Psychological considerations when attending for mammography screening

The pandemic led to a pause in routine breast screening in the UK, with up to one million not being offered appointments (Breast Cancer Now, Almost one million women in UK miss vital breast screening due to COVID-19, 2022). However, according to a Nuffield report, even before this, breast cancer screening in the UK had yet to reach its 'optimal performance standard of 80%' (Nuffield, Cancer screening-quality watch, 2022). In usual times, this has meant that with screening rates in excess of 70%, over two million women have been screened annually in the UK. However, breast cancer is also the most common cancer in women in the UK (Office for National Statistics, Cancer registration statistics, 2017), with 85% survival 5 years after diagnosis (Office for National Statistics, Cancer survival in England - adults diagnosed 2019) and it remains clear that screening can help reduce breast cancer mortality (Office for National Statistics, Cancer registration statistics, 2017). So why would 25% or more fail to accept an invitation for a routine mammogram which may ultimately help save their lives? This chapter considers a range of psychological factors relevant to understanding this phenomenon and hopefully bring about a positive change. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2015, 2022. All rights reserved.

Global [formula omitted]-Commerce (G[formula omitted]C) theory by intuitionistic fuzzy [formula omitted]-submodule

Intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) theory can be applied for multi-aspect systems due to its capability to address uncertainty and incomplete information in terms of membership and non-membership degrees. Unfortunately, classical Γ -structures cannot handle fuzzy and imprecise information in real problems. In fact, there is no rigorous base to practically express the effectiveness of multi-attribute systems in IFS environment. Here, we develop a generalized IFS with the notion of Γ -module called intuitionistic fuzzy Γ -submodule (IF Γ M) to establish a novel " Global electronic (e)-Commerce (GeC) Theory ". To simplify the analysis of parameters, (α , β) -cut representation is proposed in terms of comprehensive distribution of fuzzy number for the classification of components. On the other hand, Cartesian product is implemented to correspond the elements. Substantial properties of IF Γ M including (α , β) -cut, Cartesian product and t -intuitionistic fuzzy Γ -submodule (t -IF Γ M) are characterized with illustrative examples to extend the framework of IF Γ M, where (α , β) -cut and support t -IF Γ M are verified to be Γ -submodules based on the properties of IF Γ M. Through Γ -module homomorphism, image and inverse image, the parametric connections between (α , β) -cuts are systematically investigated. In addition, a mathematical relationship between the Cartesian product and (α , β) -cut is determined. The overlapping intersection of a collection of t -IF Γ M is proved to be t -IF Γ M, and the image and inverse image are preserved under Γ -module homomorphism. As global e -trades are increasingly expanding after the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hit, with the growth of 26.7-trillion dollars, businesses are required to transform their traditional functional natures to online (or blended) strategies for cost efficiency and self-survival in the present competitive environment. Therefore, compared to recent studies on IFS in the context of Γ -structures, the main contribution of this study is to provide a theoretical basis for the establishment of a new GeC Theory through the developed IF Γ M method and Γ -module M which targets the purchasing rate of customers through e -commerce companies. In the end, the performance of the proposed method in terms of upper and lower cut, t -intuitionistic fuzzy set, support and IF Γ M model, is analyzed in the developed GeC Theory. The proposed GeC Theory is validated using real datasets of e -commerce mega companies, i.e., Amazon, Alibaba, eBay, Shopify. They are characterized based on the amount of online shopping by samples (individuals). Compared to the existing methods, the GeC approach is an effective IFS-based method for complex systems with uncertainty. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic addressed in Brazilian federal public universities / Enfrentamento da pandemia de COVID-19 retratado nas Universidades Públicas Federais do Brasil / Enfrentamiento de la pandemia de COVID-19 reflejado en las universidades públicas nacionales de Brasil

Resumo Objetivo O presente estudo teve como objetivo identificar as medidas sanitárias adotadas pelas universidades públicas federais no contexto da pandemia da COVID-19. Métodos Trata-se de uma pesquisa quali-quantitativa, exploratória e descritiva feita por meio da análise documental dos protocolos, diretrizes, portarias e cartilhas confeccionadas no âmbito universitário federal do Brasil. Quanto aos critérios de inclusão foram o documento estar disponível no site de cada universidade federal no período da coleta e a livre consulta do acervo pela internet. O período de coleta foi de março de 2020 a novembro de 2021. Resultados Foram encontrados 51 documentos. As universidades do Nordeste e Sudeste foram responsáveis por 46,4% das publicações totais das universidades federais do Brasil. Conclusão Diante das medidas adotadas pelas Instituições Federais de Ensino Superior, foi perceptível a congruência em tentar estabelecer rotinas e procedimentos padronizados que fossem capazes de controlar e minimizar a disseminação da COVID-19 dentro da universidade.

Resumen Objetivo El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar las medidas sanitarias adoptadas por las universidades públicas nacionales en el contexto de la pandemia de COVID-19. Métodos Se trata de un estudio cuali-cuantitativo, exploratorio y descriptivo, realizado mediante el análisis documental de los protocolos, directrices, resoluciones y cartillas confeccionadas en el contexto universitario nacional de Brasil. Los criterios de inclusión fueron la disponibilidad del documento en el sitio web de cada universidad nacional en el período de la recopilación y la libre consulta del acervo por internet. El período de recopilación fue de marzo de 2020 a noviembre de 2021. Resultados Se encontraron 51 documentos. Las universidades del nordeste y del sudeste fueron responsables por el 46,4 % de las publicaciones totales de las universidades nacionales de Brasil. Conclusión Ante las medidas adoptadas por las instituciones nacionales de educación superior, se percibió congruencia para intentar establecer rutinas y procedimientos estandarizados que fueran capaces de controlar y minimizar la diseminación de COVID-19 dentro de la universidad.

Abstract Objective The present study aimed to identify the health measures adopted by federal public universities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This is a qualitative-quantitative, exploratory and descriptive research carried out through documental analysis of protocols, guidelines, ordinances and booklets made in the federal university scope of Brazil. As for the inclusion criteria, documents must be available on the website of each federal university during the collection period and free consultation of the collection on the internet. The collection period was from March 2020 to November 2021. Results We found 51 documents. Northeastern and southeastern universities were responsible for 46.4% of the total publications of federal universities in Brazil. Conclusion Considering the measures adopted by Higher Education Federal Institutions, the congruence in trying to establish standardized routines and procedures that were able to manage and minimize the spread of COVID-19 within the university was noticeable.

The impact of COVID-19 related regulations and restrictions on mobility and potential for sustained climate mitigation across the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK: a data-based commentary.

Human behaviour change is necessary to meet targets set by the Paris Agreement to mitigate climate change. Restrictions and regulations put in place globally to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 during 2020 have had a substantial impact on everyday life, including many carbon-intensive behaviours such as transportation. Changes to transportation behaviour may reduce carbon emissions. Behaviour change theory can offer perspective on the drivers and influences of behaviour and shape recommendations for how policy-makers can capitalise on any observed behaviour changes that may mitigate climate change. For this commentary, we aimed to describe changes in data relating to transportation behaviours concerning working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic across the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. We display these identified changes in a concept map, suggesting links between the changes in behaviour and levels of carbon emissions. We consider these changes in relation to a comprehensive and easy to understand model of behaviour, the Opportunity, Motivation Behaviour (COM-B) model, to understand the capabilities, opportunities and behaviours related to the observed behaviour changes and potential policy to mitigate climate change. There is now an opportunity for policy-makers to increase the likelihood of maintaining pro-environmental behaviour changes by providing opportunities, improving capabilities and maintaining motivation for these behaviours.

Psychiatric ward admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canton of Ticino (Swiss Confederation) and the province of Como (Italy): a comparison between two different systems of care and outbreak response strategies

The aim of the study was to estimate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and response policies on the psychiatric ward admissions in the hospitals referring to the ASST Lariana (province of Como, Italy) and the Hospital of Mendrisio (Canton of Ticino, Switzerland), two similar territories that belong to countries that dealt differently with the pandemic. We compared the two territories for type of admission (voluntary vs. compulsory), the Stringency Index (SI) and the country's number of admission in Intensive Care Units (ICU). We found a significant reduction in the psychiatric ward admission in the lockdown period in both territories, even in periods with milder lockdown measures. The admission rate's reduction in the ASST Lariana was significantly associated with the ICU admissions (p<0.001). In the Hospital of Mendrisio, admissions included a weekly seasonality, were significantly correlated with SI (p=0.001) and period (pre-pandemic and pandemic;p<0.001) and we observed also a significant reduction of compulsory admission that is influenced both by the stringency index (p<0.001) and period (p<0.001). The differences between the two territories seem influenced by the different mental health systems. r. © the Author(s), 2023 Licensee PAGEPress, Italy.

Sustaining youth physical activity in times of challenge and change: lessons from COVID-19.

Physical activity (PA) is recognized as essential for positive physical and mental well-being in young people. However, participation in PA is known to decline as adolescents emerge into adulthood under the influence of complex social and structural factors. Globally, COVID-19 restrictions resulted in changes to PA and PA participation levels in youth populations, providing a unique opportunity for gaining insight into PA barriers and enablers in circumstances of challenge, limitation and change. This article details young people's self-reported PA behaviours during the 4-week 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in New Zealand. Taking a strengths-based view and drawing on the COM-B (capabilities, opportunity and motivation behaviour) model for behaviour change, the study explores factors enabling young people to sustain or increase PA during lockdown. Findings are drawn from qualitative-dominant mixed-methods analyses of responses to an online questionnaire: New Zealand Youth Voices Matter (16-24 years; N = 2014). Key insights included the importance of habit and routine, time and flexibility, social connections, incidental exercise and awareness of links between PA and well-being. Of note were the positive attitudes, creativity and resiliency demonstrated as young people substituted or invented alternatives to their usual PA. PA needs to change to adapt to new circumstances over the life course, and youth understanding and knowledge of modifiable factors may provide support for this. Thus these findings have implications for sustaining PA during late adolescence and emerging adulthood, a life phase that can be associated with significant challenge and change.

COVID-19 effects on the Canadian term structure of interest rates

In Canada, COVID-19 pandemic triggered exceptional monetary policy interventions by the central bank, which in March 2020 made multiple unscheduled cuts to its target rate. In this paper we assess the extent to which Bank of Canada interventions affected the determinants of the yield curve. In particular, we apply Functional Principal Component Analysis to the term structure of interest rates. We find that, during the pandemic, the long-run dependence of level and slope components of the yield curve is unchanged with respect to previous months, although the shape of the mean yield curve completely changed after target rate cuts. Bank of Canada was effective in lowering the whole yield curve and correcting the inverted hump of previous months, but it was not able to reduce the exposure to already existing long-run risks.

Public Health Officers? Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior after the COVID-19 Vaccination in Thailand

Background: Public health officers (PHOs) are the frontline health workforce against the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and therefore need high immunity for protection. The application of the capability, opportunity, motiva-tion, and behavior (COM-B) model aimed to 1) explore the level of COM-B for prevention and control of COVID-19, and 2) analyze the association between factors and behaviors for prevention and control of COVID-19 among PHOs at primary care units (PCUs) of seven provinces in southern Thailand. Methods: The study design performed an analytical cross-sectional study using information from primary care units from July to September 2021. Data collection used multi-stage sampling techniques to construct the online questionnaire based on the relationship of the COM-B model. Data analysis used descriptive statistics, and Chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests to find out the association among factors.Results: The overall COM-B scores of the 203 PHOs were high, but the motivation was low. Almost all characteristics were associated with behavior. Work experience was significantly associated with capability, opportunity, and behavior (P < 0.05). The relationships between capability and behavior, and opportunity and motivation were statistically sig-nificant (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001 respectively). Conclusions: This is the first report applying the COM-B model to explore behavior changes relating to the COVID-19 vaccination among PHOs at PCUs. The association between factors and individual behavior of health providers can be applied to design interventions for promoting effective preventive and controlling behavior after the COVID-19 vaccination.

Implementation of behaviour change training in practice amongst pharmacy professionals in primary care settings: Analysis using the COM-B model.

BACKGROUND: The Pharmacy Integration Fund (PhIF) was established in England in 2016, with funded learning programmes or 'pathways' designed to support the development of clinical pharmacy practice in a range of settings. Despite pharmacy staff being well positioned to provide more clinical work, limited research has investigated behaviour change training targeted at widespread practice transformation. OBJECTIVE(S): To investigate implementation of PhIF learning in practice, using the COM-B model of behaviour change. METHODS: An online survey distributed in February and October 2020 included questions on motivations for learning, confidence in target behaviours and impact of PhIF training on behaviour. The October 2020 survey also included questions exploring the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantitative data were analysed in SPSS. v.27 (IBM). Inferential statistics were used to compare between the pathways (Primary care pathways [PCP], Post-registration pathway [PRP] and Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician [ACPT] pathway). Free text comments were categorised and themed. RESULTS: Three-hundred and eighty-three responses were received (49% PRP learners, 39% PCP learners and 12% ACPT learners). Learners generally had the capacity and opportunities to apply learning, and were strongly motivated to implement behaviours in practice, although learners based in community pharmacy (those on the PRP) were less likely to report receiving employer support. Enhanced knowledge/skills (capacity) were more commonly reported than change to patient-facing activities, leading clinical services and conducting medication reviews with patients with complex needs (clinical practice behaviours targeted by the pathways). The COVID-19 pandemic heightened barriers to implementing practice change. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a range of clinical practice behaviours following at scale training appears to have been largely successful. Despite this, the community pharmacy context, where funded service opportunities may be lacking, continues to present challenges to workforce transformation plans. More work is needed to understand how training can be implemented to promote practice change for pharmacy professionals in all settings.

Altmetrics can capture research evidence: an analysis across types of studies in COVID-19 literature

COVID-19 has greatly impacted science. It has become a global research front that constitutes a unique phenomenon of interest for the scientometric community. Accordingly, there has been a proliferation of descriptive studies on COVID-19 papers using altmetrics. Social media metrics serve to elucidate how research is shared and discussed, and one of the key points is to determine which factors are well-conditioned altmetric values. The main objective of this study is to analyze whether the altmetric mentions of COVID-19 medical studies are associated with the type of study and its level of evidence. Data were collected from the PubMed and Altmetric.com databases. A total of 16,672 publications by study types (e.g., case reports, clinical trials, or meta-analyses) that were published in the year 2021 and that had at least one altmetric mention were retrieved. The altmetric indicators considered were Altmetric Attention Score (AAS), news mentions, Twitter mentions, and Mendeley readers. Once the dataset of COVID-19 had been created, the first step was to carry out a descriptive study. Then, a normality hypothesis was evaluated by means of the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, and since this was significant in all cases, the overall comparison of groups was performed using the nonparametric Kruskal–Wallis test. When this test rejected the null hypothesis, pairwise comparisons were performed with the Mann– Whitney U test, and the intensity of the possible association was measured using Cramer's V coefficient. The results suggest that the data do not fit a normal distribution. The Mann–Whitney U test revealed coincidences in five groups of study types: The altmetric indicator with most coincidences was news mentions, and the study types with the most coincidences were the systematic reviews together with the meta-analyses, which coincided with four altmetric indicators. Likewise, between the study types and the altmetric indicators, a weak but significant association was observed through the chi-square and Cramer's V. It can thus be concluded that the positive association between altmetrics and study types in medicine could reflect the level of the "pyramid” of scientific evidence. © 2023, El Profesional de la Informacion. All rights reserved.

Determinants of recreational screen time behavior following the COVID-19 pandemic among Canadian adults.

The objectives of our study were to examine recreational screen time behavior before and 2 years following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and explore whether components of the capability-opportunity-motivation-behavior (COM-B) model would predict changes in this recreational screen time behavior profile over the 2-year period. This cross-sectional, retrospective study was conducted in March 2022. Canadian adults (n = 977) completed an online survey that collected demographic information, current screen time behavior, screen time behavior prior to the pandemic, and beliefs about capability, opportunities, and motivation for limiting screen time based on the COM-B model. We found that post-pandemic recreational screen time (3.91 ± 2.85 h/day) was significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels (3.47 ± 2.50 h/day, p < 0.01). Three recreational screen time behavior profiles were identified based on the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines: (1) always met screen time guidelines (≤3 h/day) (47.8%; n = 454); (2) increased screen time (10.1%; n = 96); and (3) never met screen time guidelines (42%; n = 399). The overall discriminant function was found to be significant among the groups (Wilks' λ = 0.90; canonical r = 0.31, χ2 = (14) = 95.81, p < 0.001). The group that always met screen time guidelines had the highest levels of automatic motivation, reflective motivation, social opportunity, and psychological capabilities to limit screen time compared to other screen time profile groups. In conclusion, recreational screen time remains elevated post-pandemic. Addressing motivation (automatic and reflective), psychological capabilities, and social opportunities may be critical for future interventions aiming to limit recreational screen time.

Barriers and facilitators for safe sex behaviors in students from universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH) through the COM-B model.

BACKGROUND: Unsafe sex is one of the main morbidity and mortality risk factors associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in young people. Behavioral change interventions for promoting safe sex have lacked specificity and theoretical elements about behavior in their designs, which may have affected the outcomes for HIV/AIDS and STI prevention, as well as for safe sex promotion. This study offers an analysis of the barriers and facilitators that, according to the university students who participated in the focus groups, impede or promote the success of interventions promoting healthy sexuality from the perspective of the actions stakeholders should undertake. In turn, this study proposes intervention hypotheses based on the Behavior Change Wheel which appears as a useful strategy for the design of intervention campaigns. METHODS: Two focus groups were organized with students from Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH). The focus groups gathered information about the perceptions of students about sex education and health, risk behaviors in youth sexuality, and rating of HIV/AIDS and STI prevention campaigns. In the focus groups, participants were offered the possibility of presenting solutions for the main problems and limitations detected. After identifying the emerging categories related to each dimension, a COM-B analysis was performed, identifying both the barriers and facilitators of safe sex behaviors that may help orient future interventions. RESULTS: Two focus groups were organized, which comprised 20 participants with different sexual orientations. After transcription of the dialogues, a qualitative analysis was performed based on three axes: perception about sex education, risk behaviors, and evaluation of HIV/AIDS and STI prevention campaigns. These axes were classified into two groups: barriers or facilitators for safe and healthy sexuality. Finally, based on the Behavior Change Wheel and specifically on its 'intervention functions', the barriers and facilitators were integrated into a series of actions to be taken by those responsible for promotion campaigns at Universidad de Santiago. The most prevalent intervention functions are: education (to increase the understanding and self-regulation of the behavior); persuasion (to influence emotional aspects to promote changes) and training (to facilitate the acquisition of skills). These functions indicate that specific actions are necessary for these dimensions to increase the success of promotional campaigns for healthy and safe sexuality. CONCLUSIONS: The content analysis of the focus groups was based on the intervention functions of the Behavior Change Wheel. Specifically, the identification by students of barriers and facilitators for the design of strategies for promoting healthy sexuality is a useful tool, which when complemented with other analyses, may contribute improving the design and implementation of healthy sexuality campaigns among university students.

Why ethnic minority groups' online-startups are booming in China's tight cultural ecosystem?

PurposeAlthough most Chinese ethnic minority groups (EMGs) hold conservative thinking to online-startups, the new entrepreneurial model is booming on live streaming platforms. In China's tight cultural ecosystem, the tight cultural control would lead EMG entrepreneurs to keep conservative thinking and avoid challenging careers. Still, it would be helpful for Chinese Governments to issue systematical entrepreneurial policies and improve online-startup environment for EMGs. To discover the relationships among influencing factors and EMGs' online-startup motivation, this paper aims to draw on the tight and loose cultural theory and the capability-opportunity-motivation-behaviour (COM-B) behaviour changing theory and establishes the research model based on China's tight cultural ecosystem.Design/methodology/approachThrough analysing 617 questionnaires from 37 EMGs based on the partial least squares path modelling and variance-based structural equation modelling method, the study proves that environmental opportunity factors and personal capability factors have positive impacts on EMGs' online-startup motivation and EMGs' conservative thinking negatively moderates the relationship between their online-startup motivation and entrepreneurial development behaviour. In addition to testing the hypotheses, the paper also measures the importance-performance map analysis to explore additional findings of influencing factors and provide suitable suggestions for EMG entrepreneurs and related departments.FindingsRegarding the environmental opportunity unit, both policy support and platform support significantly impact Chinese EMGs' motivation to promote online-startups. For the personal capability unit, a platform using skills positively influences Chinese EMGs to develop online-startups. Meanwhile, EMG cultural knowledge is also necessary for EMG entrepreneurs because abundant cultural resources can be applied to live content and attract online consumers' watching interests. Furthermore, influenced by the tight cultural control, Chinese EMGs tend to hold conservative thinking to new careers and it negatively moderates the relationship between Chinese EMGs' online-startup motivation and their final entrepreneurial behaviours. Finally, Chinese EMGs' online-startup motivation positively affects them to develop online-startups on live streaming platforms.Originality/valueThis study uses the tight and loose cultural theory to analyse the Chinese entrepreneurial environment and discover influencing factors based on the tight cultural ecosystem. Meanwhile, based on the COM-B behaviour changing theory, this paper divides influencing factors into three different units, including the environmental opportunity unit, the personal capability unit and the Tight cultural control unit. Considering the inter-relationships among these units, the research model is established based on the tight cultural ecosystem to discover Chinese EMGs' online-startup motivation.

Brazilian parathletes represented in brazilian paralympic committee news: social distance in the COVID-19 pandemic / Para atletas brasileiros(as) retratados(as) nas notícias do comitê paralímpico brasileiro: distanciamento social na pandemia de COVID-19 / Paratletas brasileños representados en noticias del comité paralímpico brasileño: distancia social en la pandemia COVID-19

Este artigo buscou averiguar os impactos da pandemia de COVID-19 no percurso esportivo de Para atletas brasileiros(as) veiculados nas notícias do site do Comitê Paralímpico Brasileiro. Foram realizados o levantamento e a catalogação de notícias do site do Comitê Paralímpico Brasileiro e, na sequência, procedeu-se à técnica de análise temática de conteúdo das notícias. Evidenciamos os seguintes temas: incertezas quanto aos Jogos Paralímpicos 2020; saudades das relações interpessoais; aproximação com a família; aumento das interações virtuais; prática de exercícios físicos com orientações virtuais; preocupações com o peso corporal; dificuldades com o sono; falta de disposição para treinar em casa; e expectativas quanto ao retorno dos treinos presenciais. Distintas estratégias foram adotadas a fim de mitigar os impactos da pandemia no esporte paralímpico no país.

This article sought to investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sporting route of For Brazilian athletes published in the news on the Brazilian Paralympic Committee website. A survey and cataloging of news from the website of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee were carried out and, subsequently, the technique of thematic analysis of news content was carried out. We highlight the following themes: uncertainties about the 2020 Paralympic Games; missing interpersonal relationships; closeness with the family; increase of virtual interactions; practice of physical exercises with virtual guidance; concerns about body weight; sleeping difficulties; lack of willingness to train at home; expectations about the return of in-person training. Different strategies were adopted in order to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic to Paralympic sports in the country.

Este artículo buscó investigar los impactos de la pandemia COVID-19 en la ruta deportiva de los deportistas brasileños publicados en las noticias del sitio web del Comité Paralímpico Brasileño. Se realizó un relevamiento y catalogación de noticias de la página web del Comité Paralímpico Brasileño y, posteriormente, se llevó a cabo la técnica de análisis temático de contenido informativo. Destacamos los siguientes temas: incertidumbres sobre los Juegos Paralímpicos 2020; falta de relaciones interpersonales; cercanía con la familia; aumento de interacciones virtuales; práctica de ejercicios físicos con guía virtual; preocupación por el peso corporal; dificultades con el sueño; falta de voluntad para entrenar en casa; expectativas sobre el regreso del entrenamiento presencial. Se adoptaron diferentes estrategias para mitigar el impacto de la pandemia en el deporte paralímpico del país.

Identification of factors influencing core competence promotion among professional nurses and midwives: A qualitative study using the COM-B model.

AIM: To identify factors influencing a behaviour of improving core competencies among nurses and midwives in the Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital using the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model. BACKGROUND: With the increasing number of women with pregnancy complications and the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses and midwives are being challenged and enhancing their core competencies is imperative to ensure high-quality care. To develop effective intervention strategies, it is essential to systematically explore what influences nurses and midwives to improve their core competencies. To this end, this study applied the COM-B model of behavioural change. DESIGN: Qualitative study using the COM-B model. METHODS: This qualitative descriptive study was conducted in 2022 using face-to-face interviews, including 49 nurses and midwives. Topic guides for the interviews were developed based on the COM-B model. Transcribed verbatim interviews were analysed using deductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: The COM-B model captures several factors. Capability factors included clinical knowledge and self-directed learning abilities. Opportunity factors included professional education covering necessary clinical skills, adequate clinical practice, personalised training, available time, insufficient clinical learning resources, absence of scientific research resources and support from leadership. Motivational factors were access to long-term work, incentive policies based on individuals' work values and responses to upward social comparison. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggested that prior to developing intervention strategies to enhance the core competencies of nurses and midwives, processing barriers to nurses' and midwives' capabilities, opportunities and motivation can facilitate the implementation of interventions.

The reach and benefits of a digital intervention to improve physical activity in people with a musculoskeletal condition delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

AIM: To evaluate a digital intervention to improve physical activity in people in the UK with a musculoskeletal condition delivered during movement restrictions brought about because of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Service evaluation data collected from 26,041 participants over 5 months was assessed against national datasets to understand the reach and representativeness of the digital physical activity intervention. Measures to restrict the movement and interaction of people were in place during these 5 months. Cross-sectional data from 2752 participants across different stages of the 12-week programme assessed levels of physical activity and the components of behaviour as defined by the COM-B model (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation = Behaviour). Regression analysis investigated the relationship between programme stage and physical activity and the components of behaviour. RESULTS: In comparison to the UK population of people with a musculoskeletal condition, the intervention participants were over-represented by females, White, and inactive people. A cross-sectional analysis suggested that the number of participants regularly active increased by programme stage. Scores for the behavioural components of automatic and reflective motivation, physical and psychological capability, and physical opportunity were also improved by programme stage. CONCLUSION: The service evaluation suggests that the digital intervention, designed to improve physical activity in people with a musculoskeletal condition, could be beneficial during measures to restrict movement to slow the spread of infectious disease in those who are already motivated to become or stay active.

The influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on guests' evaluations of hotel services

The impact of the second Covid-19 wave on guests' evaluations of hotel services is scarce and mainly focused on Asia. We compared positive and negative comments of 1196 pre-pandemic reviews with 1065 reviews written during the pandemic of hotels in the heart of Europe. We found a significant drop in overall guest scores;however, guests commenting positively on the hotel's handling of the pandemic, rated their stay significantly higher. Furthermore, we observed substantial shifts in guests' comments on certain hotel attributes. Our findings provide, therefore, useful insights for hotel managers into guests' expectations and hotel experiences under strict safety conditions. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Does change in the scoring system impact service evaluation? Evidence from Booking.com

PurposeIn September 2019, Booking.com changed from the smiley-based scoring system (2.5–10) to the purely 10-point evaluation system (1–10). The smiley-based service evaluation is based on the multi-dimensional (M-D) system, whereas the purely 10-point service evaluation is based on the single-dimensional (S-D) system. This paper aims to focus on how a change in review posting policies impacts service evaluations regarding review generation and distribution.Design/methodology/approachThe authors exploit the natural experiment using Booking.com when the site changed its scoring system from a multidimensional smiley-based service evaluation system to an S-D scoring system. The authors collected online reviews posted on two travel agencies (Booking.com and Priceline.com) between September 2019 and October 2020. A quasi-experimental approach, Difference-in-Differences, was used to isolate the impacts of the new scoring system from the impacts of the change in the service evaluation environment, i.e. COVID-19.FindingsThe change in the scoring system considerably alters review distributions by decreasing the portion of positive reviews but increasing the portion of highly positive reviews. Using the theory of emotion work (Hochschild, 1979, 2001), DID is also the reason that the former M-D smiley-based system could have underrated, highly positive reviews of services. Using the information transfer theory (Belkin, 1984), the authors reason the asymmetric transfer of information when users consume reviews from the older (M-D) system but are required to generate reviews on a newer (S-D) system.Practical implicationsThe findings would provide online review platform management with a deeper understanding of the consequences of changes in service evaluations when the scoring system is changed.Originality/valueThough the change in the scoring system would affect how customers evaluate the services of hotels, the causal impacts of switching to the new S-D scoring system have not yet been thoroughly covered by prior hospitality and service evaluation literature, which this research aspires to do.

Paddy stubble burning in Punjab: an architect of breathing woes

Crop residue burning (CRB) is a persistent issue in north India, every year it engulfs the whole of North India in its fumes. CRB results in severe negative aftermaths on both human health and the environment especially now when the Covid-19 pandemic is so rampant to cause respirational distress. The current study was being conducted to assess the state of crop residue burning in Punjab. The research was based on secondary data from the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, which spans the years 2016 to 2020. During the season, Kharif the number of stubble-burning cases decreased from 81042 to 71081 (a decrease of about 13 percent) from 2016 to 2020. This dwindling trend in cases is a good sign for environmental conservation. There has been an increase of 25% in stubble burning during the Rabi season from 2016 to 2020, incidences of stubble burning have reached an all-time high in the last five years, even during the widespread Covid 19 outbreak and may be because of labour shortages during Covid-19. The farmers who had previously embraced good crop residue management methods may resort to burning fields in the coming rice harvesting season due to additional challenges which exacerbating the problem. The government should focus on subsidizing crop residue technologies and effective behavior change approaches to tackle the problem unanimously with the help of farmers themselves. The study recommends mandatory diversification of the cropping cycle on a minimum acreage basis, shift to earlymaturing rice varieties as PAU suggested, and making paddy residue management technologies like happy seeder and super seeder widely available. Farmers should be incentivized accordingly for good agricultural practices rather than punished for burning.