Factors That Prevent Mosquito-Borne Diseases among Migrant Workers in Taiwan: Application of the Health Belief Model in a Church-Based Health Promotion Study

Background: Southeast Asian countries have long been considered epidemic areas for mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs), and most imported cases of infectious diseases in Taiwan are from these areas. Taiwanese migrant workers are mainly of Southeast Asian nationality, and of these, 22% are Filipino. Migrant workers’ knowledge of MBDs and self-protection behaviors are beneficial to disease prevention and treatment. This study aims to understand the effectiveness of a health education intervention (HEI) for Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan and explores the factors affecting preventive practices. Methods: The study was conducted between May to September 2018. Participants were recruited from two Catholic churches in Taichung City. A professional delivered a 30 min HEI in person, and a structured questionnaire was used to acquire and assess participants’ knowledge, health beliefs, and preventive behaviors for MBDs before and after the intervention. Results: A total of 291 participants were recruited. The intervention program showed a positive impact on the migrant worker’s knowledge and the perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and preventive practices. Knowledge, perceived severity, and perceived barriers were factors influencing preventive practices in Filipino migrant workers. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated that we can direct our efforts towards three areas: improving foreign migrant workers’ awareness of diseases, emphasizing the severity of the disease, and eliminating possible hindrances in the future. As one example, migrant workers could be proactively provided with routine medical examinations and multilingual health education lectures to improve knowledge and preventive practices to contain the spread MBDs.

COVID-19 vaccination breakthrough infections in a real-world setting: Using community reporters to evaluate vaccine effectiveness

Background COVID-19 has highlighted the need for new methods of pharmacovigilance. Here we use community volunteers to obtain systematic information on vaccine effectiveness and the nature and severity of breakthrough infections. Methods Between December 15, 2020 to September 16, 2021, 10,412 unpaid community-based participants reported the following information to an on-line registry: COVID-19 test results, vaccination (Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson), COVID-19 symptoms and perceived severity using a 4-point scale. COVID-19 infections were described for those who were 1) fully vaccinated, 2) partially vaccinated (received first of two dose vaccines or were <14 days post-final dose), or 3) unvaccinated. Results Of 8,554 who were vaccinated, COVID-19 infections were reported by 74 (1.0%) of those who were fully vaccinated and 198 (2.3%) of those who were partially vaccinated. Among the 74 participants who reported a breakthrough infection after full vaccination, the median time to reported positive test result was 104.5 days (Interquartile range: 77-135 days), with no difference among vaccine manufactures. One quarter (25.7%) of breakthrough infections in the fully vaccinated cases were asymptomatic. More than 97% of fully vaccinated participants reported no moderate/severe symptoms compared to 89.3% of the unvaccinated cases; and only 1.4% of fully vaccinated participants reported experiencing at least 3 moderate to severe symptoms compared to 7.8% in the unvaccinated. Conclusion Person-generated health data, also referred to as patient-reported outcomes, is a useful resource for quantifying breakthrough infections and their severity, showing here that fully vaccinated participants report no or very mild COVID-19 symptoms.

Use of and Satisfaction with Telemedicine Services during the Pandemic. Findings from the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring in Germany (COSMO)

Our aim was to investigate to what extent physician visits were replaced by telemedicine services because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the satisfaction with such telemedicine services. Cross-sectional data from the “COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring in Germany” (COSMO, wave 49 from 11 to 12 August 2021 with n = 967). The average age was 44.9 years (SD: 15.6 years, ranging from 18 to 74 years) and 50.8% were female. Indiviuals were asked whether any physician visit was replaced by a telemedicine service (e.g., video consultation) since March 2020 because of the pandemic (yes, once; yes, several times; yes, always; no, not replaced; no, there was no need to see a doctor). Additionally, individuals who gave positive responses (i.e., yes, once; yes, several times; yes, always) were asked how satisfied they were with the corresponding telemedicine services (from 1 = very dissatisfied to 7 = very satisfied). While 55.4% of the respondents reported no need to see a doctor and 31.3% of the respondents did not replace physician visits by telemedicine services, about 13.3% of the respondents did replace physician visits by telemedicine services (4.8%: yes, once; 6.4%: yes, several times; 2.1%: yes, always). Among the individuals who used such services, the average satisfaction was moderately high (4.7, SD: 2.0). Additionally, several correlates of the replacing telemedicine service use were identified (e.g., perceived severity of a COVID-19 infection). In conclusion, about one out of seven individuals replaced physician visits by telemedicine services during the pandemic. For example, knowledge about the correlates of satisfaction with such services might be of importance to increase the quality of such services.

Perception Regarding Knowledge of COVID-19 Prevention in a Sample of a Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Community in Houston, Texas, USA

(1) Background: Knowledge of COVID-19 prevention among communities is the first step towards protective behaviors. The objective of this study was to assess COVID-19 prevention knowledge among a Middle Eastern and North African community in Houston, Texas. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated quantitative survey; survey questions consisted of three parts: COVID-19 specific questions, general health questions, and sociodemographic questions. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine predictors of perception of knowledge on preventing COVID-19 spread. The outcome of interest comprised of “good/excellent” versus “average and below” knowledge. (3) Results: A total of 366 participants (66.39% males) completed the survey. A univariate analysis demonstrated significant differences in self-reported COVID-19 prevention knowledge among those with and without health insurance, different ages, level of knowledge, and perceived severity of COVID-19 infection. In the multivariate logistic regression, two predictors were identified: those in the 18–25-year-old group were more likely to have “excellent/good” knowledge on COVID-19 spread compared to the ≥40-year-old group (OR: 6.36; 95% CI: 1.38, 29.34). Those who somewhat agree with knowing how to protect themselves from COVID-19 were more likely to have “excellent/good” knowledge of preventing COVID-19 spread compared to those that neither agree nor disagree or disagree (OR: 7.74; 95% CI: 2.58, 23.26). (4) Conclusions: Younger adults reported higher knowledge of COVID-19 prevention.

The role of perceived severity and vulnerability on COVID-19 in explaining hygiene product purchase behavior towards protection motivation

This study aims to explain the emergence of hygiene product purchasing behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic using the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). Perceived severity and vulnerability, as well as protection motivation, are variables that are predicted to affect hygiene product purchase behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. The object of this research is the adult citizens of Malang City who purchase hygiene products during the COVID-19 pandemic. Partial Least Square (PLS) is used in this study to answer the research objectives with the help of SmartPLS 3.3. This study found that perceived severity and protection intention played a role in stimulating the emergence of hygiene product purchase behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Malang City.

The Appraisal and Endorsement of Individual and Public Preventive Measures to Combat COVID-19 and the Associated Psychological Predictors among Chinese Living in Canada

Aims: The study examines the factors related to the appraisal and adherence of the individual and public health preventive measures. Background: The effectiveness of the measures battling the pandemic was largely determined by the voluntary compliance of the public. Objectives: This study aimed to identify psychological perception factors related to the appraisal of individual measures and endorsement of public health measures during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic among Chinese living in Canada. Methods: A convenience sample of 656 participants completed an online survey. Nonparametric Kruskal Wallis tests were used to compare COVID perception variables (e.g., perceived susceptibility, fear, perceived severity, and information confusion) among different sociodemographic subgroups. Bootstrapped regression models were used to assess the association of these variables with outcome measures. Results: Compared to their counterpart groups, lower perceived susceptibility was reported by adults 65 years and older (p = .002) or retired (p = .015); greater fear was reported by females (p = .044), those with lower education (p = .001), and Mainland Chinese (p = .033); greater perceived severity was reported by individuals with lower education and smaller household size (ps = .003). Perceived susceptibility was inversely associated with individual measure appraisal (p = .032). Perceived severity was positively associated with individual measure appraisal (p = .005) and public measure endorsement (p < .001). Conclusion: Individual behaviour measure appraisal was predicted by lower perceived susceptibility and higher perceived severity, whereas public health measure endorsement was related to higher perceived severity. These results inform the public and the policymakers about the critical factors that affect the preventive measure appraisal and endorsement.

The Role of Risk Perception in Students’ COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake: A Longitudinal Study

Since COVID-19 vaccine uptake was found to be especially low among young adults, the present study investigated COVID-19 risk perception as predictor of COVID-19 vaccination intention and actual COVID-19 vaccine uptake among this age group. More specifically, it was tested whether cognitive risk perception predicts vaccination uptake successively via affective risk perception and vaccination intention. In total, 680 students (65.9% female) between 17 and 28 years participated in this longitudinal online study. COVID-19 cognitive and affective risk perception, COVID-19 vaccination intention, and actual COVID-19 vaccine uptake were measured in t1: November/December 2020, t2: March 2021, and t3: June/July 2021, respectively. The mediation analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of perceived severity at t1 on vaccine uptake at t3 via worry at t1 and vaccination intention at t2. Stronger perceptions of perceived severity of COVID-19 were related to more worry about COVID-19, which led to a higher vaccination intention, which, in turn, increased the chance of COVID-19 vaccine uptake. To increase vaccine uptake among young adults it might be fruitful to emphasize the severity of COVID-19. However, one should take into account that tapping into fear works best when messages also include efficacy statements.

Public Perception of the Covid-19 Disease in The Wakorambu Village

Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) is a new type of disease that has never been identified before in humans. Public perception in Batalaiworu Subdistrict shows that most of them still lack concern for maintaining health protocols and lack of trust in the existence of Covid-19. This study aims to describe the public perception of the Covid-19 disease in the village of Wakorambu, Batalaiworu District, Muna Regency. This study uses quantitative research with a descriptive approach. The number of samples in this study were 76 respondents with the sampling technique of proportional stratified random sampling. The results showed that public knowledge of the Covid-19 disease was more in sufficient category (92.10%), perceived susceptibility to Covid-19 was more in sufficient category (84.21%), perceived severity against Covid-19 19 more enough categories (80.26%), perceived benefits for Covid-19 more enough categories (90.78%), perceived barriers to Covid-19 more poor categories (63, 15%), perception of threat to Covid-19 is more in sufficient category (69.73%), and cues to Action towards Covid-19 are more in sufficient category (72.36%). Conclusions based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, threats and cues to action indicate a perceived lack of barriers to Covid-19 disease in Wakorambu village in preventing Covid-19.