scholarly journals Social cohesion at the outset of COVID-19 predicts later vaccination intentions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Cardenas ◽  
Tegan Cruwys ◽  
Mark Stevens ◽  
Michael J. Platow ◽  
Iain Walker

Vaccination intentions are widely regarded as individual decision, resting upon individuals’ attitudes and beliefs about the disease and their own health. In this research, we provide evidence that group factors, and more precisely, social cohesion — a multidimensional concept that encompasses one’s sense of connectedness to, and interrelations within, a group — can help us understand COVID-19 vaccination intentions. Using a representative sample of 3026 Australians, we first found evidence for the multidimensional structure of social cohesion, as a concept that includes positive social relations, social identification, and trust in government. Second, social cohesion assessed early in the COVID-19 pandemic predicted greater vaccination intention and lower perceived risk of vaccination four months later, after controlling for a series of demographic (i.e., sex, age, income) and health-related factors (i.e., subjective health; perceived risk; having been diagnosed with COVID-19). These results suggest that investments in social cohesion could have substantial and unexpected downstream benefits.

Author(s):  
Minjung Lee ◽  
Myoungsoon You

Avoidance of healthcare utilization among the general population during pandemic outbreaks has been observed and it can lead to a negative impact on population health. The object of this study is to examine the influence of socio-demographic and health-related factors on the avoidance of healthcare utilization during the global outbreak of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2020. Data were collected through an online survey four weeks after the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) confirmed the first case in South Korea; 1000 subjects were included in the analysis. The logit model for regression was used to analyze the associations between sociodemographic and health-related factors regarding the avoidance of healthcare utilization. Among the participants, 73.2% avoided healthcare utilization, and there was no significant difference in the prevalence of healthcare avoidance between groups with (72.0%) and without (74.9%) an underlying disease. Sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age, income level, and residential area) were related to healthcare avoidance. Among the investigated influencing factors, residential areas highly affected by COVID-19 (i.e., Daegu/Gyeoungbuk region) had the most significant effect on healthcare avoidance. This study found a high prevalence of healthcare avoidance among the general population who under-utilized healthcare resources during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the results reveal that not all societal groups share the burden of healthcare avoidance equally, with it disproportionately affecting those with certain sociodemographic characteristics. This study can inform healthcare under-utilization patterns during emerging infectious disease outbreaks and provide information to public health emergency management for implementing strategies necessary to improve the preparedness of the healthcare system.


Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
I Re Heo ◽  
Ho Cheol Kim ◽  
Tae Hoon Kim

Background and Objectives: preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) is a common spirometric pattern that causes respiratory symptoms, systemic inflammation, and mortality. However, its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and its associated factors remain unclear. We aimed to identify these HRQOL-related factors and investigate the differences in HROOL between persons with PRISm and those with normal lung function. Materials and Methods: we reviewed the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2008 to 2013 to evaluate the HRQOL of persons with PRISm, as measured while using the Euro Quality of Life-5D (EQ-5D) and identify any influencing factors. PRISm was defined as pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) <80% predicted and FEV1 to forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio (FEV1/FVC) ≥0.7. Individuals with FEV1 ≥80% predicted and FEV1/FVC ≥0.7 were considered as Controls. Results: of the 27,824 participants over the age of 40 years, 1875 had PRISm. The age- and sex-adjusted EQ-5D index was lower in the PRISm group than in the control group (PRISm, 0.930; control, 0.941; p = 0.005). The participants with PRISm showed a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension (p < 0.001), diabetes (p < 0.001), obesity (p < 0.001), low physical activity (p = 0.001), ever-smoker (p < 0.001), and low income (p = 0.034) than those in the control group. In participants with PRISm, lower EQ-5D index scores were independently associated with old age (p = 0.002), low income (p < 0.001), low education level (p < 0.001), and no economic activity (p < 0.001). Three out of five EQ-5D dimensions (mobility, self-care, and usual activity) indicated a higher proportion of dissatisfied participants in the PRISm group than the control group. Conclusions: the participants with PRISm were identified to have poor HRQOL when compared to those without PRISm. Old age and low socioeconomic status play important roles in HRQOL deterioration in patients with PRISm. By analyzing risk factors that are associated with poor HRQOL, early detection and intervention of PRISm can be done in order to preserve patients’ quality of life.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 334
Author(s):  
Eunmi Lee ◽  
Sunkyung Cha ◽  
Geun Myun Kim

We investigated the effect of predisposing, enabling, need factors, and health behaviors on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with multimorbidity according to Andersen’s model. This study is a secondary analysis of population-based cross-sectional surveys. Data from 328 patients with multimorbidity (≥3 co-occurring chronic diseases) from the 6th/7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were analyzed using logistic regression. Patients ≥65 years, without private insurance, with poor subjective health, unmet medical needs, and/or limited activity were more likely to experience mobility problems. Self-care problems were more likely among those without private insurance and/or with limited activity. Patients lacking living security, with poor subjective health, limited activity, and/or who smoked were more likely to experience problems performing usual activities. Pain/discomfort was more likely among females, Medicaid beneficiaries, and patients with limited activity and/or with poor subjective health. Patients with poor subjective health, limited activity, and/or unmet medical needs were more likely to experience anxiety/depression. The investigation of HRQoL in multimorbidity should consider predisposing, enabling, need factors, and health behaviors. Interventions addressing movement restrictions and personalized care based on HRQoL domains should be prioritized.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Narges Sadeghzadeh ◽  
Leila Amiri-Farahani ◽  
Shima Haghani ◽  
Syedeh Batool Hasanpoor-Azghady

Abstract Background The significant role of midwives in providing labor and delivery care underscores the necessity of the identification of attitudes and beliefs of these groups of maternity care providers toward physiological childbirth. The purpose of the current study was to describe midwives’ attitudes and beliefs toward physiological childbirth and identify its related factors. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out on 200 midwives working in the labor and delivery wards of selected hospitals in an urban area of Tehran, Iran, through the continuous sampling method from May to July 2018. The data were collected using a two-part demographic characteristic form and Midwives’ Attitudes and Beliefs Questionnaire-Revised toward physiological childbirth. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software (version 25). The significance level was set at P < 0.05. Results The mean score of midwives’ attitudes and beliefs toward physiological childbirth were 119.90 with a standard deviation of 9.30. Moreover, of the different domains of Midwives’ Attitudes and Beliefs Questionnaire-Revised, the women’s experience of birth (78.53) and the medical model conflict (51.05) obtained the highest and lowest scores, respectively. According to the multiple linear regression model analysis, the total mean score of midwives’ attitudes and beliefs toward physiological childbirth was significantly correlated with the level of education and interest in the profession (P < 0.05). Midwives with a master degree obtained higher scores (4.32) in terms of attitudes and beliefs toward physiologic childbirth, compared to those with an associate or bachelor degree. Also, there were 0.09 increases in the attitude and belief score of midwives per one score increase in their interest in the profession. It can be concluded that these two variables explained 16% of the variation in the scores of midwives’ attitudes and beliefs to physiological childbirth. Conclusion The results of this study showed that midwives with higher levels of education and more interest in their profession had more positive attitudes and beliefs toward physiological childbirth. Therefore, it is necessary to motivate midwives to obtain higher levels of education and increase their interest in the profession to promote physiological childbirth.


Gerontology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
André Hajek ◽  
Christian Brettschneider ◽  
Tina Mallon ◽  
Hanna Kaduszkiewicz ◽  
Birgitt Wiese ◽  
...  

Introduction: There is a lack of studies examining the link between perceived autonomy and frailty among the oldest old. Therefore, our objective was to fill this gap. Methods: Data were used from the multicenter prospective cohort study “Needs, health service use, costs and health-related quality of life in a large sample of oldest-old primary care patients (85+)” (AgeQualiDe; follow-up [FU] wave 9; n = 510 observations in the analytical sample). The average age was 90.3 years (SD: 2.7 years). The Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA) Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) was used to assess frailty. Socioeconomic and health-related covariates were included in our regression model. The autonomy scale developed by Schwarzer was used to assess perceived autonomy in old age. Results: Adjusting for various confounders, multiple linear regressions showed that lower perceived autonomy was associated with increased levels of frailty (total sample: β = −0.13, p < 0.001; women: β = −0.14, p < 0.001; and men: β = −0.12, p < 0.001). Furthermore, lower perceived autonomy was associated with more depressive symptoms, higher cognitive impairment, and being institutionalized (except for men) in the total sample and in both sexes, but it was not significantly associated with age, sex, marital status, educational level, and social support. Conclusion: Findings indicate that frailty is associated with lower autonomy among the oldest old. More generally, while health-related factors were consistently associated with autonomy, sociodemographic factors (except for being institutionalized) were not associated with autonomy among the oldest old. We should be aware of the strong association between autonomy and physical as well as mental health in very old age.


2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun-Jin Jang ◽  
Eun-Kyong Kim ◽  
Kyeong-Soo Lee ◽  
Hee-Kyung Lee ◽  
Youn-Hee Choi ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 170 ◽  
pp. 06019
Author(s):  
Rukhsana Badar ◽  
Sarika Bahadure

The global cities of the world are witnessing a visible disconnection of everyday life. In India the Smart City guidelines acknowledge the need to counter the growing social detachment and intolerance by encouraging interactions. They go further in identifying that preserving and creating of open spaces must be a key feature of comprehensive urban development. Most social relations are cemented within open spaces at the neighbourhood level. Previous studies examine the association between the attributes of neighbourhood open spaces and social activity but neglect to view the issue comprehensively. The present study turns to Lefebvre’s Unitary Theory which states that open space is a result of three forces; 1) perceived space which is the physical dimension and material quality identifiable by the senses; 2) conceived space created by planners and other agents as plans and documents; and 3) lived space which is shaped by the values attached and images generated through user experience. For open space conducive to social interactions these three aspects must work in tandem. With this consideration a framework of criteria and indicators is developed and used to measure and compare the open spaces in select neighbourhoods in Europe and India. The investigation thus reveals differences in all three aspects of neighbourhood spaces. It also reveals a discrepancy between the planning standards formulated and employed by the city authorities in providing the spaces and the actual needs of the community. The research aims to address this gap. The study of the Indian cases lays foundation for the use of the framework to measure open spaces in association with social cohesion and thereby contribute to the enhancement of the social infrastructure of the City.


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