One Earth, One Humanity Versus the Virus: Examining the Global COVID-19 Social Partnership Communication Networks on Social Media

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed severe challenges that require collaborative efforts from multi-sector organizations. Guided by an institutional theory framework that considers how both organizational fields and national level contexts affect organizations' social partnership communication, the current study examines the COVID-19-related social partnership communication network on social media. The cross-national study using semantic network analysis and exponential random graph models (ERGMs) first maps the meaning of COVID-19 social partnership network, and then investigates the role of organizational fields and a country's political system, economic system, educational system, and cultural system on the formation of interorganizational communication ties surrounding the relief efforts of COVID-19. Results reveal the importance of the political system-such as the presence of populist government, economic disparity, and uncertainty avoidance cultural orientation in shaping the social media-based social partnership communication network. In addition, NGOs from multiple issue areas are actively engaged in the network, whereas corporations from manufacturing and financial industries are active players.

CHANGING PERFORMANCE OF COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING FOLLOWING A COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN KOREA

Background/Aim: It is easy to predict that the actual COVID-19 pandemic would have had a negative impact on cancer screening activities and the outcomes of screenings, but to date, real-time population-based evidence to substantiate this concern is very scarce. In this study, to understand the changes in the behavior and performance of CRC screening following the COVID-19 pandemic, the indicators of CRC screening processes and outcome measures were compared with both monthly data in 2019 and monthly changes focusing on the peaks that appeared in 2020. Method: This population-based nationwide study used fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and colonoscopy claims data from the Korean National Health Insurance System (NHIS) from 2019 to 2020. Data were analyzed from 15,867,759 subjects in 2019 and 16,155,930 subjects in 2020. We compared the data of CRC screening (FIT/ colonoscopy) of the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020) with those of the same period of 2019. Result: In the COVID-19 period, 3,445,660 (21.3%) subjects underwent FIT, whereas in 2019, 6,490,707 (40.9%) subjects performed FIT (almost 2-fold). Participation rate in colonoscopy after FIT positive fell in 2020 by 36.0% compared with the average rate recorded in 2019 (44.5%). In particular, it was confirmed that the participation rate of the CRC screening further decreased immediately after the COVID-19 peak periods (first and second wave: March 2020 and August 2020). Conclusion: The overall adherences to CRC screening tests decreased substantially during COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, urgent modulation for not only easier access but also planning a restart for CRC screening is needed to address the growing burden of under-detected CRC in Korea.

Home-based workouts in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: the influence of Fitness YouTubers' attributes on intentions to exercise

Purpose: Home-based workouts via fitness YouTube channels have become more popular during the pandemic era. However, few studies have examined the role of social media personae related to intention to exercise. The purpose of this study was to investigate the structural relationships between fitness YouTuber attributes: perceived physical attractiveness (PPA), perceived social attractiveness (PSA), perceived similarity (PS), parasocial relationships (PSRs), wishful identification (WI), physical outcome expectations (POEs), and continuous intention to work out with fitness YouTubers (CIWFY). Design/methodology/approach: This study considered fitness YouTube channel viewers as the unit of analysis. An online survey was conducted to empirically develop and test the research model using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings: The SEM empirical findings revealed that the PSRs were significantly influenced by PSA, PPA, and PS. Also, WI was significantly affected by PPA and PS. Furthermore, POEs were significantly impacted by PPA and PSRs. POEs affected the CIWFY. Lastly, PSRs and POEs mediated the influence of PSA and PPA on the CIWFY. Originality/value: The psychological impacts of exercising to online fitness videos in the era of COVID-19, with its untact (no contact) social norms is timely. The study model demonstrated the fitness YouTube viewers' cognitive path from perceptions toward fitness YouTubers' attributes to behavioral intention. To be specific, the current study demonstrated how three attribution types (i.e. PPA, PSA, and PS) of fitness YouTubers affect viewers' PSRs and WI with fitness YouTubers, along with POEs and CIWFY. Along with health practitioners, fitness YouTubers who want to captivate viewers on their channels might need to consider self-attributes from their viewers' standpoint and should build psychological bonding with viewers. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Mask-Wearing as a Partisan Issue: Social Identity and Communication of Party Norms on Social Media Among Political Elites

This study draws on the social identity approach (SIA), to examine how political elites (i.e., members of the 116th United States Congress) communicated norms about mask-wearing on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Twitter data collected in 2020, we found that Republican members of Congress were significantly less likely to promote mask-wearing than Democratic members. We also observed some variations in norm-conforming behaviors among the members of each party. For Republicans, increased loyalty to the Trump leadership was significantly associated with a lower level of mask promotion. For Democrats, we found some evidence that loyalty to the party predicted higher levels of mask promotion. On the other hand, interactions with out-group members decreased adherence to party norms for both Republican and Democratic members of Congress. These findings allow us to better understand the social-psychological effects of party membership among political elites as well as the importance of leader-follower relationships and intergroup interactions.

Analysis of Dynamic Changes in Customer Sentiment on Product Features After the Outbreak of COVID-19 Based on Online Reviews

Sudden changes in life and work patterns due to COVID-19 have affected customer requirements for the products. Under these circumstances, companies can achieve high profitability and customer satisfaction when they can efficiently identify and respond quickly to changing customer preferences caused by COVID-19. This article presents empirical research on dynamic changes in customer responses for product features caused by the spread of COVID-19 through sentiment analysis based on online reviews. A case study is conducted using new and refurbished smartphone reviews to investigate the dynamic changes in customer sentiment before/during COVID-19. The importance of the result is shown by comparing it to the actual market data.

Serial measurements in COVID-19-induced acute respiratory disease to unravel heterogeneity of the disease course: design of the Maastricht Intensive Care COVID cohort (MaastrICCht).

INTRODUCTION: The course of the disease in SARS-CoV-2 infection in mechanically ventilated patients is unknown. To unravel the clinical heterogeneity of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in these patients, we designed the prospective observational Maastricht Intensive Care COVID cohort (MaastrICCht). We incorporated serial measurements that harbour aetiological, diagnostic and predictive information. The study aims to investigate the heterogeneity of the natural course of critically ill patients with a SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Mechanically ventilated patients admitted to the intensive care with a SARS-CoV-2 infection will be included. We will collect clinical variables, vital parameters, laboratory variables, mechanical ventilator settings, chest electrical impedance tomography, ECGs, echocardiography as well as other imaging modalities to assess heterogeneity of the course of a SARS-CoV-2 infection in critically ill patients. The MaastrICCht is also designed to foster various other studies and registries and intends to create an open-source database for investigators. Therefore, a major part of the data collection is aligned with an existing national intensive care data registry and two international COVID-19 data collection initiatives. Additionally, we create a flexible design, so that additional measures can be added during the ongoing study based on new knowledge obtained from the rapidly growing body of evidence. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic requires the swift implementation of observational research to unravel heterogeneity of the natural course of the disease of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mechanically ventilated patients. Our study design is expected to enhance aetiological, diagnostic and prognostic understanding of the disease. This paper describes the design of the MaastrICCht. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been obtained from the medical ethics committee (Medisch Ethische Toetsingscommissie 2020-1565/3 00 523) of the Maastricht University Medical Centre+ (Maastricht UMC+), which will be performed based on the Declaration of Helsinki. During the pandemic, the board of directors of Maastricht UMC+ adopted a policy to inform patients and ask their consent to use the collected data and to store serum samples for COVID-19 research purposes. All study documentation will be stored securely for fifteen years after recruitment of the last patient. The results will be published in peer-reviewed academic journals, with a preference for open access journals, while particularly considering deposition of the manuscripts on a preprint server early. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The Netherlands Trial Register (NL8613).

Serial measurements in COVID-19-induced acute respiratory disease to unravel heterogeneity of the disease course: design of the Maastricht Intensive Care COVID cohort; MaastrICCht (preprint)

BackgroundThe course of the disease in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in mechanically ventilated patients is unknown. To unravel the clinical heterogeneity of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in these patients, we designed the prospective observational Maastricht Intensive Care COVID cohort; MaastrICCht. We incorporated serial measurements that harbour aetiological, diagnostic and predictive information. The study aims to investigate the heterogeneity of the natural course of critically ill patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Study populationMechanically ventilated patients admitted to the Intensive Care with SARS- CoV-2 infection. Main messageWe will collect clinical variables, vital parameters, laboratory variables, mechanical ventilator settings, chest electrical impedance tomography, electrocardiograms, echocardiography as well as other imaging modalities to assess heterogeneity of the natural course of SARS-CoV-2 infection in critically ill patients. The MaastrICCht cohort is, also designed to foster various other studies and registries and intends to create an open-source database for investigators. Therefore, a major part of the data collection is aligned with an existing national Intensive Care data registry and two international COVID-19 data collection initiatives. Additionally, we create a flexible design, so that additional measures can be added during the ongoing study based on new knowledge obtained from the rapidly growing body of evidence. ConclusionThe spread of the COVID-19 pandemic requires the swift implementation of observational research to unravel heterogeneity of the natural course of the disease of SARS- CoV-2 infection in mechanically ventilated patients. Our design is expected to enhance aetiological, diagnostic and prognostic understanding of the disease. This paper describes the design of the MaastrICCht cohort. Strengths and limitations of this studyO_LISerial measurements that characterize the disease course of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mechanically ventilated patients C_LIO_LIData collection and analysis according to a predefined protocol C_LIO_LIFlexible, evolving design enabling the study of multiple aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mechanically ventilated patients C_LIO_LISingle centre, including only ICU patients C_LI