ABSTRACT
Background Difficulties in exercising have occurred for the entire world’s population during this COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the second wave at the end of 2021. Most worrying is the lack of physical activity in young adults, as lack of exercise will increase the risk of noncommunicable diseases in the future. The youth such as university student can be agents of change, to increase physical activity, from sedentary to sport life. This study aimed to determine the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, and actions of university students and the correlation between the related variables. Methods This study is a cross-sectional observational study involving 458 Asian university students based on Asian and African nationalities. This research was conducted from December 2021 to January 2022, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia. The variables studied were the knowledge, attitudes, and actions of university students with regard to sports, and the statistical test used was the Chi-squared test. Results The results showed that the research subjects were mainly from Indonesia and India (95.8%), there were more women than men (69.9% vs 30.1%), the most common age range was 18–20 years (61.4%), and 45.4% had a normal body mass index. In total, 48.3% had high knowledge, 93.4% had a positive attitude, and 34.7% had good practice. There was a significant relationship between knowledge and attitude (p=0.002) but not with action. Conclusion This study found that good knowledge was associated with a good attitude, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic with activity restrictions on university students, there was no relationship with action. Video Point your SmartPhone at the code above. If you have a QR code reader the video will appear. Or use: https://youtu.be/px8Qw_BHl2E
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The routine examination of vitamin D levels is carried out by checking serum 25(OH)D levels, while serum 1.25(OH)D levels are less frequently utilized. The proposition that testing for salivary vitamin D can show a correlation with serum levels in healthy people is questionable, especially with low vitamin D intake. This study aimed to find the correlation between vitamin D levels, which were assessed as 25(OH)D and 1.25(OH)D in saliva, and serum 25(OH)D and 1.25(OH)D levels in people with low vitamin D intake. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional study involving healthy men and women, aged 18-60 years, carried out from August to November, 2020, in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. The parameters studied were the 25(OH)D and 1.25(OH)D levels in saliva and serum, and vitamin D intake. The statistical analysis used was the Spearman correlation test, performed to determine the correlation between each parameter. RESULTS: This study involved 56 study subjects, who were rural adults (male or female) with a 78.6% deficiency in 25(OH)D found by examining saliva, and a 76.8% deficiency found by examining the serum. All of the subjects were categorized as having low vitamin D intake (less than 15 micrograms per day). The analysis showed a moderate correlation between levels of saliva 25(OH)D and serum 25(OH)D (p = 0.424), and a weak correlation between levels of saliva 1.25(OH)D and serum 25(OH)D (p = 0.339). CONCLUSION: In people with low vitamin D intake, there was a moderate correlation between serum 25(OH)D and saliva, but a weak correlation was found in the 1.25(OH)D assay. The use of saliva 25(OH)D levels to detect 25(OH)D in the circulation is a possible non-invasive alternative to serum testing.
ABSTRACT
The increasing number cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections in the general population in Indonesia raises questions concerning the public's knowledge and attitudes regarding this pandemic. To determine the correlation between the general public's knowledge and attitudes regarding the COVID-19 outbreak 1 month after the first cases were reported in Indonesia. This cross-sectional study was conducted between early March and the end of April 2020 in the general population of Indonesia, beginning with the North Sumatra region, where the spread of COVID-19 in Indonesia began. Questionnaires were randomly distributed online in the red zone in Indonesia. Data were collected by collecting people's responses to the questionnaire, which were distributed via WhatsApp (WA) application and were competed independently by the participants. A descriptive analysis was conducted to describe the demographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitudes of the general population. A total of 201 people had good knowledge (98%) and a positive attitude (96%) regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The respondents had a negative attitude in relation to two aspects of the COVID-19 outbreak: having to always maintain a distance of 1.5 m when in crowds, and not being able to regularly exercise or eat nutritious food (78.6% and 79.1%, respectively). Most people in Indonesia have good knowledge and a positive attitude regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. However, negative attitudes were still found in this study, and as a result, transmission prevention measures cannot reach their maximum effectiveness by simply publicizing the increase in day-to-day cases to the general public.