ABSTRACT
Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been rising in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a noticeable shift in the way people interact with technology, which could have further contributed to an increase in IGD. Post-pandemic, the concern for IGD is likely to continue as people have become increasingly reliant on online activities. Our study aimed to assess the prevalence of IGD among the general population globally during the pandemic. Relevant studies that assessed IGD during COVID-19 were identified using PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycNET between 2020, Jan 1 and 2022, May 23. We used NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies to assess the risk of bias, and GRADEpro for the certainty of the evidence. Three separate meta-analyses were performed using Comprehensive meta-analysis software and Revman 5.4. In total, 362 studies were identified, of which 24 observational (15 cross-sectional and 9 longitudinal) studies among 83,903 population were included in the review, and 9 studies in the meta-analysis. The risk of bias assessment showed an overall fair impression among the studies. The meta-analysis for a single group of 3 studies showed the prevalence rate of 8.00% for IGD. Another meta-analysis of 4 studies for a single group showed a pooled mean of 16.57 which was lower than the cut-off value of the IGDS9-SF tool. The two-group meta-analysis of 2 studies showed no significant difference between the groups before and during COVID-19. Our study showed no clear evidence of increased IGD during COVID-19 due to limited number of comparable studies, substantial heterogeneity, and low certainty of evidence. Further well-designed studies are needed to provide stronger evidence to implement suitable interventions to address IGD worldwide. The protocol was registered and published in the International Prospective Register for Systematic Review (PROSPERO) with the registration number CRD42021282825.
ABSTRACT
Vaccination has become the most effective way to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As there have been reports of a gradual decline in the protection it offers, many countries have decided to administer booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. In Nepal, booster doses have been introduced to frontline health workers as a priority group. Therefore, this study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude of health care professionals toward booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines in Nepal. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2021 to January 2022 among health care professionals working at public health facilities in Nepal. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify predictors that correlate with knowledge and attitude toward COVID-19 booster dose. P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 300 participants were included in the final analysis. Among the study participants, 68.0% and 78.6% had good knowledge and favorable attitude toward COVID-19 booster dose, respectively. Female health care workers and those who had received a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine had significantly lower odds of having good knowledge of COVID-19 booster dose. Similarly, participants with lower educational levels and those who had received a single dose of COVID-19 vaccination had an unfavorable attitude toward COVID-19 booster dose. Conclusion: This study showed a satisfactory level of knowledge and attitude of health care professionals toward COVID-19 booster dose in Nepal. Health care professionals' positive attitude toward COVID-19 booster dose vaccine is key to the patient and community safety. Personalized education and risk communication can aid in improving overall awareness and attitudes toward COVID-19 booster dose in such populations.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense psychological distress among Health Care Workers (HCWs). HCWs have been stigmatized by people at their workplace and community, fearing that health care workers are the sources of spreading the virus. This study aimed to assess the perceived stress, stigma, and social support of Nepali health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 380 Nepali HCWs. Perceived stress was measured using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). The questionnaire related to stigma was derived from a study conducted to measure stigma among HCWs during the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak. Furthermore, perceived social support was measured by Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3). Associated factors were examined using Chi-square tests followed by multivariate logistic regression analyses at the significance level of 0.05. This study illustrated that nearly half (44.2%) of the respondents perceived poor social support. Similarly, almost 3% of the HCWs experienced high perceived stress, whereas 87.6% perceived moderate stress, and 35% of the HCWs felt stigmatized. Nepali healthcare workers experienced perceived stress, social stigma, and social support in various severity levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 emergency is emotionally difficult and where psychological distress can jeopardize outcomes and affect work performance. Appropriate psychological interventions are needed to promote the mental well-being of the healthcare workers.
ABSTRACT
Positive deviance is an approach wherein learnings from persons who fare better than their peers under similar circumstances are used to enable behavioral and social change. Such behaviors and solutions are likely affordable, acceptable, sustainable, and fit into the socio-cultural milieu. Despite the wide use of positive deviance in many public health programs and research, it has yet to be used to study frontline workers in the context of COVID-19. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the positive deviance traits among frontline health workers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal. This qualitative study followed a grounded theory approach. The data was collected through in-depth interviews among the 17 identified participants representing different cadres of the health workforce, types of health facilities, and regions across Nepal purposively. The findings are structured around four major themes: challenges, finding solutions and innovations, positive lessons, and motivations. The personal challenges included fear and anxiety about the uncertainties. The professional challenges included stigma, infection control, and changing work style with the use of personal protective equipment. Despite the challenges, they managed available resources and innovated low-cost, technological, and practice-based solutions. They were able to reflect upon the positive lessons learned, such as self-sustainability, teamwork, and policy direction and research, and self-reflection of personal growth and patient care. The intrinsic motivation included their inherent value system, and the extrinsic motivation included appreciation and acknowledgment, family and social support, psychosocial support from peers, and support from higher authorities. This study provides insights into how the positive deviance approach can help identify the solution amid the most challenging circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic in low-resource settings. However, more extensive studies are warranted to explore deeper into positive deviance and its long-term effects in bringing positive outcomes during the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global public health crisis. Preventive measures to tackle the deadly virus are influenced by people's knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward COVID-19. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice toward COVID-19 among Nepalese residents in Nepal. Methodology: A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 755 Nepalese residents across all seven provinces of Nepal. The questionnaire used to determine the KAP of the participants was derived from a previous study conducted in Nepal. Descriptive analysis was done to identify the distribution of socio-economic and demographic characteristics of participants. Factors associated with residents' KAP regarding COVID-19 were examined using Chi-square tests at the significance level of 0.05. Results: The mean age of the participants was 24.6 years. At the time of data collection, 8.2% of the participants had their families in isolation or quarantine center. In this study, 76.4%, 58.0%, and 63.6% of the participants had a good knowledge level, attitude level, and practice level respectively regarding COVID-19. Occupation and marital status were significantly associated with knowledge, attitude, and practice level. Age was significantly associated with knowledge and attitude level. Those participants who had their family members in quarantine were found to have a good level of preventive practice. The knowledge-attitude (rka = 0.184, p < 0.001), attitude-practice (rap = 0.125, p < 0.001) and knowledge-practice (rkp = 0.07, p < 0.05) were positively correlated in this study. Conclusion: This study showed satisfactory awareness regarding COVID-19 among Nepalese residents. Community-based health education programs should be promoted to develop a positive attitude toward healthy practices to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic or any future health crisis.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense psychological distress among Health Care Workers (HCWs). HCWs have been stigmatized by people at their workplace and community, fearing that health care workers are the sources of spreading the virus. This study aimed to assess the perceived stress, stigma, and social support of Nepali health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 380 Nepali HCWs. Perceived stress was measured using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). The questionnaire related to stigma was derived from a study conducted to measure stigma among HCWs during the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak. Furthermore, perceived social support was measured by Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3). Associated factors were examined using Chi-square tests followed by multivariate logistic regression analyses at the significance level of 0.05. This study illustrated that nearly half (44.2%) of the respondents perceived poor social support. Similarly, almost 3% of the HCWs experienced high perceived stress, whereas 87.6% perceived moderate stress, and 35% of the HCWs felt stigmatized. Nepali healthcare workers experienced perceived stress, social stigma, and social support in various severity levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 emergency is emotionally difficult and where psychological distress can jeopardize outcomes and affect work performance. Appropriate psychological interventions are needed to promote the mental well-being of the healthcare workers.