Serum level estimation of some biomarkers in diabetic and non-diabetic COVID-19 infected patients.

Diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease all raise the risk of hospitalization and mortality in individuals infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Higher levels of flogosis mediators such as TNF, C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-1, IL-6, leptin, and resistin, as well as increased levels of TNF, C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-1, IL-6, leptin, and resistin, define diabetes. The goal of this study is to evaluate the levels of D-dimer, total serum bilirubin (TSB), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), and CRP in diabetic patients with COVID-19 infection to COVID-19 patients without diabetes. Blood samples were collected from individuals with diabetes who had COVID-19 and non-diabetic COVID patients as control. Moreover, D-dimer and CRP were evaluated by using Min Vidus and Latx, respectively, whereas AccEnT 200 system was used to measure the serum level of TSB, GPT, and GOT in the hematology lab. Also demonstrated that the average serum concentration of D-dimer, GOT and CRP was high in diabetic COVID-19-infected patients (980.66 ng/mL, 67.71 U/L, and 27.06 mg/L, respectively) compared with non-diabetic COVID-19-infected patients (791.17 ng/mL, 54.023 U/L and 20.11 mg/L, respectively) (p < 0.05), while the situation was inverse for the average concentration of TSB and GTP when their average concentrations were low in diabetic COVID-19-infected patients (12.89 Mmol/L and 59.79 U/L, respectively) (p > 0.05). Moreover, the cut-off values for serum D-dimer, TSB, GPT, GOT, and CRP of COVID-19-infected diabetic patients were ≥ 6500 ng/mL, ≥ 350 Mmol/L, ≥ 133 U/L mg/L, ≥ 150 U/L, and ≥ 15.22 mg/L, respectively, represented a perfect test for predicting COVID-19-infected diabetic patients with 100% sensitivity and specificity. In conclusion, serum D-dimer, TSB, GPT, GOT and CRP increased in diabetic COVID-19-infected patients compared to non-diabetic COVID-19 patients and the D-dimer concentration also increases. TSB and CRP were more pronounced among diabetic patients with corona, while liver enzyme concentrations were decreased.

Health-Promoting Behaviors among Older Adults with Noncommunicable Diseases in Rural and Urban Areas during the New Normal Post-COVID-19 Era: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis.

This study aimed to develop and test a causal relationship among perceived self-efficacy (PSE), health literacy (HL), access to COVID-19 preventive material (ACPM), social networks (SN), and health-promoting behaviors (HPBs). Multistage stratified random sampling was used to recruit 250 older adults with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) from Thai urban and rural communities. The data were collected with self-reported questionnaires. Data analyses used descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling. The results indicated that participants in urban communities had higher PSE, ACPM, HL, SN, and HPBs than rural participants. The fitness parameters of the modified model (χ2 = 71.936, df = 58, p-value = 0.103, χ2/df = 1.240; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.031; standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.042; goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.964; normed-fit index (NFI) = 0.964; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.993) indicated its suitability as the research model. HPBs were directly positively influenced by PSE (ß = 0.40, p < 0.001), ACPM (ß = 0.24, p < 0.001), HL (ß = 0.19, p < 0.01), and SN (ß = 0.01, p < 0.05). Therefore, taking all predicting variables together could explain 81.0% of the variance in HPBs. Multidisciplinary healthcare teams could use these findings to establish proper interventions or healthcare activities to increase HPBs among older adults, particularly in this era of the "new normal".

Factors Influencing Access to Health Services among Chronically Ill Older Adults with Physical Disabilities in the Era of the COVID-19 Outbreak.

Chronically ill older adults with physical disabilities frequently face difficulties in their daily lives and require essential health service access, especially in the COVID-19 context. This study aimed to examine the association between social support, perception of benefits due to disability and access to health services among chronically ill older adults with physical disabilities during this crisis in Thailand. A total of 276 chronically ill older adults with physical disabilities were included in this cross-sectional study. Self-reported questionnaires were assessed through multi-stage random sampling. Correlations between the independent variables and health service access were examined using multiple regression analysis. Of the respondents, 159 were female (59.6%). Most participants perceived benefits (58.8%) and access to health services (56.2%) at good levels, while social support was at a moderate level (47.9%). Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that social support (ß = 0.351), perception of benefits (ß = 0.257) and age (ß = 0.167) were positively correlated with health service access. The findings are relevant for health care providers and multi-professional teams, who should enhance older adults' social support and perception of benefits to improve their access to health services, particularly among chronically ill older adults with physical disabilities, in the era of COVID-19.

Moderating role of compassion in the link between fear of Coronavirus disease and mental health among undergraduate students.

Background: The societal challenges presented by fear related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic may present unique challenges for an individual's mental health. However, the moderating role of compassion in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and mental health has not been well-studied. The present study aimed to explore the association between fear of COVID-19 and mental health, as well as test the buffering role of compassion in this relationship. Methods: The participants in this study were 325 Iranian undergraduate students (228 females), aged 18-25 years, who completed questionnaires posted on social networks via a web-based platform. Results: The results showed that fear of COVID-19 was positively related with physical symptoms, social function, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. The results also showed that compassion was negatively associated with physical symptoms, social function, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. The interaction-moderation analysis revealed that compassion moderated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and subscale of mental health. Conclusion: Results highlight the important role of compassion in diminishing the effect of fear of COVID-19 on the mental health (physical symptoms, social function, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms) of undergraduate students.

Predicting Antecedents of Employee Smart Work Adoption Using SEM-Multilayer Perceptron Approach

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many organizations to move to telework and smart work (SW), and this practice is expected to continue even later in the postpandemic period. Hence, it is very important for managers and organizations to identify the motivating and deterrent factors in adopting smart work and plan to manage them. Therefore, the present study using an innovative methodology tried to identify and prioritize the factors influencing employee SW adoption. In the first stage, the conceptual model of the research was designed, inspired by the literature. In the next step, using structural equation modeling (SEM), antecedents whose effects on employee SW adoption were confirmed were identified. Finally, the output of the SEM model was considered as the input of the multilayer perceptron (MLP) model, which is an artificial neural network model, to determine the importance of each antecedent in the prediction of employee behavior. The present study provides quantitative empirical evidence that perceived value, institutional and technological support, perceived limited communication, and perceived cost are antecedents of employee SW adoption that are, respectively, important in predicting the behavioral intentions of employees in acceptance of SW. The findings of this study contribute to both the SW and the behavioral intention theory literature. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Health-Risk Behaviors, COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors, and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Working-Age Population of Bangkok, Thailand.

Although studies have extensively discussed the effects of COVID-19 on global health behaviors, little is known about the extent of COVID-19 preventive behaviors and their negative effects on the working-age population of Bangkok, Thailand. Therefore, this study aimed to examine health-risk behaviors, COVID-19 preventive behaviors, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among the Thai working-age population. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among working-age adults through a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression. Of the 313 Thai participants (227 females, 72.5%), 84.0% had high levels of health-risk behaviors for preventing COVID-19 infection, most respondents (89.1%) had high levels of knowledge about COVID-19, and most respondents (61.7%) had high levels of overall COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that health-risk behaviors (ß = 0.445), knowledge of COVID-19 (ß = 0.148), gender (ß = 0.145), and age (ß = 0.133) were predictive of COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Additionally, most respondents (48.9%) had moderate overall effects from COVID-19. Based on our findings, these factors must be considered when implementing public policies to improve COVID-19 preventive behaviors among the currently employed working-age population. In addition, appropriate interventions must be established and evaluated for the pandemic's long-term effects.

Moderating role of compassion in the link between fear of Coronavirus disease and mental health among undergraduate students

Background The societal challenges presented by fear related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic may present unique challenges for an individual's mental health. However, the moderating role of compassion in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and mental health has not been well-studied. The present study aimed to explore the association between fear of COVID-19 and mental health, as well as test the buffering role of compassion in this relationship. Methods The participants in this study were 325 Iranian undergraduate students (228 females), aged 18–25 years, who completed questionnaires posted on social networks via a web-based platform. Results The results showed that fear of COVID-19 was positively related with physical symptoms, social function, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. The results also showed that compassion was negatively associated with physical symptoms, social function, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. The interaction-moderation analysis revealed that compassion moderated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and subscale of mental health. Conclusion Results highlight the important role of compassion in diminishing the effect of fear of COVID-19 on the mental health (physical symptoms, social function, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms) of undergraduate students.

A Development of Counseling Competency for Academic Advisors in Higher Education

Southeast Asia has a high prevalence of mental health problems and a low desire to seek professional help. Low treatment rates in LMICs are also reflected in the lack of readily available treatments geared toward students. In developing countries such as Thailand, academic advisors in higher education play another extra role in providing appropriate mental health counseling beyond teaching, researching, and delivering academic advising to their students. This quasi-experimental research aimed to study counseling’s competency of academic advisors in higher education and develop counseling’s competency of academic advisors in higher education. The sample groups used in this study were academic advisors who worked in a Thai university. There were two data collection stages. In stage 1, 250 samples were selected using a multi-stage random sampling technique for examining counseling competency. In stage 2, 60 samples used in the first stage having counseling’s competency score rating from low to moderate were equally divided into two groups (control and intervention). The results in the first stage showed that the total mean score of counseling competency was moderate. In the second stage, the hypothesis-tested result also showed significant differences in counseling competency outcomes in the intervention and control groups. These findings highlight intervention;the Brief Counseling Competency Training Program (BCCTP) could be helpful for reskilling and upskilling academic advisors’ counseling competency, especially attitude dimension, and implicate set friendly services, a sustainable academic advisor network to support and strengthen these competencies.

Factors Predicting the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Preventive Behaviors of Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Bangkok, Thailand.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the health behaviors of older adults. Thus, the factors predicting the COVID-19 preventive behaviors of older adults during the COVID-19 outbreak should be examined. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the COVID-19 preventive behaviors of older adults and explore the factors predicting these. A cross-sectional study was performed with 400 older adults who were selected using the cluster sampling technique. The associations of all variables in preventing COVID-19 infection with COVID-19 preventive behaviors were examined using stepwise multiple regression. The study results revealed that 70.8% of the study participants had high levels of COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Among these, self-efficacy in preventing COVID-19 infection (ß = 0.224) showed the highest ability to predict COVID-19 preventive behaviors, followed by COVID-19 response efficacy (ß = 0.171), knowledge about COVID-19 (ß = 0.110), and gender (ß = -0.102). Older adults adopted protective behaviors at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The predictors of these behaviors should be considered while designing and developing appropriate COVID-19 preventive behavior interventions, aimed at inducing behavioral modifications to reduce further infection with and spread of COVID-19.

Quality of Life of Older Adults with Physical and Mobility Disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Thailand

Suffering during events such as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens the quality of life (QoL) of older adults with physical and mobility disabilities. This study aims to determine the QoL of older Thai adults with such disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and its predictor. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 360 older adults with physical and mobility disabilities. Data were collected by structured interview questionnaires. Data analyses comprised Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The mean age of the participants was 73.52 years;a total of 58.6% of them were female and 97.8% had completed only primary education. More than half of them had a moderate QoL (63.3%). Self-esteem, age, and perception of the benefits of disability were found to be associated with the participants' QoL (p < 0.05) and capable of predicting it with 54.7% accuracy. As self-esteem and the perception of the benefits of disability were found to be indicators of the QoL of older adults with physical and mobility disabilities, the healthcare providers of such older adults should organize activities that could enhance their self-esteem and the perception of the benefits of disability to improve their QoL, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Intimate partner violence against pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of (intimate partner violence) IPV against pregnant women in the COVID-19 pandemic. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for observational studies regarding the prevalence of IPV against pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. The search was performed with the following keywords: intimate partner violence, domestic violence, battered women, wife assault, partner assault, wife abuse, partner abuse, femicide, domestic homicide, pregnancy, gestation, pregnant women, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, 2019-nCoV, Coronavirus Disease-19, 2019 Novel Coronavirus, Wuhan Coronavirus, SARS Coronavirus 2, Wuhan Seafood Market Pneumonia Virus. Heterogeneity between the studies was assessed using Cochran's Q test and I2 index. In addition, a random-effects model was used to estimate the prevalence of IPV. Data analysis was performed in Stata software version 16. Six articles met our inclusion criteria, which were conducted on 2213 pregnant women. The pooled prevalence of total IPV was estimated at 22 percent (95 percent Confidence Interval [CI]: 4-40 percent). Moreover, the pooled prevalence of psychological, physical, and sexual violence was reported to be 24 percent (95 percent CI: 13-35 percent), 14 percent (95 percent CI: 7-20 percent), and 6 percent (95 percent CI: 4-9 percent), respectively. Publication bias was significant (P = .01). According to the results, IPV against pregnant women has been relatively prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, identifying the women who are at the risk of IPV is essential to preventing the consequences of maternal-fetal abuse and designing strategies to facilitate the reporting of violence during pandemics.

Association between Health Literacy, Self-care Behavior, and Blood Sugar Level among Older Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Rural Thai Communities.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is a major problem worldwide. Moreover, older patients with significantly limited health literacy (HL) tend to have worse self-care behaviors and health outcomes. This study aimed to describe the associations of HL, self-care behavior, and blood sugar levels among older patients with type 2 diabetes in rural Thai communities. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 415 patients with diabetes who were purposively selected from rural Thai communities. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, Spearman rho, and stepwise multiple linear regression. RESULTS: The results revealed that most participants were women (66.50%). The respondents had moderate overall HL (2.68±0.64). On average, the respondents had fair overall self-care behavior (4.0±0.33). We discovered that HL was significantly positively correlated with self-care behavior (r=0.90) but not with blood sugar level. In addition, self-care behavior was significantly negatively correlated with blood sugar level (r=-0.50). Self-care behaviors and blood sugar levels were significant predictors of HL in patients with type 2 diabetes (total variance, 28.4%). CONCLUSION: The results suggested increased HL in patients with diabetes would improve self-care behavior and, consequently, decrease their blood sugar level. Our findings indicate the need to involve nurses and multidisciplinary healthcare teams when developing health promotion programs to encourage blood sugar control.

Health Literacy among Older Adults during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in an Urban Community in Thailand.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed health literacy (HL) and its associated factors among older adults during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included older adults in urban communities in Thailand. We randomly selected a total of 421 older adults and performed multiple logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The average age of the respondents was 70.0±7.1 years. Most respondents were female, married, had a low education level (primary school or lower), were unemployed, and had sufficient income. We observed nonproficient and proficient HL levels in 56.1% and 43.9% of respondents, respectively. The factors influencing HL included attending healthcare services at a tertiary hospital, good accessibility to COVID-19 prevention materials and health information, and provision of a high level of social support from neighbors and health personnel. CONCLUSION: The results of our study provide important information on the outcome of accessibility and social support among older adults in an urban community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, access to health services, prevention equipment, and information was important for people at risk of HL and helped promote good behaviors.

COVID-19 prediction through X-ray images using transfer learning-based hybrid deep learning approach.

Over the past few months, the campaign against COVID-19 has developed into one of the world's most sought anti-toxin treatment scheme. It is fundamental to distinguish cases of COVID-19 precisely and quickly to help avoid this pandemic from taking a wrong turn with a proper medical reasoning and solution. While Reverse-Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) has been useful in detection of corona virus, chest X-Ray techniques has proven to be more successful and beneficial at detection of the effects of virus. With the increase in COVID patients and the X-Rays done, it is currently possible to classify the X-Ray reports with transfer learning. This paper presents a novel approach, i.e., Hybrid Convolutional Neural Network (HDCNN), which integrates Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) architecture for the finding of COVID-19 using the chest X-Ray. The transfer learning approach, namely slope weighted activation class planning (Grad-CAMs), is used with HDCNN to display images responsible for taking decisions. In this study, HDCNN is compared with other CNNs such as Inception-v3, ShuffleNet, SqueezeNet, VGG-19 and DenseNet. As a result, HDCNN has achieved an accuracy of 98.20%, precision of 97.31%, recall of 97.1% and F1 score of 0.97. Compared to other current deep learning models, the HDCNN has achieved better results, and this can be used for diagnosis purpose after proper approvals.

Healthcare Workers' Burdens During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: The global healthcare system is continuing to confront major challenges during the current COVID-19 pandemic, with the second wave the deadliest one to date. This study aimed to identify and explore the challenges and burdens of frontline healthcare workers during the current pandemic, and to help prepare workforce support plans for them now and in the future. METHODS: A qualitative systematic review method involving thematic synthesis without meta-analysis was used to analyze relevant studies from five databases from November 2020 to February 2021: MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL Complete, Embase through Ovid, Scopus, and Web of Science. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program Qualitative Research Checklist appraisal tools. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement. The informants are healthcare workers working at the frontlines and providing care to COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: Ten studies revealed the burden of healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with having the related challenges experienced by 498 participants (doctors, nurses, pediatric nurses, paramedical staff, support staff, and physiotherapists). Our findings fell into four main themes as follows: inadequate preparedness; emotional challenges; insufficient equipment and information; and work burnout. CONCLUSION: The study results demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on all aspects of life, especially for healthcare providers, who work on the frontlines. The pandemic has affected the frontline workers' physical and psychological health, causing them to experience emotional distress such as fear, anxiety, depression, and stress. In addition, the pandemic can increase posttraumatic stress disorder, leading to burnout and discontinuity of healthcare workloads to ensure the patients' safety and the high quality of care provided to the patients.

The impact of COVID-19 on university students' academic motivation, social connection, and psychological well-being

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted our daily lives. Public health officials are encouraging restrictions on social gatherings, limiting the amount of time and number of people individuals can interact with in-person. However, people have an innate need for belonging, and social isolation can exacerbate psychological distress. Due to school closings, students have shifted to online learning, which may foster feelings of detachment from their respective schools and impact students' motivation to continue learning in an online context. In the present study, we surveyed N = 238 undergraduate students to assess the relationships between academic motivation, sense of belonging to their university, and COVID-19-related distress. Correlational analyses revealed positive relationships between academic motivation and sense of belonging, and negative relationships between these two variables and COVID-19-related distress. A multiple linear regression demonstrated that sense of belonging and socioeconomic status negatively associated with COVID-19-related distress. Believing that online learning is as effective as in-person learning did not moderate the relationship between the sense of belonging and academic motivation. We discuss implications for colleges and universities to improve students' psychological well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Immunotherapy of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) following COVID-19 through mesenchymal stem cells.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a new type of coronavirus causing coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) that was first observed in Wuhan, China, in Dec. 2019. An inflammatory immune response targeting children appeared during the pandemic, which was associated with COVID-19 named multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Characteristics of MIS-C include the classic inflammation findings, multi-organ dysfunction, and fever as the cardinal feature. Up to now, no specific therapy has been identified for MIS-C. Currently, considerable progress has been obtained in the MIS-C treatment by cell therapy, specially Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Unique properties have been reported for MSCs, such as various resources for purification of cell, high proliferation, self-renewal, non-invasive procedure, tissue regenerator, multidirectional differentiation, and immunosuppression. As indicated by a recent clinical research, MSCs have the ability of reducing disease inflammation and severity in children with MIS-C. In the present review study, the benefits and characteristics of MSCs and exosomes are discussed for treating patients with MIS-C.

Asymmetric impact of temperature on COVID-19 spread in India: Evidence from quantile-on-quantile regression approach.

The emergence of new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has become a significant public health issue worldwide. Some researchers have identified a positive link between temperature and COVID-19 cases. However, no detailed research has highlighted the impact of temperature on COVID-19 spread in India. This study aims to fill this research gap by investigating the impact of temperature on COVID-19 spread in the five most affected Indian states. Quantile-on-Quantile regression (QQR) approach is employed to examine in what manner the quantiles of temperature influence the quantiles of COVID-19 cases. Empirical results confirm an asymmetric and heterogenous impact of temperature on COVID-19 spread across lower and higher quantiles of both variables. The results indicate a significant positive impact of temperature on COVID-19 spread in the three Indian states (Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka), predominantly in both low and high quantiles. Whereas, the other two states (Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh) exhibit a mixed trend, as the lower quantiles in both states have a negative effect. However, this negative effect becomes weak at middle and higher quantiles. These research findings offer valuable policy recommendations.

Assessment of the Health-Promoting Behaviors of Hospitalized Patients with Non-Communicable Diseases During the Second Wave of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the health-related behaviors of patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Thus, the factors predicting the health-promoting behaviors (HPBs) of hospitalized patients with NCDs during the second wave of COVID-19 should be examined. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to determine the relationships among the patients' characteristics, perceived self-efficacy, social support, perception of the benefits of and barriers, and HPBs, and to determine the predictive factors of HPBs among hospitalized patients with NCDs during the second wave of COVID-19. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study had a cross-sectional predictive correlational design and included 250 patients with NCDs 18 years of age or older hospitalized in a tertiary hospital in Thailand. Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, the Pearson's correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Most of the participants had a cardiovascular disease (34.0%). Followed by diabetes (28.8%), cancer (11.2%), hypertension (10.0%), heart disease (9.6%), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (6.4%) and had a moderate level of overall HPBs (M = 106.09; SD = 4.66). Among the six components of the HPBs, the participants achieved the moderate levels in nutrition, interpersonal relations, spiritual growth, and stress management, and low levels in physical-activity and health responsibility. The patients' perception of the benefits and barriers to the adoption of HPBs and perceived self-efficacy and social support were able to predict their HPBs, accounting for approximately 38.0% of the variance of such behaviors. CONCLUSION: On the basis of our study's results, we suggest that researchers, multidisciplinary teams, the government, and policymakers establish effective interventions, guidelines, and policies for the development of HPBs to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 particularly among patients with NCDs, and to improve their capacity for high-quality and continuing self-care.

Factors Associated with Good COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors Among Older Adults in Urban Communities in Thailand.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected mobility and mortality entire age, especially older adults. The COVID-19 preventive behaviors among older adults during the pandemic should be determined. To our knowledge, little is known about the preventive behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic among older adults living in urban areas in Thailand and the factors predicted to their behavior. Hence, the present study aimed to assess COVID-19 preventive behaviors among older adults and to identify the associated factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 421 participants aged ≥60 years. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, binary and multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: We found that 321 (72.6%) of the participants had good COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Moreover, 83.4% of the participants had good family support and 58.2% had easy access to health information. Only sufficient income (odds ratio [OR]: 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-2.97), easy access to health services (OR: 3.66, 95% CI: 1.42-9.45) and protective material (OR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.14-3.45), and good family support (OR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.10-3.82) were associated with good COVID-19 preventive behaviors. In contrast, health literacy, access to health information, and neighbor and health personnel support were not associated with COVID-19 preventive behaviors. CONCLUSION: Based on the present results, interdisciplinary healthcare teams should consider social support, and access to healthcare when developing interventions for encouraging and promoting health outcomes in order to improve physical and psychological COVID-19 preventive behaviors, particularly among elderly people living in urban communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.