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The research subject of this paper is the analysis of the attitudes of employees in pharmaceutical companies towards the business aspects of the pharmaceutical industry during and after the end of the pandemic in the Republic of Serbia. The aim is to examine the differences in the attitudes of employees, as well as to determine which variables predict the situations of endangering the professional reputation of pharmaceutical companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was conducted by means of a survey during 2021 on a sample of 27 innovative and generic pharmaceutical companies. We used the SPSS program for descriptive statistics analysis, chi square test and binary logistic regression models. The findings show that there is a statistically significant difference in the expressed attitudes of employees in innovative and generic pharmaceutical companies in terms of coming to the office during the pandemic;the lack of medicines and medical devices used in the treatment of COVID-19 infections;the patient access to a chosen doctor;the expectations of the employees to continue working from home after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of the binary regression models show the slowdown in the supply chain, the access to doctors and working from the home office have not been perceived as creating situations of endangering professional reputations, that is, they contribute to the sustainable economic success. On the other hand, the introduction of digital technologies decreases the occurrence of conditions in which their professional reputation has been threatened.
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Background. Nurses' high workload can result in depressive symptoms. However, the research has underexplored the internal and external variables, such as organisational support, career identity, and burnout, which may predict depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses via machine learning (ML). Aim. To predict nurses' depressive symptoms and identify the relevant factors by machine learning (ML) algorithms. Methods. A self-administered smartphone questionnaire was delivered to nurses to evaluate their depressive symptoms;1,431 questionnaires and 28 internal and external features were collected. In the training set, the use of maximum relevance minimum redundancy ranked the features' importance. Five ML algorithms were used to establish models to identify nurses' depressive symptoms using different feature subsets, and the area under the curve (AUC) determined the optimal feature subset. Demographic characteristics were added to the optimal feature subset to establish the combined models. Each model's performance was evaluated using the test set. Results. The prevalence rate of depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses was 31.86%. The optimal feature subset comprised of sleep disturbance, chronic fatigue, physical fatigue, exhaustion, and perceived organisation support. The five models based on the optimal feature subset had good prediction performance on the test set (AUC: 0.871–0.895 and accuracy: 0.798–0.815). After adding the significant demographic characteristics, the performance of the five combined models slightly improved;the AUC and accuracy increased to 0.904 and 0.826 on the test set, respectively. The logistic regression analysis results showed the best and most stable performance while the univariate analysis results showed that external and internal personal features (AUC: 0.739–0.841) were more effective than demographic characteristics (AUC: 0.572–0.588) for predicting nurses' depressive symptoms. Conclusions. ML could effectively predict nurses' depressive symptoms. Interventions to manage physical fatigue, sleep disorders, burnout, and organisational support may prevent depressive symptoms.
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Numerous studies have captured the experiences of teachers teaching online, but the current 'emergency' to teach online is unprecedented and has been challenging. Grounded in the theory of cognitive dissonance, this paper attempts to recapitulate the experiences of university teachers and analyses whether they have developed the consonant cognitions to teach online during the pandemic period or would they prefer switching back to 'normal' teaching as soon as the circumstances permit. Technology-enabled teaching has been found to be complex as it mandates teaching in a computerised setting and lacks an element of social interaction, which is at the heart of face-to-face teaching. Using Structural Equation Modelling, this study presents the determining factors that motivate teachers to embrace technology-driven teaching more convincingly. The study finds that in the absence of adequate training imparted to the teachers for developing technological and pedagogical knowledge (TPK), high psychological capital and facilitating conditions are the two most important factors ensuring teaching proficiency, creating positive online experiences and a continued intention to teach online.
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The course of a new coronavirus infection is associated with immune system disorders during the acute stage of the desease. Administration of effective etiotropic drugs contributes to early elimination of the virus. At the same time, risks of post-COVID immune system disorders are minimized. The aim of the study was to investigate features of the immune response formation against the background of etiotropic therapy in patients who underwent COVID-19. Material and methods. An observational retrospective comparative study was conducted. The study involved patients with COVID-19 3 months after treatment with etiotropic drugs (riamilovir or umifenovir). The study involved 87 patients (52 women and 35 men) with varying degrees of COVID-19 severity. In accordance with the study design, participants were divided into 2 groups: the first group - 41 patients (received riamilovir during the acute period of the disease);the second group - 46 patients (received umifenovir in the acute period of the disease). Statistical processing of the results was carried out using the Statistica 8.0 software package. Extensive indicators, median (Me) and interquarter range Q25-Q75 were calculated. Statistical significance between the indicators of independent samples was assessed by Mann-Whitney nonparametric test and Chi-square test. P-values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results and discussion. Analysis of clinical and laboratory data showed that after suffering COVID-19, not all indicators of the immune system in patients who had had COVID-19 recovered to control values. However, it is noted that in patients of the main group, which using riamilovir, compared to the comparison group was less likely to be diagnosed with chronic systemic syndrome, inflammation, dysregulation of the cellular link of immunity in the early post-COVID period.Copyright © Eco-Vector, 2022.
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The lack of public spaces, recreational areas, and sports facilities in older city neighborhoods, as well as the importance of people's social and economic well-being, have been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Revitalization is used to update the physical environment of old neighborhoods;it improves not only the physical environment of the neighborhood, but also contributes to ensuring the social and economic well-being of the residents. The article aims to identify which typical revitalization project solutions, only referring to physical environmental improvement projects, improve the social and economic well-being of the residents. To achieve this goal, a statistical analysis of the Žirmūnai triangle residents was performed with obtained survey data. The hypothesized connections between typical revitalization solutions and changes in the social and economic well-being of the population were verified using Pearson's Chi-Square test. The results showed that the public spaces, sports, and playgrounds provided by revitalization were directly related to the social and economic well-being of the residents. As a result of this typical revitalization solution, 17% of the residents experienced an improvement in their economic well-being, 17% of the residents got to know their neighbors, and 95% of the residents indicated that they enjoy living in the neighborhood.
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In response to challenging circumstances, the human body can experience marked levels of anxiety and distress. To prevent stress-related complications, timely identification of stress symptoms is crucial, necessitating the need for continuous stress monitoring. Wearable devices offer a means of real-time and ongoing data collection, facilitating personalized stress monitoring. Based on our protocol for data pre-processing, this study proposes to analyze signals obtained from the Empatica E4 bracelet using machine-learning algorithms (Random Forest, SVM, and Logistic Regression) to determine the efficacy of the abovementioned techniques in differentiating between stressful and non-stressful situations. Photoplethysmographic and electrodermal activity signals were collected from 29 subjects to extract 27 features which were then fed into three different machine-learning algorithms for binary classification. Using MATLAB after applying the chi-square test and Pearson's correlation coefficient on WEKA for features' importance ranking, the results demonstrated that the Random Forest model has the highest stability (accuracy of 76.5%) using all the features. Moreover, the Random Forest applying the chi-test for feature selection reached consistent results in terms of stress evaluation based on precision, recall, and F1-measure (71%, 60%, 65%, respectively).
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Wearable Electronic Devices , Humans , Machine Learning , Algorithms , Random Forest , Data CollectionABSTRACT
Objective: To study the clinical characteristics of diabetes mellitus with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and explore the possible mechanism of diabetes predisposition. Method(s): A single center, retrospective and observational study was used to collect 48 inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 who were admitted to the first ward of the third department of infection, Raytheon hospital, Wuhan from February 23, 2020 to March 30, 2020. Demographic data, symptoms, laboratory tests, comorbidities, treatments and clinical outcomes have been collected. The patients were divided into non-diabetic group and diabetic group according to the combination of diabetes. The clinical data and laboratory test results of the two groups were observed, and the t test, non-parametric test and Chi square test were used for comparison. Result(s): All the 5 patients with COVID-19 diabetes mellitus had fever and respiratory symptoms, chest CT was consistent with typical COVID-19 imaging features, and novel coronavirus nucleic acid test results were positive. There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender composition, co-existing diseases, clinical symptoms, clinical typing, disease course and treatment plan between the diabetic group and the non-diabetic group (P>0.05).There was a statistically significant difference in fasting blood glucose between the non-diabetic group and the diabetic group (P<0.05).The difference of fasting blood glucose at discharge from the diabetes group compared with that at admission was also statistically significant (P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in other laboratory examination indexes (P>0.05). Conclusion(s): COVID-19 patients with diabetes are mainly manifested by fever and respiratory symptoms.Chest CT shows typical COVID-19 imaging features.Copyright © 2020 by the Chinese Medical Association.
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The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected every sector of human activities. The outbreak has not only resulted in the risk of death from infection but has greatly affected the education system globally. While universities around the world have adapted to academic changes because of this pandemic, some other universities such as in Nigeria seem to be far behind. Therefore, this study aims to understand the impact of COVID-19 on students in higher institutions in Nigeria. The study utilizes an interactive survey design to get responses from 1533 respondents who are students of tertiary institutions. Two sampling techniques, namely snow-balling and purposive, are used to administer the questionnaire. The participants are representative samples from across the 6 geo-political zones of Nigeria. The results from the descriptive analysis reveals that 11.6% of the respondents have been able to continue school online and 41.4% have a level of doubt about the ability of their school can adapt to the learning mode occurring globally. Inferential analysis was carried out to understand the association and regression between variables. Results from Chi-Square Test of association show that students from public universities are economically more affected than those from private universities (P-value < .005). The ordinal logistic model considered multiple independent variables. Results from the logistic model showed that the future effect of COVID-19 on career/academic progression of students hold, irrespective of discipline or degree of study or university category or level/year of study. Furthermore, 30% of the students, regardless of their discipline, degree of study, or university category expressed extreme or moderate hopelessness about their academic future concerning the pandemic. The study has shown that the pandemic did not only lead to physical, technological, and economical challenges to education for Nigerian students, but also psychosocial challenges (such as hopelessness and high level of distrust for the existing educational systems) that may affect the way student engage and commit to their education in the post-pandemic world. This provides educational stakeholders including policy makers the adequate data needed to understand how exactly students have been affected and supportive measure to implement as tertiary institutions reopen for learning.
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Depression and anxiety among students in higher education are well-established public health concerns with rates that have steadily increased over the past several decades. The global COVID-19 pandemic caused a need for rapid transition on campuses to online learning, a disruption of research, and uncertainty about meeting program requirements and employment. Graduate students often feel overlooked at the best of times and the potential for the pandemic to worsen this perception cannot be understated. This study examined the rates of self-reported depressive and anxiety symptoms among graduate students who were located at the national epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in the spring of 2020. Demographic characteristics, loneliness, and coping to determine potential risk and protective factors were also examined. A comprehensive online survey was created including the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) 3-Item Loneliness Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7). Descriptive statistics, Pearson's chi-squared test, Spearman's correlation, and unadjusted and adjusted multivariable logistic ordinal regression models were used to describe the sample and to assess factors associated with depression and anxiety. 341 surveys were analyzed;respondents had a mean age of 31.88, 68% were female, 63% were White, and 23% identified as lesbian/gay/bisexual. Approximately 89% of students reported moderate-severe depression, and 76% moderate-severe anxiety. Risk factors associated with depression (p < 0.05) were being "sometimes' lonely”, "often/always lonely”, and time spent searching COVID-19 information. Emotional support, having children, and perceived emotional/mental health were protective against depression (p < 0.05). Risk factors associated with anxiety were "‘often/always lonely”, identifying as lesbian/gay/bisexual, and time searching COVID-19 information. Coping, having children, being born outside of the U.S., and perceived emotional/mental health were protective against anxiety (p < 0.05). Based on study findings, it is recommended that universities include more focused interventions for graduate students in consideration of their unique personal and professional needs. Graduate students are part of the emerging professional workforce and as such employers are also advised to integrate wellness and mental health programs and interventions into their employee assistance programs.
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The nursing staff is more likely to experience drastic stress, which can compromise their physical and mental health and affect the quality of their work. This study aimed to assess the attachment type and affective temperament in connection to the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychiatric hospital nurses. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey utilizing a convenience sample population of 100 nurses who served on the front lines during the COVID-19 outbreak. The key findings showed that most nurses reported moderate attachment anxiety, moderate affective temperament, and mild psychological distress. It is crucial to offer nurses psychological support during COVID-19 through various channels.
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BACKGROUND: food insecurity (FI) is considered as an essential public health problem which may have detrimental effects on people's health. The aim of present study was to evaluate FI, body mass index, quantity and quality of food intake in lactating and non-lactating mothers with children under two years. METHODS: in this cross-sectional study 307 mothers (237 lactating and 70 non-lactating) were participated. Socio-economic and demographic information were gathered by questionnaires. FI of families was evaluated by the questionnaire of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Household Food Security. For assessing quality and quantity of food intake of mothers, dietary diversity score (DDS), diet quality index-international (DQI-I) and nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) were calculated. Weight and height of participants were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Finally, Chi-squared test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear regression were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: in this study the rate of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity in mothers was 0.3%, 39.2%, 42.3%, and 18.2%, respectively. Among the determinants of BMI, household food security status had the greatest effect (Beta=-1.584, P < 0.001) and mother age had the least effect (Beta = 0.101, P = 0.013). Mother's occupational and educational status, having facilities, physiological status of mother, and house size had significant correlation with NAR. Mother's occupational and educational status, and having facilities had significant relationship with DDS, too. Also, the significant correlation of Mother's education, having facilities, and physiological status of mother with DQI-I were found. CONCLUSIONS: we found that Household food security status had the most effect on BMI of mothers. In this study, the best nutrient adequacy and dietary diversity were found in the obese group and the most diet quality was found in the normal weight group.
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Social distancing as a health-related behavior during epidemics and pandemics, can significantly influence their control. In this regard, the identification of the factors influencing behavior change can play a remarkable role in assessing for how behaviors form. This paper is an attempt to show that the extended theory of planned behavior can provide a useful theoretical framework for explaining social distancing in the face of a contagion disease. The results showed that the constructs of attitude, descriptive norms, perceived behavioral control, and self-efficacy significantly influenced the students' intention to adhere to social distancing in the form of university closure. Among these constructs, self-efficacy was found to be the main predictor of the students' intention. Interestingly, the research revealed that injunctive norms were not a significant predictor of the students' intention. Practically, this study is a justification for the use of attitude, descriptive norms, perceived behavioral control, and self-efficacy in planning and decision-making for encouraging students to adhere to social distancing during epidemics and pandemics, like the COVID-19 pandemic. The extended theory of planned behavior is useful in understanding Iranian College Students' Intention toward Social Distancing in COVID-19 Pandemic.
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Depression is a very common mental health illness characterized by a cluster of signs and symptoms ranging from mood disturbances and sleep or appetite disorders to physical manifestations of the body. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of depression and its related factors among Afghan women. A cross-sectional study was conducted among women between July 14, 2021, to August 15, 2021, in Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif and Samangan provinces (Afghanistan). A total of 664 Afghan women participated in the study (mean age = 28.85 years;SD ± 11.57). In order to assess depression among participants, the 19-item validated Dari version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression Scale was used. Approximately four-fifths of the sample had depression symptoms (79.1%). Participants with depression symptoms were significantly more likely to (i) be aged over 30 years, (ii) live in rural areas, (iii) have a low-income level, (iv) not have an occupation, (v) have any disease/illness, and (vi) have experienced an event that had mentally affected them in the past month. Considering the high prevalence of depression symptoms among Afghan women, there is a need to integrate mental health services for women in Afghanistan. The use of interventions including regular screening for depression symptoms, and educating women and girls concerning the symptoms of depression for early self-diagnosis are essential.
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BACKGROUND: In Indonesia, the stunting prevalence has reached 24.4% in 2021. AIM: The study aims to examine the determinants of stunting among children under five of age during the COVID-19 pandemic in the working area of the Liwuto-Primary Public Health Center, Baubau city. METHOD(S): A community-based unmatched case-control study was conducted from January 10, to March 10, 2022, on a sample of 94, cases (n = 21), and controls (n = 73) of children aged 0-59 months with their respective mothers. Data were collected using a face-to-face interviewer-administered questionnaire and physical measurements standard. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 17. The variables were entered into the multivariable model using the backward stepwise regression approach. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with stunting. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) and p < 0.05 was used to declare the significance. RESULT(S): There are 22% of the stunting become in children under 5 years. Stunting children under 5 years was associated with maternal age (AOR = 5.71, 95%, CI: 1.91-17.03). While family income (AOR = 1.78, 95%, CI: 0.17-18.86), exclusive breastfeeding (AOR = 3.95, 95%, CI: 0.14-112.72), complementary feeding (AOR = 1.24, 95%, CI: 0.18-8.55), formal education (AOR = 0.74, 95%, CI: 0.36-1.53), and occupation (AOR = 2.98, 95%, CI: 0.24-36.55) were not associated with the stunting. CONCLUSION(S): Young mother under 30 years old was an important risk factor on the incidence of stunting in children under 5 years during the COVID-19 pandemic.Copyright © 2023 Jumadi Muhammadong, Ridwan Malimpo, Dahmar Karim, Yusman Muriman, Andi Tenri Mahmud.
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ABSTRACT Objective: To look for the psychiatric morbidity and associated socio-demographic factors among patients who tested positive and isolated for COVID-19. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital, Malir Pakistan, from Mar to May 2020. Methodology: All patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and were admitted to the COVID-19 Ward without complications were included in the study. General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) was administered to look for the presence of psychiatric morbidity. Results: Out of 61 patients included in the study, 45(73.7%) showed the presence of psychiatric morbidity, while 16(26.3%) did not show psychiatric morbidity when screened with GHQ-12. 43(70.4%) were male, while 18(29.6%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 35.21±2.355 years. The advanced age and female gender have a statistically significant relationship (p-value<0.05) with the presence of psychiatric morbidity among patients of COVID-19. Conclusion: Many patients had psychiatric morbidity after being tested positive for COVID-19 and were isolated in the health facility. Female patients and patients aged more than 40 years were found to be more at risk of developing psychiatric morbidity among the patients admitted to COVID-19 ward.
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Aim: Data on the outpatient follow-up of COVID-19 cases is still scarce. Also, the significance of the ROX index in decision-making for hospitalization in the ambulatory COVID-19 cases remains unknown. The aim of this study is to determine the general characteristics of COVID-19 patients treated as outpatients and to investigate whether the ROX index is applicable in hospitalization decisions. Material(s) and Method(s): This retrospective cohort study was conducted in confirmed adult COVID-19 cases between 15 October 2020 and 01 March 2021. A total of 5240 confirmed COVID-19 patients were included in the present study. Factors affecting hospitalization were investigated. Result(s): The study population was divided into two groups as those who require hospitalization (n=672) and those who did not (n=4568). The number of male patients and the mean age of the patients were significantly higher in hospitalized patients group (p=0.046, p<0.001). ROX index that was calculated at the home visit on the third day of disease was found significantly lower in the group of hospitalized patients (p<0.001). There was a significant correlation between ROX index and inflammatory biomarkers in the present study (p<0.001). The ROX index was found the most accurate parameter for decision-making for hospitalization in ambulatory COVID-19 patients (AUC=0.794 CI=0.773-0.814, p<0.001). Discussion(s): The ROX index can be a useful and objective clinical tool for decision making for hospitalization in the ambulatory COVID-19 cases.Copyright © 2022, Derman Medical Publishing. All rights reserved.
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Introduction: In patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the prevalence of hyponatremia has been reported with varying outcomes. Objective(s): The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of hyponatremia in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Patients and Methods: In this multicenter cross-sectional study, information about hospitalized patients with COVID-19 admitted between March 2020 and September 2020, including age, gender, and serum levels of sodium, creatinine, and potassium, as well as blood urea nitrogen (BUN), was analyzed, while P value level less than 0.05 was considered significant. Result(s): A total of 667 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were enrolled in the study, of which 54.4% were male. The median age of patients was 63 years old. About 39.4% of patients had hyponatremia on admission day. More than 80% of patients had mild hyponatremia. The median age of the hyponatremia group was significantly higher than that of eunatremia group. Conclusion(s): Our data showed that hyponatremia is observed in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and is often mild.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s);Published by Society of Diabetic Nephropathy Prevention.
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Background Since the outbreak of COVID-19, primary health care workers have been facing unprecedented work pressure, and their occupational stress should be taken seriously. Objective To analyze the occupational stress situation and its influencing factors of primary health care workers in Guangdong Province, and to propose targeted interventions. Methods Using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method, each prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province was classified into "good", "medium", or "poor" category based on its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 released by the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Statistics. In September 2021, four primary health care institutions were randomly selected from each stratum, and a total of 1327 staff members were selected for the study. The Core Occupational Stress Scale (COSS) and a basic information questionnaire designed by the authors were used. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the means between two groups, and Kruskal-Walis H test was used to compare the means among multiple groups. The comparison of categorical data was performed by trend χ2 test or Pearson χ2 test;the analysis of factors influencing occupational stress was performed by dichotomous multiple logistic regression analysis. Results There were 365 health care workers reporting occupational stress in this survey, and the positive rate of occupational stress was 27.5%. The total occupational stress score in M (P25, P75) and the scores of social support, organization and reward, demand and effort, and control were 45.0 (40.0, 50.0), 20.0 (17.0, 21.0), 14.0 (12.0, 17.0), 12.0 (10.0, 15.0), and 5.0 (4.0, 6.0), respectively. The results of dichotomous multiple logistic regression analysis showed that high education, low income, doctor positions, long working hours in a day, and shift work were associated with the occurrence of reporting occupational stress (P<0.05). Conclusion Education, average monthly income, job category, daily working hours, and shifts are factors influencing the occurrence of reporting occupational stress in primary health care workers;targeted interventions should be implemented to reduce their occupational stress levels.
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Aim: This study aimed to assess the attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccines among health care workers and laymen and to shed light on the similarities and differences between the two groups. Methods: A self-constructed online questionnaire was administered between June and September of 2022. The sampling method was not random, but we relied on the easy to access people. Data were analysed with IBM SPSS 20.6;descriptive statistics, chi-square, Mann-Whitney probes, and Fisher exact tests were applied (p<0.05). There were 1,041 questionnaires included in the final analysis. Results: There is a vast difference based on vaccination between the two groups;77.9% of healthcare workers have 3 or more vaccines, while 45.9% of laymen have at least 3. According to health care workers vaccination is the most effective way of defence against Covid-19, although they have experienced more side effects and psychological stress due to vaccination than laymen. Laymen are less trusting they think vaccines are dangerous and have more negative effects. Health care workers get information from experts, while laymen rely on online sources and social media. The majority would accept Western vaccines. Based on the vaccine acceptance defined by the WHO both groups are more repulsive than the populations studied earlier. Conclusions: The fears and negative attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccines among laymen can be diminished only by health care workers, therefore it is of high importance that they are well informed. Célkitűzés: A kutatás célja felmérni a laikusok és egészségügyi dolgozók attitűdjét a koronavírus elleni védőoltásokkal kapcsolatban, megkeresni a két csoport közötti hasonlóságokat, különbözőségeket. Vizsgálat módszere: Az online felmérés egy saját készítésű kérdőívvel történt 2022. október–november hónapokban, nem véletlenszerű mintavételi módszerrel, egyszerűen elérhető alanyokra támaszkodó mintavételi eljárással. Az adatfeldolgozás és adatelemzés IBM SPSS 20.6 statisztikai programmal, leíró statisztikai módszerrel, valamint χ2 és Mann–Whitney-próbákkal, Fisher-féle egzakt teszttel történt (p<0,05). Összesen 1041 értékelhető válasz érkezett. Eredmények: Három vagy annál több Covid elleni oltással rendelkezik az egészségügyi szakemberek 77,9%-a, a laikusok 45,9%-a. Az egészségügyi dolgozók szerint az oltás a leghatásosabb védekezés a koronavírus ellen, azonban közülük többen tapasztaltak mellékhatásokat az oltások után, és lelkileg jobban megviselte őket az oltakozás, mint a laikusokat. A laikusok bizalmatlanok, veszélyesebbnek tartják az oltásokat és több negatív hatást tulajdonítanak neki, mint az egészségügyi dolgozók. A legtöbb egészségügyi dolgozó a szakemberektől, míg a laikusok inkább az internetes hírportálokról, közösségi médiából szerzik az információkat. Többségében a nyugati vakcinák elfogadása jellemző a válaszadók körében, azonban a WHO védőoltás elfogadására való hajlandóság stációinak vizsgálata alapján megállapítható, hogy mindkét válaszadói csoportot a szakirodalmi arányokhoz képest elutasító attitűd jellemzi a koronavírus elleni oltással kapcsolatban. Következtetések: A laikusok félelmeit, negatív attitűdjét csak a jól informált egészségügyi dolgozók tudják csökkenteni, ezért fontos az egészségügyi szakember hiteles informálása a védőoltásokról.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected employment globally, especially in the private sector. This study aims to identify the effects of the pandemic on the employment statuses such as lower wages and lack of jobs in the Kurdistan Region Government (KRG). The research questions guiding the study are the following: How has the COVID-19 crisis affected livelihoods in the KRG? How have these changes affected the association among income loss, working status, business closure, and gender? We have conducted a survey in May 2021 to examine changes in the work situation;the empirical cases cover a sample of 72 people aged between 20 and 60 years old in the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. In addition, we perform a chi-square test to check whether the relationships between losing salary and working status, and business shutdown and gender are significant or not. The findings revealed 37.5% of salary cut and about 50% of employees' businesses shut down and 51% of working hours get shorter due to the COVID-19 crisis in the KRG. Our result shows no association between losing salary and working status, while there is an association between gender and business shutdown. Beyond this, the study seeks to highlight new and essential information about position reduction related to age class, difficulty to find a job related to the level of education, and working hours related to gender. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.