COVID-19 transmissibility: lockdown a forced agenda or need of hour?

Background: A corona virus identified in 2019, SARS-CoV-2, has caused a pandemic of respiratory illness, called COVID-19. COVID-19 has been cited responsible for over more than four million deaths across the world. Consequentially, COVID-19 had resulted in various residual health problems in infected individuals during the illness period and in some even after the recovery.Methods:A cross-sectional survey having 10-item questionnaire was developed using Google forms. The questionnaire was made available to the participants through all available social networking platforms such as email, WhatsApp etc. according to the suitability of the participant. Data were collected and entered in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, cleaned for errors and analysed using Epi-info version 7.2.1.0 software.Results: The study found that majority of people agreed to the implementation of lockdown and only 6.1% said that lockdown should not be implemented. Among those who agreed to the implementation of lockdown, 50.2% had opined that the lockdown should be implemented only based on the number of cases in the individual state.Conclusions:India, still as a developing nation has giant leaps to take to clear through this pandemic crisis. This study concludes that the general population was clear about the essentiality of the lockdown however a segment of the population had the implications in a way that was affecting their livelihood hence acutely changing their perception otherwise.

Download Full-text

Comparison of Fear of COVID-19 in Medical and Nonmedical Personnel in a Public Hospital in Mexico

10.21203/rs.3.rs-37662/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Francisco José Barbosa-Camacho ◽

Benjamín García-Reyna ◽

Guillermo Alonso Cervantes-Cardona ◽

Enrique Cervantes-Pérez ◽

Efraín Chavarria-Avila ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Public Hospital ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Medical Personnel ◽

Hospital Staff ◽

Survey Study ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The World

Abstract The world is social distancing and compulsory confinement has caused stress, psychological instability, stigmatization, fear, and discrimination in the general population. In this cross-sectional survey study, we administered the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) to hospital medical and nonmedical personnel. A total of 1,216 participants were included in the study. We found that the global FCV-19S mean score was 16.4 ± 6.1, with a significant difference between women and men’s scores. Medical students presented higher scores than experienced medical personnel. As the medical and nursing personnel scored higher on the FCV-19S than the nonmedical hospital staff, our findings suggest that greater knowledge of medicine or infectious diseases could decrease the overall psychological impact of the pandemic disease.

Download Full-text

Comparison of Fear of COVID-19 in Medical and Nonmedical Personnel in a Public Hospital in Mexico: A Brief Report.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-37662/v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Francisco José Barbosa-Camacho ◽

Benjamín García-Reyna ◽

Guillermo Alonso Cervantes-Cardona ◽

Enrique Cervantes-Pérez ◽

Efraín Chavarria-Avila ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Public Hospital ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Medical Personnel ◽

Hospital Staff ◽

Survey Study ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The World

Abstract The world is social distancing and compulsory confinement has caused stress, psychological instability, stigmatization, fear, and discrimination in the general population. In this cross-sectional survey study, we administered the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) to hospital medical and nonmedical personnel. A total of 1,216 participants were surveyed from May 25 to May 29 of 2020. We asked all the staff for their participation in the study and physical copies of the survey were distributed to the staff willing to participate. All surveys were answered anonymously. We found that the global FCV-19S mean score was 16.4 ± 6.1, with a significant difference between women and men’s scores. Medical students presented higher scores than experienced medical personnel. Additionally, the medical and nursing personnel presented a higher level of fear than hospital staff who did not work directly with COVID-19 patients. Our findings suggest that greater knowledge of medicine or infectious diseases could decrease the overall psychological impact of the pandemic disease.

Download Full-text

AWARENESS ABOUT INDOOR AIR POLLUTION IN GENERAL POPULATION OF RAWALPINDI AND ISLAMABAD

Pakistan Journal of Public Health ◽

10.32413/pjph.v8i2.118 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 80-83

Author(s):

Nadia Tariq ◽

Tamkeen Jaffry ◽

Rahma Fiaz ◽

Abdul Majid Rajput ◽

Sadaf Khalid

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

General Population ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Indoor Air Pollution ◽

Economic Status ◽

Educational Status ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference

Background: Indoor air pollutants are increasingly being associated with respiratory illnesses leading to high degree of morbidity and mortality. There are not sufficient epidemiological studies from Pakistan which assess level of awareness of indoor air pollution resulting in respiratory diseases in population. Methods: This cross sectional survey was carried out on general population of Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Sample size was 223 study subjects selected by non-probability convenient sampling. Knowledge of the study subjects was determined with regard to indoor air pollution, its effects on health and different sources of indoor air pollution with the help of a questionnaire. The influence of age, gender, educational status and socio economic status on the level of awareness was also analyzed. Results: Out of total 223 participants, 115 were males and108 females. Participants aware of indoor air pollution were 91.5% and adequate awareness about its sources was 80.7%. Those who knew indoor air pollution is detrimental to health were 95.1%. Awareness about building construction dust as source of indoor air pollution was maximum (84.8%). There was significant difference in awareness among participants with different monthly incomes and educational status and also between males and females. Conclusion: This study concludes that general population of Rawalpindi/Islamabad has fairly good awareness about sources of indoor air pollution. Use of harmful material causing indoor air pollution should be limited or substituted with better ones where possible.

Download Full-text

A cross-sectional survey among physicians on Internet use for epilepsy-related information (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.13820 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Francesco Brigo ◽

Simona Lattanzi ◽

Giorgia Giussani ◽

Laura Tassi ◽

Nicola Pietrafusa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Internet Use ◽

The Internet ◽

Online Information ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Related Information ◽

Internet Users ◽

Therapeutic Decisions ◽

The Individual ◽

The Web

BACKGROUND The Internet has become one of the most important sources of health information, accessed daily by an ever-growing number of both patients and physicians, seeking medical advice and clinical guidance. A deeper insight into the current use of the Web as source of information on epilepsy would help in clarifying the individual attitude towards this medium by Internet users. OBJECTIVE We investigated views towards the Internet in a sample of Italian healthcare specialists involved in epilepsy field, to explore factors which explained the influence of information found on the internet. METHODS This study was a self-administered survey conducted in a group of members of the Italian Chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) in January 2018. RESULTS 184 questionnaires were analyzed. 97.8% of responders reported to seek online information on epilepsy. The Internet was most frequently searched to obtain new information (69.9%) or to confirm a diagnostic or therapeutic decision (37.3%). The influence of consulting the Internet on clinical practice was associated with registration to social network(s) (OR: 2.94; 95%CI: 1.28-6.76; p=0.011), higher frequency of Internet use (OR: 3.66; 95%CI: 1.56-9.21; p=0.006) and higher confidence in reliability of online information (OR: 2.61; 95%CI: 1.09-6.26; p=0.031). No association was found with age, sex, years in epilepsy practice or easiness to find online information. CONCLUSIONS Internet is frequently used among healthcare professionals involved in the epilepsy to obtain information about this disease. The attitude of being influenced by the Internet for diagnostic and/or therapeutic decisions in epilepsy is independent on age and years of experience in epilepsy, and probably reflects an individual approach towards the Web.

Download Full-text

Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 During the First Nationwide Lockdown in Vietnam: Web-Based, Cross-Sectional Survey Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.24776 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Khanh Ngoc Cong Duong ◽

Tien Nguyen Le Bao ◽

Phuong Thi Lan Nguyen ◽

Thanh Vo Van ◽

Toi Phung Lam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

General Population ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Survey Study ◽

Limited Information ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Event Scale ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND The first nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic was implemented in Vietnam from April 1 to 15, 2020. Nevertheless, there has been limited information on the impact of COVID-19 on the psychological health of the public. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of psychological issues and identify the factors associated with the psychological impact of COVID-19 during the first nationwide lockdown among the general population in Vietnam. METHODS We employed a cross-sectional study design with convenience sampling. A self-administered, online survey was used to collect data and assess psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress of participants from April 10 to 15, 2020. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) were utilized to assess psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress of participants during social distancing due to COVID-19. Associations across factors were explored using regression analysis. RESULTS A total of 1385 respondents completed the survey. Of this, 35.9% (n=497) experienced psychological distress, as well as depression (n=325, 23.5%), anxiety (n=195, 14.1%), and stress (n=309, 22.3%). Respondents who evaluated their physical health as average had a higher IES-R score (beta coefficient [B]=9.16, 95% CI 6.43 to 11.89), as well as higher depression (B=5.85, 95% CI 4.49 to 7.21), anxiety (B=3.64, 95% CI 2.64 to 4.63), and stress (B=5.19, 95% CI 3.83 to 6.56) scores for DASS-21 than those who rated their health as good or very good. Those who self-reported their health as bad or very bad experienced more severe depression (B=9.57, 95% CI 4.54 to 14.59), anxiety (B=7.24, 95% CI 3.55 to 10.9), and stress (B=10.60, 95% CI 5.56 to 15.65). Unemployment was more likely to be associated with depression (B=3.34, 95% CI 1.68 to 5.01) and stress (B=2.34, 95% CI 0.84 to 3.85). Regarding worries about COVID-19, more than half (n=755, 54.5%) expressed concern for their children aged <18 years, which increased their IES-R score (B=7.81, 95% CI 4.98 to 10.64) and DASS-21 stress score (B=1.75, 95% CI 0.27 to 3.24). The majority of respondents (n=1335, 96.4%) were confident about their doctor’s expertise in terms of COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment, which was positively associated with less distress caused by the outbreak (B=–7.84, 95% CI –14.58 to –1.11). CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the effect of COVID-19 on mental health during the nationwide lockdown among the general population in Vietnam. The study provides useful evidence for policy decision makers to develop and implement interventions to mitigate these impacts. CLINICALTRIAL

Download Full-text

Exposure of Petrol Station Attendants and Auto Mechanics to Premium Motor Sprit Fumes in Calabar, Nigeria

Journal of Environmental and Public Health ◽

10.1155/2009/281876 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2009 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

N. E. Udonwa ◽

E. K. Uko ◽

B. M. Ikpeme ◽

I. A. Ibanga ◽

B. O. Okon

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Potential Risk ◽

Venous Blood ◽

Population Based ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Petrol Station ◽

Risk Of Exposure ◽

Structured Questionnaire

A population-based-cross-sectional survey was carried out to investigate the potential risk of exposure to premium motor spirit (PMS) fumes in Calabar, Nigeria, among Automobile Mechanics (AM), Petrol Station Attendants (PSA) and the general population. Structured questionnaire was administered on the randomly chosen subjects to elicit information on their exposure to PMS. Duration of exposure was taken as the length of work in their various occupations. Venous blood was taken for methaemoglobin (MetHb) and packed cells volume (PCV). Mean MetHb value was higher in AM (7.3%) and PSA (5.8%) than in the subjects from the general population (2.7%). PCV was lower in PSA (30.8%), than AM (33.3%) and the subjects from the general population (40.8%). MetHb level was directly proportional, and PCV inversely related, to the duration of exposure. The study suggested increased exposure to petrol fumes among AM, PSA, and MetHb as a useful biomarker in determining the level of exposure to benzene in petrol vapour.

Download Full-text

Redeveloping Secure Psychiatric Services for Women

Medicine Science and the Law ◽

10.1258/rsmmsl.45.4.331 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 45 (4) ◽

pp. 331-339 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Stuart D M Thomas ◽

Mairead Dolan ◽

Jenny Shaw ◽

Samantha Thomas ◽

Graham Thornicroft ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Presentation ◽

Psychiatric Hospitals ◽

Antisocial Behaviour ◽

Care Needs ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Suitable Alternative ◽

High Security ◽

Risk Treatment ◽

The Individual

Historically, a substantial proportion of women have been unduly detained in conditions of high security in England due to the lack of suitable alternative facilities. There have been no studies that have comprehensively examined the individual needs of these women in relation to their placement needs. A cross sectional survey was undertaken of the individual and placement needs of all females detained in the three high security psychiatric hospitals (HSPHs) in England on 18th October 1999. Whilst there are clearly differences in accommodation needs among the women, those requiring lower secure services are significantly less likely to have needs in relation to violence (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.14-0.62) and drugs (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.12-0.67) when length of stay is taken into account. They also have lower security, treatment and dependency needs than women still requiring HSPH treatment. A significant reorganisation of services is required. There is a need to gain further understanding of the relationships between traumatic histories, clinical presentation and antisocial behaviour and how these impact on assessed risk, treatment and care needs and outcome. The special needs of these women should be considered a priority when developing treatment and care packages.

Download Full-text

HIV-1 seroprevalence in the general population of Salvador, Bahia State, Northeast Brazil

Cadernos de Saúde Pública ◽

10.1590/s0102-311x2007000100004 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 25-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Inês Dourado ◽

Craig A. Milroy ◽

Marco Antônio Gomes Mello ◽

Geraldo Argolo Ferraro ◽

Humberto Castro-Lima Filho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Minimum Wage ◽

Family Income ◽

Dna Amplification ◽

Income Group ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Subtype B ◽

Wide Range ◽

Hiv 1

To estimate HIV-1 seroprevalence in the general population of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 3,437 residents from 1998 to 2000. Subjects were drawn from 30 sentinel areas representing a wide range of living conditions. Plasma samples were screened for HIV-1 antibodies by ELISA and confirmed by immunofluorescent assay. Subtype determination by HMA was performed after proviral DNA amplification. Phylogenetic analysis using parsimony was performed with the neighbor-joining method. Overall HIV-1 seroprevalence was 0.55% (19/3,446): 0.8% for men and 0.36% for women. Seroprevalence was higher in the 31-45-year age group (1%) and among persons with family income less than twice the minimum wage (0.78%) as compared to 0.33% for the higher income group. Syphilis was detected in 37% of HIV seropositive individuals. Phylogenetic inferences identified 10 samples as subtype B in the env region and 2 samples with Benv/Fgag/Fpol and Fenv/Bgag. Age > 30 years, male gender, and income < 2 times the minimum wage were identified as risk factors for HIV-1 infection. Extrapolating the proportion of seropositive individuals to Salvador, the number of HIV-1 infected individuals was estimated at 13,750.

Download Full-text

Acute lower respiratory illness in under-five children in Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil: prevalence and risk factors

Cadernos de Saúde Pública ◽

10.1590/s0102-311x2008000600023 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 24 (6) ◽

pp. 1429-1438 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Silvio O. M. Prietsch ◽

Gilberto B. Fischer ◽

Juraci A. César ◽

Berenice S. Lempek ◽

Luciano V. Barbosa Jr. ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Family Income ◽

Rio Grande ◽

Respiratory Illness ◽

Acute Lower Respiratory Infection ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Maternal Schooling ◽

The City

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of acute lower respiratory illness and to identify associated factors among children less than five years of age in the city of Rio Grande, southern Brazil. Using a cross-sectional survey, a standardized household questionnaire was applied to mothers or guardians. Information was collected on household conditions, socioeconomic status, and parental smoking. Prenatal care attendance, nutritional status, breastfeeding pattern, and use of health services for the children were also investigated. Data analysis was based on prevalence ratios and logistic regression, using a conceptual framework. Among 771 children studied, 23.9% presented acute lower respiratory illness. The main risk factors were previous episodes of acute lower respiratory infection or wheezing, crowding, maternal schooling less than five years, monthly family income less than US$ 200, four or more people per room, asthma in family members, and maternal smoking. Mothers 30 years or older were identified as a protective factor. These results can help define specific measures to reduce morbidity and mortality due to acute lower respiratory illness in this setting.

Download Full-text

To study doctor’s beliefs, barriers, awareness, and actual practices regarding use of generic medicines

International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology ◽

10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20173134 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (8) ◽

pp. 1871 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Venkatesh V. Khadke ◽

Shahbaz Yasin Khanda

Keyword(s):

Response Rate ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Generic Medicines ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical Practitioners ◽

Exact Test ◽

Item Questionnaire ◽

Kap Survey ◽

Quality Aspects

Background: Government of India is trying to popularize generic medicines, still most Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) doubt its quality and efficacy. We conducted a cross sectional survey to study the barriers that hinders the practice of writing generic prescriptions. The aim was to study doctor’s knowledge, beliefs and actual practices regarding generic medicines. This study is a KAP survey model (Knowledge, attitude, practices) to study beliefs, barriers, awareness and actual practices regarding use of generic medicines amongst private practioners and RMPs of tertiary care Government hospital in Nanded city.Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 300 randomly selected RMPs practicing in Nanded, Maharashtra. A 26-item questionnaire was designed, validated, and data collected through personal visits. Fisher’s exact test was applied to see associations between variables using Graphpad Prism 7.Results: 234 RMPs responded to the questionnaire i.e. a response rate of 78% was achieved. 107 (45.7%) participants claimed to be actively prescribing generic medicines. 122 (52.1%) of the participants were unaware of any generic medical shop in their locality. 83 (35.5%) participants believed generics to be duplicate/ substandard. However, 16 (19.3%) of them still prescribed generics. One-third of them actually preferred its use for family.Conclusions: RMPs do not accept the use of generic medicines for concerns about its quality and efficacy. Also, there was unawareness regarding availability of generic medicines in the locality. RMPs need to be educated about manufacture, sale and quality aspects of generic medicines in India.

Download Full-text