◽  
Jean-Marc Boivin ◽  
Julie Guillet
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Oral Surgery ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Clinical Factors ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis. The aim of this study was to explore dentists’ perceptions of antibiotic resistance. Methods: A qualitative method was used. Seventeen dentists practising in the Nancy (Lorraine, France) region were surveyed. They were general practitioners or specialised in oral surgery, implantology, or periodontology. The practitioners took part in semi-structured interviews between September 2019 and July 2020. All of the interviews were transcribed in full and analysed thematically. Results: Four major themes have been selected: attitudes of the dentists in regard to the guidelines, clinical factors that influence prescriptions, non-clinical factors that influence prescriptions, and the perception of antibiotic resistance. The dentists stated that they were very concerned regarding the public health issue of antibiotic resistance. However, they often prescribe according to their own interests and habits rather than according to the relevant guidelines. Conclusions: Although dentists are generally well aware of antibiotic resistance, they often do not adequately appreciate the link between their prescribing habits and the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance. Regular updating of practitioners’ knowledge in this regard is necessary, but patients and the general public should also be made more aware of the issue.

scholarly journals Perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 infection from event attendance: results from Louisiana, USA, two weeks preceding the national emergency declaration

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ran Li ◽  
Bingcheng Yang ◽  
Jerrod Penn ◽  
Bailey Houghtaling ◽  
Juan Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Food Preference ◽  
Classification Tree ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Initial Response ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Preference Study

Abstract Background Individual perceptions of personal and national threats posed by COVID-19 shaped initial response to the pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in residents’ awareness about COVID-19 and to characterize those who were more aware and responsive during the early stages of the pandemic in Louisiana. Methods In response to the mounting threat of COVID-19, we added questions to an ongoing food preference study held at Louisiana State University from March 3rd through March 12th, 2020. We asked how likely it was that the spread of the coronavirus will cause a national public health crisis and participants’ level of concern about contracting COVID-19 by attending campus events. We used regression and classification tree analysis to identify correlations between these responses and (a) national and local COVID case counts; (b) personal characteristics and (c) randomly assigned information treatments provided as part of the food preference study. Results We found participants expressed a higher likelihood of an impending national crisis as the number of national and local confirmed cases increased. However, concerns about contracting COVID-19 by attending campus events rose more slowly in response to the increasing national and local confirmed case count. By the end of this study on March 12th, 2020 although 89% of participants agreed that COVID-19 would likely cause a public health crisis, only 65% of the participants expressed concerns about contracting COVID-19 from event attendance. These participants were significantly more likely to be younger students, in the highest income group, and to have participated in the study by responding to same-day, in-person flyer distribution. Conclusions These results provide initial insights about the perceptions of the COVID-19 public health crisis during its early stages in Louisiana. We concluded with suggestions for universities and similar institutions as in-person activities resume in the absence of widespread vaccination.

scholarly journals Team-Based Learning: Successful Experience in a Public Health Graduate Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-401
Author(s):  
Geraldo Bezerra da Silva Junior ◽  
Maria Angelina Silva Medeiros ◽  
Juliana Gomes Ramalho de Oliveira ◽  
Ana Maria Fontenele Catrib ◽  
Maria Helena de Agrela Gonçalves Jardim
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Traditional Method ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Graduate Program ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Master Program ◽  
The Public ◽  
Team Based Learning ◽  
At Home

ABSTRACT Background: In the review of curriculum matrices, the elaboration of learning strategies that combine theory and practice is extremely important, allowing the building of new concepts and learning methods by the students. Team-based learning (TBL) is growing in academic centers and refers to the pedagogic strategy grounded in constructivism. The aim of this research was to describe the application of TBL in a Public Health graduate program. Methods: TBL was applied in a class with 22 students in the discipline “Quantitative Research in Health” of the Public Health graduate program (Master degree) at the University of Fortaleza, Brazil, in 2016. The discipline was structured in 8 lessons, approaching the thematic of quantitative research. Before each class the students were required to study the contents at home, a test was done for each subject in the beginning of each class (individually and then in teams of 5 or 6 students) and then a brief review was performed by the professor, where the students could ask questions and solve any doubt. At the end of the semester an evaluation questionnaire was applied with objective questions and a qualitative survey. Results: The application of TBL was done in a class with 22 students of the Public health Master Program, aged 22 to 36 years, and 83.3% were female. The method was well received by the students. All the evaluations and discussions went on without any problem. There were some complaints about the requirement to study at home prior to the classes. Students’ evaluation of the discipline and the TBL method was satisfactory with answers’ average score of 4.7 (scale 0-5). The lowestscore was achieved by the question number 11 (4.3) about the students motivation for their study at home. The comparison with the evaluation of the previous semester (where a traditional method was applied) evidenced higher scores for the TBL method. Conclusions: The application of TBL was satisfactory and the main difficulty presented by students was the requirement for previous study at home. TBL was better evaluated than the traditional method.

scholarly journals Role of Community Medicine during COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-244
Author(s):  
Epari Venkata Rao ◽  
Prem Sagar Panda
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Community Medicine ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Expert ◽  
The Public ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health Expert

Pandemics have significantly affected economy of each country. Health & political system have been also drastically affected in each part of the country. To fight against pandemic, it demands multidimensional approaches comprising of various measures like surveillance, containment, isolation & quarantine, border restriction as well as various socio-political and community measures. Though the entire health workforce is involved at multiple levels, the role of a community medicine/public health expert is maximum in controlling the spread in the community and managing the situation. The community medicine specialists can contribute to the public health as well as health-care services in combating the pandemic. This review has been done for giving an insight of proper utilisation of public health services and existing manpower of community medicine. Also this will channelize our health system and give a direction for combating future public health crisis.  So Government should utilise the experiences and expertise to manage the pandemic very well.

scholarly journals Ideologies of Black churches in New York City and the public health crisis of HIV among Black men who have sex with men

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (sup2) ◽  
pp. S227-S242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick A. Wilson ◽  
Natalie M. Wittlin ◽  
Miguel Muñoz-Laboy ◽  
Richard Parker
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Black Men ◽  
York City ◽  
Black Churches ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Sex With Men
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