scholarly journals Culture and Coronavirus Disease Statistics Public Health Through the Lens of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, A Multiple Regression Analysis

Author(s):  
Jiali Wang ◽  
Cesar Bandera ◽  
Zhipeng Yan

Abstract Background Hofstede’s Culture Dimensions (HCD) are the most prevalent metrics with which social scientists distinguish cultural differences between countries. In this study, we examine the relationships between HCD and the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, we investigate how differences in COVID-19 infection, death and recovery between countries correlate with differences in individualism (IDV), indulgence (IVR) and power distance index (PDI).Method We use multiple linear regressions to interpret statistical and economic significances. Results IDV is found to be significantly associated with death rate and recovery rate globally, while IVR and PDI do not seem to be significantly relevant. None of the three dimensions are significantly related to the global infection rate. Conclusions These results have implications for the design of public health campaigns on preventing COVID-19 infection and compliance with vaccination campaigns. Some practical strategies have been proposed for public health officials to help mitigate COVID 19 spread.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiali Wang ◽  
Cesar Bandera ◽  
Zhipeng Yan

BACKGROUND Hofstede’s Culture Dimensions (HCD) are the most prevalent metrics with which social scientists distinguish cultural differences between countries. In this study, we examine the relationships between HCD and the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, we investigate how differences in COVID-19 infection, death and recovery between countries correlate with differences in individualism (IDV), indulgence (IVR) and power distance index (PDI). OBJECTIVE The paper explores the relationship between certain Hofstede’s Culture Dimensions and COVID-19 statistics. METHODS We used multiple linear regressions to interpret statistical and economic significances. RESULTS IDV is found to be significantly associated with death rate and recovery rate globally, while IVR and PDI do not seem to be significantly relevant. None of the three dimensions are significantly related to the global infection rate. CONCLUSIONS These results have implications for the design of public health campaigns on preventing COVID-19 infection and compliance with vaccination campaigns. Some practical strategies have been proposed for public health officials to help mitigate COVID 19 spread. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable


Author(s):  
D Jerome ◽  
M Pietrosanu ◽  
K Dhillon

Abstract Background The Canadian province of Alberta released the ABTraceTogether smartphone app in May 2020 to assist in contact tracing during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Public engagement with this public health tool has been low, limiting the effectiveness of the intervention. This study examines physician knowledge of the app and practice patterns in relation to the app. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional self-administered online English language survey of physicians and medical students in Alberta, Canada. The survey link was sent to all registered members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta and was distributed by other provincial physician organizations and health zone leaders. Results The survey received 317 responses. 96% of participants were aware of the app but only 27% had recommended the app to patients. The most common reason provided for not downloading or recommending the app was that participants had security concerns about the app. 23% of participants indicated they did not believe they had a responsibility to recommend the app to others. Conclusions Our study provides insights into participants’ knowledge and beliefs about the ABTraceTogether app. This information may be valuable to public health officials who wish to engage physicians in future public health campaigns.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0250302
Author(s):  
Eline van den Broek-Altenburg ◽  
Adam Atherly

Background Since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, countries have been mirroring each other’s policies to mitigate the spread of the virus. Whether current measures alone will lead to behavioral change such as social distancing, washing hands, and wearing a facemask is not well understood. The objective of this study is to better understand individual variation in behavioral responses to COVID-19 by exploring the influence of beliefs, motivations and policy measures on public health behaviors. We do so by comparing The Netherlands and Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. Methods and findings Our final sample included 2,637 respondents from The Netherlands and 1,678 from Flanders. The data was nationally representative along three dimensions: age, gender, and household income in both countries. Our key outcome variables of interest were beliefs about policy effectiveness; stated reasons for complying with public rules; and changes in behavior. For control variables, we included a number of measures of how severe the respondent believed Covid-19 to be and a number of negative side effects that the person may have experienced: loneliness, boredom, anxiety, and conflicts with friends and neighbors. Finally, we controlled for socio-demographic factors: age, gender, income (categorical), education (categorical) and the presence of Covid-19 risk factors (diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, allergies). The dependent variable for each of the estimation models is dichotomous, so we used Probit models to predict the probability of engaging in a given behavior. We found that motivations, beliefs about the effectiveness of measures, and pre-pandemic behavior play an important role. The Dutch were more likely to wash their hands than the Flemish (15.4%, p<0.01), visit family (15.5%, p < .01), run errands (12.0%, p<0.05) or go to large closed spaces such as a shopping mall (21.2%, p<0.01). The Dutch were significantly less likely to wear a mask (87.6%, p<0.01). We also found that beliefs about the virus, psychological effects of the virus, as well as pre-pandemic behavior play a role in adherence to recommendations. Conclusions Our results suggest that policymakers should consider behavioral motivations specific to their country in their COVID-19 strategies. In addition, the belief that a policy is effective significantly increased the probability of the behavior, so policy measures should be accompanied by public health campaigns to increase adherence.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Koed Madsen

Previous research concerning the effectiveness of public health campaigns have explored the impact of message design, message content, communication channel choice and other aspects of such campaigns. Meta analyses reported in the literature reveal, however, that the choice of endorsers in health campaigns remains unexplored. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by studying what makes doctors from public health campaigns appear trustworthy in the eyes of the receiver. The present research examines propensity for trust as well facets of trustworthiness of such expert doctors based on a survey carried out in the UK (155 respondents). Underlying factors of trustworthiness are explored to gain more insight into the understanding of how trust may affect the public’s belief updating and the formation of intentions. Exploratory factor analyses suggest four dimensions of trustworthiness. Multiple regression analyses demonstrate that these factors explain almost 70% of the variance in the participants’ expressed trust in doctors from public health campaigns. Doctors’ ethical stance and their care for the health of the general population appear to be more important for perceived trustworthiness than their actual professional background, although their abilities and competences are closely related to ethics and benevolence. For policy makers this has important implications when selecting endorsers for public health campaigns in order to design effective health related communication, for example to combat obesity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heeje Lee ◽  
Minah Kang ◽  
Sangchul Yoon ◽  
Kee B. Park

Abstract Tobacco use is one of the main public health concerns as it causes multiple diseases. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is one of the 168 signatory countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) member states agreed to adopt the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC). However, there is lack of information regarding the tobacco use in the DPRK and the government’s efforts for tobacco control. The aim of the study was to find the prevalence of tobacco use among the DPRK people and the government’s efforts to control tobacco use among its population, through literature review combined with online media content analysis. In 2020, the prevalence of tobacco smoking in males of 15 years and older was 46.1%, whereas that in females was zero. The online media contents showed the DPRK government’s stewardship to promote population health by controlling tobacco use. Furthermore, the DPRK government has taken steps to implement the mandates of the FCTC including introduction of new laws, promotion of research, development of cessation aids, as well as public health campaigns.


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