scholarly journals Conspiracy Theories: A Public Health Concern and How to Address It

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Jeanne Leonard ◽  
Frederick L. Philippe
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Conspiracy Theories

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was characterized by a significant increase in the endorsement of conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories are narratives that can enable and accentuate distrust toward health professionals and authorities. As such, they can lead to violent radicalization and should be considered a public health issue. This perspective article aims to further the understanding of professionals on conspiracy theories via the 3N model of radicalization and self-determination theory. Based on empirical research, theory, and existing interventions, potential initiatives intended to tackle the issue of conspiracy theories during pandemics are also presented.

scholarly journals Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Nurses in China: A Nationwide Survey During the Outbreak

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Liu ◽  
Youlin Long ◽  
Yifan Cheng ◽  
Qiong Guo ◽  
Liu Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Second Line ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Major Public Health Issue

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a major public health issue and challenge to health professionals. In similar epidemics, nurses experienced more distress than other providers.Methods: We surveyed both on-duty nurses caring for infected patients and second-line nurses caring for uninfected patients from Hubei and other provinces throughout China.Results: We received completed surveys from 1,364 nurses from 22 provinces: 658 front-line and 706 second-line nurses. The median (IQR) GHQ-28 score of all nurses was 17 (IQR 11–24). The overall incidence of mild-to-moderate distress (GHQ score > 5) was 28%; that for severe distress (GHQ score > 11) was 6%. The incidence of mild-to-moderate distress in the second-line nurses was higher than that in the front-line nurses (31 vs. 25%; OR, 0.74; 95 CI, 0.58–0.94). Living alone (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44–0.86) and feeling supported (OR, 0.82, 95% CI, 0.74–0.90) independently predicted lower anxiety.Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the psychological problems of all nurses were generally serious. The interviewed second-line nurses face more serious issues than the front-line nurses.

scholarly journals Gambling as a public health issue: The critical role of the local environment

2009 ◽  
pp. 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Gambling Activity ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Contextual Environment

This paper discusses gambling as a public health concern and outlines why local circumstances are central to such concerns. Using the framework of compositional and contextual factors to frame discussions, it is argued that the local circumstances of individuals and communities are critical to whether gambling activity is problematic. Unlike other similar public health issues for which there are clear parameters defining what is a problem and how severe the problem is, it is argued here that gambling-related problems are determined almost entirely by the circumstances in which the activity is occurring. As such, strategies designed to prevent or minimise gambling-related problems should target the local contextual environment and not just focus on the gamblers themselves, as has tended to occur to date.

How Should Mental Health Professionals Respond to Outbreaks of Mass Psychogenic Illness?

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Bartholomew ◽  
M. Chandra Sekaran Muniratnam
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Media ◽  
Psychogenic Illness

The management of episodes of mass psychogenic illness poses a challenge for mental health professionals who have a history of inadvertently exacerbating episodes. This article identifies the two major presentation types (anxiety vs. motor), discusses their significance as a public health issue, and offers guidelines for responding to outbreaks and addressing the media.

scholarly journals Lychee Associated Encephalopathy: Myth or Reality?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 113-115
Author(s):  
Ankit Mangla ◽  
Kandla Sharma ◽  
Vasuda Bhagat ◽  
Mehtab Singh Bhagat
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
News Headlines

Once again, lychee fruit is flashing in the Indian news headlines after being criticized for association with fatal encephalopathy in Muzaffarpur region of Bihar. More than a 100 children in the district have lost their lives to this mysterious deadly outbreak. The research work behind the etiopathology of this lethal disease is minimal. There is a constant need of reporting these kind of unusual breakouts and analysing the data on basis of clinical and laboratory records. The health professionals will have to focus the target population, using preventive and curative measures, but this could be done only if substantial research is available for meta-analysis to reach a decision that could effectively and satisfactorily control this fatal and life-threatening public health issue.

A public health concern: Sugar reduction

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 34-35
Author(s):  
Amy Noakes
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Reduce Sugar ◽  
Sugar Reduction

Health professionals have a key role to play in helping families to reduce sugar in their diets, leading to long-term health benefits, says Amy Noakes

scholarly journals Health promotion initiative: A dementia-friendly local community in Sweden

Dementia ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 147130122097773
Author(s):  
Elzana Odzakovic ◽  
Ingrid Hellström ◽  
Ann-Charlotte Nedlund ◽  
Agneta Kullberg
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Care Practice ◽  
Health Promoting

Dementia is a great public health concern worldwide. Despite this, little is known from a health-promoting perspective about dementia in general as a public health issue, in dialog with people living with dementia, applicable at individual, group, and societal levels with regard to policies and practice. This study therefore aims to explore the experiences related to living with dementia in the local community by advancing a health-promoting perspective. Semi-structured individual and group interviews were conducted with participants ( n = 22) with lived, professional, and personal experiences of dementia living in a medium-sized municipality in Sweden. Transcripts were analyzed by thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: health promotion through knowledge and public awareness, health promotion through opportunities to be active, health promotion through meaningful meeting places, and health promotion through improvements in the welfare system. We found that more knowledge and public awareness about dementia are needed to advance a health-promoting perspective and increase the prominence of dementia as a public health issue. Further research and policy need to focus more on how professionals in dementia care practice could be involved in promoting health and well-being for people with dementia.

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