Investigation on emotion and behavior of children aged 1-11 during the pandemic of COVID-19: A Cross-sectional study in Guizhou, China (Preprint)

BACKGROUND In face of the sudden epidemic of COVID-19, strict prevention and control measures had been urgently carried out all over China. Because of the long-term home quarantine, all kinds of people were affected by it. OBJECTIVE In order to understand the mental health of children during the pandemic of COVID-19, this study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of emotional and behavioral problems of children aged 1-11 in Guizhou. METHODS Based on the online survey platform, the survey link was pushed through Wechat in April 2020. Electronic questionnaires were used to investigate children's demographic characteristics, emotional or behavioral problems. RESULTS A total of 3505 valid questionnaires were received from 9 prefectures and cities in Guizhou Province. 39.67% of the children in the 1-2-year-old group had emotional problems. 17.63% of the children agd 3-5 years had behavioral or emotional problems. And 23.57% of the children agd 6-11 years havd behavioral problems. CONCLUSIONS During the home quarantine period of prevention and control of COVID-19, even young children were adversely affected. The prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems in children was high, which was mainly manifested as anxiety, difficulty in concentration and sleep problems.

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Infection Prevention and Control Measures for COVID-19 among Medical Staff in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq.

Journal of Contemporary Medical Sciences ◽

10.22317/jcms.v6i4.820 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Sharef Al-Mulaabed ◽

Zakria A Kassim ◽

Saif W Younis ◽

Ali A Abutiheen

Keyword(s):

Medical Staff ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Online Survey ◽

Total Sample ◽

Control Measures ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Head Cover ◽

And Control

Background: COVID-19 is a global pandemic that was first reported in Iraq on 24th February 2020, while it appeared in Nineveh on March 22nd, 2020. Infection prevention and control (IPC) is so important to minimize the risk of spreading infections. Objectives: To assess the adherence to IPC measures among medical staff working in Nineveh governorate during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross sectional study, using an online survey sent to different medical staff in Nineveh. The questionnaire was composed of two parts, the first included demographic information, and the second covered IPC measures. Survey was completed by medical staff witnessed COVID-19 pandemic in Nineveh governorate. Results: The total sample was 412, of whom, 316 (77%) were males and 142 (35%) were physicians. Overall, the percentage of staff following different IPC measures was ranging from 31 % in wearing head cover, to 97% in keeping clean hands constantly. Main missed points were found in respiratory hygiene, physical distancing and self-isolation. Females were more likely to apply bandages to wounds and wearing gloves before examining patients. Compared to other medical staff, physicians were less compliant to washing hands, putting waste in designated places and wearing protective cloths. Those who work in hospitals were better compliant with sterilizing hands before entering home. Conclusion: The adherence to IPC measures was ranging from less than one-half in wearing sterile head cover, to nearly all respondents in keeping clean hands. There is a great need to provide support as well as training in regards to IPC in Nineveh governorate city.

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Impact of COVID-19 Related Knowledge and Precautions on Emotional and Behavioral Problems Among Children During the Post-pandemic in China: The Explanatory Value of Emotional Problems Among Caregivers

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.712529 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Jingyi Wang ◽

Yun Chen ◽

Xiaoqin Guo ◽

Haijiang Lin ◽

Marcus Richards ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Behavioral Problems ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Emotional Problems ◽

Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prevention Education

To investigate the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) among children during the COVID-19 post-pandemic in China; examine associations between COVID-19-related knowledge and precautions and problems in children, and explore the potential explanatory value of the mental health status of caregivers on any associations observed. Based on a cross-sectional design, caregivers of 6,017 children from 12 primary schools in Shanghai and Taizhou, China, were invited to complete an online survey from June 26 to July 6, 2020. EBPs of the children were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), while the emotional problems of caregivers were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). Structural equation modeling was employed to estimate the direct and indirect associations (explained by the emotional problems of caregivers) between COVID-19-related knowledge and precautions and the EBPs among children. The overall prevalence of EBPs in the sample was 12.5%, and 5.3% of them had a high or very high SDQ total difficulties score during the COVID-19 post-pandemic. After adjustment for covariates, higher COVID-19-related knowledge (β = −0.83; P < 0.001) and precautions (β = −0.80; P < 0.001) were significantly associated with lower SDQ total difficulties score among children. There was an explanatory effect of emotional problems of caregivers on the aforementioned associations, which explained 31% and 41% of the total effect, respectively. Higher levels of knowledge and precautions of COVID-19 were associated with lower EBPs among children, and the relationship was partially explained by the emotional problems in caregivers. It may be beneficial to improve pandemic-related prevention education and adopt psychological interventions toward the emotional status of caregivers for the psychological health of children.

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A Cross-Sectional Survey of Personal Hygiene Positive Behavior Related to COVID-19 Prevention and Control among Indonesian Communities

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su14010169 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 169

Author(s):

Fatma Lestari ◽

Abdul Kadir ◽

Muhammad Idham ◽

Fahrul Azwar ◽

Ganis Ramadhany ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prevention And Control ◽

Online Survey ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Positive Behavior ◽

Personal Hygiene ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Council ◽

And Control

People’s behaviors can affect the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Public behaviors, including proper personal hygiene and healthy life practices, the use of appropriate masks, and the application of good disinfectants, have an important role in human health and protection towards prevention and control of COVID-19 spread. This study aims to perform a survey of public behavior and best practices related to COVID-19 prevention and control among Indonesian communities. A cross-sectional study was designed to collect information using an online survey. Respondents were gathered from 34 provinces in Indonesia through the Indonesia National Safety and Health Council network and Universities network. Respondents voluntarily submitted their response to a predesigned online questionnaire. The collected data was then analyzed using SPSS 24.0. A total of 771 respondent subjects (male 386; female 385) were recruited. The results show that 96% of participants implement positive behavior of personal hygiene, including wearing a mask when going outside their house, and almost 67.3% of respondents sprayed a disinfectant in their house. The majority of participants hold a door handle (37.2%) and desk (28.1%) at a frequency of more than six times a day. There were 8.2% of participants implementing good personal hygiene, including hand-washing at least once a day and maximum of more than six times after going to the toilet. At-risk behaviors were conducted by respondents in which they touched part of their face at a frequency of once during an hour. It was identified that males are less likely to perform better hand hygiene as opposed to females. In conclusion, the study showed that positive behavior of personal hygiene related to COVID-19 has been implemented among Indonesian communities. This result suggests that positive behavior based on community-based prevention and control needs to be continually maintained in order to prevent and control COVID-19 spread.

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Awareness of COVID-19 Before and After Quarantine Based on Crowdsourced Data From Rabigh City, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional and Comparative Study

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2021.632024 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Mai Aldhahri ◽

Rana Alghamdi

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Online Survey ◽

Control Measures ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Second Stage ◽

Before And After ◽

Prevention And Control Measures ◽

Two Stages ◽

And Control

Background: Infection prevention and control measures are critical for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19.Aim: In this study, we aimed to measure and evaluate the level of awareness and knowledge of the prevention, symptoms, and transmission control of COVID-19 before and after quarantine among the residents of Rabigh city and adjacent villages in Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in two stages: the first stage took place before quarantine and the second stage took place after quarantine. The survey was filled out electronically.Results: A total of 448 participants responded and filled out the questionnaires. Females (73.70%) formed the largest number of participants for both stages. The majority of the participants were <30 years old (50.90%) and had a high education level in various sectors and levels (97.1%). It was noticeable that during the first stage, the participants' awareness of COVID-19 symptoms was not very high: 13.62% did not know about the symptoms. However, by the second stage, awareness about symptoms had increased (9.6%).Conclusion: The residents of Rabigh city and the surrounding villages had good levels of knowledge about COVID-19.

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Personal protective equipment and infection prevention and control: a national survey of UK medical students and interim foundation doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/pubmed/fdaa187 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Emma Jane Norton ◽

Ioannis Georgiou ◽

Alex Fung ◽

Armin Nazari ◽

Soham Bandyopadhyay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Online Survey ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Multi Centre Study ◽

And Control

Abstract Background The adequacy of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection prevention and control (IPC) training in UK medical students and interim Foundation Year 1 (FiY1) doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown, as is its impact on COVID-19-related anxiety. Methods Cross-sectional, multi-centre study analysing self-reported adequacy of PPE and IPC training and correlation to a modified pandemic anxiety scale. Participants were current medical students and FiY1 doctors in the UK. Data were collected by an online survey. Results Participants reported that they received insufficient PPE information (43%) and IPC training (56%). Significantly, fewer participants identifying as women or BAME/mixed ethnicity reported receiving sufficient PPE information, compared with those identifying as men and White British/White Other, respectively. COVID-19-related anxiety was significantly higher in those without sufficient reported PPE or IPC training, in women compared with men, and in FiY1 doctors compared with medical students. Conclusions With medical students currently volunteering in and imminently returning to hospitals in an educational capacity, levels of self-reported PPE and IPC training are sub-optimal. Better training is paramount to avoid harm to patients and healthcare professionals and to reduce COVID-19-related anxiety among medical students and FiY1 doctors.

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Psychological Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ethiopia: The Need for Equal Attention of Intervention

10.21203/rs.3.rs-33408/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Argaw Ambelu ◽

Zewdie Birhanu ◽

Yimenu Yitayih ◽

Yohannes Kebede ◽

Mohammed Mecha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Online Survey ◽

Control Measures ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

High Psychological Distress ◽

Prevention And Control Measures ◽

Middle Aged Adults ◽

And Control

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led individuals to suffer from different levels of mental health problems such as psychological distress, anxiety, depression, denial, panic, and fear. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of psychological distress and associated factors among the Ethiopian population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods:A cross-sectional study was performed through an online survey using different online platforms. The questionnaire was created through Google Form and the survey link was administered by e-mail,LinkedIn,Telegram, and Facebook. Educated Ethiopian population who have access to the internet were invited to participate through an online survey and addressed to 929respondents. The psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler 10 item tool to measure psychological distress. Data were analyzed using SPSS andlogistic regression to examine mutually adjusted associations, expressed as adjusted odds ratios.A generalized additive model was also employed to identify additional predictors using R.Results:The prevalence of high psychological distress among the study population was 236(25.5%). Of all respondents, 421(45.1%) had low psychological distress, 274(29.4%) had moderate psychological distress, 164 (17.6%) had high psychological distress, and 72 (7.3%) had very high psychological distress.Psychological distress increased with being at young and middle-aged adults, getting information from social media, and not correctlypracticing infection prevention and control measures to prevent COVID-19 infection. Respondents with high perceived severity had increased psychological distress. On the contrary, those with the highest score of perceived response efficacy had low distress.Conclusion:Prevalence of psychological distress was substantial. Intervention of psychological distress is critically essential. The intervention target groupsare those whose information sourcesare from social media, young and middle-aged adults, and those who do not properly practice infection prevention and control measures to COVID-19 infection.

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Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Provincial Dwellers on Prevention and Control of Schistosomiasis: Evidence from a Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study in the Gambia

Journal of Tropical Medicine ◽

10.1155/2020/2653096 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Amadou Barrow ◽

Mansour Badjie ◽

Jainaba Touray ◽

Bakary Kinteh ◽

Musa Nget ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Good Practice ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

The Gambia ◽

Control Measures ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prevention And Control Measures ◽

And Control

Background. Socioeconomically disadvantaged and neglected communities were found to be the most affected groups for schistosomiasis as a result of inadequate safe water and sanitation facilities. In order to inform policies and practices, the present study examined the influence of sociodemographic factors and attitudes on the knowledge and practice in the prevention and control of schistosomiasis in eighteen endemic rural communities in the Gambia. Methods. In January 2019, a community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in which 383 household heads in rural communities across Kuntaur and Janjanbureh Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Central River Region were recruited. A structured interview questionnaire was developed to elicit information regarding residents’ knowledge, attitude, and practice on schistosomiasis prevention and control measures. Percentages, chi-square test, and binary and multiple logistic regression models were used to identify sociodemographic factors associated with the KAP variables. The significance level was set at p<0.05. Results. Among the 383 participants, only 14.9% had good knowledge, while 54.3% had poor knowledge, 96.9% had positive attitude, and 57.7% had good practice towards prevention and control of schistosomiasis. Older age (≥40 years), compared with residents aged 30–39 years (AOR = 0.331; 95% CI: 0.133, 0.825); ever heard of bilharziasis (AOR = 11.911; 95% CI: 3.452, 41.099); and risks of contact with the polluted river (AOR = 0.101; 95% CI: 0.042, 0.242) were more likely to have good knowledge on schistosomiasis prevention and control in the rural Gambia. Conversely, young people (≤30 years), compared with residents aged ≥40 years (AOR = 2.503; 95% CI = 1.539, 4.071); residents aged 30–39 years (AOR = 2.880; 95% CI = 1.559, 5.320); and male residents (AOR = 2.631; 95% CI = 1.703, 4.067) were more likely to have good practice towards schistosomiasis prevention and control in the rural Gambia. Conclusion. Despite the low knowledge, rural dwellers’ attitudes were found to be positive with slightly good practice towards schistosomiasis prevention and control measures. Thus, while maintaining health system improvement strategies, disease control efforts should focus on these factors as they may influence the knowledge and practices of rural dwellers in a given setting. The findings could prompt appropriate policy responses towards improving the knowledge and practices on schistosomiasis prevention and control in the Gambia.

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Psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia: an online cross-sectional study to identify the need for equal attention of intervention

Annals of General Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12991-021-00344-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Argaw Ambelu ◽

Zewdie Birhanu ◽

Yimenu Yitayih ◽

Yohannes Kebede ◽

Mohammed Mecha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Online Survey ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Control Measures ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

High Psychological Distress ◽

Prevention And Control Measures ◽

Middle Aged Adults ◽

And Control

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic led individuals to suffer from different levels of mental health problems such as psychological distress, anxiety, depression, denial, panic, and fear. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of psychological distress and associated factors among the Ethiopian population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed through an online survey using different online platforms. The questionnaire was created through Google Form and the survey link was administered by e-mail, LinkedIn, Telegram, and Facebook. Educated Ethiopian population who have access to the internet were invited to participate through an online survey and addressed to 929 respondents. The study participants completed the survey anonymously without any personal identifier. The psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler 10-item tool to measure psychological distress. Data were analyzed using SPSS and logistic regression to examine mutually adjusted associations, expressed as adjusted odds ratios. A generalized additive model was also employed to identify additional predictors using R. Results The prevalence of high psychological distress among the study population was 236 (25.5%). Of all respondents, 421 (45.1%) had low psychological distress, 274 (29.4%) had moderate psychological distress, 164 (17.6%) had high psychological distress, and 72 (7.3%) had very high psychological distress. Psychological distress increased with being at young and middle-aged adults, getting information from social media, and not correctly practicing infection prevention and control measures to prevent COVID-19 infection. Respondents with high perceived severity had increased psychological distress. On the contrary, those with the highest score of perceived response efficacy had low distress. Conclusion Prevalence of psychological distress was substantial. The need for intervention of psychological distress inline with the prevention of COVID-19 is critically essential. The intervention target groups are those whose information sources are from social media, young and middle-aged adults, and those who do not correctly practice infection prevention and control measures against COVID-19 infection.

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Delivery of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention With Enhanced Infection Prevention and Control Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Chad: A Cross-sectional Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-820778/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Charlotte Ward ◽

Abimbola Phillips ◽

Olusola Oresanya ◽

Gloria Olisenekwu ◽

Ekundayo Arogunade ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hand Hygiene ◽

Burkina Faso ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Control Measures ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prevention And Control Measures ◽

And Control

Abstract IntroductionSeasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is a WHO-recommended intervention for children aged 3-59 months living in areas of high malaria transmission to provide protection against malaria during the rainy season. Operational guidelines were developed, based on WHO guidance, to support countries to mitigate the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission within communities and among community distributors when delivering SMC.MethodsA cross-sectional study to determine adherence to infection prevention and control measures during two distribution cycles of SMC in Nigeria, Chad and Burkina Faso. Community distributors were observed receiving equipment and delivering SMC. Adherence across six domains was calculated as the proportion of indications in which the community distributor performed the correct action. Focus group discussions were conducted with community distributors to understand their perceptions of the infection prevention and control measures and barriers and facilitators to adherence.ResultsWe observed community distributors in Nigeria (n=259), Burkina Faso (n=252) and Chad (n=266) receiving infection prevention and control equipment and delivering SMC. Adherence to infection prevention and control indications varied. In all three countries, adherence to mask use was the highest (ranging from 73.3% in Nigeria to 86.9% in Burkina Faso). Adherence to hand hygiene for at least 30 seconds was low (ranging from 3.6% in Nigeria to 10.3% in Burkina Faso) but increased substantially when excluding the length of time spent hand washing (ranging from 36.7% in Nigeria to 61.4% in Burkina Faso). Adherence to safe distancing in the compound ranged from 5.4% in Chad to 16.4% in Nigeria. In Burkina Faso and Chad, where disinfection wipes widely available compliance with disinfection of blister packs for SMC was low (17.4% in Burkina Faso and 16.9% in Chad). Community distributors generally found the infection prevention and control measures acceptable, however there were barriers to optimal hand hygiene practices, cultural norms made social distancing difficult to adhere to and caregivers needed assistance to administer the first dose of SMC.ConclusionAdherence to infection prevention and control measures for SMC delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic varied across domains of infection prevention and control, but was largely insufficient, particularly for hand hygiene and safe distancing. Improvements in provision of equipment, early awareness raising and adaptations to make infection prevention and control measures more feasible to implement could increase adherence.

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Knowledge and compliance with Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures among health workers in regional referral hospitals in northern Uganda: a cross-sectional online survey

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.51333.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

pp. 136

Author(s):

Sharon Bright Amanya ◽

Richard Nyeko ◽

Bonniface Obura ◽

Joy Acen ◽

Caroline Nabasirye ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prevention And Control ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Health Workers ◽

Control Measures ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Northern Uganda ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Referral Hospitals ◽

Prevention And Control Measures ◽

And Control

Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) has increasingly been underscored as a key tool for limiting the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and safeguarding health workers from infections during their work. Knowledge and compliance with IPC measures is therefore essential in protecting health workers. However, this has not been established among health workers in northern Uganda in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge and compliance with Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures among health workers in regional referral hospitals in northern Uganda. Methods: An online cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 75 health workers in regional referral hospitals within northern Uganda. A structured questionnaire was distributed to health workers via WhatsApp messenger. Sufficient knowledge was considered at a correct response score of ≥80%, while adequate compliance was rated ≥75% of the maximum score. Data were analyzed using SPSS v21. Results: The majority of the health workers had sufficient knowledge (69%) and adequate compliance (68%) with Covid-19 IPC. Adequate compliance was significantly associated with training in Covid-19 IPC (p=0.039), access to Covid-19 IPC at workstations (p=0.036), and having strong institutional support (p=0.031). However, there was no significant relationship between knowledge and compliance with IPC (p=0.07). The socio-demographic characteristics of health workers, including age, sex, education level, occupation, working hours and work experience, had no statistically significant relationship with Covid-19 IPC knowledge or compliance. Conclusion: Our results show fairly good knowledge and compliance with Covid-19 IPC among health workers in northern Uganda. There is need for more training and provision of guidelines to promote compliance with Covid-19 IPC.

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