scholarly journals Perceived Social Norms as Determinants of Adherence to Public Health Measures Related to COVID-19 in Bali, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Putu Ayu Indrayathi ◽  
Pande Putu Januraga ◽  
Putu Erma Pradnyani ◽  
Hailay Abrha Gesesew ◽  
Paul Russel Ward

Introduction: Before the widespread availability of an effective COVID-19 vaccine, it is crucial to control the rate of transmission by ensuring adherence to behavioral modifications, such as wearing masks, physical distancing, and washing hands, all of which can be implemented as public health measures. Focusing on the conditions in Bali, this study explored the level of compliance to public health measures targeted at COVID-19 and identified the determinants of compliance via the values, rules, and knowledge approach.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted an online survey using the Google Form application from June 29 to July 5, 2020. The minimum required sample size was 664. Inclusion criteria were set as follows: 18 years of age or older and residing in Bali during the data collection period. Adherence was measured based on nine protocol indicators that were rated using a four-point Likert scale. A multiple linear regression analysis was then conducted to determine the associated factors of adherence to public health measures.Results: Of the 954 survey respondents, data from 743 were included for analysis. The average level of adherence to public health measures was 32.59 (range of 20–36). The linear regression analysis showed that perceived health benefits from public health measures, being female, and having COVID-19 test histories were significantly associated with adherence to public health measures.Conclusions: For public health measures targeted at COVID-19, adherence was strongly associated with perceived social norms, in which individuals played social community roles by adapting to standardized public health measures. It is thus imperative for governments to support and monitor public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Loffredo ◽  
Alberto Spalice ◽  
Francesca Salvatori ◽  
De Castro Giovanna ◽  
Cristiana Alessia Guido ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections syndrome (PANDAS) identifies patients with acute onset of obsessive-compulsive and tic disorders. The objective of this study was to assess NOX2 levels, as well as serum 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (iso-PGF2α) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from Gram-negative bacteria in the gut of patients with PANDAS. Methods: a cross sectional study was performed to compare serum levels of soluble NOX2-dp (sNOX-2-dp), isoprostanes and LPS in 60 consecutive subjects, including 30 children affected by PANDAS and 30 controls (CT) matched for age and gender. Serum zonulin was used to assess gut permeability. Results: compared with CT, PANDAS children had higher values of sNOX-2-dp, 8-iso-PGF2-alpha and LPS. Simple linear regression analysis showed that sNOX2-dp was significantly correlated with serum LPS (Rs=0.359; p=0.005), zonulin (Rs=0.444; p<0.001) and iso-PGF2α (Rs=0.704; p<0.001). LPS significantly correlated with serum zonulin (Rs=0.610; p<0.001), and iso-PGF2α (Rs=0.591; p=0.001). A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to define the independent predictors of sNOX-2-dp. Isoprostanes and zonulin emerged as the only independent predictive variables associated with sNOX2-dp (R2=68%). Conclusion: this study provides evidences that children affected by PANDAS have high circulating levels of sNOX2-dp, isoprostanes and of LPS that could be potentially implicated in the process of neuroinflammation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 300-306
Author(s):  
Vanessa S. Fontes ◽  
Kácia Mateus ◽  
Michele P. Netto ◽  
Renata M. S. Oliveira ◽  
George L. L. Machado-Coelho ◽  
...  

SUMMARY OBJECTIVES To compare the serum concentrations of adipokines resistin and chemerin in children and adolescents with eutrophic and overweight and to evaluate their relationship with anthropometric, biochemical, and blood pressure variables. METHODS a cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted with 234 students enrolled in public elementary schools in the city of Juiz de Fora / MG. Anthropometric evaluation, biochemistry, and blood pressure measurement were performed. Statistical analyzes included the Student-t or Mann-Whitney tests, Pearson or Spearman correlation, used according to the distribution of the variables, and linear regression analysis, by means of the evaluation of the effect of the independent variables on the serum levels of chemerin and resistin, adjusted for age and sex. For the data analysis, SPSS® software version 21.0 and STATA® version 10.1 were used, assuming a significance level of 5%. RESULTS the concentrations of chemerin were higher in eutrophic individuals than in those with excess weight (p> 0.05). In contrast, levels of resistin were higher in the young with excess weight than in the eutrophic ones (p <0.05). In the multiple linear regression analysis, the levels of chemerin were associated with the values of resistin, systolic, and diastolic blood pressure. Resistance levels maintained association only with BMI and chemerin values. CONCLUSION the adipokines analyzed presented a distinct profile in the groups of children and adolescents with eutrophic and overweight.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Loffredo ◽  
Alberto Spalice ◽  
Francesca Salvatori ◽  
De Castro Giovanna ◽  
Cristiana Alessia Guido ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections syndrome (PANDAS) identifies patients with acute onset of obsessive-compulsive and tic disorders. The objective of this study was to evaluate serum NOX2 levels, as well as 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (iso-PGF2α) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of PANDAS patients. Methods: a cross sectional study was performed to compare serum levels of soluble NOX2-dp (sNOX-2-dp), isoprostanes and LPS in 60 consecutive subjects, including 30 children affected by PANDAS and 30 controls (CT) matched for age and gender. Serum zonulin was used as intestinal permeability assay. Results: compared with CT, PANDAS children had increased values of sNOX-2-dp, 8-iso-PGF2-alpha and LPS. Simple linear regression analysis showed that sNOX2-dp was significantly correlated with serum LPS (Rs=0.359; p=0.005), zonulin (Rs=0.444; p<0.001) and iso-PGF2α (Rs=0.704; p<0.001). Serum LPS significantly correlated with zonulin (Rs=0.610; p<0.001), and iso-PGF2α (Rs=0.591; p=0.001). Finally, a multiple linear regression analysis was performed to define the independent predictors of sNOX-2-dp. Serum isoprostanes and zonulin resulted as the only independent predictive variables associated with sNOX2-dp (R2=68%). Conclusion: this study shows that children affected by PANDAS have high circulating levels of sNOX2-dp, isoprostanes and of LPS that could be potentially implicated in the process of neuroinflammation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1315
Author(s):  
Yoshinori Hayashi ◽  
Hirohide Yokokawa ◽  
Hiroshi Fukuda ◽  
Mizue Saita ◽  
Taiju Miyagami ◽  
...  

Background: Some previous studies have shown reduced levels of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in individuals with obesity. We aimed to estimate the relationship between BNP and abdominal fat distribution, adjusted for confounding factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1806 Japanese individuals (981 men and 825 women) who underwent a medical health check-up. Analyzed data included age, sex, visceral fat area (VFA), and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) as obtained from computed tomography, blood pressure, and blood test results including BNP. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between BNP, VFA, and SFA after adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and body mass index. Results: In the models analyzed separately for VFA and SFA, BNP correlated independently with VFA in multiple linear regression analysis among all subjects and in both men and women, while SFA correlated inversely with BNP in all subjects and women but not in men. In the model that included both VFA and SFA, BNP correlated independently with VFA, but SFA and BNP were not correlated in any models. Conclusion: Higher VFA showed an independent, significant association with lower BNP. In addition, the inverse correlation with BNP was stronger for VFA than for SFA.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bramma Kiswanjaya ◽  
Hanna H Bachtiar-Iskandar

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the severity of the mandibular inferior cortex (MIC) porosity and the number of remaining teeth in elderly Indonesian people.Materials and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted by measuring secondary data on panoramic digital examinations of patients aged 50 years and older. A total of 428 panoramic radiographs were measured from January 2017 to December 2018. The number of remaining teeth (including the third molars) was evaluated. Mandibular porosity was measured by using panoramic radiographs, according to the MIC classification: normal; mildly to moderately eroded; and severely eroded cortex.Statistical analysis used Data analysis was done using Mann-Whitney nonparametric tests to verify the relationship between the MIC classification and the number of remaining teeth. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between confounding variables.Results A significant correlation was found between MIC classification and the number of remaining teeth on the Mann-Whitney test (P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that MIC classification was significantly associated with the value of the number of remaining teeth after controlling for gender and age (β = -0.37, R2 = 0.22, P < 0.001). Subjects with MIC class 3 were 7.14 times more likely to lose their teeth than subjects with MIC class 1 or class 2.Conclusions Our study demonstrated that there was an association between the severity of mandibular inferior cortex porosity and the number of remaining teeth in elderly Indonesian people.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Loffredo ◽  
Evaristo Ettorre ◽  
Anna Maria Zicari ◽  
Maurizio Inghilleri ◽  
Cristina Nocella ◽  
...  

Background. Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis represent a growing cause of disability in the developed countries. The underlying physiopathology is still unclear. Several lines of evidence suggest a role for oxidative stress and NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) in the neuropathological pathways that lead to ND. Furthermore, recent studies hypothesized a role for gut microbiota in the neuroinflammation; in particular, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from Gram-negative bacteria in the gut is believed to play a role in causing ND by increase of oxidative stress and inflammation. The aim of this study was to assess NOX2 activity as well as serum 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α), serum H2O2, and LPS in patients with ND compared to controls. Methods. One hundred and twenty-eight consecutive subjects, including 64 ND patients and 64 controls (CT) matched for age and gender, were recruited. A cross-sectional study was performed to compare serum activity of soluble NOX2-dp (sNOX2-dp), blood levels of isoprostanes, serum H2O2, and LPS in these two groups. Serum zonulin was used to assess gut permeability. Results. Compared with CT, ND patients had higher values of sNOX2-dp, 8-iso-PGF2α, H2O2, and LPS. Simple linear regression analysis showed that sNOX2-dp was significantly correlated with serum LPS (Rs=0.441; p<0.001), zonulin (Rs=0.411; p<0.001), serum H2O2 (Rs=0.329; p<0.001), and 8-iso-PGF2α (Rs=0.244; p=0.006). LPS significantly correlated with serum zonulin (Rs=0.818; p<0.001) and 8-iso-PGF2α (Rs=0.280; p=0.001). A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to define the independent predictors of sNOX2-dp. LPS (SE, 0.165; standardized coefficient β, 0.459; p<0.001) and 8-iso-PGF2α (SE, 0.018; standardized coefficient β, 0.220; p=0.005) emerged as the only independent predictive variables associated with sNOX2-dp (R2=57%). Conclusion. This study provides the first report attesting that patients with ND have high NOX2 activation that could be potentially implicated in the process of neuroinflammation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guiyue Ma ◽  
Aijing Luo ◽  
Zhiying Shen ◽  
Yinglong Duan ◽  
Shuangjiao Shi ◽  
...  

Abstract The adverse consequence of low medication literacy is a major problem that threatens patients' health. The number of people with hypertension is increasing in China. We described the current situation of medication literacy of patients with hypertension in China and its related influencing factor. We conducted a cross-sectional study, which contains 590 hypertensive patients. Stratified sampling was adopted according to the hospital level in China. To determine the factors related to medication literacy, multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine associations between medication literacy of hypertensive patients and other factors. Among 590 respondents, results showed that they have poor medication literacy. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that level of education, annual income, occupation status, and type of medical insurance were significantly associated with medication literacy level of hypertensive patients. In addition, our study also demonstrates that we can identify the medication literacy level of hypertensive patients using the Chinese version Medication Literacy Scale for Hypertensive Patients. High medication literacy is an important factor for hypertensive patients to improve medication adherence, so as to better control blood pressure. We should pay attention to the improvement of medication literacy and take corresponding measures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshia Miyawaki ◽  
Sayaka Shimizu ◽  
Yusuke Ogawa ◽  
Ken-ei Sada ◽  
Yu Katayama ◽  
...  

Abstract Background While survival of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients has improved substantially, problems remain in the management of their emotional health. Medium to high-dose glucocorticoid doses are known to worsen emotional health; the effect is unclear among patients receiving relatively low-dose glucocorticoids. This study aims to investigate the association between low glucocorticoid doses and emotional health in lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS). Methods This cross-sectional study drew on data from SLE patients in 10 Japanese institutions. The participants were adult patients with SLE duration of ≥ 1 year who met LLDAS criteria at the study visit from April 2018 through September 2019. The exposure was the daily glucocorticoid dose (mg oral prednisolone). The outcome was the emotional health score of the lupus patient-reported outcome scale (range: 0 to 100). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed with adjustment for confounders including disease-related damage, activity, and psychotropic drug use. Results Of 192 patients enrolled, 175 were included in the analysis. Their characteristics were as follows: female, 89.7%; median age, 47 years (interquartile range (IQR): 37.0, 61.0). Median glucocorticoid dose was 4.0 mg (IQR 2.0, 5.0), and median emotional health score 79.2 (IQR 58.3, 91.7). Multiple linear regression analysis showed daily glucocorticoid doses to be associated with worse emotional health (β coefficient = − 2.54 [95% confidence interval − 4.48 to − 0.60], P = 0.01). Conclusions Daily glucocorticoid doses were inversely associated with emotional health among SLE patients in LLDAS. Further studies are needed to determine whether glucocorticoid tapering leads to clinically significant improvements in emotional health.


2013 ◽  
Vol 168 (6) ◽  
pp. 805-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Kyong Moon ◽  
Eun Shil Hong ◽  
Jung Ah Lim ◽  
Sun Wook Cho ◽  
Lim Soo ◽  
...  

ObjectiveBody adiposity, especially ectopic fat accumulation, has a range of metabolic and cardiovascular effects. This study aimed to investigate whether thyroid function is associated with various regional fat quantities in euthyroid subjects.MethodsA total of 100 euthyroid men (free triiodothyronine (fT3), 4.77±1.21 pg/ml; free thyroxine (fT4), 1.38±0.21 ng/dl; and TSH, 2.09±0.91 μIU/ml) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. We measured accumulated regional fat using 64-slice multi-detector computed tomography. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine whether accumulated fat in each region was associated with clinical parameters after adjusting for age.ResultsFT3 was inversely correlated with BMI (r=−0.232, P=0.029) and LDL cholesterol level (r=−0.277, P=0.019). FT4 was inversely correlated with waist circumference (r=−0.350, P=0.008) and BMI (r=−0.355, P<0.001). In multiple linear regression analysis, fT3 and fT4 levels were significantly associated with pericardial fat volume (fT3: B=−0.079, 95% CI −0.142 to −0.017, P=0.013; fT4: B=−0.411, 95% CI −0.780 to −0.042, P=0.030) in euthyroid men, independent of age. FT3 level was inversely associated with intramuscular fat area (B=−0.059, 95% CI −0.106 to −0.011, P=0.016) and hepatic fat quantity (B=−0.237, 95% CI −0.441 to −0.033, P=0.024) in euthyroid men, independent of age.ConclusionsIn euthyroid men, low levels of fT3 and fT4 were significantly associated with increased pericardial fat volume and BMI.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Loffredo ◽  
Alberto Spalice ◽  
Francesca Salvatori ◽  
De Castro Giovanna ◽  
Cristiana Alessia Guido ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections syndrome (PANDAS) identifies patients with acute onset of obsessive-compulsive and tic disorders. The objective of this study was to assess NOX2 levels, as well as serum 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (iso-PGF2α) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from Gram-negative bacteria in the gut of patients with PANDAS. Methods: a cross sectional study was performed to compare serum levels of soluble NOX-2-dp (sNOX-2-dp), isoprostanes and LPS in 60 consecutive subjects, including 30 children affected by PANDAS and 30 controls (CT) matched for age and gender. Serum zonulin was used to assess gut permeability. Results: compared with CT, PANDAS children had higher values of sNOX-2-dp, 8-iso-PGF2-alpha and LPS. Simple linear regression analysis showed that sNOX2-dp was significantly correlated with serum LPS (Rs=0.359; p=0.005), zonulin (Rs=0.444; p<0.001) and iso-PGF2α (Rs=0.704; p<0.001). LPS significantly correlated with serum zonulin (Rs=0.610; p<0.001), and iso-PGF2α (Rs=0.591; p=0.001). A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to define the independent predictors of sNOX-2-dp. Isoprostanes and zonulin emerged as the only independent predictive variables associated with sNOX2-dp (R2=68%). Conclusion: this study provides evidences that children affected by PANDAS have high circulating levels of sNOX2-dp, isoprostanes and of LPS that could be potentially implicated in the process of neuroinflammation.


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