COVID-19 Misinformation Trends in Australia: Prospective Longitudinal National Survey (Preprint)

Background Misinformation about COVID-19 is common and has been spreading rapidly across the globe through social media platforms and other information systems. Understanding what the public knows about COVID-19 and identifying beliefs based on misinformation can help shape effective public health communications to ensure efforts to reduce viral transmission are not undermined. Objective This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with COVID-19 misinformation in Australia and their changes over time. Methods This prospective, longitudinal national survey was completed by adults (18 years and above) across April (n=4362), May (n=1882), and June (n=1369) 2020. Results Stronger agreement with misinformation was associated with younger age, male gender, lower education level, and language other than English spoken at home (P<.01 for all). After controlling for these variables, misinformation beliefs were significantly associated (P<.001) with lower levels of digital health literacy, perceived threat of COVID-19, confidence in government, and trust in scientific institutions. Analyses of specific government-identified misinformation revealed 3 clusters: prevention (associated with male gender and younger age), causation (associated with lower education level and greater social disadvantage), and cure (associated with younger age). Lower institutional trust and greater rejection of official government accounts were associated with stronger agreement with COVID-19 misinformation. Conclusions The findings of this study highlight important gaps in communication effectiveness, which must be addressed to ensure effective COVID-19 prevention.

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COVID-19: Beliefs in misinformation in the Australian community

10.1101/2020.08.04.20168583 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Kristen Pickles ◽

Erin Cvejic ◽

Brooke Nickel ◽

Tessa Copp ◽

Carissa Bonner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Digital Health ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Male Gender ◽

Communication Effectiveness ◽

Younger Age ◽

Public Health Authorities ◽

Lower Education ◽

At Home

Objectives: To investigate prevalence of beliefs in COVID-19 misinformation and examine whether demographic, psychosocial and cognitive factors are associated with these beliefs, and how they change over time. Study design: Prospective national longitudinal community online survey. Setting: Australian general public. Participants: Adults aged over 18 years (n=4362 baseline/Wave 1; n=1882 Wave 2; n=1369 Wave 3). Main outcome measure: COVID-19 misinformation beliefs. Results: Stronger agreement with misinformation beliefs was significantly associated with younger age, male gender, lower education, and primarily speaking a language other than English at home (all p<0.01). After controlling for these variables, misinformation beliefs were significantly associated (p<0.001) with lower digital health literacy, lower perceived threat of COVID-19, lower confidence in government, and lower trust in scientific institutions. The belief that the threat of COVID-19 is greatly exaggerated increased between Wave 1-2 (p=0.002), while belief that herd immunity benefits were being covered up decreased (p<0.001). Greatest support from a list of Australian Government identified myths was for those regarding hot temperatures killing the virus (22%) and Ibuprofen exacerbates COVID-19 (13%). Lower institutional trust and greater rejection of official government accounts were associated with greater support for COVID-19 myths after controlling for sociodemographic variables. Conclusion: These findings highlight important gaps in communication effectiveness. Stronger endorsement of misinformation was associated with male gender, younger age, lower education and language other than English spoken at home. Misinformation can undermine public health efforts. Public health authorities must urgently target groups identified in this study when countering misinformation and seek ways to enhance public trust of experts, governments, and institutions.

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Predictors of resignation and sick leave after cancer dianosis among Japanese breast cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-20149/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Kiyomi Mitsui ◽

Motoki Endo ◽

Yuya Imai ◽

Yuito Ueda ◽

Hiroko Ogawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Education Level ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Lower Education Level ◽

Younger Age ◽

Lower Education ◽

After Cancer

Abstract Background: In Japan, 55.5% of breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are of working age, so various perspectives regarding return to work (RTW) after cancer diagnosis need to be considered. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the risk factors for resignation and taking sick leave (SL) among BCSs in continued employment at the time of diagnosis.Methods: A web-based retrospective cross-sectional survey was conducted on BCSs using data from a 2018 Japanese national research project (Endo-Han) commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. The subjects were women aged 18–69 years who had been diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time at least 1 year previously. The risk factors for resignation and taking SL after breast cancer diagnosis, including age at diagnosis, education level, cancer stage, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, employment status, and occupational type, were then analyzed using a logistic regression model.Results: In total, 40 (14.9%) of 269 BCSs quit their jobs at least 1 year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The results of the multivariable analysis indicated that lower education level (odds ratio [OR]: 3.802; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.233–11.729), taking SL (OR: 2.514; 95%CI: 1.202–5.261), and younger age at diagnosis (OR: 0.470; 95%CI: 0.221–0.998) were predictors of resignation. Of 229 patients who continued working, SL was taken by 72 (31.4%). In addition, undergoing surgery was found to be a predictor of taking SL (OR: 8.311; 95%CI: 1.007–68.621).Conclusions: In total, 40 (14.9%) of 269 BCSs quit their jobs at least 1 year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The results of this study indicated that younger age, lower education level, and taking SL were predictors of resignation after breast cancer diagnosis.

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Predictors of resignation and sick leave after cancer dianosis among Japanese breast cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-20149/v5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kiyomi Mitsui ◽

Motoki Endo ◽

Yuya Imai ◽

Yuito Ueda ◽

Hiroko Ogawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Education Level ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Lower Education Level ◽

Younger Age ◽

Lower Education ◽

After Cancer

Abstract Background: In Japan, 55.5% of breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are of working age, so various perspectives regarding return to work (RTW) after cancer diagnosis need to be considered. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the risk factors for resignation and taking sick leave (SL) among BCSs in continued employment at the time of diagnosis.Methods: A web-based retrospective cross-sectional survey was conducted on BCSs using data from a 2018 Japanese national research project (Endo-Han) commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. The subjects were women aged 18–69 years who had been diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time at least 1 year previously. The risk factors for resignation and taking SL after breast cancer diagnosis, including age at diagnosis, education level, cancer stage, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, employment status, and occupational type, were then analyzed using a logistic regression model.Results: In total, 40 (14.9%) of 269 BCSs quit their jobs at least 1 year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The results of the multivariable analysis indicated that lower education level (odds ratio [OR]: 3.802; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.233–11.729), taking SL (OR: 2.514; 95%CI: 1.202–5.261), and younger age at diagnosis (OR: 0.470; 95%CI: 0.221–0.998) were predictors of resignation. Of 229 patients who continued working, SL was taken by 72 (31.4%). In addition, undergoing surgery was found to be a predictor of taking SL (OR: 8.311; 95%CI: 1.007–68.621).Conclusions: In total, 40 (14.9%) of 269 BCSs quit their jobs at least 1 year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The results of this study indicated that younger age, lower education level, and taking SL were predictors of resignation after breast cancer diagnosis.

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Prevalence and Related Factors of Insomnia Among Chinese Medical Staff in the Middle and Late Stage of COVID-19

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2020.602315 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Dianying Liu ◽

Shaohua Liu ◽

Lin Zhu ◽

Dongbin Li ◽

Donghua Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Staff ◽

Working Hours ◽

Education Level ◽

Health Staff ◽

Psychological Resilience ◽

Related Factors ◽

Lower Education Level ◽

Younger Age ◽

Lower Education ◽

Somatic Diseases

Background: The outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has brought serious psychological pressure to people, especially medical health staff. At present, there are few studies on insomnia and related factors of medical health staff in the middle and late stage of the epidemic of COVID-19. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of insomnia and its related risk factors among medical workers in China in the middle and later stage of COVID-19 epidemic, as well as the relationship between insomnia and psychological resilience.Methods: From February 14 to March 29, 2020, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 606 medical staff in China through Ranxing Technology's “SurveyStar” network platform. All subjects were assessed with the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and simplified Chinese version of Connor-Davidson Resilience scale (CD-RISC-10).Results: In the middle and later stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, the incidence of insomnia among medical staff was 32.0%. Compared with non-insomnia group, the insomnia group had younger age, lower education level, longer daily working hours and less psychological resilience. In addition, the prevalence of insomnia was higher in medical staff with a history of somatic diseases. The severity of insomnia of Chinese medical staff was associated with age, education level, daily working hours, psychological resilience and somatic diseases.Conclusions: Our study shows that nearly 1/3 of Chinese medical workers suffer from insomnia nearly a month after the COVID-19 outbreak. Compared with the general population, medical staff who are working with COVID are more prone to insomnia. Risk factors for insomnia include younger age, lower education level, longer working hours per day, and physical illness. The tenacious dimension of psychological resilience is a protective factor for insomnia.

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Predictors of resignation and sick leave after cancer dianosis among Japanese breast cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-20149/v4 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Kiyomi Mitsui ◽

Motoki Endo ◽

Yuya Imai ◽

Yuito Ueda ◽

Hiroko Ogawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Education Level ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Lower Education Level ◽

Younger Age ◽

Lower Education ◽

After Cancer

Abstract Background: In Japan, 55.5% of breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are of working age, so various perspectives regarding return to work (RTW) after cancer diagnosis need to be considered. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the risk factors for resignation and taking sick leave (SL) among BCSs in continued employment at the time of diagnosis.Methods: A web-based retrospective cross-sectional survey was conducted on BCSs using data from a 2018 Japanese national research project (Endo-Han) commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. The subjects were women aged 18–69 years who had been diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time at least 1 year previously. The risk factors for resignation and taking SL after breast cancer diagnosis, including age at diagnosis, education level, cancer stage, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, employment status, and occupational type, were then analyzed using a logistic regression model.Results: In total, 40 (14.9%) of 269 BCSs quit their jobs at least 1 year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The results of the multivariable analysis indicated that lower education level (odds ratio [OR]: 3.802; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.233–11.729), taking SL (OR: 2.514; 95%CI: 1.202–5.261), and younger age at diagnosis (OR: 0.470; 95%CI: 0.221–0.998) were predictors of resignation. Of 229 patients who continued working, SL was taken by 72 (31.4%). In addition, undergoing surgery was found to be a predictor of taking SL (OR: 8.311; 95%CI: 1.007–68.621).Conclusions: In total, 40 (14.9%) of 269 BCSs quit their jobs at least 1 year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The results of this study indicated that younger age, lower education level, and taking SL were predictors of resignation after breast cancer diagnosis.

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Predictors of resignation and sick leave after cancer diagnosis among Japanese breast cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10168-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kiyomi Mitsui ◽

Motoki Endo ◽

Yuya Imai ◽

Yuito Ueda ◽

Hiroko Ogawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Education Level ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Lower Education Level ◽

Younger Age ◽

Lower Education ◽

After Cancer

Abstract Background In Japan, 55.5% of breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are of working age, so various perspectives regarding return to work (RTW) after cancer diagnosis need to be considered. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the risk factors for resignation and taking sick leave (SL) among BCSs in continued employment at the time of diagnosis. Methods A web-based retrospective cross-sectional survey was conducted on BCSs using data from a 2018 Japanese national research project (Endo-Han) commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. The subjects were women aged 18–69 years who had been diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time at least 1 year previously. The risk factors for resignation and taking SL after breast cancer diagnosis, including age at diagnosis, education level, cancer stage, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, employment status, and occupational type, were then analyzed using a logistic regression model. Results In total, 40 (14.9%) of 269 BCSs quit their jobs at least 1 year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The results of the multivariable analysis indicated that lower education level (odds ratio [OR]: 3.802; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.233–11.729), taking SL (OR: 2.514; 95%CI: 1.202–5.261), and younger age at diagnosis (OR: 0.470; 95%CI: 0.221–0.998) were predictors of resignation. Of 229 patients who continued working, SL was taken by 72 (31.4%). In addition, undergoing surgery was found to be a predictor of taking SL (OR: 8.311; 95%CI: 1.007–68.621). Conclusions In total, 40 (14.9%) of 269 BCSs quit their jobs at least 1 year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The results of this study indicated that younger age, lower education level, and taking SL were predictors of resignation after breast cancer diagnosis.

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Repeat Induced Abortion among Chinese Women Seeking Abortion: Two Cross Sectional Studies

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18094446 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (9) ◽

pp. 4446

Author(s):

Longmei Tang ◽

Shangchun Wu ◽

Dianwu Liu ◽

Marleen Temmerman ◽

Wei-Hong Zhang

Keyword(s):

Negative Binomial ◽

Induced Abortion ◽

Education Level ◽

Married Women ◽

Negative Binomial Regression Model ◽

Related Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Lower Education Level ◽

Induced Abortions ◽

Lower Education

Background: In China, there were about 9.76 million induced abortions in 2019, 50% of which were repeat abortions. Understanding the tendency of repeat induced abortion and identifying its related factors is needed to develop prevention strategies. Methods: Two hospital-based cross-sectional surveys were conducted from 2005–2007 and 2013–2016 in 24 and 90 hospitals, respectively. The survey included women who sought an induced abortion within 12 weeks of pregnancy. The proportion of repeat induced abortions by adjusting the covariates through propensity score matching was compared between the two surveys, and the zero-inflated negative binomial regression model was established to identify independent factors of repeat induced abortion. Results: Adjusting the age, occupation, education, marital status and number of children, the proportion of repeat induced abortions in the second survey was found to be low (60.28% vs. 11.11%), however the unadjusted proportion was high in the second survey (44.97% vs. 51.54%). The risk of repeat induced abortion was higher among married women and women with children [ORadj and 95% CI: 0.31 (0.20, 0.49) and 0.08 (0.05, 0.13)]; the risk among service industry staff was higher when compared with unemployed women [ORadj and 95% CI: 0.19 (0.07, 0.54)]; women with a lower education level were at a higher risk of a repeat induced abortion (ORadj < 1). Compared with women under the age of 20, women in other higher age groups had a higher frequency of repeat induced abortions (IRadj: 1.78, 2.55, 3.27, 4.01, and 3.93, separately); the frequency of women with lower education levels was higher than those with a university or higher education level (IRadj > 1); the repeat induced abortion frequency of married women was 0.93 (0.90, 0.98) when compared to the frequency of unmarried women, while the frequency of women with children was 1.17 (1.10, 1.25) of childless women; the induced abortion frequency of working women was about 60–95% with that of unemployed women. Conclusions: The repeat induced abortion proportion was lower than 10 years ago. Induced abortion seekers who were married, aged 20 to 30 years and with a lower education level were more likely to repeat induced abortions.

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Cardio-metabolic and socio-demographic risk factors associated with dependency in basic and instrumental activities of daily living among older Iranian adults: Bushehr elderly health program

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-021-02124-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kazem Khalagi ◽

Akram Ansarifar ◽

Noushin Fahimfar ◽

Mahnaz Sanjari ◽

Safoora Gharibzdeh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Activities Of Daily Living ◽

Daily Living ◽

Education Level ◽

Lower Education Level ◽

History Of ◽

Elderly Health ◽

Lower Education ◽

Demographic Risk ◽

Demographic Risk Factors

Abstract Background Iran’s population is aging. Disability is a major public health problem for older adults, not only in Iran but all over the world. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cardio-metabolic and socio-demographic risk factors and disability in people 60 years and older in Iran. Methods The baseline (cross-sectional) data of 2426 samples from the Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program was included in the analysis. The participants were selected through multi-stage random sampling in Bushehr, southern Iran. Socio-demographic characteristics, as well as the history of diabetes and other chronic diseases, and smoking were measured using standardized questionnaires. Anthropometric measurements and laboratory tests were performed under standard conditions. Dependency was determined by the questionnaires of basic activities of daily living (BADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) using Barthel and Lawton scales respectively. Multiple logistic regression was used in the analysis. Results Mean (Standard Deviation) of the participants’ age was 69.3 (6.4) years (range: 60 and 96 years), and 48.1% of the participants were men. After adjusting for potential confounders, being older, being female (OR (95%CI): 2.3 (1.9–2.9)), having a lower education level, a history of diabetes mellitus (OR: 1.4 (1.2–1.7)) and past smoking (OR: 1.3 (1.0–1.6)), and no physical activity (OR: 1.5 (1.2–1.9)) were significantly associated with dependency in IADL. Also, being older and female (OR: 2.4 (1.9–3.0)), having a lower education level, no physical activity (OR: 2.2 (1.6–2.9)) and daily intake of calories (OR: 0.99 (0.99–0.99)) were associated with dependency in BADL. Conclusion Dependency in older adults can be prevented by increasing community literacy, improving physical activity, preventing and controlling diabetes mellitus, avoiding smoking, and reducing daily calorie intake.

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Dietary glutamic acid and aspartic acid as biomarkers for predicting diabetic retinopathy

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-83165-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

So Young Park ◽

Jieun Kim ◽

Jung Il Son ◽

Sang Youl Rhee ◽

Do-Yeon Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetic Retinopathy ◽

Glutamic Acid ◽

Aspartic Acid ◽

Education Level ◽

Screening Rate ◽

Food Records ◽

Acid Intake ◽

Lower Education Level ◽

Lower Education

AbstractThe screening rate of diabetic retinopathy (DR) is low despite the importance of early diagnosis. We investigated the predictive value of dietary glutamic acid and aspartic acid for diagnosis of DR using the Korea National Diabetes Program cohort study. The 2067 patients with type 2 diabetes without DR were included. The baseline intakes of energy, glutamic acid and aspartic acid were assessed using a 3-day food records. The risk of DR incidence based on intake of glutamic acid and aspartic acid was analyzed. The DR group was older, and had higher HbA1c, longer DM duration, lower education level and income than non-DR group (all p < 0.05). The intake of total energy, glutamic acid and aspartic acid were lower in DR group than non-DR group (p = 0.010, p = 0.025 and p = 0.042, respectively). There was no difference in the risk of developing DR according to the intake of glutamic acid and ascorbic acid. But, aspartic acid intake had a negative correlation with PDR. Hence, the intake of glutamic acid and aspartic acid did not affect in DR incidence. However, lower aspartic acid intake affected the PDR incidence.

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