scholarly journals Handwashing Adherence and the Trajectory of COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from 14 Countries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zofia Szczuka ◽  
Charles Abraham ◽  
Adriana Baban ◽  
Sydney Brooks ◽  
Sabrina Cipolletta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Protective Behaviors ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Registration Date

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people’s engagement in health behaviors, especially those that protect individuals from SARS-CoV-2 transmission, such as handwashing/sanitizing. Associations between the pandemic’s trajectory and engagement in the protective behavior of handwashing are unclear. This study investigated whether adherence to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) handwashing guidelines is associated with (i) total cases of COVID-19 morbidity/mortality accumulated since the onset of the pandemic, (ii) recent cases (country-level COVID-19 morbidity/mortality in the 14 days prior to data collection), (iii) increases/acceleration in recent cases (country-level COVID-19 morbidity/mortality in the previous 14 days minus cases recorded 14-28 days earlier), and (iv) stringency of the national containment-and-health policies (in the 7 days prior to data collection).Methods: The observational study (#NCT04367337) enrolled 6,064 adults residing in Australia, Canada, China, France, Gambia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, and Switzerland. Data on cross-situational handwashing adherence were collected via an online survey (March–July 2020). Individual data were matched with the WHO daily reports of COVID-19 and indices of containment-and-health policies. Country-level human development index and sociodemographic variables were controlled.Results: Multilevel regression models indicated that as the total cases of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality grew higher, handwashing adherence decreased. As increases in recent cases of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality occurred, handwashing adherence increased. Higher levels of containment-and-health policy index were associated with lower handwashing.Conclusions: Research investigating protective behaviors should account for indicators of fluctuations of COVID-19 morbidity/mortality, besides accounting for time since the beginning of the pandemic.Trial Registration: Clinical Trials.Gov, #NCT04367337, first registration date: 29/04/2020

scholarly journals The trajectory of COVID-19 pandemic and handwashing adherence: findings from 14 countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zofia Szczuka ◽  
Charles Abraham ◽  
Adriana Baban ◽  
Sydney Brooks ◽  
Sabrina Cipolletta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regression Models ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
World Health ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Protective Behaviors ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Country Specific

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people’s engagement in health behaviors, especially those that protect individuals from SARS-CoV-2 transmission, such as handwashing/sanitizing. This study investigated whether adherence to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) handwashing guidelines (the outcome variable) was associated with the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic, as measured by the following 6 indicators: (i) the number of new cases of COVID-19 morbidity/mortality (a country-level mean calculated for the 14 days prior to data collection), (ii) total cases of COVID-19 morbidity/mortality accumulated since the onset of the pandemic, and (iii) changes in recent cases of COVID-19 morbidity/mortality (a difference between country-level COVID-19 morbidity/mortality in the previous 14 days compared to cases recorded 14–28 days earlier). Methods The observational study (#NCT04367337) enrolled 6064 adults residing in Australia, Canada, China, France, Gambia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, and Switzerland. Data on handwashing adherence across 8 situations (indicated in the WHO guidelines) were collected via an online survey (March–July 2020). Individual-level handwashing data were matched with the date- and country-specific values of the 6 indices of the trajectory of COVID-19 pandemic, obtained from the WHO daily reports. Results Multilevel regression models indicated a negative association between both accumulation of the total cases of COVID-19 morbidity (B = −.041, SE = .013, p = .013) and mortality (B = −.036, SE = .014 p = .002) and handwashing. Higher levels of total COVID-related morbidity and mortality were related to lower handwashing adherence. However, increases in recent cases of COVID-19 morbidity (B = .014, SE = .007, p = .035) and mortality (B = .022, SE = .009, p = .015) were associated with higher levels of handwashing adherence. Analyses controlled for participants’ COVID-19-related situation (their exposure to information about handwashing, being a healthcare professional), sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, marital status), and country-level variables (strictness of containment and health policies, human development index). The models explained 14–20% of the variance in handwashing adherence. Conclusions To better explain levels of protective behaviors such as handwashing, future research should account for indicators of the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trial registration Clinical Trials.Gov, #NCT04367337

scholarly journals The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 in Italy: Worry Leads to Protective Behavior, but at the Cost of Anxiety

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Prete ◽  
Lilybeth Fontanesi ◽  
Piero Porcelli ◽  
Luca Tommasi
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
World Health ◽  
Anxiety State ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Protective Behaviors ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Cost

The World Health Organization defined COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, due to the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in all continents. Italy had already witnessed a very fast spread that brought the Government to place the entire country under quarantine on March 11, reaching more than 30,700 fatalities in 2 months. We hypothesized that the pandemic and related compulsory quarantine would lead to an increase of anxiety state and protective behaviors to avoid infections. We aimed to investigate whether protective behaviors might have been enhanced or limited by anxiety and emotional reactions to previous experience of stressful conditions. We collected data from 618 Italian participants, by means of an online survey. Participants were asked to rate their level of worry for the pandemic, and to complete two questionnaires measuring the anxiety level: the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI-Y) and the Pre-traumatic stress reaction checklist (Pre-Cl). Finally, the respondents were also asked to report about their compliance with protective behaviors suggested to avoid the spread of the virus (e.g., washing hands). Results show that respondents with higher levels of worry reported higher levels of anxiety and pre-traumatic reactions, with positive correlations among the three measurements, and that higher frequency of the three protective behaviors were put in place by respondents with higher levels of worry. Moreover, regression analysis showed that worry for COVID-19 was most predicted by age, anxiety levels, and Pre-traumatic stress. These results could be interpreted in an evolutionary framework, in which the level of worry leads persons to become more cautious (protective behaviors) maximizing long-term survival at the cost of short-term dysregulation (anxiety).

scholarly journals PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOR AGAINST COVID-19 AMONG VIETNAMESE PEOPLE IN THE SOCIAL DISTANCING CAMPAIGN A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
AISDL
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Protective Behaviors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
Gender Knowledge

In the global fight against the rapid spread of COVID-19, a variety of unprecedented preventive measures have been implemented across the globe, as well as in Vietnam. How Vietnamese people respond to threats to their health and life remains unclear. For this reason, the current study aims to examine Vietnamese people’s protective behavior and its factors. Based on 1,798 online survey respondents’ data collected on the last three days of the nationwide social distancing campaign in mid-April, it is found that gender, knowledge of COVID-19 and preventive measures, and attitudes towards the COVID-19 prevention policies are the three main factors of participants’ protective behaviors. We also find that males are less likely than females to adopt precautionary measures. People who are knowledgeable about COVID-19 may have inappropriate practices towards it. Further research is needed to examine other determinants of protective behaviors to provide more useful information for authorities, public health policy-makers, and healthcare workers to deliver the best practices to control COVID-19 in our country.

scholarly journals Hand Hygiene Guidelines for Front Line Health Care Workers

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 35-36
Author(s):  
Bhavanam Sai Rajendra
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
World Health ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Care Workers

Hand hygiene competence is one of the critical outcomes for health care workers who are working for covid patients.. Ensuring health care workers to reduce the risk of infections among nurses and health care workers. Adequate hand hygiene(HH) awareness for hospital staff like Nurses, ward technicians, health care workers should be implemented so as to reduce risks of facing infections. To assess the knowledge and awareness programmes to the front line warriors who are in direct contact with covid patients. A systematic review of studies published on January 1, 2009 based on, an online survey done in Canada where FIVE leading hospitals are actively involved and participated for Hand hygiene care. An online Data collection with simple and sample survey was conducted for Nurses, ward technicians, covid health care workers and Gram volunteers according to Guidelines given by World Health Organization’s SEVEN ( 7) hand washing steps. The Data collection was taken from 50 Nurses and 50 covid health care workers particularly working in rural areas of Parchur Mandal of Prakasam District in Andhra Pradesh state

scholarly journals ICD-data collection features: an international survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Lucia Otero Varela ◽  
Chelsea Doktorchik ◽  
Natalie Wiebe ◽  
Catherine Eastwood ◽  
Hude Quan
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
International Comparisons ◽  
International Classification Of Diseases ◽  
World Health ◽  
Hospital Data ◽  
Discharge Disposition ◽  
Classification Of Diseases ◽  
Hospital Morbidity ◽  
Health Organization

Background:  The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is globally used for coding morbidity and mortality statistics, however, its use, as well as the data collection features vary greatly across countries. Objective: To characterize hospital ICD-coded data collection worldwide. Methods: After an in-depth grey and academic literature review, an online survey was created to poll the 194 World Health Organization (WHO) member countries. Questions focused on hospital data collection systems and ICD-coded data features. The survey was distributed, using different methods, to potential participants that met the specific criteria, as well as organizations specialized in the topic, such as WHO Collaborating Centers (WHO-CC) or International Federation of Health Information Management Association (IFHIMA), to be forwarded to their representatives. Answers were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Data from 48 respondents from 26 different countries has been collected. Results reveal worldwide use of ICD, with variations in the maximum allowable coding fields for diagnoses and interventions. For instance, in some countries there is an unlimited number of coding fields (Netherlands, Thailand and Iran), as opposed to others with only 1-6 available (Guatemala or Mauritius). Disparities also exist in the definition of a main condition, as 60% of the countries use “reason for admission” and 40% utilize “resource use”. Additionally, the mandatory type of data fields in the hospital morbidity database (e.g. patient demographics, admission type, discharge disposition, diagnoses, …) differ among countries, with diagnosis timing and physician information being the least frequently required. Conclusion: These survey data will establish the current state of ICD use internationally, which will ultimately be valuable to the WHO for the promotion of ICD and the rollout of ICD-11. Additionally, it will improve international comparisons of health data, and encourage further research on how to improve ICD coding.

scholarly journals Factors influencing the protective behavior of individuals during COVID-19: a transnational survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Chun Tang ◽  
Hsi Chen ◽  
Wei-Wen Wu
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Protective Behaviors ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
High Level ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Independent Behaviors

AbstractTo slow the spread of infectious disease, it is crucial to understand the engagement of protective behavior among individuals. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine individuals’ protective behaviors and the associated factors across countries during COVID-19. This causal-comparative study used a self-developed online survey to assess individuals’ level of engagement with six protective behaviors. Analysis of variance and McNemar’s test were employed for data analysis. Three hundred and eighty-four responses were analyzed. The majority of participants lived in three areas: Taiwan, Japan, and North America. Overall, the participants reported a high level of engagement in protective behaviors. However, engagement levels varied according to several demographic variables. Hand hygiene and cleaning/ventilation are two independent behaviors that differ from almost all other protective behaviors. There is a need to target the population at risk, which demonstrates low compliance. Different strategies are needed to promote specific protective behaviors.

PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOR AGAINST COVID-19 AMONG VIETNAMESE PEOPLE IN THE SOCIAL DISTANCING CAMPAIGN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoan Luong Cu Si
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Protective Behaviors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
Gender Knowledge

In the global fight against the rapid spread of COVID-19, a variety of unprecedented preventive measures have been implemented across the globe, as well as in Vietnam. How Vietnamese people respond to threats to their health and life remains unclear. For this reason, the current study aims to examine Vietnamese people’s protective behavior and its factors. Based on 1,798 online survey respondents’ data collected on the last three days of the nationwide social distancing campaign in mid-April, it is found that gender, knowledge of COVID-19 and preventive measures, and attitudes towards the COVID-19 prevention policies are the three main factors of participants’ protective behaviors. We also find that males are less likely than females to adopt precautionary measures. People who are knowledgeable about COVID-19 may have inappropriate practices towards it. Further research is needed to examine other determinants of protective behaviors to provide more useful information for authorities, public health policy-makers, and healthcare workers to deliver the best practices to control COVID-19 in our country.

scholarly journals Age Differences in Preferences for Fear-Enhancing Versus Fear-Reducing News in a Global Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 932-932
Author(s):  
Anthony Villalba ◽  
Jennifer Stanley ◽  
Jennifer Turner ◽  
Michael Vale
Keyword(s):  
Age Differences ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negative Information ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
News Article ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Protective Behaviors

Abstract Older adults (OA) prefer positive over negative information in a lab setting, compared to young adults (i.e., positivity effects; YA). The extent to which OA avoid negative events or information relevant for their health and safety is not clear. We first investigated age differences in preferences for fear-enhancing versus fear-reducing news articles during the Ebola Outbreak of 2014. We built upon this pilot study to further investigate this research question during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, 164 YA (18-30 years) and 171 OA (60-80 years) responded to an online survey about their preferences, feelings, and behaviors related to the COVID-19 pandemic across 13-days during the initial peak of the pandemic in the United States. Both YA and OA preferred to read positive over negative news about the coronavirus, but OA were even more likely than YA to prefer the positive news article. No age differences in the fear of contraction were found, but OA engaged in more health-protective behaviors compared to YA. Additionally, media engagement was related to fear for both age groups, with social media engagement, specifically, emerging as a key moderating factor for protective behavior change. Although OA may not fear or seek out negative information related to a health concern; they still engage in more protective health behaviors compared to YA. In this study, positivity effects are shown to exist within a health-related event, but OA appeared to still attend to enough negative information about COVID-19 to avoid impairing their health protective behaviors.

scholarly journals An ecological study to evaluate the association of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination on cases of SARS-CoV2 infection and mortality from COVID-19

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243707
Author(s):  
Lucy Chimoyi ◽  
Kavindhran Velen ◽  
Gavin J. Churchyard ◽  
Robert Wallis ◽  
James J. Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Linear Regression ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
World Health ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Vaccination Policy ◽  
Geographical Differences ◽  
Bcg Vaccination ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Log Linear

As the SARS-CoV2 pandemic has progressed, there have been marked geographical differences in the pace and extent of its spread. We evaluated the association of BCG vaccination on morbidity and mortality of SARS-CoV2, adjusted for country-specific responses to the epidemic, demographics and health. SARS-CoV2 cases and deaths as reported by 31 May 2020 in the World Health Organization situation reports were used. Countries with at least 28 days following the first 100 cases, and available information on BCG were included. We used log-linear regression models to explore associations of cases and deaths with the BCG vaccination policy in each country, adjusted for population size, gross domestic product, proportion aged over 65 years, stringency level measures, testing levels, smoking proportion, and the time difference from date of reporting the 100th case to 31 May 2020. We further looked at the association that might have been found if the analyses were done at earlier time points. The study included 97 countries with 73 having a policy of current BCG vaccination, 13 having previously had BCG vaccination, and 11 having never had BCG vaccination. In a log-linear regression model there was no effect of country-level BCG status on SARS-CoV2 cases or deaths. Univariable log-linear regression models showed a trend towards a weakening of the association over time. We found no statistical evidence for an association between BCG vaccination policy and either SARS-CoV2 morbidity or mortality. We urge countries to rather consider alternative tools with evidence supporting their effectiveness for controlling SARS-CoV2 morbidity and mortality.

AN EXPLORATION OF GENDER DIFFERENCES IN TEENAGERS’ USE, CONSUMPTION AND DIGITAL PRODUCTION

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina-Maricica Seserman ◽  
Daniela Cojocaru
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Digital Content ◽  
Media Consumption ◽  
The Way

Today’s teenagers have a very close relationship with ICTs and the digital space related to them, as they have impacted the way the youth constructs their sense of self and the tools they use to perform their carefully constructed identity. One key element which influences the way one constructs their views by themselves is within the boundaries set by their biological sex and therefore through the behaviors associated with their asigned gender. Through the symbolic interactionist lense, or more specifically through Goffman's dramaturgical theory on the manner in which one presents him/herself in society, this paper looks at the manner in which teenagers use social media platforms and at the way they consume and create digital content in order to present their gender identity. The way teenagers consume and produce digital content differs and depends on how they interpret their ideals of femininity and masculinity, which are afterwards reproduced in the content they post on their social media pages. Therefore this research is an attempt to understand what are the factors teenagers take in account when consuming and producing content. What gender differences can be observed in regards to new media consumption? What difference can be observed in online activity behaviors between males and females? How do they feel about their gender identity concerning fitting in with their peer group? A mix-methodological approach was engaged in the data collection process. In the first stage of the research highschool students (n=324) from the city of Suceava (Romania) participated in taking an online survey. The initial intent was to meet with the young respondents in person, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic this was deemed impossible. For the second stage of data collection, six of the participants who took the online survey were invited to participate in a focus group designed to grasp a better understanding of the results from the previous stage. The discovered findings uncover engaging gender similarities and differences in social media consumption and the type, subject, matter and style in which they posted their content, but also in regards to the performance of the self between the online and offline space.

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