ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic influenced the lives of university students all across the globe. Indeed, the pandemic has impacted many aspects of their daily routine, changing their social and health habits and food-related behaviors. There is now no approved therapy, and vaccination is the only clinical preventative measure that provides the highest protection against the virus. While these vaccines have been beneficial in curbing the pandemic's effect, they may also influence food-related behaviors. Accordingly, this paper aims to investigate the impact of vaccination availability on university students' food shopping and consumption habits, vaccine-related opinions, and back on-campus behaviors in Jordan. The research is based on an online survey conducted in Jordan using a structured questionnaire and distributed through Google Forms between January 1 and March 20, 2022. A total of 624 valid answers were collected. The findings revealed no significant changes in the way students consumed, shopped, and handled food compared to the pre-vaccine period. However, there is a slight post-vaccine trend toward shopping more groceries online and ordering more meals via delivery apps and takeout services. Regarding health-related food choices, there was an increase in the consumption of healthy food, water, and fruits and vegetables. Further, following the availability of the vaccination, students' adoption of COVID-19 food-related habits was maintained. Gender, engagement in food preparation activities, and living status (e.g., whether or not living with parents) substantially affected several food-related behaviors. The findings are expected to guide both current emergency preparations and long-term food-related policies in Jordan. This information may also be helpful to researchers interested in the effects of COVID-19 vaccination on student nutrition and related food behaviors.
ABSTRACT
BackgroundPregnant women are at a higher risk of food poisoning compared to the general population. This can be detrimental to both the mother and the fetus. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and risk perception of basic food safety and handling among pregnant women in Jordan amid the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study among pregnant women in Jordan was conducted using an online questionnaire between November 2020 and January 2021. The survey included socio-demographic data, food safety knowledge, and risk perception questions as well as COVID-19 related questions. A total score for food safety awareness out of 50 was derived for each participant based on the sum of scores from all domains. Student t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were conducted using SPSS (Version 26) to compare the mean sum of correct responses of every section (knowledge score) by sociodemographic characteristics. ResultsA total of 325 participants completed the web-based survey. Most of the participants reported receiving food safety-related information during pregnancy (64.9%). The mean total score for the participants was 23.3 +/- 4.6 out of 50 (score percentage 46.6%). Participants were mostly aware of foodborne diseases (82.7%) followed by cleaning and sanitation (51.2%), and personal hygiene (49.1%). The least amount of awareness was observed in the cross-contamination (35.0%), food consumption and safety (35.0%), and temperature control (32.8%) domains. Older participants and those with higher education had significantly higher mean scores (p < 0.001). Most participants agreed that the pandemic had a positive impact on enhancing the measures taken to maintain food safety during the pandemic. ConclusionsThis study identified gaps in food safety-related knowledge. Educational programs for pregnant women need robust reinforcement within the community. Efficient educational approaches related to food safety should be provided by health care providers and local health authorities. While the COVID-19 pandemic persists, pregnant women must be well-educated about the virus and its prevention strategies to avoid being infected and ensure their baby's safety as well as their own.
ABSTRACT
Human safety needs careful attention to minimize the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic, which signifies a crucial political, scientific, political, and public health concern across the globe. The purposes of this study were to assess the knowledge, attitude, communication, commitment, and behavioral practices of universities’ students in UAE towards COVID-19, and the influences of the students' knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19 on their communication, commitment, and behavioral practices using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). In this cross-sectional study, 995 university students in UAE completed an online-based questionnaire. In general, the respondents had good COVID-19 knowledge (71.4%), attitude (70%), behavioral practices (77.2%), and very good commitment (80.4 %)., while communication was moderate (67.6%), and it has been found a significant relationship between student’s knowledge and attitude coupled with their behavioral patterns towards the epidemics and pandemic of COVID-19. There was a significant correlation between the knowledge and attitude of students with their behavior towards COVID-19. Significant relationships were found between the COVID-19 knowledge and attitude of the students with their commitment/communication and between communication and commitment of the students with their behavioral practices. The latter variable acted as partial mediators in the relationships between the students' knowledge and attitude with their behavioral practices. The results of this study approved that communication and commitment are important variables in COVID-19 management and preparedness to translate the COVID-19 knowledge and attitude into proactive behavioral practices. © 2021, Academy of Strategic Management Journal. All Rights Reserved.