ABSTRACT
About half of the world's population requires the services of a dentist. However, the in-depth understanding of the concerns and priorities of the global public and scientific communities concerning dentists is essential for the planning and development of sustainable strategies, interventions, and policies that will cater for the current global oral health needs. Therefore, this study investigated the global search and research interests on dentists using a hybrid research design - a combination of infoveillance and bibliometric research designs. The data analysed in this study were obtained from Google Trends and SCOPUS. The findings show that, over the years, there has been a significant growth in the volume of information search and research outputs on dentists with huge inequalities existing between the Global South and North. It is also notable that the COVID-19 pandemic played a significantly influential role in the global information search and dissemination trends on dentists. The knowledge and funding for dentist-related research flow significantly from the countries of the Global North. The review of the network visualisation of keyword co-occurrence revealed a misplaced priority in the global research interest areas on dentists and oral health. The obtained findings could help to shape the future of dental healthcare and policy.
ABSTRACT
Background Physical inactivity accounts for 16.6% of deaths in the United Kingdom. This study aims to review the recent (2016-2021) systematic reviews (SRs) on the facilitators and barriers to physical activity (PA) participation among (UK)-based adults. Methods Using the Participants, Interventions, Comparators, and Outcomes framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses strategy, a SR of SRs of studies on the facilitators and barriers to PA among (UK)-based adults, published between 2016 and December 3, 2021, in the PubMed, SCOPUS, or Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, was done. Results Three SRs (each published in 2016, 2019, and 2021) were included and reviewed in the study. None of the reviewed SR included a study conducted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic;also, a paucity of primary studies on PA among (UK)-based adult black, Asian, and ethnic minorities populations was recorded. Having a knowledge/appreciation of the benefits of PA, having the opportunity for social interaction/participation and PA-related support, and having a safe environment for PA were the persistently reported facilitators to PA among (UK)-based adults. On the other hand, having language difficulties/language barrier, lack of time, and having underlying health problems were the persistently reported barriers to PA among them. Not all the included SRs received project funding. Conclusion The outcomes of this study had identified contemporary research gaps regarding the current challenges related to PA among (UK)-based adults. It is a fact that COVID-19 has come to stay in the (UK) and, as a result, it has affected ways of living, especially PA;hence, there is an imminent need for a SR to collate current primary evidence, with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, on the facilitators and barriers of PA among (UK)-based adults.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Africa is an urgent public health crisis. Estimated models projected over 150,000 deaths and 4,600,000 hospitalizations in the first year of the disease in the absence of adequate interventions. Therefore, electronic contact tracing and surveillance have critical roles in decreasing COVID-19 transmission; yet, if not conducted properly, these methods can rapidly become a bottleneck for synchronized data collection, case detection, and case management. While the continent is currently reporting relatively low COVID-19 cases, digitized contact tracing mechanisms and surveillance reporting are necessary for standardizing real-time reporting of new chains of infection in order to quickly reverse growing trends and halt the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to describe a COVID-19 contact tracing smartphone app that includes health facility surveillance with a real-time visualization platform. The app was developed by the AFRO (African Regional Office) GIS (geographic information system) Center, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency preparedness and response team. The app was developed through the expertise and experience gained from numerous digital apps that had been developed for polio surveillance and immunization via the WHO's polio program in the African region. METHODS: We repurposed the GIS infrastructures of the polio program and the database structure that relies on mobile data collection that is built on the Open Data Kit. We harnessed the technology for visualization of real-time COVID-19 data using dynamic dashboards built on Power BI, ArcGIS Online, and Tableau. The contact tracing app was developed with the pragmatic considerations of COVID-19 peculiarities. The app underwent testing by field surveillance colleagues to meet the requirements of linking contacts to cases and monitoring chains of transmission. The health facility surveillance app was developed from the knowledge and assessment of models of surveillance at the health facility level for other diseases of public health importance. The Integrated Supportive Supervision app was added as an appendage to the pre-existing paper-based surveillance form. These two mobile apps collected information on cases and contact tracing, alongside alert information on COVID-19 reports at the health facility level; the information was linked to visualization platforms in order to enable actionable insights. RESULTS: The contact tracing app and platform were piloted between April and June 2020; they were then put to use in Zimbabwe, Benin, Cameroon, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Sudan, and their use has generated some palpable successes with respect to COVID-19 surveillance. However, the COVID-19 health facility-based surveillance app has been used more extensively, as it has been used in 27 countries in the region. CONCLUSIONS: In light of the above information, this paper was written to give an overview of the app and visualization platform development, app and platform deployment, ease of replicability, and preliminary outcome evaluation of their use in the field. From a regional perspective, integration of contact tracing and surveillance data into one platform provides the AFRO with a more accurate method of monitoring countries' efforts in their response to COVID-19, while guiding public health decisions and the assessment of risk of COVID-19.