ABSTRACT
Background@#The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted students' lives and daily routines, resulting in increased stress and mental health issues that impact their perceived life satisfaction and self-efficacy. While life satisfaction and self-efficacy may influence student academic performance and success, current data on life satisfaction and self-efficacy in Filipino occupational therapy students is limited. Objectives: This study aims to describe the life satisfaction and self-efficacy level of occupational therapy students at a university in Metro Manila, Philippines, during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore the relationship between these two variables. @*Methods@#The study adopted an analytic cross-sectional study design and records review methodology utilizing the Student Life Survey 2021 database. Data from the survey participants who fit the study's inclusion criteria were extracted to determine their life satisfaction and self-efficacy based on their responses on the Satisfaction with Life Scale and Self-Efficacy Formative Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics using measures of central tendency and dispersion were used to analyze data. Spearman-Rho correlation analysis was performed to examine the correlation between participants’ life satisfaction and self-efficacy.@*Results@#A total of 205 occupational therapy students completed the survey. Results reveal that the participants were slightly dissatisfied with their lives (M=18.45; SD=1.52) and that they had satisfactory or adequate self-efficacy (M=64.66; SD=1.37). An analysis of their self-efficacy scores reveals that participants had a poor belief in their personal ability (M=37.71; SD=1.33) and a satisfactory or adequate belief that their ability can grow with effort (M=26.92; SD=1.32). Life satisfaction and self-efficacy were found to decrease as the participants’ year level increased. Furthermore, correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant moderate correlation between participants’ life satisfaction and self-efficacy (⍴=0.40, p<0.05).@*Conclusion@#The participants have a slightly dissatisfied level of life satisfaction and a satisfactory or adequate level of self-efficacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Life satisfaction and self-efficacy were found to have moderate correlation. Online learning adjustments, pandemic restrictions, and societal expectations are factors that may have influenced these findings, as emphasized in existing studies. This study may inform the academe in modifying existing learning environments and providing enhancement programs to deliberately target these constructs influencing overall academic performance.
Subject(s)
Self EfficacyABSTRACT
@#Introduction: Rice is the principle staple and energy source for nearly half the world’s population and has significant nutrition and health implications. Most rice varieties are considered high glycaemic index (GI) foods. With rice being a major contributor to the glycaemic load in Asian populations, there is increasing concern of its impact on the development of type 2 diabetes. Devising ways to reduce the glycaemic impact of rice is therefore imperative. Rice is cooked in a variety of ways, such as over an open fire, electric cooker or microwave. We evaluated the impact of the electric cooker and microwave cooking methods on starch digestibility in a variety of rice commonly consumed in Asia. Methods: Nine rice varieties of varying GIs were cooked in an electric cooker and microwave oven, and the starch digestibility of cooked rice measured using an in vitro digestion method. Results: High GI white rice (WR) had reduced starch digestibility after microwave cooking compared to electric cooker (p<0.05). There was a significant reduction in incremental area under the curves (iAUC) and rapidly digestible starch of WR cooked using microwave rather than electric cooker (p<0.05). Interestingly, even for low GI rice varieties such as iddly rice and extra long basmati rice, microwaving increased slowly digestible starch. Conclusion: The results provide indicative data that the glycaemic impact of rice can be reduced when cooked using a microwave oven. These observations have nutritional implications that need to be substantiated using in vivo studies. Microwaving may provide a simple method of reducing the postprandial glycaemia of high GI rice.