Evaluating Knowledge of Human Microbiota among University Students in Jordan, an Online Cross-Sectional Survey

Human microbiota have a significant impact on the health of individuals, and reciprocally, lifestyle choices of individuals have an important effect on the diversity and composition of microbiota. Studies assessing microbiota knowledge among the public are lacking, although it is hypothesized that this knowledge can motivate healthier behavior. Hence, this study aimed to measure microbiota knowledge among university students, and the effect of this knowledge on behavioral beliefs. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among students from various fields of study enrolled at the University of Jordan, using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 3 parts: demographics, general knowledge of microbiota, and behavioral beliefs related to microbiota. Four hundred and two responses were collected from verified university students. Participants were divided into two groups depending on whether they took a formal microbiology course (45 h) or not. Results from those two groups were compared using appropriate statistical methods. Results showed that most participants, even those who did not take a formal microbiology course, displayed good knowledge of what microbiota is and how they can be influenced by personal and environmental factors. Participants who took a microbiology course had significantly higher microbiota knowledge scores and were more aware of the effect of antibiotics on microbiota. Participants’ behavioral beliefs regarding their antibiotic use, but not their diet and lifestyle choices, were affected by their knowledge of microbiota. The study indicates that disseminating knowledge regarding microbiota and microbiology in general, can improve behaviors related to antibiotic use.

Community Attitudes Reflect Reporting Rates and Prevalence of Animal Mistreatment

Community attitudes toward the treatment of animals are important to understand for the development of intervention programs to prevent mistreatment. We aimed to investigate whether previously identified differences between local government areas (LGAs) in the rates of animal mistreatment reporting and prevalence were reflected by differences in community attitudes. In addition, attitudinal differences based on target species (dogs, cats, horses) and participant gender were considered. A representative telephone survey (N = 1,801) was conducted across six LGAs. Attitudinal themes included affection toward animals, valuing of animals, attitudes toward caring for own animals, and concern for the mistreatment of other animals. Factorial ANOVA was used to identify differences between high and low reporting LGAs, region types (regional, interface, metropolitan), and target species (cat, dog, horse). Respondents from high reporting LGAs demonstrated slightly more affection for animals F(1,1679) = 19.401, p < 0.001, ωp2 = 0.011 and stronger subjective norms F(1,999) = 16.31, p < 0.001, ωp2 = 0.015 than those from low reporting LGAs, but did not differ on the other variables. Participants in areas of high prevalence (regional areas) did not display lower levels of affection or concern for the mistreatment of animals as a whole, nor did they value animals less. However, regional differences were found for several items regarding caring for one's own animals: two behavioral beliefs and two control beliefs. Additionally various differences were found between the regions regarding the level of concern for mistreatment when broken down into the different species. Gender effects were also common. While the attitudinal results do reflect animal mistreatment prevalence and reporting rates, they also highlight the complexity of community attitudes. As such, interventions to prevent mistreatment must have clear targets including the audience, behavior, and species. Targeting smaller regions and thoroughly investigating their unique perspectives, challenges, and strengths are likely to be more effective than generic campaigns.

Integrating Digital Literacy Into EFL Classroom: A Study of Theory of Planned Behavior

Beliefs take a vital role in influencing students' decision about integrating digital literacy in EFL classroom. This case study investigated students' behavioral, control, and normative beliefs toward integrating digital literacy into the EFL classroom. This research used the Theory of Planned Behavior initiated by Ajzen to collect and analyze the data. The results of interviews and observations highlighted students' integration of digital literacy into EFL classroom referred to several beliefs. The behavioral beliefs (attitude toward advantages of a behavior) about the value of digital literacy for its effectiveness and efficiency potential to find information, to promote students cognitive skills and ethical awareness, and to improve English proficiency; normative beliefs (about social support) about the meeting of the expectation of school, teachers, parents, and friends; and control beliefs (about perceive behavioral control) about the opportunity and the availability to interact with the technology. This study highlighted a substantive theory related to the findings: Students' positive beliefs about integrating digital literacy into EFL classroom influence students' learning strategy. By having positive beliefs about the outcomes that students will get (behavioral beliefs), support from family, teachers, and the school environment (normative beliefs), as well as beliefs about the presence of factors that may facilitate or hinder the performance (control beliefs), students demonstrate the tendency to always use digital technology in learning English.

Evaluasi Implementasi Blended Learning dengan Pendekatan Theory Plan Behavior

Blended Learning bisa juga disebut dengan Hybrid Learning, sesuai dengan namanya merupakan suatu metode pembelajaran yang mengkombinasikan metode pembelajaran tatap muka dengan online learning. dan juga merupakan integrasi antara metode kelas traditional dengan aktifitas online atau e-learning. Pendekatan ini dapat memaksimunkan keuntungan berupa peningkatan transfer pengetahuan yang dihasilkan dari interaksi face-to-face dengan interaksi online. Akan tetapi implementasi metode ini terkendala oleh kebiasaan atau perilaku ajar mengajar konvensional yang sudah membudaya sehingga untuk merubahnya perilaku tersebut memerlukan perencanaan yang matang. Teori Perilaku yang direncanakan atau Theory Plan Behavior (TPB) menjelaskan bahwa, tindakan manusia dipandu oleh tiga macam pertimbangan: keyakinan tentang kemungkinan hasil dari perilaku serta evaluasi dari hasil ini (behavioral beliefs), keyakinan tentang harapan normatif orang lain dan motivasi untuk mematuhi harapan (normative beliefs), serta keyakinan akan adanya faktor-faktor yang dapat memfasilitasi atau menghambat kinerja perilaku dan kekuatan yang dirasakan dari faktor-faktor tersebut (control beliefs). Dalam kombinasi, Attitude toward Behavior, norma subyektif, dan persepsi dari Behavior Control mendorong terbentuknya suatu Behavioral Intention. Sebagai aturan umum, semakin menguntungkan sikap/attitude dan Subjective Norm (norma subjektif), dan semakin besar Perceived Control/ kontrol yang dirasakan, semakin kuat harus niat seseorang untuk melakukan perilaku yang bersangkutan jadi Behavioral Intention menguat. Akhirnya, mengingat tingkat kontrol sebenarnya atas perilaku sudah cukup, orang diharapkan untuk melaksanakan niat mereka ketika ada kesempatan.

PARTICIPATORY MODELLING OF THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-BELIEFS AND PERSONALITY USING AGGREGATED FUZZYRELATIONAL MAPMODEL AND KOSKO-HAMMING DISTANCE

Fuzzy Relational Map is an efficient tool in establishing the causal relationship between two disjoint sets of concepts. In situations, wherein the data available is unsupervised involving emotions and reasons described in a language that is vague or difficult to interpret, Fuzzy Relational Map is the pertinent approach of choice. Personality is a psychological construct that has different traits and these traits have some unique behavioral beliefs underneath. In this paper, an extension of a fuzzy relational map called aggregatedFuzzyRelational Map is used to study the association between the traits of personality and the behavioral beliefs that influence a certain type of personality. Further, the fixed points are analyzed with the aid of Kosko-Hamming Distance.

Implementation Imperilment and Imperatives of Integrated eIQA of HEI

Teay expounded the eIQA as key backbone infrastructure for the HEI's quality and accreditation management for stakeholders at all levels in the institution. The eIQA links the PMS-IMS-QMS trilogy as integrated units of the HEIs' performance management. The eIQA implementation illustrates the case study university's QA management from 2016-2019. The poor 2009-2019 national accreditation performance shows the resistance/rejections mindsets/attitudes of the “complicated, costly ever-changing accreditation business case requirements” and not the eIQA platform per say. It demonstrates mainstream literature on eIQA implementation challenges to include the stakeholders' negative “resistance/rejection” mindsets as key obstacles. Better understanding of the “human” psychological-behavioral-beliefs-attitudinal, personified of self-power clique actions, skills/capacities/capabilities, and structural/managerial elements as key deterrents to eIQA implementation as essential research agenda.

A Quasi-Experimental Study on Training Child Welfare Workers on Youth Sexual Health

Purpose: This quasi-experimental pilot study evaluated the preliminary efficacy of training designed to increase child welfare workers’ ( N = 156) knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to communicating with youth involved in the child welfare system about sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Method: Preintervention and 3-month follow-up survey data were collected from intervention participants ( n = 69) who registered for a sexual health training and comparison participants ( n = 87) who registered for other child welfare trainings. Results: Participants in the SRH training showed more positive behavioral beliefs, self-efficacy, and knowledge of SRH compared to date- and region-matched comparison participants at the 3-month follow-up; there was no difference between the groups on intentions or past month communication with clients regarding SRH. Conclusion: Findings suggest that although SRH training may be effective in changing child welfare workers’ attitudes about SRH, additional efforts may be needed to alter intentions and behaviors.

Psychosocial Determinants of the Intention to Take Oral Antihypertensive Drugs: A Cross-sectional Study

Objective: To identify the psychosocial predictors that influence the behavioral intention to take oral antihypertensive drugs. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study, based on the theory of planned behavior. A questionnaire constructed and validated was applied to 220 individuals with systemic arterial hypertension in outpatient follow-up at a public hospital. The chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests, Spearman’s correlation and multiple logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: The participants presented a high intention of taking antihypertensive drugs. The behavioral beliefs (ß = 0.0432; p = 0.0364), subjective norm (ß = -1.5708; p < 0.01) and perceived behavioral control (ß = 2.2809; p = 0.0028) explained the behavioral intention in 33 %. Conclusions: The behavioral beliefs, the subjective norm, and the perceived behavioral control are significant psychosocial predictors of taking antihypertensive drugs and must be valued, individually and jointly, in the health actions targeted at this population.

Explaining the association of race and COVID-19 vaccination intentions: the role of behavioral beliefs and trust in COVID-19 information sources

The development of a COVID-19 vaccine is a critical strategy for combatting the pandemic. However, in order for vaccination efforts to succeed, there must be widespread willingness to vaccinate. Prior research has found that Black Americans, who have already been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, report lower intentions to get a vaccine than do other populations. In this study, we investigate potential causes of this disparity, focusing on vaccine-related behavioral beliefs and trust in four COVID-19 information sources (mainstream media, social media, President Trump, and public health officials and agencies). Using a nationally-representative survey (n=889), we demonstrate that differences in vaccine beliefs explain the lower vaccine intentions reported by Black participants compared to non-Black participants. However, while we find associations between trust in information sources and vaccine beliefs, we do not find evidence that differences in trust accounted for the observed differences in vaccine beliefs by race. Furthermore, we found evidence of moderation; the association of trust in two sources, Trump and public health officials and agencies, with beliefs were smaller among Black participants. Overall, our results suggest that trust in information sources alone does not explain the observed relationship between race and vaccine beliefs. This relationship warrants further investigation.

Attitude of Primiparous Mothers Towards Exclusive Breastfeeding: Application of Indirect Measurement

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding is a very important principle in ensuring the health of infants. Its benefits for the infant, mother, family, and community are emphasized by all experts. The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes of mothers toward exclusive breastfeeding and its related factors.Methods: This descriptive-analytical study performed on 420 women referred to comprehensive health services centers in Tehran. The samples were selected through multistage sampling. The data were collected by a questionnaire consisting of two sections: behavioral beliefs and evaluation of behavioral outcomes and were analyzed by t-test and ANOVA using SPSS 16.Results: There was a significant relationship between attitude, behavioral beliefs, and evaluation of behavioral outcomes in mothers with their age, job, place of delivery and hospitalization of infants. There was also a significant relationship between mothers’ attitudes and behavioral beliefs with their husband’s education and the status of infants (P<0.05), but there was no significant relationship between attitude, behavioral beliefs, and evaluation of behavioral outcomes with other variables (P > 0.05). Findings showed that most mothers' beliefs about the outcomes of exclusive nutrition (increased emotional bond between the mother and the infant, growth and strength of infant's bones and teeth, and infant's immunity to diseases such as diarrhea) were significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion: When designing interventions, efforts should be made to create and maintain a positive attitude toward exclusive breastfeeding through the promotion of behavioral beliefs and evaluation of behavioral outcomes.