ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The 'MED-WELL' programme is a combined exercise and educational intervention designed to promote well-being among medical students and educate students about prescribing exercise as medicine in clinical practice. Due to COVID-19 public health restrictions of social distancing the 'MED-WELL' programme was offered online instead of in-person in 2021. The aim of this study is to compare the experiences of participants in the 'MED-WELL' programme online to those that previously participated in the same programme in-person to understand the student experience and optimize programme delivery. METHODS: Purposive sampling was used to recruit 20 participants to a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Ten study participants took part in the 'MED-WELL' programme when it was offered in-person, and the other ten study participants took part in the programme when it was offered online. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed using Microsoft Teams. A combined inductive and deductive approach was used for analysis. An inductive thematic analysis was utilized to categorize data into higher order codes, themes, and overarching themes. The theory of online learning provided the theoretical framework for a deductive approach. RESULTS: Analysis of the data produced five overarching themes: 'student-student', 'student-teacher', 'student-content', 'student-environment', and 'effects of a pandemic'. The first four themes detail distinct types of interaction that participants had with various entities of the 'MED-WELL' programme and the effects that these interactions had on participant experiences. 'Effects of a pandemic' refers to the context of delivering the 'MED-WELL' programme online during a pandemic and how this mode of delivery influenced participants and the programme. CONCLUSIONS: Optimizing the 'MED-WELL' programme relies on an understanding of how participants interact with different entities of the programme and are motivated to attend and engage. Participants tended to favour an in-person mode of delivery, however certain advantages of delivering the programme online were also identified. The findings from this study can be used to inform similar experiential and educational exercise interventions, and may help plan for potential future restrictions on in-person educational and exercise-based programmes.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Education, Distance , Students, Medical , COVID-19/epidemiology , Exercise , Humans , PandemicsABSTRACT
Digital education is intertwined with matters of global economics, geopolitics, as well as ongoing changes in what counts as knowledge, skills and learning. We have witnessed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic how technology has been embraced within education from online classes to innovative mobile learning approaches and evaluating humanoid robots in education is the next step. Driven by a need to keep pace with the evolving techno- and socio-economic requirements, schools and society are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI) and robots in their daily activity. This paper presents a feasibility case study in digital health education where a humanoid robot was chosen to teach based on its form and function. With an imperative to establish a strong and sustainable learning space, the aim of this paper is to present results and learn about the future of digital health education from humanoid robots being deployed in digital health learning spaces. The paper concludes by highlighting key design challenges in unbundling educational approaches in the context of humanoid robots. It is intended that the outcomes of this paper will extend beyond the COVID-19 pandemic by contributing to the humanoid robot technology discussion that will push towards more futuristic artificial intelligence in and for education.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The successful control of the COVID-19 pandemic depends largely on the acceptance and uptake of a COVID-19 vaccine among the public. Thus, formative research aiming to understand and determine the causes of weak and/or positive vaccination intentions is vital in order to ensure the success of future and current vaccination programmes through the provision of effective, evidence-based health messaging. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was completed by a sample of Irish (N = 500) and UK (N = 579) citizens using the online platform 'Qualtrics'. Participants completed a questionnaire battery comprised of health, attitudes/beliefs, influences, and behavioural intention measures. Demographic information was also assessed. RESULTS: Results highlighted similar rates of vaccine intention among both samples; where a total of 76.8% Irish respondents, and 73.7% of UK respondents indicated that they intended to be immunized if the government advised them to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Overall, 23.2% of Irish respondents reported being vaccine hesitant or vaccine resistant, while a rate of 26.3% of UK respondents reported vaccine hesitancy or resistance. Univariate analysis highlighted that both gender and age played a significant role in vaccine intention, with women under age 30 reporting higher rate of vaccine hesitancy. Multivariate analysis revealed that significant correlates of vaccine acceptance included peer influence, GP influence, civic responsibility, perceived benefit, and positive vaccination attitudes. Those who reported vaccine resistance and hesitancy were more likely to have less positive vaccination attitudes and perceive higher vaccination risk. DISCUSSION: The current sociodemographic and psychological profiles of vaccine resistant and hesitant individuals provide a useful resource for informing health practitioners in the UK and Ireland with the means of enhancing pro-vaccine attitudes and promoting vaccination uptake. The current research shows indications of associations between distrust in the vaccine itself and vaccine hesitancy and resistance. Thus, to effectively design and deliver public health messages that ensures the success of vaccination uptake, it is likely that governments and public health officials will need to take actions to garner trust in the safety of the vaccine itself. Additionally, campaigns to decrease hesitancy and resistance in the COVID-19 vaccine may benefit in targeting altruism to increase willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19.