Health Geography of COVID-19: An Exploratory Analysis of the Pandemic during its First Phase in the Compact Cities of Barcelona and Madrid, Spain

COVID-19 has affected every aspect of life around the globe. To understand the spread of disease it is essential to record location and place, space and population. This chapter is based in history and the epidemiologist literature reporting the relevant variables. The objective is to determine which variable affects contagion in compact cities such as Barcelona and Madrid. Are both cities affected by the same variables? Are there differences between the cities? Why? The set of variables involves the socioeconomic conditions of the population, aging populations and neighborhood conditions. The Global and Local Moran's I tools for spatial autocorrelation are used as well as spatial autoregressive models (SAR). Population movements within compact territories might produce a distortion in research results if not accounted for. In the planning strategy, inequalities, society and health treated as a system might improve the foundations for living conditions and health. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps: A Cross-National Survey

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, countries around the world have implemented a range of measures and virus containment strategies, including digital contact-tracing (DCT) in the form of smartphone apps. While early studies showed a high level of acceptability of such technologies, the adoption rates varied greatly between countries after contact-tracing apps became available to download. This cross-national user survey (n=871) aims to explore public attitudes and factors that affect user acceptability and adoption of contact-tracing apps in the USA, UK, and the Republic of Ireland, which employ similar underlying technology, but have uneven adoption rates. The results indicate interactions between installation decisions and public trust in actors and institutions communicating COVID-related information, and releasing such technologies. Beyond the immediate case of contact tracing, our findings hold implications for the deployment and communicative framing of technology for public health and the public good, and inform the design of crisis response public health information systems.

Advancing the field of employee assistance programs research and practice: A systematic review of quantitative studies and future research agenda

The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the critical role of organizational support for the workforce. An employee assistance program (EAP) represents an inclusive strategy which organizations adopt to provide supportive and empathic care to help employees overcome undesirable situations. To date, we have limited knowledge of what EAP issues have been researched from the human resource management (HRM) perspective and what theoretical underpinning these studies have used. This article systematically reviews quantitative empirical studies on EAPs. Drawing upon 115 articles from 72 journals across 40 years (1981-2020), we trace the evolutionary trend of the construct of EAP and shed light on the internal link of EAP with HRM. After summarizing research themes, methods, theories, and approaches to the evaluation of EAPs, we identify pitfalls in the current research and contribute to extending the field by proposing several research agendas for future investigation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Research trends in online distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Online distance learning emerged as a solution to continue with teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to more scholarly publications in the field. The current study critically analyzed the publications using a range of scientometric techniques. The journal article was the predominant form of publication, and collaborative research work was preferred by scholars in this domain. The most-cited articles were published primarily in interdisciplinary journals. Most of the papers (43.64%) used quantitative methods, followed by qualitative methods (13.33%), and mixed methods (9.09%). A large proportion of publications (33%) did not indicate a research methodology. Visualizations of research show that the field has focused largely on remote teaching as a new term to depict online distance learning but has also covered a wider spectrum of issues in relation to teaching and learning, with an emphasis on technologies for teaching and learning, assessment, teacher capacities, and institutional preparedness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Quantitative methods for improving medical decision-making

Innovation in causal inference and implementation of electronic health record systems are rapidly transforming medical care. In this dissertation, we present three examples in which use of methods in causal inference and large electronic health record data address existing challenges in medical decision-making. First, we use principles of causal inference to examine the structure of randomized trials of biomarker targets, which have produced divergent results and controversial clinical guidelines for management of hypertension and other chronic diseases. We discuss four key threats to the validity of trials of this design. Second, we use methods in causal inference for adjustment of time-varying confounding to estimate the effect of time-varying treatment strategies for hypertension. We report the results of a study which used longitudinal electronic health record data from a prospective virtual cohort of veterans. Third, we use individual-level electronic health record data to predict the need for critical care resources during surges in COVID-19 cases, to aid hospital administrators with resource allocation in periods of crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Short- and Medium-Term Effects of Ageism on Loneliness Experienced During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Loneliness, common in old age, may be partially attributed to ageism. The present study explored the short- and medium-term effect of ageism on loneliness experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic using prospective data derived from the Israeli sample of the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) (N = 553). Ageism was measured before the COVID-19 outbreak and loneliness in the summer of 2020 and 2021 using a direct single question. We also tested for age differences in this association. In both the 2020 and 2021 models, ageism was related to increased loneliness. This association remained significant after adjusting for a host of demographic, health, and social variables. In the 2020 model, we also found that the positive association between ageism and loneliness was significant only in people aged 70+. We discussed the results with reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, which drew attention to two global social phenomena: loneliness and ageism.

Differences in self-control, self-efficacy and depressive symptoms between active and inactive middle-aged and older adults after 1 year of COVID restrictions.

OBJECTIVES: The psychological impact of the prolonged lockdown measures in the UK as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic is unclear. Our aim was to determine if there are significant differences in self-control, self-efficacy, depressive symptoms and leisure motivation between UK older adults with differing levels of physical activity, and which of these variables can be used to predict activity level after 1 year of lockdown restrictions. METHODS: 521 adults aged 50-92 years completed an online survey consisting of several validated measures relating to physical activity, self-control, self-efficacy, depressive symptoms, and leisure motivation. Participant's responses were grouped into active (≥150minutes activity per week) and inactive (<150minutes activity per week). Data was analysed using ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation and Multiple Regression (forward stepwise). RESULTS: We found significant differences in self-efficacy, self-control, and depressive symptoms between physically active vs inactive subjects. High levels of self-control and self-efficacy were associated with higher levels of activity and fewer depressive symptoms. Self-control, amotivation, depressive symptoms and self-efficacy were predictors of physical activity level. CONCLUSION: Psychological variables including self-control, self-efficacy, depressive symptoms and amotivation can be used to predict physical activity levels in UK middle-aged and older adults following 1 year of Covid restrictions.

Inter-Risk Framing Contests: The Politics of Issue Attention among Scandinavian Climate NGOs during the Coronavirus Pandemic

In this article, we study the framing activities of Scandinavian climate-active non-governmental organizations (NGOs) during the early phases of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Building on theories of focusing events, crisis exploitation and Ulrich Beck's global risks, we develop and apply the concept of inter-risk framing contests to the case. Empirically, we analyse all climate- and corona-related tweeting activity of a broad selection of green NGOs in Denmark (17 NGOs, 874 tweets), Norway (22 NGOs, 2575 tweets) and Sweden (15 NGOs, 920 tweets), respectively. Methodologically, we employ quantitative text analysis to map socio-symbolic constellations of NGO-term relations using principal component analysis, while complementing this via online ethnographic observation to increase interpretative validity. Overall, the analysis demonstrates similarities and differences in how green NGOs have variously responded to the ambiguous challenges and symbolic opportunities of the coronavirus event, in ways resonant with path-dependent dynamics of the three national green civil societies. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Stay Socially Distant and Wash Your Hands: Using the Health Belief Model to Determine Intent for COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors at the Beginning of the Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has quickly spread around the world, and since currently no treatments that are safe and effective for large groups of people nor a vaccine are available, the best way to prevent the illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus causing it. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive effects of both demographic and psychosocial factors originating with the Health Belief Model on reported intent to adhere to COVID-19 preventive behaviors (e.g., social distancing, hand washing, and not attending large gatherings). METHOD: A Qualtrics survey of 500 U.S. adults was conducted to explore the relationships of demographics and psychosocial factors with the intent to adhere to COVID-19 preventive measures. RESULTS: Gender was a predictor of taking preventive action, with women more likely to take action. Health Belief Model constructs predicted uptake of most COVID-19 preventive actions, but the constructs often appeared to work independent of the model. Race/ethnicity was an infrequent predictor, but when it did, minorities were less likely to report intent to adhere to COVID-19 preventive behaviors. CONCLUSION/IMPLICATIONS: While not a perfect model for this pandemic, the Health Belief Model and its constructs should continue to be considered for use by public health communicators focusing on preventive measure campaign design in both the COVID-19 pandemic era and beyond.

Multi-inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19: a nursing perspective experience report from a high-income tertiary paediatric hospital context.

BACKGROUND: In the midst of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, a new disease that affects children has arisen called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Several research articles focusing on its medical aspects have been published, but very few have focused on nursing care. The aim of this study was therefore to describe the nursing status of children suffering from MIS-C and the experiences of registered nurses (RNs) in caring for these children in paediatric hospital inpatient care. METHODS: The study design includes both quantitative nursing clinical record data and qualitative interview data. Quantitative data from the clinical records were analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data analysis of the interviews was conducted using both deductive and inductive approaches with content analysis. RESULTS: In total, 47 clinical records from children with MIS-C were investigated during January-March 2021. The mean age of the children was 8.8 years. Boys were more affected than girls. Challenges in children's nursing status were related to circulation (fever and swelling), nutrition (great thirst and loss of appetite), pain, and psychosocial situations. When caring for children with MIS-C, nurses experienced "frustration over uncertainty of care", "children's illbeing" and "unavoidable procedures". CONCLUSION: This study contributes knowledge to the ongoing nursing care of children suffering from MIS-C. The results show many different areas of nursing focus, which challenges nurses and other disciplines within paediatric hospital care. One important factor when caring for these children was the use of a central venous line early in the care process, which improved the quality of care. Moreover, the care of children suffering from MIS-C demands resources and time from healthcare professionals, especially RNs, to meet caring needs and reduce illbeing.

The COVID-19 Student Stress Questionnaire: Validation in Spanish university students from health sciences.

This study aimed to validate the Spanish version of the COVID-19 Student Stress Questionnaire (CSSQ), a 7-item tool assessing COVID-19-related stressors among university students, namely, Relationships and Academic Life, Isolation, and Fear of Contagion. Participants were 331 Spanish university students. Factor analyses sustained the three factor solution of the original tool. Data also revealed satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity, suitable internal consistency, and significant associations with psychological symptoms, as measured by the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. The Spanish version of the CSSQ represents a valid tool to be used in clinical settings to timely identify students at high psychological risk and to develop evidence-based interventions during/after the pandemic.

Studying in challenging times – a longitudinal study on social work students’ situations during the Covid-19 pandemic

The aim of this study is to examine challenges and attitudes towards studying, social support, and personal lives of social work students during the Covid-19 pandemic, and to analyze how their situations have changed over the past few semesters under pandemic conditions. Drawing on a quantitative and qualitative research design, 99 students enrolled in the bachelor's and master's programmes at the school of social work at a Swiss University of Applied Sciences were surveyed over four points in time, starting in the spring semester 2020 and ending in the fall semester 2021. This study identifies being distracted, getting things done and worrying a lot as the main challenges across all analyzed semesters. However, only distraction changed over time. Other changes have been found in the challenges of being alone, planning the day, having no accurate workplace, and technical issues. Moreover, social work students' attitudes toward their studies, as well as their social support, have changed significantly between the spring semester 2020 and the fall semester 2021. At last, there is strong qualitative evidence of a change in the students' perceptions of their personal lives. These findings lead to implications for social work education, which are discussed in the final section.

Belief and Recall of Nicotine as Therapeutic for COVID-19 May Undermine E-Cigarette Quitting Behavior.

We examine the proposition that misinformation about the therapeutic potential of nicotine to prevent or treat COVID-19 may lead to relapse among attempted e-cigarette quitters. A sample of N = 507 e-cigarette ever-users who reported at least one quit attempt in the past year were surveyed in June of 2021 for recall and belief in several claims about COVID-19 and nicotine. Participants who recalled and believed at least one misinformation claim were significantly more likely to have relapsed than those who did not recall or believe such claims. These differences remained robust to regression analysis adding demographic covariates and accounting for continuous measurement of recall and belief. Misinformation about e-cigarette use is reaching young adult e-cigarette users who are trying to quit. The implications of these findings merit further research to characterize potential barriers to successful e-cigarette cessation.

Will AI Image Synthesis Technology Help Constructivist Education at The Online Art Museum?

Motivated by the outbreak of COVID-19, museums have increased interests in online museum and online museum education. This study presents a way to use AI image synthesis technology for online art education guided by a constructivist design approach. An experiment was conducted to empirically test the effectiveness of AI-based art education in the online museum context. A total of 83 participants visited one of 3 different web-based art museums (i.e., AI image synthesis not applied vs. AI image synthesis applied with given photos vs. AI image synthesis applied with self-uploaded photos). Those who experienced the online museum with synthesized images using self-uploaded photos reported a higher level of motivation and satisfaction and to experience in a more constructivist way compared to other conditions. © 2022 ACM.

Dosing interval strategies for two-dose COVID-19 vaccination in 13 middle-income countries of Europe: Health impact modelling and benefit-risk analysis.

Background: In settings where the COVID-19 vaccine supply is constrained, extending the intervals between the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine may allow more people receive their first doses earlier. Our aim is to estimate the health impact of COVID-19 vaccination alongside benefit-risk assessment of different dosing intervals in 13 middle-income countries (MICs) of Europe. Methods: We fitted a dynamic transmission model to country-level daily reported COVID-19 mortality in 13 MICs in Europe (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Serbia, North Macedonia, Turkey, and Ukraine). A vaccine product with characteristics similar to those of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 (AZD1222) vaccine was used in the base case scenario and was complemented by sensitivity analyses around efficacies similar to other COVID-19 vaccines. Both fixed dosing intervals at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 weeks and dose-specific intervals that prioritise specific doses for certain age groups were tested. Optimal intervals minimise COVID-19 mortality between March 2021 and December 2022. We incorporated the emergence of variants of concern (VOCs) into the model and conducted a benefit-risk assessment to quantify the tradeoff between health benefits versus adverse events following immunisation. Findings: In all countries modelled, optimal strategies are those that prioritise the first doses among older adults (60+ years) or adults (20+ years), which lead to dosing intervals longer than six months. In comparison, a four-week fixed dosing interval may incur 10.1% [range: 4.3% - 19.0%; n = 13 (countries)] more deaths. The rapid waning of the immunity induced by the first dose (i.e. with means ranging 60-120 days as opposed to 360 days in the base case) resulted in shorter optimal dosing intervals of 8-20 weeks. Benefit-risk ratios were the highest for fixed dosing intervals of 8-12 weeks. Interpretation: We infer that longer dosing intervals of over six months could reduce COVID-19 mortality in MICs of Europe. Certain parameters, such as rapid waning of first-dose induced immunity and increased immune escape through the emergence of VOCs, could significantly shorten the optimal dosing intervals. Funding: World Health Organization.

Facing COVID-19 challenges: What is so special in family businesses?

Purpose This study aims to explore the main drivers that family businesses possess to strengthen their resilience during the COVID-19 crisis. Design/methodology/approach This study followed a quantitative method analysis through a multiple regression analysis based on a sample of 570 Italian family firms. Findings The results showed that job quality and innovation significantly stimulate family firms' resilience during the COVID-19 crisis. Practical implications The study has several academic implications. Firstly, the study contributes to family firm research by extending the studies on factors that significantly influence the concept of resilience;secondly, the work contributes to crisis management, offering suggestions to help other firms exceed the COVID-19 crisis. Originality/value The present study clarifies the role of family firms' resilience, and it reveals how job quality and innovation play a meaningful role during the COVID-19 crisis.

Attitudes towards COVID-19 contact tracing apps: a cross-national survey

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, countries around the world have implemented a range of measures and virus containment strategies, including digital contact-tracing (DCT) in the form of smartphone apps. While early studies showed a high level of acceptability of such technologies, the adoption rates vary greatly between countries after contact-tracing apps became available to download. This cross-national user survey (n=871) aims to explore public attitudes and factors that affect user acceptability and adoption of contact-tracing apps in the USA, UK, and the Republic of Ireland, which employ similar underlying technology, but have uneven adoption rates. The results indicate interactions between public trust in actors and institutions communicating COVID-related information and releasing such technologies and installation decisions. Beyond the immediate case of contact tracing, our findings hold implications for the deployment and communicative framing of technology for public health and the public good and inform design of crisis response public health information systems. Author

Analysis of COVID-19 contamination and deaths cases in Brazil according to the newcomb-benford law

The use of the Newcomb-Benford Law in assessing the quality of health and / or epidemiological information systems can allow relevant decisions to be made to improve these systems. In this context, this research aimed to carry out an assessment of the conformity of the information regarding the number of cases of contamination and deaths by COVID-19 in Brazil according to the Newcomb-Benford Law, from the moment of the occurrence of the first case of the disease and from the first death by COVID-19 in the country until the month of September 2020. With the aid of descriptive statistics and the use of metrics related to the Z test and the mean absolute deviation it was possible to observe that, both from a national and longitudinal perspective as for the transversal-state perspective, the quantitative data referring to the cases of contamination by the coronavirus and the deaths that occurred as a result of COVID-19 did not present the expected behavior according to the Newcomb-Benford Law. Due to the lack of conformity in relation to the Newcomb-Benford Law, it is suspected that some level of conformity specific to this type of data has occurred, in the Brazilian context, since there are already studies that suggest the existence of proper levels of conformity for certain types of data. © 2021, Universidade Federal de Lavras -Departamento de Estatistica. All rights reserved.

Bearing a Disproportionate Burden: Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Experiences of U.S.-Based Social Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

While social workers have served as frontline workers responding to the needs of vulnerable populations during COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about how social work professionals themselves have been impacted. This article explored the impact of COVID-19 on social work professionals' mental health, physical health, and access to personal protective equipment (PPE). This was a cross-sectional web-based survey of social workers practicing in the United States (N = 3,118); data on demographic and workplace characteristics, physical and mental health, and safety concerns were collected between June and August of 2020. Univariate statistics were used to characterize the sample. Ordinal logistic and multinomial regression were used to achieve the research aims. The majority of participants reported either moderate or severe concerns related to mental (55 percent) and physical (55 percent) health; 36 percent of respondents indicated concerns about PPE access. Respondents' concerns differed by demographic (e.g., race, age) and workplace characteristics (e.g., setting, role, region). Social workers of color are experiencing COVID-19-related concerns of significantly greater severity relative to their White counterparts. Findings highlight an immediate need to deepen understanding of the factors that contribute to these trends and identify mechanisms to support the frontline social work workforce most impacted.

Local government responses for COVID-19 management in the Philippines.

BACKGROUND: Responses of subnational government units are crucial in the containment of the spread of pathogens in a country. To mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine national government through its Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases outlined different quarantine measures wherein each level has a corresponding degree of rigidity from keeping only the essential businesses open to allowing all establishments to operate at a certain capacity. Other measures also involve prohibiting individuals at a certain age bracket from going outside of their homes. The local government units (LGUs)-municipalities and provinces-can adopt any of these measures depending on the extent of the pandemic in their locality. The purpose is to keep the number of infections and mortality at bay while minimizing the economic impact of the pandemic. Some LGUs have demonstrated a remarkable response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to identify notable non-pharmaceutical interventions of these outlying LGUs in the country using quantitative methods. METHODS: Data were taken from public databases such as Philippine Department of Health, Philippine Statistics Authority Census, and Google Community Mobility Reports. These are normalized using Z-transform. For each locality, infection and mortality data (dataset Y) were compared to the economic, health, and demographic data (dataset X) using Euclidean metric d=(x-y)2, where x∈X and y∈Y. If a data pair (x,y) exceeds, by two standard deviations, the mean of the Euclidean metric values between the sets X and Y, the pair is assumed to be a 'good' outlier. RESULTS: Our results showed that cluster of cities and provinces in Central Luzon (Region III), CALABARZON (Region IV-A), the National Capital Region (NCR), and Central Visayas (Region VII) are the 'good' outliers with respect to factors such as working population, population density, ICU beds, doctors on quarantine, number of frontliners and gross regional domestic product. Among metropolitan cities, Davao was a 'good' outlier with respect to demographic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Strict border control, early implementation of lockdowns, establishment of quarantine facilities, effective communication to the public, and monitoring efforts were the defining factors that helped these LGUs curtail the harm that was brought by the pandemic. If these policies are to be standardized, it would help any country's preparedness for future health emergencies.