scholarly journals Dynamics of Mask Use as a Prevention Strategy against SARS-CoV-2 in Panama

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 12982
Author(s):  
Hermógenes Fernández-Marín ◽  
Gaspar Bruner-Montero ◽  
Ana Portugal-Loayza ◽  
Virginia Miranda ◽  
Alcibíades Villareal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Behavioral Preferences ◽  
Public Areas ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Use Behavior

Early in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many national public health authorities implemented non-pharmaceutical interventions to mitigate disease outbreaks. Panamá established mandatory mask use two months after its first documented case. Initial compliance was high, but diverse masks were used in public areas. We studied behavioral dynamics of mask use through the first two COVID-19 waves in Panama, to improve the implementation of effective, low-cost public health containment measures when populations are exposed to novel air-borne pathogens. Mask use behavior was recorded from pedestrians in four Panamanian populations (August to December 2020). We recorded facial coverings and if used, the type of mask, and gender and estimated age of the wearer. Our results showed that people were highly compliant (>95%) with mask mandates and demonstrated important population-level behaviors: (1) decreasing use of cloth masks over time, and increasing use of surgical masks; (2) mask use was 3-fold lower in suburban neighborhoods than other public areas and (3) young people were least likely to wear masks. Results help focus on highly effective, low-cost, public health interventions for managing and controlling a pandemic. Considerations of behavioral preferences for different masks, relative to pricing and availability, are essential for optimizing public health policies. Policies to increase the availability of effective masks, and behavioral nudges to increase acceptance, and to facilitate mask usage, during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and for future pandemics of respiratory pathogens, are key tools, especially for nations lagging in access to expensive vaccines and pharmacological approaches.

scholarly journals Dynamics of mask use as a prevention strategy against SARS-Cov-2 in Panama

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hermógenes Fernández-Marín ◽  
Gaspar Bruner-Montero ◽  
Ana Portugal-Loayza ◽  
Virginia Miranda ◽  
Alcibíades Villareal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Public Areas ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Use Behavior

AbstractBackgroundEarly in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many national public health authorities implemented non-pharmaceutical interventions to mitigate disease outbreaks. Panamá established mandatory mask use two months after its first documented case. Initial compliance was high, but diverse masks were used in public areas. We studied behavioral dynamics of mask use through the first two COVID waves in Panama, to improve implementation of effective, low-cost public health containment measures, when populations are exposed to novel air-borne pathogens.MethodsMask use behavior was recorded from pedestrians in four Panamanian populations (August to December 2020). We recorded facial coverings; and if used, the type of mask, and gender and estimated age of the wearer.FindingsPeople were highly compliant (> 95%) with mask mandates, and demonstrated important population-level behaviours: 1) decreasing use of cloth masks over time, and increasing use of surgical masks; 2) mask use was 3-fold lower in sub-urban neighborhoods than other public areas; and 3) young people were least likely to wear masks.InterpretationResults help focus highly-effective, low-cost, public health interventions for managing and controlling a pandemic. Considerations of behavioural preferences for different masks, relative to pricing and availability, are essential for optimizing public health policies. Policies to increase availability of effective masks, and behavioral nudges to increase acceptance, and to facilitate mask usage, during the on-going SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and for future pandemics of respiratory pathogens, are key tools, especially for nations lagging in access to expensive vaccines and pharmacological approaches.Funding11-2020 SNI Grant, SENACYT.

Commissioned Corps Deployments & Family Resiliency

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Arceneaux ◽  
James Dickens ◽  
Wanza Bacon
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
United States Public Health ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Family Resiliency ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
The U.S

Established in 1889, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (Corps) is one of the seven uniformed services and is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Corps is committed to protecting, promoting and advancing the health and safety of the nation with a history that dates back over two centuries, beginning as the U.S. Marine Hospital Service. Today, the Corps responds and serves in many areas impacted by natural disasters, disease outbreaks, terrorist attacks and public health emergencies. Corps officers have deployed to provide assistance during national public health emergencies (e.g., hurricanes, bombings, flooding and wild fires); to combat the Ebola epidemic in West Africa; and to provide humanitarian assistance in Latin America and the Caribbean. Corps deployments impact not only service members but also their families. This article offers a brief overview of the Corps and discusses how deployments impact families. Family resiliency and future implications for research and practice will also be examined.

scholarly journals Psychological well-being as part of the public health debate? Insight into dimensions, interventions, and policy

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald ◽  
Rachel A. Millstein ◽  
Christiana von Hippel ◽  
Chanelle J. Howe ◽  
Linda Powers Tomasso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Community

Abstract Background Increasing evidence suggests that psychological well-being (PWB) is associated with lower disease and mortality risk, and may be enhanced with relatively low-cost interventions. Yet, dissemination of these interventions remains limited, in part because insufficient attention has been paid to distinct PWB dimensions, which may impact physical health outcomes differently. Methods This essay first reviews the empirical evidence regarding differential relationships between all-cause mortality and multiple dimensions of PWB (e.g., life purpose, mastery, positive affect, life satisfaction, optimism). Then, individual-level positive psychology interventions aimed at increasing PWB and tested in randomized-controlled trials are reviewed as these allow for easy implementation and potentially broad outreach to improve population well-being, in concert with efforts targeting other established social determinants of health. Results Several PWB dimensions relate to mortality, with varying strength of evidence. Many of positive psychology trials indicate small-to-moderate improvements in PWB; rigorous institution-level interventions are comparatively few, but preliminary results suggest benefits as well. Examples of existing health policies geared towards the improvement of population well-being are also presented. Future avenues of well-being epidemiological and intervention research, as well as policy implications, are discussed. Conclusions Although research in the fields of behavioral and psychosomatic medicine, as well as health psychology have substantially contributed to the science of PWB, this body of work has been somewhat overlooked by the public health community. Yet, the growing interest in documenting well-being, in addition to examining its determinants and consequences at a population level may provoke a shift in perspective. To cultivate optimal well-being—mental, physical, social, and spiritual—consideration of a broader set of well-being measures, rigorous studies, and interventions that can be disseminated is critically needed.

scholarly journals Update on the CDC National Syndromic Surveillance Program

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Yoon ◽  
Michael Coletta
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Surveillance Program ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Web Based ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
National Emergency

During the past decade, BioSense meant different things to different people. When BioSense was created to support national emergency preparedness, it was a Web-based software for collecting emergency department data for detecting and monitoring syndromes of public health importance. BioSense has evolved to become part of CDC's new National Syndromic Surveillance Program. This collaboration among local, state, and national public health programs will help improve local and nation-wide situational awareness and response to hazardous events and disease outbreaks. NSSP presents modernized technology and a broadened vision that includes people, partners, policies, information systems, standards, and resources. Join to learn more.

Emotional determinants of public responses to the risk of epidemics and pandemics: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonis A. Kousoulis ◽  
Mark R. Francis ◽  
Imogen Grant ◽  
Heidi J Larson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Intervention Uptake

Abstract Background Understanding how people’s emotions influence their health decisions and behaviours at a population level is fundamental to designing effective communication strategies and public health interventions for infectious disease outbreaks. This review identifies relevant research to assess the role of emotional determinants and their impact on public responses to the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, specifically in relation to the uptake of public health interventions. Methods A comprehensive systematic review was conducted exploring the differences in public responses by emotion, infection, outcome and region. A basic consensus approach was followed in which emotional stimuli were categorised as being either pleasant or unpleasant, and predisposing people to bivalent behaviour (i.e., approach or withdrawal). All primary research studies published in five global databases between 1988-2019 were eligible for inclusion. Binomial tests (against a test proportion of 0.5 or 50% for each study outcome) were performed using the direction of effect observed in each study, i.e., either favouring or not favouring intervention uptake. Results A total of 75 studies from 28 different nations were eligible for inclusion in the review. A total of 97 correlations were made between 12 emotions, 10 infectious diseases, and the uptake of seven types of public health interventions. Unpleasant emotions were evoked much more often than pleasant following public health risk communications, with fear and anxiety being the most common. Overall, moderate anxiety-related emotions (worry, anxiety, stress, concern) seemed to be much more significant motivators for public action compared to extreme unpleasant emotions (fear, panic, hopelessness, shame), which had a statistically significantly negative effect on the uptake of public health interventions in several cases. Pleasant emotions (empathy, hope) also showed promise as motivators for public health intervention uptake, but more research is needed to corroborate this. Conclusions The results of this review show that the public’s emotional responses to epidemics in the past 30 years have played a clear role in determining how successful the rollout of public health interventions has been. Emotions need to be considered in crisis communications, and these research findings can help inform communications strategies in the evolving context of the COVID-19 pandemic and future infectious disease outbreaks.

scholarly journals Using critical information to strengthen pandemic preparedness: the role of national public health agencies

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. e002830
Author(s):  
Mishal S Khan ◽  
Osman Dar ◽  
Ngozi A Erondu ◽  
Afifah Rahman-Shepherd ◽  
Lara Hollmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Situational Analysis ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Public And Private Sector ◽  
Informative Communication

COVID-19 has demonstrated that most countries’ public health systems and capacities are insufficiently prepared to prevent a localised infectious disease outbreak from spreading. Strengthening national preparedness requires National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs), or their equivalent, to overcome practical challenges affecting timely access to, and use of, data that is critical to preparedness. Our situational analysis in collaboration with NPHIs in three countries—Ethiopia, Nigeria and Pakistan—characterises these challenges. Our findings indicate that NPHIs’ role necessitates collection and analysis of data from multiple sources that do not routinely share data with public health authorities. Since initiating requests for access to new data sources can be a lengthy process, it is essential that NPHIs are routinely monitoring a broad set of priority indicators that are selected to reflect the country-specific context. NPHIs must also have the authority to be able to request rapid sharing of data from public and private sector organisations during health emergencies and to access additional human and financial resources during disease outbreaks. Finally, timely, transparent and informative communication of synthesised data from NPHIs will facilitate sustained data sharing with NPHIs from external organisations. These actions identified by our analysis will support the availability of robust information systems that allow relevant data to be collected, shared and analysed by NPHIs sufficiently rapidly to inform a timely local response to infectious disease outbreaks in the future.

Hungarian diet and nutritional status survey – The OTAP2009 study I. Nutritional status of the Hungarian population

2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (26) ◽  
pp. 1023-1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Éva Martos ◽  
Viktória Anna Kovács ◽  
Márta Bakacs ◽  
Csilla Kaposvári ◽  
Andrea Lugasi
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Abdominal Obesity ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Prevalence Of Obesity ◽  
Interview Survey ◽  
European Health ◽  
European Health Interview Survey ◽  
And Gender

Obesity is a leading public health problem, but representative data on measured prevalence among Hungarian adults has been missing since the late eighties. Aim and method: Joining in European Health Interview Survey the aim of the OTAP2009 study was to provide data representative by age and gender on the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity among Hungarian adults based on their measured anthropometric data. Results: Participation rate was 35% (n = 1165). Data shows that nearly two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese. 26.2% of men and 30.4% of women are obese. Prevalence of morbid obesity is 3.1% and 2.6% in men and women, respectively. Abdominal obesity is more prevalent among women than men (51.0% vs. 33.2%), and rate is increasing parallel with age in both gender. In elderly, 55% of men and almost 80% of women are abdominally obese. Conclusions: Besides interventions of population level for tackling obesity, individual preventive measures are indispensable. Orv. Hetil., 2012, 153, 1023–1030.

Guidelines for Reviewing National Public Health Law

Medicne pravo ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-22
Author(s):  
Andre den Exter ◽  
◽  
Alexey Goryainov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Law ◽  
Public Health Law ◽  
National Public Health

PENERAPAN CLUSTERING PADA PENDUDUK YANG MEMPUNYAI KELUHAN KESEHATAN DENGAN DATAMINING K-MEANS

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurul Rofiqo ◽  
Agus Perdana Windarto ◽  
Dedy Hartama
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Data Mining ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Health Complaints ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
National Statistics ◽  
Central Java ◽  
Indonesian Population ◽  
The Government

This study aims to utilize Clushtering Algorithm in grouping the number of people who have health complaints with the K-means algorithm in Indonesia. The source of this research data was collected based on the documents of the provincial population which had health complaints produced by the National Statistics Agency. The data used in this study are data from 2013-2017 consisting of 34 provinces. The method used in this research is K-means Algorithm. Data will be processed by clushtering in 3 clushter, namely clusther high health complaints, clusther moderate and low health complaints. Centroid data for high population level clusters 37.48, Centroid data for moderate population level clusters 27.08, and Centroid data for low population level clusters 14.89. So that obtained an assessment based on the population index that has health complaints with 7 provinces of high health complaints, namely Central Java, Yogyakarta, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, South Kalimantan, Gorontalo, 18 provinces of moderate health complaints, and 9 other provinces including low health complaints. This can be an input to the government to give more attention to residents in each region who have high health complaints through improving public health services so that the Indonesian population becomes healthier without health complaints.Keywords: data mining, health complaints, clustering, K-means, Indonesian residents

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