scholarly journals The COVID-19 Pandemic Strain: Teleworking and Health Behavior Changes in the Portuguese Context

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1151
Author(s):  
Teresa Forte ◽  
Gonçalo Santinha ◽  
Sérgio A. Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Behavior Changes ◽  
State Of Emergency ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Online Distance Learning ◽  
Online Distance ◽  
Health Behavior Changes ◽  
Practical Implications

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a societal essay, based on thorough measures of individual and communitarian protection, ranging from compulsory social distancing to quarantine. Following WHO recommendations, more or less strict policies were adopted by governments worldwide in order to mitigate public health risks. In Portugal, the first state of emergency was declared on 18 March 2020 and renewed until 2 May 2020. During this time, most citizens stayed in quarantine with practical implications regarding their work and daily activities. This exploratory study, conducted within the pandemic crisis context in Portugal, intends to grasp specificities of the adaptation to the lock down and social isolation/distancing measures, concerning, specifically, teleworking conditions and physical activity practice. Data was collected from March to May 2020 through an online survey from 1148 participants of different age groups and literacy. Considering that COVID-19 features a mutual feedback loop of disease and social dynamics—governmental measures, civic adjustments, and individual coping—to know more about what was featured, the first wave may provide some cues to ensure a more efficient co-operation among social actors and, ultimately, tailor better public policies towards teleworking, online distance learning, and the promotion of healthy behaviours.

Design preferences on wearable e-nose systems for diabetes

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen S. Koo ◽  
Dawn Michaelson ◽  
Karla Teel ◽  
Dong-Joo Kim ◽  
Hyejin Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Monitoring Systems ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Design Preferences ◽  
Design Factors ◽  
System Designs ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate potential users’ preferences and expectations for fabric-based wearable e-nose system designs in order to develop painless and non-invasive monitoring systems for diabetes. Design/methodology/approach After developing a fabric-based wearable sensor, this study used an online survey with a mixture of closed- and open-ended questions about people’s desires and preferences for use-contexts, product types, design styles, and other key design factors. Findings This study investigated the preferences and expectations on designs of wearable e-nose systems for diabetes. The results showed that designers and developers need to consider important design components including sizes, shapes, and colors for practical wearable e-nose system designs. There were strong positive and significant correlations between participant characteristics and preferred wearable e-nose system design factors. Research limitations/implications Future research could compare differences between different age groups with different types of diabetes. Practical implications Understanding these differences will help designers and marketers target consumers and create diverse designs with different versions for success in the market. Originality/value There is lack of research for considering designs of wearable monitoring systems for diabetes. This research will be the first research to understand design preferences and expectations for developing wearable e-nose monitoring systems for diabetes.

scholarly journals Rapid transition to distance learning due to COVID-19: Perceptions of postgraduate dental learners and instructors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Amir Rad ◽  
Farah Otaki ◽  
Zaid baqain ◽  
Nabil Zary ◽  
Manal Al-Halabi
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Education Community ◽  
Rapid Transition ◽  
Online Distance Learning ◽  
Online Distance

Abstract The outbreak of COVID-19 necessitated abrupt transition from on campus, face-to-face sessions to online, distance learning in higher education institutions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of postgraduate dental learners and instructors about the transition to distance learning, including the changes to the learning and teaching and its efficaciousness. A mixed-methods approach to research was utilized. All the instructors and postgraduate learners were invited to participate in the online survey. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential analyses on SPSS for Windows version 25.0, and for the responses to the open-ended questions, multi-staged Thematic Analysis was utilized. Both groups of stakeholders: learners and instructors, were quite satisfied with the rapid transition to distance learning due to COVID-19. Instructors were significantly more satisfied than the learners. The stakeholders adapted well to the change. The perception of the stakeholders regarding the case-based scenarios significantly influenced their level of satisfaction. As perceived by the stakeholders, the transition to distance learning entailed advantages and challenges. Going through the experience equipped the stakeholders with lessons learned and enabled them to develop informed opinions of how best to sustain learning and teaching irrespective of how matters unfold in relation to the pandemic. In conclusion, the worldwide dental education community faced unprecedented challenges due to the onset of COVID-19. Yet, in the grand scheme of things, it is important for decision-makers not to miss-out on the worthwhile opportunities, inherent in the experience, to reinforce curriculums, and maximize the learning and teaching.

scholarly journals Covid 19: Eating behavior changes related to individual and household factors during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-27
Author(s):  
María Villena-Esponera ◽  
Alicia Moreno-Ortega ◽  
Rocío Baquero ◽  
María Ugarte-Gurrutxaga ◽  
Rafael Moreno-Rojas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eating Behavior ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Behavior Changes ◽  
Household Factors ◽  
Nutritional Needs ◽  
Households With Children ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Main Meals

Objetive: To analyze the influence of individual and household factors on eating behavior (EB) and other determinants related to eating during the home lockdown in the Covid-19 pandemic. Method: Online survey (April 17 to May 10, 2020) to collect sociodemographic information, health, and various EB attitudes. Statistical analysis of the factors: country, setting, sex, BMI classification, lockdown period, a household with children under 15 years, nutritional needs, age groups, type and size household, monthly income, and religion. Results: 1055 households participated. 75% have modified their eating habits, with differences due to being overweight or obese in the person surveyed (p <0.05). Changes in EB and other lifestyles are influenced by household structure (p <0.001) and the effects that the pandemic has had on the economy of families (p <0.001). Compared to those who do not have them, households with children tend to plan much more meals, spend more time eating, seek a healthier diet, increase the number of daily meals, and look more at labeling. In contrast, people who live alone have worsened the hourly routines of the main meals. Conclusions: Confinement has modified eating behavior differently depending on the individual and domestic factors analyzed.

THE SHIFT IN TEACHING PEDAGOGY FOR INDEPENDENT LANDSCAPE DESIGN DURING THE PANDEMIC: AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN ODL

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suriati Ahmad ◽  
Nur Huzeima Mohd Hussain ◽  
Siti Rasidah Md Sakip ◽  
Azran Mansor ◽  
Azrul Bahaluddin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Teaching Strategy ◽  
Landscape Design ◽  
Online Distance Learning ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Online Distance ◽  
Teaching Learning

The teaching and learning environment have subsequently expanded. For the Independent Landscape Design course offered at UiTM Perak Branch, the online distance learning (ODL) has demonstrated the changes of delivery approach in teaching landscape design process. This design-based syllabus is more acquainted with face to face or physical teaching learning environment. Aligned with the Educational 5.0 @ Universiti Teknologi MARA that embraces values and future progressive thinking, this course has adopted MOOCLAA350 to engage and equip these design students with significant understanding, graphic presentation skills as well as technical aspects related to design developments and constructions. This paper analyses student performance throughout the ODL implementation, adopting MOOC and other relevant online platforms during this Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. An online survey supported with a comparative analysis between semesters was conducted to evaluate the students’ readiness, challenges and performance throughout the semester. Some tools and techniques to ensure the continuity of learning during the current pandemic are described. The findings revealed factors contributing to student performance and the reality behind the success of this new teaching strategy which is practical for landscape architecture programs and may also be relevant to other design-based programs or courses.

scholarly journals Rapid transition to distance learning due to COVID-19: Perceptions of postgraduate dental learners and instructors

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246584
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Amir Rad ◽  
Farah Otaki ◽  
Zaid Baqain ◽  
Nabil Zary ◽  
Manal Al-Halabi
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Education Community ◽  
Rapid Transition ◽  
Online Distance Learning ◽  
Online Distance

The outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) necessitated an abrupt transition from on campus, face-to-face sessions to online, distance learning in higher education institutions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of postgraduate dental learners and instructors about the transition to distance learning, including the changes to the learning and teaching and its efficaciousness. A convergent mixed methods approach to research was utilized. All the instructors and postgraduate learners in a dental college were invited to participate in an online survey. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential analyses on SPSS for Windows version 25.0, and for the responses to the open-ended questions, multi-staged thematic analysis was utilized. Both groups of stakeholders: learners and instructors, were satisfied with the rapid transition to distance learning due to COVID-19. Instructors were significantly more satisfied than the learners. The stakeholders adapted well to the change. The perception of the stakeholders regarding the case-based scenarios significantly influenced their level of satisfaction. As perceived by the stakeholders, the transition to distance learning entailed advantages and challenges. Going through the experience enabled the stakeholders to develop informed opinions of how best to sustain learning and teaching irrespective of how matters unfold in relation to the pandemic. In conclusion, the worldwide dental education community faced unprecedented challenges due to the onset of COVID-19. From a macro perspective, decision-makers must not miss out on the valuable opportunities, inherent in the experience, to reinforce curriculums, and maximize learning and teaching.

scholarly journals Diploma Engineering Students’ Perceptions of Online Distance Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-128
Author(s):  
Aminabibi Saidalvi ◽  
◽  
Maisarah Noorezam ◽  
Nursyuhada Zakaria ◽  
Nadzrah Sa’adan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Movement Control ◽  
Future Generation ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Educational Decisions ◽  
Online Distance Learning ◽  
The Government ◽  
Online Distance

The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent Movement Control Order (MCO) has resulted all formal classroom learning for 4.9 million students at all levels of education in Malaysia was suspended since March 2020 till todate. Educators were advised to shift from traditional face-to-face classroom meetings to distance learning mode; online or offline platforms. However, the reality is, the majority of the students are still grappling with e- learning, inadequate equipment, and an unconducive environment making the adoption of home-based elearning even harder. There is no evidence on how Diploma engineering students are experiencing this new normal. Having realised the importance of getting first-hand information regarding online distance learning (ODL) experiences, this study investigated Diploma engineering students’ ODL experiences amidst COVID-19. An online survey using Google Forms was utilised to collect data for three weeks from 486 Diploma level students in a university from the southern region of Peninsular Malaysia. Using descriptive quantitative and qualitative analysis, the distribution of study participants, learning experiences, and expectations on educational decisions of ODL was investigated. The findings highlight the need to transform education for more tech-based lessons for the millennials and there is a need to a properly planned ODL implementation with full support from all involved in ODL mode. As classes move online in the foreseeable future, the findings of this project will benefit UiTM and the government in restructuring digital education post-Covid-19 to develop employability and the productivity of the future generation.

scholarly journals Explaining the informal economy in Western Europe: beyond a rational economic actor perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Williams ◽  
Gamze Oz-Yalaman
Keyword(s):  
Informal Economy ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Alternative Theory ◽  
Probit Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Economic Actor ◽  
Expected Benefits ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe dominant theorisation of the informal economy views participants as rational economic actors operating in the informal economy when the expected benefits exceed the perceived costs of being caught and punished. Recently, an alternative theory has emerged which views participants as social actors operating in the informal economy due to their lack of vertical trust (in governments) and horizontal trust (in others). The aim of this paper is to evaluate these competing theorisations.Design/methodology/approachTo do so, data are reported from special Eurobarometer surveys conducted in 2007, 2013 and 2019 in eight West European countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom).FindingsUsing probit regression analysis, the finding is that increasing the expected likelihood of being caught and level of punishment had a weak significant impact on the likelihood of participating in the informal economy in 2007, and there was no significant impact in 2013 and 2019. However, greater vertical and horizontal trust is significantly associated with a lower level of participation in the informal economy in all three time periods.Practical implicationsThe outcome is a call for a policy to shift away from increasing the expected level of punishment and likelihood of being caught, and towards improving vertical and horizontal trust. How this can be achieved is explored.Originality/valueEvidence is provided in a Western European context to support a shift away from a rational economic actor to a social actor approach when explaining and tackling the informal economy.

scholarly journals Polarized nature of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: associations with population age structure and behaviours

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junko Okumura
Keyword(s):  
Age Structure ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Population Age Structure ◽  
Major Factors ◽  
Drinking Places

Abstract Background Although the scale of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was relatively small in Japan compared with the rest of the world, the polarisation of areas into high- and low-COVID-19-incidence areas was observed among the 47 prefectures. The aims of this study were not only identifying the factors associated with the polarised COVID-19 pandemic in Japan but also discussing effective preventive measures. Methods This was an ecological study using online survey data which was cross-sectionally conducted by the author. A total of 6000 respondents who resided in 10 low- and 10 high-COVID-19 incidence prefectures, with a wide gap in terms of COVID-19 incidence, in Japan were recruited. Data on COVID-19 cases and geodemographic information were obtained from official government sites. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare variables between the two areas and age groups. Results This study revealed that that age influenced people’s behaviours and perceptions, except one behaviour of ‘wearing facemasks’. The major factors significantly associated with the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people were ‘commuting by private automobile’ (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.444; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.394–0.501), ‘commuting by public transportation’ (AOR, 6.813; 95% CI, 5.567–8.336), ‘washing hands’ (AOR, 1.233; 95% CI, 1.005–1.511), ‘opening windows regularly’ (AOR, 1.248; 95% CI, 1.104–1.412), ‘avoiding crowded places (AOR, 0.757; 95% CI, 0.641–0.893), ‘non-scheduled visits to drinking places’ (AOR, 1.212; 95% CI, 1.054–1.392) and ‘perceived risk of contracting COVID-19’ (AOR, 1.380; 95% CI, 1.180–1.612). These factors were strongly associated with age groups. Conclusions Effective preventive measures for COVID-19 transmission can be developed by understanding the characteristics of populated areas, such as public transportation infrastructure and younger people’s movements and behaviours in relation to the population age structure to contain the current epidemic and protect the most vulnerable elderly people.

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