Alcohol consumption and maxillofacial fractures in times of Covid-19: a cross-sectional study in a cuban university hospital / Consumo de alcohol y fracturas maxilofaciales en tiempos de Covid-19: un estudio transversal en un hospital universitario cubano

Introduction: The consumption of alcoholic beverages reduces the body's ability to deal with dangerous situations and exposes people to trauma. Objective: To determine the association between the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the characteristics of maxillofacial fractures treated at a Cuban university hospital in the context of COVID-19. Material and Methods: An observational, analytical, and cross-sectional study was carried out in the Maxillofacial Surgery unit at the "Carlos Manuel de Céspedes" General University Hospital during the year 2020. Prevalence ratios, 95% confidence intervals and p-values were obtained using generalized linear models. Results: In 58.23% of the cases, fractures were related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The fundamental etiology was interpersonal violence (47.75%), regardless of the consumption of alcoholic beverages. There was a prevalence of patients with nasal fractures (n=98; 55.06%), among which, 35.71% had consumed alcoholic beverages at the time of the trauma. Being male (p=0.005), the lack of university studies (p=0.007), the need for surgical treatment (p<0.001), the fractures of the zygomaticomaxillary complex (p=0.023), and the traumas that occurred during the weekends (p<0.001) or during the month of June (p=0.029) were factors associated with a higher frequency of fractures related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages. There was a lower frequency of fractures associated with alcohol consumption during the months of January (p=0.006) and March (p=0.001). Conclusion: Six out of ten cases were under the influence of alcoholic beverages. There was a greater number of young and male patients, mainly due to interpersonal violence.

Introducción: La ingestión de bebidas alcohólicas disminuye la capacidad del organismo para enfrentar situaciones de peligro y lo predispone a sufrir traumatismos diversos. Objetivo: Determinar la asociación entre el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas y las características de las fracturas maxilofaciales atendidas en un hospital universitario cubano en el contexto de la COVID-19. Material y Métodos: Estudio observacional, analítico y transversal realizado en el servicio de Cirugía Maxilofacial del Hospital General Universitario "Carlos Manuel de Céspedes" durante el 2020. Se obtuvieron razones de prevalencia, intervalos de confianza a 95% y valores p mediante modelos lineales generalizados. Resultados: En el 58.23% de los casos las fracturas se relacionaron con la ingestión de bebidas alcohólicas. La etiología fundamental fue la violencia interpersonal (47.75%), independientemente del consumo o no de bebidas alcohólicas. Predominaron los pacientes con fracturas nasales (n=98; 55.06%), en los que el 35.71% había consumido bebidas alcohólicas en el momento del trauma. El sexo masculino (p=0.005), la carencia de estudios universitarios (p=0.007), la necesidad de tratamiento quirúrgico (p<0.001), las fracturas del complejo cigomático-maxilar (p=0.023), los traumas sucedidos durante los fines de semanas (p<0.001) o durante el mes de junio (p=0.029) fueron factores asociados a una mayor frecuencia de fracturas relacionadas con el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas. Hubo menor frecuencia de fracturas asociadas a este consumo durante los meses de enero (p=0.006) y marzo (p= 0.001). Conclusión: Seis de cada diez casos estuvieron bajo los efectos de la ingestión de bebidas alcohólicas. Existió una mayor afectación de pacientes jóvenes, masculinos, a causa principalmente de la violencia interpersonal.

Latin American perceptions of fear and exaggeration transmitted by the media with regard to COVID-19: frequency and association with severe mental pathologies.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the spread of abundant misinformation by the media, which caused fear and concern. Objective: To determine the association between the pathologies of the mental sphere and the perceptions of fear and exaggeration transmitted by the media with respect to COVID-19 in Latin America. Methodology: The present study has an analytical cross-sectional design that is based on a validated survey to measure fear and exaggeration transmitted by the media and other sources (Cronbach's α: 0.90). We surveyed more than 6,000 people, originally from 12 Latin American countries, who associated this perceived exaggeration with stress, depression, and anxiety (measured through DASS-21, Cronbach's α: 0.96). Results: Social networks (40%) or television (34%) were perceived as the sources that exaggerate the magnitude of the events. In addition, television (35%) and social networks (28%) were perceived as the sources that generate much fear. On the contrary, physicians and health personnel are the sources that exaggerated less (10%) or provoked less fear (14%). Through a multivariate model, we found a higher level of global perception that was associated with whether the participant was older (p = 0.002), had severe or more serious anxiety (p = 0.033), or had stress (p = 0,037). However, in comparison with Peru (the most affected country), there was a lower level of perception in Chile (p < 0.001), Paraguay (p = 0.001), Mexico (p < 0.001), Ecuador (p = 0.001), and Costa Rica (p = 0.042). All of them were adjusted for gender and for those having severe or major depression. Conclusion: There exists an association between some mental pathologies and the perception that the media does not provide moderate information.

COVID-19 pandemic, medical attention, and self-care of patients with type 2 diabetes at a Peru-based hospital: An analytical cross-sectional study

Background: To determine the association between coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), medical attention and self-care of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) at the Archbishop Loayza National Hospital. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study, involved interviewing 181 T2DM patients and recording their actions regarding three aspects–self-care measures, medical care, and spending on medicines–before and during the pandemic. The relationships between the variables were established using descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: During the pandemic, self-care decreased to 37%;26% had access to medical care. Patients in the provinces experienced better self-care (Lima: 35%;Provinces: 61%;p=0.002). Patients with comorbidities also took good care of themselves (with comorbidities: 41%;without comorbidities: 29%;p=0.036). Conclusions: COVID-19 had a negative influence on T2DM patients regarding self-care and medical care. One out of four patients received medical care. Additionally, being outside Lima and having comorbidities were associated with better self-care during the pandemic.

[Analysis with Google Trends and Our World in Data on Global Mental Health in the Context of the covid-19 Pandemic]. / Análisis con Google Trends y Our World in Data sobre la salud mental mundial en el contexto de la pandemia por covid-19.

Introduction: During the covid-19 pandemic, mental health services were unable to cope with the high demand from the population, so many people chose to search the Internet for information that could help them cope with the psychological process they were experiencing at the time. The aim of this study was to characterize the global search trend for the term «psychiatry¼ in the context of covid-19 using Google Trends and Our World in Data. Methods: Descriptive-cross-sectional study on global search trends for Psychiatry in the context of covid-19 under the terms «psychiatry¼, «depression¼, «anxiety¼, «stress¼, «insomnia¼ and «suicide¼ in the category of health, this was conducted over the period 2020-2021 and time graphs were generated. Results: The term «psychiatry¼ remained at a consistently high relative search volume (between 60 and 90), with a significant and gradual search in the month of April. The relative search volume for «depression¼, «anxiety¼ and «stress¼ remained constant with some non-significant fluctuations over the period 2020-2021. The term «insomnia¼ was predominant between January and June 2020, gradually declining in April and remaining constant until October 2021. Finally, the term «suicide¼ had a fluctuating RBV between 60 and 100 during this period. Conclusions: During the study period, the topics related to mental health and the speciality of psychiatry remained constant, with some fluctuating, but not outstanding variations.

[Analysis with Google Trends and Our World in Data on Global Mental Health in the Context of the covid-19 Pandemic]. / Análisis con Google Trends y Our World in Data sobre la salud mental mundial en el contexto de la pandemia por covid-19.

Introduction: During the covid-19 pandemic, mental health services were unable to cope with the high demand from the population, so many people chose to search the Internet for information that could help them cope with the psychological process they were experiencing at the time. The aim of this study was to characterize the global search trend for the term «psychiatry¼ in the context of covid-19 using Google Trends and Our World in Data. Methods: Descriptive-cross-sectional study on global search trends for Psychiatry in the context of covid-19 under the terms «psychiatry¼, «depression¼, «anxiety¼, «stress¼, «insomnia¼ and «suicide¼ in the category of health, this was conducted over the period 2020-2021 and time graphs were generated. Results: The term «psychiatry¼ remained at a consistently high relative search volume (between 60 and 90), with a significant and gradual search in the month of April. The relative search volume for «depression¼, «anxiety¼ and «stress¼ remained constant with some non-significant fluctuations over the period 2020-2021. The term «insomnia¼ was predominant between January and June 2020, gradually declining in April and remaining constant until October 2021. Finally, the term «suicide¼ had a fluctuating RBV between 60 and 100 during this period. Conclusions: During the study period, the topics related to mental health and the speciality of psychiatry remained constant, with some fluctuating, but not outstanding variations.

Análisis con Google Trends y Our World in Data sobre la salud mental mundial en el contexto de la pandemia por COVID-19 Analysis with Google Trends and Our World in Data on global mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Introducción Durante la pandemia de la COVID-19 los servicios de salud mental no pudieron darse abasto debido a la gran demanda, por lo cual, muchas personas optaron por buscar información por internet que los pudiera ayudar a sobrellevar el proceso psicológico que estaban experimentando en ese momento. Objetivo: Caracterizar la tendencia de búsqueda a nivel mundial del término "Psiquiatría” en el contexto de COVID-19 mediante Google Trends y Our World in Data. Métodos Estudio descriptivo-transversal sobre las tendencias de búsquedas de información a nivel mundial de Psiquiatría en el contexto de COVID-19 bajo los términos "Psiquiatría”, "Depresión”, "Ansiedad”, "Estrés”, "Insomnio” y "Suicidio” en la categoría de Salud, esto se realizó en el período del 2020-2021 y se generaron gráficos temporales. Resultados El término "Psiquiatría” se mantuvo con un VRB elevado y constante (entre 60 y 90), habiendo una búsqueda importante y paulatina en el mes de abril. El volumen relativo de búsqueda de "depresión”, "ansiedad” y "estrés” se mantuvieron constantes con ciertas fluctuaciones no significativas a lo largo del período 2020-2021. El término "insomnio” tuvo una predominancia entre el mes de enero y junio del 2020, decayendo poco a poco desde el mes de abril y siendo constante hasta el mes de octubre del 2021. Finalmente, el término "suicidio” obtuvo un VRB fluctuante entre 60 - 100 durante este periodo. Conclusiones Durante el periodo de estudio los temas relacionados con la salud mental y la especialidad de psiquiatría se mantuvieron constantes, con algunas variaciones fluctuantes, pero no resaltantes.

Factors Associated with Perceived Change in Weight, Physical Activity, and Food Consumption during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Latin America

Quarantine and the restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic have generated problems in nutrition and physical condition around the world. We aimed to determine factors associated with changes in perceived weight and lifestyle factors during the COVID-19 quarantine in Latin America, conducting a cross-sectional study based on a survey administered in more than a dozen countries during June-August 2020. Perceptions of weight changes and alterations in other habits were investigated and were associated with social factors and self-reported diseases. Of 8800 respondents, the majority perceived that they had gained weight and had been less physically active. Being female, living in Bolivia, obesity, and stress were factors associated with a higher perception of weight gain. A higher perception of physical activity was also associated with living in Chile, being of older age, being female, having diabetes, obesity, and stress. When living in Paraguay and Mexico, being female, obesity, anxiety, and stress were associated with a higher perception of unhealthy food consumption. When living in Bolivia, women, obesity, and stress were associated with a higher perception of consuming larger food portions. In conclusion, the perceived changes in weight and lifestyle during the pandemic were more evident in women, people with comorbidities, and those with emotional distress. Differences in the perception of weight changes were minimal among Latin American countries. This information suggests the possible metabolic implications in at-risk individuals that should be further addressed by researchers for timely intervention.

Stress, Depression and/or Anxiety According to the Death by COVID-19 of a Family Member or Friend in Health Sciences Students in Latin America during the First Wave

The COVID-19 pandemic generated high mortality in various countries, which may have had an impact on the mental health of young people. The objective of the study was to evaluate whether the death of a family member or close friend due to COVID-19 generated a higher prevalence of depression, anxiety, or moderate/severe stress in university health sciences students in Latin America. This is an analytical cross-sectional study, with secondary data;depression, anxiety, and stress were measured with a validated survey. In addition, data were obtained on the deaths by COVID-19 of family members or close friends, illness and other socio-economic variables. Descriptive and analytical statistics were obtained. It was found that, of the 3304 students, 5.9% (190) had a close relative who had died, 11.2% (363) a distant relative, and 19.8% (641) a friend. According to the multivariate analysis, those students who had a close family member who had died had greater depression (RPa: 1.48;CI 95%: 1.20-1.84;value p < 0.001) and stress (RPa: 1.41;CI 95%: 1.11-1.79;p value = 0.005), in addition, those who had a friend who died had higher levels of anxiety (RPa: 1.20;95% CI: 1.06-1.36;p value =0.005);also, the respondents who suffered from COVID-19 had greater depression (RPa: 1.49;CI 95%: 1.05-2.11;value p = 0.024) and stress (RPa: 1.55;CI 95%: 1.05-2.28, p-value = 0.028). An association was found between suffering from depression, anxiety, or stress, and having suffered the death of a family member or close friend from COVID-19. This finding is an important one for places of education to consider, suggesting a need to generate psychological support programs for students who have lost a loved one during the pandemic, since this could have academic and social repercussions. An association was found between the three mental illnesses studied and the death of a family member or close friend from COVID-19.

The Media and their Informative Role in the Face of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 : Validation of Fear Perception and Magnitude of the Issue

Introduction: The media play an important role in the dissemination of information on the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, it is important to measure whether the population is receiving information that calms it down, as well as whether such news are in accordance with the magnitude of the issue. Objective: To validate a questionnaire that measures the perception of the media and their informative role in the face of COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A validation process for a questionnaire that measures the perception of the magnitude of this issue and whether it generates fear was carried out. The validation was performed by means of a literature search. Moreover, a first version of the scale was developed, which was assessed by 30 experts (physicians, epidemiologists, among others). After this, an exploratory factor analysis and descriptive statistics were performed. Results: Our scale had 13 initial items;however, one of them was eliminated because of its unsatisfactory level of statistical adequacy. Exploratory factorial analysis and parallel analysis suggested three factors. Results of the KMO coefficient (0.833) and the Bartlett’s test of sphericity (4998.5;gl = 66;p<0.001) were acceptable and significant, which justify the exploratory factorial analysis. The correlation between the factors was >0.4 and robust analyses revealed a satisfactory factorial structure (X2=88.0;p= 0.001;IFC=0.968;GFI=0.992;TLI=0.937;RMSEA=0.123). In the descriptive statistics of the 12 final items, moderate and significant correlations between the items were reported (> 0.5). Conclusion: We generate a scale to validate the perception of how people receive information from the media. Thus, this scale can be used to measure the informative role of the media regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and may even serve for other similar public health emergencies.

Job Insecurity According to the Mental Health of Workers in 25 Peruvian Cities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The pandemic brought various problems among workers, one of them being job insecurity, since many lost their jobs and others had the possibility of being fired, which could influence their mental health. The aim of this analytical cross-sectional study was to determine the relationship between job insecurity and mental health among workers in 25 Peruvian cities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously validated surveys were used to inquire about job insecurity and three mental health disorders (depression, anxiety, and stress) as well as other variables. Of the 1855 workers, 14% had moderate or higher levels of stress, 30% had anxiety, and 16% had depression. Having had job insecurity was associated with moderate or higher levels of depression (RPa: 1.71;95% CI: 1.51-1.94;p-value < 0.001), anxiety (RPa: 1.43;95% CI: 1.25-1.64;p-value < 0.001), and stress (RPa: 1.77;95% CI: 1.41-2.22;p-value < 0.001). Depression was also associated with having been fired during the pandemic and associated with eight professions. Anxiety was associated with being a man and having been fired, while stress was associated with three professions. There is a clear association between having job insecurity and suffering from the three mental pathologies evaluated, which highlights the importance of assessing the mental impact.

Basic COVID-19 knowledge according to education level and country of residence: Analysis of twelve countries in Latin America

Introduction Knowing a disease is crucial for being able to fight it, especially in a region in which COVID-19 caused so many deaths, such as Latin America. Objective To determine the association between basic knowledge of COVID-19 and education level according to country of residence in Latin America. Methodology This is an analytical cross-sectional study. Basic level of knowledge was measured through nine close-ended questions (scale validated in Peru). The score obtained was analyzed through performing a crosstab vs. gender, age, education level, and country of residence. Results Of a total of 9,222 respondents, almost all of them knew the common symptoms (99%), modes of transmission (93%), and knew how to recognize which was not a specific symptom (93%). Through the multivariate model, we found that there was no association with gender (p = 0.716) or age (p = 0.059), in comparison with those who had primary or a lower education level. All the other higher education levels had statistically significant scores (all p-values p < 0.001). When comparing knowledge according to countries, and using Peru as reference for comparison, Chile, Paraguay, Mexico, Bolivia, Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Colombia had a better level of knowledge (all p-values < 0.001);however, only El Salvador had a lower level (p < 0.001). Discussion There was lack of knowledge of some topics, difference according to academic degree and country. As Peru was one of countries that obtained the lowest level of knowledge, it could have influenced the fact that it was the most affected country in the world.

A cross-sectional study to assess the level of satisfaction with virtual education in Peruvian medical students

Objectives Education has totally changed in the context of the pandemic. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the factors associated with the level of satisfaction with virtual education in Peruvian medical students during COVID-19. Methods Analytical and cross-sectional study, based on an online survey of students nationwide. We use previously validated instruments to measure the level of satisfaction and stress (EPP-10-c) of students with virtual education. For the associated factors, adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated using Poisson regression. Results Of the 1,878 students surveyed, the median age was 21 years, 57.8% (1,086) were women, 34.8% (654) had a high level of satisfaction with virtual education and 10.7% (202) presented high levels of stress. The factors associated with a low level of satisfaction were attending the fifth year of study, the partial and non-virtual adaptation of the university to virtual education, and a high level of stress. On the other hand, the factors associated with a high level of satisfaction were the education platform used and the study method used. Conclusion Seven out of 10 students presented a low level of satisfaction with virtual education, 1 out of 10 presented a high level of stress. The factors associated with the low level of satisfaction were attending the fifth year of study, the non-virtual and partial adaptation of the university to virtual education, and the high level of stress.

Validity of a scale of Latin American perception of fear and concern transmitted by the media during the pandemic (MED-LAT-COVID-19).

Introduction: The pandemic has caused fear, especially due to the daily disseminated news; however, there is not an instrument to measure this fear in multiple realities. Objective: To validate a scale for Latin American perception of fear and concern transmitted by the media during the pandemic. Methodology: This is an instrumental study. The survey was based on an instrument which was pre-validated in Peru and submitted to 15 experts in almost 10 countries. Subsequently, thousands of people were surveyed in 13 Latin American countries, whose answers were used for descriptive statistics for validation. Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) generated two re-specifications, where four items were eliminated from the original scale. With these changes, the global goodness of fit (absolute and incremental) were satisfactory (CFI = 0.978; TLI = 0.964; GFI = 0.976; AGFI = 0.949; RMSEA = 0.075 and RMR = 0.029). The first factor measures the media exaggeration (three questions); the second, the fear transmitted by the media (three questions); and the third, the fear transmitted by others different from the media (two questions). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was higher than 0.70 for the scale and its factors. Conclusion: The MED-LAT-COVID-19 scale reported a good adjustment. It has eight items in three factors, which could be measured in an isolated way, or along with other tests that assess mental health in the current pandemic context.

Repercusiones académicas de la educación virtual en los estudiantes de Latinoamérica: validación de una escala Academic repercussions of virtual education on Latin American students: Validation of a scale

Introducción el advenimiento de la pandemia de la COVID-19 ha obligado a los estudiantes a poder adaptarse a los nuevos medios de educación. El cierre de los centros educativos ha generado una migración masiva a la virtualidad y, en muchos casos, ni las instituciones ni los educandos se encontraban preparados para esta modalidad. Objetivo validar una escala que mida las repercusiones académicas a consecuencia de las medidas tomadas por la pandemia entre los universitarios de 13 países de Latinoamérica. Metodología estudio de tipo instrumental, analítico y de corte transversal. El muestreo fue no probabilístico y por conveniencia. Se realizaron evaluaciones de forma y fondo. La evaluación de fondo fue realizada por medio de juicio de expertos y se realizó un pequeño piloto para poder evaluar la forma de los ítems. Resultados en el análisis de fondo, el ítem 1 es el más relevante (V = 0,93;IC 95%: 0,82 – 0,98), lo mismo sucede en representatividad y claridad. Además, en el análisis preliminar de los ítems se aprecia que el ítem 6 tiene el mayor puntaje promedio (M = 2,67) y el ítem 1 el más bajo (M = 2,19). Respecto a la variabilidad, el ítem 4 (DE = 1,40) muestra la mayor dispersión. La pertinencia del análisis factorial exploratorio se justifica con el coeficiente Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (0,854) y el test de Bartlett (17.716,5;gl = 15;p = 0,000) siendo aceptables y significativos. Conclusiones la escala REP-ACAD-COVID-19-LAT es una escala válida y confiable para medir las repercusiones de la virtualidad en tiempos de urgencia sanitaria como la pandemia de la COVID-19.

Factors associated with the perception of inadequate sanitary control in 12 Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Sanitary control mechanisms differ greatly from country to country. Therefore, it is important to know citizens' perception of different realities. We aimed to determine the factors associated with the perception of inadequate sanitary control in 12 Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is an analytical cross-sectional study. We asked about six perceptions in regard to different situations experienced by inhabitants of 12 Latin American countries during the pandemic. Frequencies according to country were described and associations vs. other important variables were obtained. Results: Out of 8,489 participants, 68% stated that there were moments of collective hysteria. Honduras was the country that most perceived inadequate control mechanisms established by the government. Multivariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences among many of the countries according to the six evaluated items. The higher the level of education, the greater the perception of poor control in five of the aspects. Additionally, men had a lower perception of inadequate control. The older the age, the lower the perception of inadequate control regarding whether there was collective hysteria and shortages of basic essentials. Those with COVID-19 had a lower perception of medicine shortages. Conclusion: The population of multiple realities in Latin America have perceived a bad management of the pandemic. Citizens' perception is an important indicator of the performance of each government during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study may provide valuable information on the relationship between the effectiveness of government sanitary control and people's mental health, which ultimately helps to create objective prevention programs against post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, fear of contagion, and collective hysteria. In addition, governments could use this information to design effective mitigation plans for future unavoidable pandemic events based on the six criteria discussed here.

Revalidation of an ultra-short scale for the measurement of perceived job security in Latin America. / Revalidación de escala ultracorta para la medición de la seguridad percibida para conservar el trabajo en Latinoamérica.

Introduction: Due to the measures imposed by governments to reduce the spread of this new virus, the economic sector was one of the most affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several labor sectors had to undergo a virtual adaptation process resulting in job instability and job loss. The objective of this study was to revalidate an ultra-short scale for measuring perceived job security in Latin America. Methods: A revalidation study was done on a short scale that measures worker's perceived security about losing or keeping their job in the near future. Results: The four items remained on the revalidated scale, where all four explained a single factor. The goodness-of-fit measures confirmed the single-factor model (χ: 7.06; df: 2; p = 0.29; mean square error: 0.015; goodness-of-fit index: 0.998; adjusted goodness-of-fit index: 0.991; comparative fit index: 0.999; Tucker-Lewis index: 0.997; normalized fit index: 0.998; incremental fit index: 0.999; and root mean square error of approximation: 0.036). The scale's reliability was calculated using McDonald's omega coefficient, obtaining an overall result of ω = 0.72. Conclusions: The scale was correctly revalidated in Latin America, and the four items were kept in a single reliable factor.

Introducción: El sector económico fue uno de los más afectados durante la pandemia de COVID-19, debido a las medidas impuestas por los gobiernos para reducir la propagación de este nuevo virus. En consecuencia, varios sectores laborales tuvieron que pasar por un proceso de adaptación virtual, resultando en la inestabilidad o pérdida de empleos. El objetivo fue revalidar una escala ultra corta para la medición de la seguridad percibida para conservar el trabajo en Latinoamérica. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio de validación de una escala corta que mide la seguridad percibida por el trabajador acerca de poder perder o mantener su trabajo en un corto tiempo. Resultados: Los cuatro ítems se mantuvieron en la escala revalidada, también estuvieron en un único factor. Los índices de bondad de ajuste confirmaron dicho factor único: χ2: 7,06; df: 2; p = 0,29; junto a los índices de error de cuadrático medio: 0,015; de bondad de ajuste: 0,998; ajustado de bondad de ajuste: 0,991; de ajuste comparativo: 0,999; de Tucker-Lewis: 0,997; de ajuste normalizado: 0,998; de ajuste incremental: 0,999 y el error cuadrático medio de aproximación: 0,036. En todo momento se mostró un ajuste adecuado. Posterior a eso se midió la confiabilidad, la cual se calculó con el coeficiente de Ω de McDonald, obteniendo un resultado de 0,72.

Perceived Fatality Prior to COVID-19 Infection in 13 Latin American Countries (FAT-LAT-COVID-19): Revalidation of a Shortened Scale

Introduction COVID-19 has generated great repercussions for the population globally;millions of deaths have been reported worldwide. The idea of death is especially exacerbated when there are close to death experiences that remind us how close we are to fatality. This is why it is important to measure fatalistic ideas of those who have not yet been infected. Objective To revalidate a scale that measures fatalistic perception prior to COVID-19 infection in a population of 13 Latin American countries. Methodology We conducted an instrumental study. We used a previously validated scale in Peru, with seven items divided into two factors and with five possible Likert-type responses (from strongly disagree to strongly agree). It was administered to a large population in 13 Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America;for each of the seven questions, 886 people were surveyed. With these results, descriptive and analytical statistics were performed. Results The mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis of the seven initial questions were adequate in most cases. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the lack of fit was improved with the indexes' modification technique, which let us delete items 1 and 6. Thus, we could obtain satisfactory goodness-of-fit indices (CFI = 0.972, TLI = 0.931, GFI = 0.990, AGFI = 0.961, RMSEA = 0.080, and RMR = 0.047). Therefore, the final two-factor structure had a fairly adequate Cronbach's α (0.72, with a 95% confidence interval = 0.70–0.73). Conclusions The scale that measures fatalism of Latin American countries in the face of the pandemic generated by COVID-19 was revalidated and shortened.

Sociodemographic Predictors Associated with the Willingness to Get Vaccinated against COVID-19 in Peru: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

During the race for the development of a vaccine against COVID-19, even before its commercialization, part of the population has already shown a growing fear of its application. We designed an analytical cross-sectional study using an anonymous survey in the 25 departments of Peru. We surveyed whether the participants were planning on getting vaccinated, as well as other characteristics that were cross-checked in a uni-, bi- and multivariate manner. Of the 1776 respondents, 70% (1251) stated that they were planning to be vaccinated, 20% (346) did not know yet or doubted it, and 10% (179) did not want to be vaccinated. We observed that those who did not get infected with COVID-19 exhibited a higher frequency to not wanting or were uncertain about getting vaccinated (aPR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.09-1.81; p-value = 0.008). In contrast, there was a lower frequency of vaccine refusal among university students (aPR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.61-0.92; p-value = 0.005) and healthcare workers (aPR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.44-0.80; p-value = 0.001); adjusted by place of residence. There is still an important percentage of respondents who do not want to be vaccinated or are hesitant to do it, which was associated with educational level, being a healthcare worker and if they were previously infected with COVID-19. Our results could offer useful information about COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.

Visibility, collaboration and impact of the Cuban scientific output on COVID-19 in Scopus.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 is a disease with worldwide impact that has fully caught attention of researchers. The Cuban scientific output, after one year of confronting this pandemic, has not been studied from a bibliometric perspective. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the output of original scientific articles and review articles on COVID-19 published by Cuban authors in the journals included in the Scopus bibliographic database, the collaborations in these publications and their impact, according to the citation of the research in the world literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive and observational study was performed, using a bibliometric approach. A search strategy was used to retrieve articles on the subject and bibliometric indicators of output, visibility, leadership, collaboration and impact were studied. RESULTS: Cuba contributed 2.5% of the Latin American output and 0.2% of the world output. Of the national scientific output (133 articles, 111 original and 22 reviews), 84.2% were authored by a Cuban corresponding author (Cuban leadership). However, the majority (n = 20; 71.4%) of articles with international collaboration (n = 28; 21.1%) had foreign corresponding authors. Of the total, 33.8% (n = 45) corresponded to articles without collaboration. Only 13.5% of the articles (n = 18) were published in journals with high visibility (Q1). Of all the output, 68.4% (n = 91) was in Cuban journals. The output in English represented 29.3% (n = 39) and achieved greater impact than the articles in Spanish in terms of citations. As the visibility of the journals increased according to the quartiles where they are, the percentage of articles published in English and cited articles increased too, but Cuban scientific leadership decreased. CONCLUSIONS: The greater the leadership in Cuban research, the lower its impact, and the lower the indexes of international collaboration. Cuban researchers are not yet able to systematically generate research that has a significant impact on the international scientific community.