Influence of health literacy of rural junior middle school students on knowledge, attitudes and practices of COVID-19 protection in Jiangxi Province

Objective: To understand the influence of junior middle school students' health literacy on knowledge, belief and behavior of COVID-19 in rural areas of Jiangxi Province, and to enhance junior middle school students' ability to deal with public health emergencies. Methods: Stratified cluster random sampling was used to investigate the health literacy, knowledge level and behavior of COVID-19 protection of 4 311 grade 7 to grade 8 students in rural areas of Jiangxi Province;Chi-square test and Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the correlation between junior high school students' health literacy and COVID-19 protection knowledge, belief and behavior. Results: The rate of health literacy of junior middle school students in rural areas was 18.21%(n=785), the reported rate of intermediate level was high (n=2 454, 56.92%), and the reported rate of junior high school students at a low level of health literacy was 24.87%(n=1 072). The rate of junior middle school students in rural areas with good COVID-19 protection knowledge was 63.49%, the rate of positive protection attitude was 74.25%, and the rate of good protection behavior was 85.36%;Rate of COVID-19 protection knowledge (OR=4.85, 95%CI=3.80-6.18) and positive rate of protection attitude of high-level health literacy (OR=44.07, 95%CI=24.57-79.05), protective behavior possession rate (OR=25.99, 95%CI=19.67-34.35) were higher than those with low level of health literacy(P < 0.01). Conclusion: Health literacy is associated with COVID-19 protection knowledge, belief and behavior in rural junior high school students of Jiangxi Province, the findings provide direction for junior middle school students to improve their ability to deal with public health emergencies.

Demographic patterns of exposure and transmission for a rural Canadian community outbreak of COVID-19, 2020

Background: A coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) community outbreak was declared October 5-December 3, 2020, in the Restigouche region of New Brunswick, Canada. This article describes the epidemiological characteristics of the outbreak and assesses factors associated with its transmission in rural communities, informing public health measures and programming. Methods: A provincial line list was developed from case and contact interviews. Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to characterize the outbreak. Incidence rates among contacts, and by gender for the regional population were estimated. Results: There were 83 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 identified during the observation period. The case ages ranged from 10-89 years of age (median age group was 40-59 years of age) and 51.2% of the cases were male. Symptom onset dates ranged from September 27-October 27, 2020, with 83% of cases being symptomatic. A cluster of early cases at a social event led to multiple workplace outbreaks, though the majority of cases were linked to household transmission. Complex and overlapping social networks resulted in multiple exposure events and that obscured transmission pathways. The incidence rate among men was higher than women, men were significantly more likely to have transmission exposure at their workplace than women, and men were the most common index cases within a household. No transmission in school settings among children was documented despite multiple exposures. Conclusion: This investigation highlighted the gendered nature and complexity of a COVID-19 outbreak in a rural Canadian community. Targeted action at workplaces and strategic messaging towards men are likely required to increase awareness and adherence to public health measures to reduce transmission in these settings.

A qualitative study on perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine among health care worker in a rural area of West Bengal, India

Background: COVID vaccines have been rolled out all over the world after emergency use authorization in the prevailing pandemic situation. However, hesitancy about its safety and efficacy exists among beneficiaries. Vaccine hesitancy can be a barrier to adequate immunization coverage. Aims and Objectives: This qualitative study was undertaken among health care workers in the rural field practice area of a tertiary care hospital, to find out their perceptions about COVID vaccines, and reasons behind hesitancy toward the same. Materials and Methods: Six focused group discussions (FGD) were held with the help of moderator. Each FGD had five members, so 30 members were included in the study. Health care workers included doctors, nurses, ANM/ASHAs, and other health care workers. Results: There were 17 males and 13 females. Doctors had a positive attitude toward vaccination, but other health care workers had mixed perception regarding vaccination. Most grass root level workers were sceptical about the efficacy of the vaccine. Conclusion: Mostly positive attitude toward COVID vaccines was observed in the present study. Hesitancy toward vaccines was observed in some health care workers, and it likely rooted from their inadequate knowledge about the vaccine.

Analytical study of rural women's knowledge of health and preventive measures in Sharkia Governorate

The objective of this research was to identify some general characteristics or rural women. Sources of information on which rural woman rely in the areas of health and prevention and their relative importance. The availability.utilization and relative importance of village health services and activities. Level of rural women's knowledge of health and preventive measures in the five areas studied. namely (health education. healthy nutrition. first aid. reproductive health and family planning. prevention of coronavirus) their relative importance and their relationship with independent variables studied. Measuring the gap between the degree of actual and total knowledge of rural women. Level and relative importance of rural women's practice of health and preventive actions in the five areas considered. correlations between them and the above- mentioned independent variables. and Level of rural women's knowledge of health and preventive actions. Measuring the gap between actual and total practice of rural women. this research was conducted in some villages in Sharkia Governorate. The research sample was 168 rural households and data was collected from January to March 2022. One of the most important findinds of the research is the average level of rural women's knowledge. A significant correlation between the degree of rural women's knowledge of health and preventive actions. the trend towards change and the level of exposure to information source and an inverse correlation with wife age. psychological stress and husband age. Rural women's practice is high. A significant association was found wih monthly gourd. the trend towards change. exposure to information sources.

A retrospective study on COVID-19 in a tertiary care rural hospital

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly become a worldwide concern ever since first being reported from Wuhan, China in December 2019. With no known cure, there is widespread fear-provoking interest in studying the factors contributing to mortality. Aim and Objectives: The current study was undertaken with a view to try to understand the cause of morbidity and mortality. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study done in our Institution on COVID-19 patients admitted over a course of 3 months after approval from Institutional Ethics Committee. Results: We had 17 deaths over the period under consideration whereas 73 patients improved (mortality = 19%, n = 90). Most of the patients were in the 41-80 years age group (>70%). No gender preponderance was found with mortality in each being around 20%. A clear correlation between co-morbidities and mortality was found with no person without any comorbidity succumbing to the disease. Respiratory and Heart conditions were found to contribute most to mortality with patients presenting with shortness of breath being most at risk. Similarly, a Neutrophil: Lymphocyte ratio greater than 12 was found to significantly increase the mortality. Conclusion: Patients with comorbidities need to be monitored closely with treatment being directed at improving the respiratory outcome.

Rural women's behavior towards food safety and quality at Damanhour district, Beheira Governorate

The research aimed to identify the behavior of rural women towards food safety and quality at Damanhour Distrct, the simple random sample amounted to 240 respondents, representing 5% of the total. The data were collected through a personal interview by questionnaire. The most important results were: 47.9% of the respondents have a low and medium total level of knowledge of food safety and quality, and 59.5% of them have a low and medium level of implementation of those practices, 52.1% have a negative and neutral attitude towards these practices, 68.3% believe that they have not been previously infected with Covid 19, and 49.2% have not taken the vaccine for Covid 19, the All agreed on the availability of the vaccine, 35% of the respondents have a low and medium level of knowledge of practices related to food safety and quality under Covid 19, and 50.8% have a low and medium level of implementation of those practices. Also, five independent variables together explain 65.4% of the total variance in the respondents' knowledge of practices related to food safety and quality, four independent variables together explain about 62.3% of the total variance in the implementation of practices related to food safety and quality by the respondents. And seven independent variables together explain about 55.4% of the total variance in the attitudes of the rural women respondents towards food safety and quality.

Current status of management of medical waste in medical institutions of Chongqing

OBJECTIVE: To understand the status of generation and management of medical waste in medical institutions of Chongqing. METHODS: By means of onsite investigation and questionnaire survey, the generation categories and current status of management of medical waste in 50 medical institutions were investigated from Oct 2021 to Apr 2022 the existing limitations and prominent problems in the whole-process management of medical waste were identified so as to enable the safe disposal of medical waste based on laws and regulations. RESULTS: The average pollutants generation coefficient of medical waste was 0.22-0.72 kg/bed.day among all the grades of hospitals, the average pollutant generation coefficient of medical waste was 0.28-2.30 kg/10 people among grass-root medical institutions. The management of medical waste was more standardized in tertiary hospitals. There were a variety of problems in management of medical waste in clinics and village clinics, such as nonstandard classification of medical waste, unreasonable site selection for temporary storage of medical waste, unsatisfactory transportation means and untimely collection and transportation of medical waste. The problems of chemical, pharmaceutical and pathological medical waste were more prominent. The costs of disposal of medical waste were not strictly implemented in accordance with standards. The packaging, storage, loading, handover and disinfection of COVID-19 medical waste have been carried out in accordance with regulations. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to further standardize the management of medical waste, explore and formulate the collection and transportation modes of medical waste in primary medical institutions, intensify the supervision of classification, collection, storage, transportation and disposal of medical waste, optimize and upgrade the medical waste management information system, and encourage subsidies for the disposal of medical waste in Chongqing medical waste disposal enterprises during the COVID-19 period.

Rural community stress: a review of the literature

Rural communities experience substantial levels of stress. Although these communities show remarkable resilience, rural stress is an important, understudied area for research, especially during COVID-19, which will have lasting effects on communities under stress. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on rural community stress to identify areas for future research. We reviewed the literature using the PsychInfo, Social Services s, and PubMed databases and included US articles that were published since 2008 and identified rural stress at a community level. We included 50 sources. The stress experienced by diverse rural communities can be understood by examining the interactions among the economic, built/natural, and sociocultural environments of each community. Leveraging rural community-level strengths like social cohesion (e.g., support networks, community centers, places of worship) and the natural environment (e.g., parks, trails, outdoor physical activity) can prevent and reduce community stress by building resilience. Research on community protective factors is key to alleviating stress and building capacity for resilience;however, it is largely absent from the rural literature. Efforts should be made to understand which strengths and capacities are most conducive to alleviating stress in individual rural communities. Community-level stress will be a lasting concern for rural communities, particularly since the emergence of COVID-19. Rural communities can prevent community-level stressors and mitigate harmful effects by bolstering resilience and using trauma-informed approaches where needed. Policy and structural changes are needed to rectify longstanding inequities that perpetuate rural community stress.

Comparing rapid Ag test and PCR in SARS-CoV-2 management in rural Egypt

Like elsewhere around the globe, SARS-CoV-2 infection is spreading in rural Egypt. Due to high sensitivity and specificity, the gold standard of diagnostics is reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction PCR (RT-PCR). Rural areas without access to certified laboratories cannot take advantage of RT-PCR testing, and thus are dependent upon rapid antigen testing, a point-of-care test that requires less training and can produce results within 15 minutes. Rapid antigen testing can give an advantage to medical teams in rural settings by affording effective and early control of SARS-CoV-2 infection spread. We sought to assess the contribution of different COVID-19 testing procedures in rural Egypt. We conducted a prospective cohort study in a rural lab in Giza, Egypt. Approximately 223 individuals with potential SARS-CoV-2 infection were involved in the study during the pandemic peak in Giza, Egypt, from March 4 - May 30, 2021. Subjects were subjected to RT-PCR and rapid antigen testing, and the performance of each testing procedure was compared. Between March 4 - May 30, 2021, approximately 223 symptomatic individuals were included in this study. 190 patients (85.2%) were indicated as PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2, while 33 (14.8%) were PCR negative. In comparison, a rapid antigen test showed 178 out of 223 patients (79.8%) were indicated as positive, or 94% of the PCR-positive individuals. In Giza, a rural area of Egypt, RT-PCR had an optimal balance of sensitivity and specificity, however, the turnaround time was a limiting factor. Antigen testing, performed as a rapid point-of-care test, can play an effective role in rural outbreak control due to its ease of use and rapid results.

A retrospective study to find out factors affecting maternal mortality in a tertiary care hospital in Ahmedabad city, Gujarat

Background : Data pertaining to preventable causes of maternal mortality are valuable in each set up to design interventional steps for the significant reduction of the maternal mortality ratio. Objectives : (1) To study the trend on Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR);(2) To find out the factors for the Maternal Mortality. Material and Methods : A retrospective cross-sectional study of maternal death was conducted in the Obstetrics Department of Tertiary Care Hospital of Ahmedabad city. The data of total 9 years from 1st April 2013 to 31st January 2021 were taken in the study. Epidemiological factors and causes affecting maternal mortality were assessed through pretested questionnaire that includes parity, duration between admission and mortality etc. Results: Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) was 180.2 per 1 lac live births during the study period. Young mothersaged 20 to 30 years (78.5%), and rural residence (76.6%), multiparous mothers (66.7%)were at risk for Maternal Mortality. Obstetric haemorrhage (25.8%) was the most common cause whereas COVID-19 pandemic later on were indirect causes contributing to Maternal Mortality. Conclusion: Great Care should be taken for high-risk pregnancy like young age, multiparous women and also of postpartum women. Postpartum haemorrhage was the commonest direct cause of Maternal Mortality. Strengthening of existing obstetric care facilities, facility for easy transport, appropriate referral linkages are keys to reduce Maternal Mortality to further extent.

Perception of COVID-19 impact among farmers in Cordoba and Sucre, Colombia

This article aimed to investigate and collect essential information on the problems suffered by producers due to mandatory preventive confinement measures and mobility restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, as perceived by producers in the area. Farmers in the region identified three major impacts: a decrease in money available to invest in agriculture, a decrease in available labor, and increased difficulty in mobilisation. These impacts are a clear result of the confinement and restrictions placed on the prevention of the epidemic, which caused contractions in demand for products, made it impossible for people to move, and placed limitations on the opening and capacity of supply centres. Looking ahead, the majority of interviewees stated that, even if the restrictions remain in place, they will continue with their agricultural activities, with some resorting to savings or credits and seeking new marketing strategies. The above results are consistent with the context of the region, which is agricultural and mainly rural. While producers are concerned about the possibility of contagion, and some have even reported symptoms, the main impact on their productive activity, and thus on their income and food security, is the main impact.

Pivoting during the pandemic: adapting research priorities to address community engagement with COVID-19 in Western Kenya

Among the many profound disruptions created by COVID-19 around the world, the pandemic has greatly tested community-based research endeavours that rely upon international collaboration and face-to-face interactions in rural communities. Our group of Kenyan and American investigators based on remote Mfangano Island on Lake Victoria experienced numerous challenges due to travel restrictions, safety guidelines, and funding interruptions, forcing us to rapidly adapt objectives as conditions evolved in real time. Here we describe our effort to adjust the priorities of the MOMENTUM study, a longitudinal maternal health study, to support a community-driven response to the initial COVID-19 surge in 2020 and the subsequent Delta wave in 2021. Through a dynamic participatory process, our group identified and implemented three COVID-19 engagement strategies including, (i) printed COVID-19 factsheets for local distribution, (ii) vernacular radio programming on a popular local radio station, and (iii) targeted COVID-19 vaccine promotion among key community opinion leaders. We provide a review of the strengths, challenges, and local perspectives regarding these strategies. Due to notable limitations, such as our inability to compare outcomes with similar control populations, and the nature of the specific strategies designed to address the unique needs of these island populations, this report is not intended to provide definitive or generalizable conclusions regarding the impact of a COVID-19 intervention. We present our experience as an illustrative example of how community-based research collaborations can utilize their embedded networks to develop adaptive responses to unexpected public health threats. Most notably, the transition to virtual collaboration facilitated a long-overdue recentering of operational and strategic leadership into the hands of our Kenyan team. This aligned reality on the ground with our long-stated rhetoric regarding North-South equity in design and implementation. Ultimately, our experience in Kenya suggests that amid ongoing disruptions created by a pandemic, there exists both a responsibility to respond to evolving community needs and an opportunity to remodel global health partnerships for improved equity and long-term impact.

Managing COVID-19 through collaboration: applying a novel patient care model in a rural Indian community

Background: Rural communities in India are vulnerable to the global pandemic of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) due to a lack of resources and delayed access to information. To address the challenges faced by Primary Health Centers, the Karuna Trust-Lopamudra Medical Center COVID-19 High Dependency Unit (KLCHDU), a collaboration between a local hospital, a non-governmental organization, infectious disease physicians from an academic medical center in the United States, and a local citizens council, was established in May 2021. This collaboration implemented diagnostic and management COVID-19 protocols recommended by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the National Institute of Health, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and provided basic training on recommended practices to Primary Health Center and other local healthcare workers.

Low COVID-19-related knowledge and access to adequate handwashing among patients with chronic diseases in rural Rwanda: a cross-sectional survey

Background:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) misinformation and inadequate access to hygiene and sanitation amenities could hamper efforts to contain COVID-19 spread in resource-limited settings. In this study, we describe knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms and preventive measures, sources of information, and access to adequate handwashing among patients with chronic diseases in three Rwandan rural districts during the onset of COVID-19 in Rwanda.

Awareness of the rural family with the procedures and instructions of the ministry of health to prevent the corona virus (COVID 19) in new valley governorate, Egypt

This research aimed to study the awareness of the rural family about the procedures and instructions of the Ministry of Health to prevent the Corona virus Covid 19 in New Valley Governorate. The research was carried out on all governorate districts: Kharga, Dakhla, Balat, Paris and Farafra. A village was randomly selected from each of the governorate districts namely Palestine village, Sahwa village, Al-Zayat village, Jeddah village, Sheikh Marzouk village. The Size of the research sample in the five villages comprises 278 respondents. Data were collected by personal interview questionnaire during November and December 2021. Percentages, frequency distribution and weighted average were used to present and describe the research data, and Spearman's correlation coefficient for ranks was used to determine the relationship between the search variables by SPSSV. 22. Results indicated that: 79.1% of the respondents had a high level of awareness of the Ministry of Health's measures to prevent the Corona virus. 81.6% of the respondents had a high level of awareness of the Ministry of Health's instructions to prevent Corona virus. Watching television ranked first for information sources from which respondents derive their information about the emerging coronavirus with a weighted average of 2.94. The respondents' awareness of the Ministry of Health's procedures to prevent coronavirus were positively correlated with the age, number of family members, degree of health, Leadership, the degree of participation in organizations, Educational Status and thoe respondents, awareness of the Ministry of Health's instructions to prevent coronavirus were positively correlated with age, number of family members, degree of cultural openness, Educational Status and degree of participation in organizations.

Study of haematological parameters in COVID-19 positive patients at tertiary care hospital

Introduction: Apart from clinical symptoms and pulmonary computed tomography (CT) findings in, confirmed COVID-19 patients' Blood tests have an important role in early diagnosis of the disease and they provide valuable information to physicians regarding the inflammatory status in body. Materials and methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2020 to March 2020 in the Pathology Department of Rural Medical College, Loni. Total of 120 patients from different groups, both genders and between 18 and 75-year age were studied.

'Closing the gate': the state and the people in rural South Africa in the time of COVID

The article explores the interaction between the South Africa state and rural communities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It suggests that the state adopted a particularly repressive lockdown strategy in the former homelands or rural areas because it feared that customary practices, like male initiation, and rural funerals would emerge as potent 'super spreaders' of the COVID-19 virus. The heavy-handed clampdown that followed took rural communities by surprise and created a culture of fear and panic, as many wondered why the state was 'closing the gate' on their homesteads, their culture and communities in a time of crisis. This feeling was exacerbated with the collapse of the provincial health service during the first and second waves of infection in 2020 when clinics, hospital and government departments closed across the province for deep cleansing, strike action or due to the lack of medicine and equipment. This entrenched fear and the sense of exclusion and victimisation in rural areas. In 2021, with the arrival of vaccines, the Eastern Cape government was mandated to vaccinate a substantial proportion of the provincial population within a year. Suddenly, the gate opened as the provincial government now sought to communicate with rural people and win popular support for its vaccination drive. The article explores how the gate closed on rural communities in the Eastern Cape within a wider discussion of pandemic politics and state control, on the one hand, and the challenges associated with the emergence of more democratic forms of public health, or what Richards calls 'people science' on the other.

Growing health: building partnerships in healthcare and food systems for improved food access in Appalachia

"Hospitals not only provide access to healthcare services in rural areas;they also serve as major employers and economic drivers. The goal of this pilot study was to improve our understanding of how a rural healthcare system in Appalachian Kentucky could be leveraged to expand access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We conducted 11 semi-structured interviews with food system and healthcare stakeholders in Hazard, Kentucky, to (1) improve our understanding of key barriers to accessing and utilizing fresh produce for healthcare worker and patient populations, (2) identify models for direct-to-consumer market channels and farm-to-institution programming in collaboration with a local hospital, and (3) explore the potential of those models to foster greater consumption of fruit and vegetables among community members. Stakeholders emphasized the need for staff support and funding during program development and discussed the difficulty in maintaining prior local food and health promotion efforts when pilot funding expired. Other considerations included the importance of community ownership, robust communication and coordination among stakeholders, and attunement to the opportunities and challenges of a hospital-based approach. Direct farm-to-consumer models were considered feasible but would require accommodation for low-income consumers, such as vouchers, sliding-scale payment methods, or ""double dollar"" programs. Farm-to-hospital initiatives were discussed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced hospital cafeteria usage, which may limit the success of some events but highlights the potential for to-go options such as pre-prepared salads, lightly processed snacks, and medically tailored meal kits. Results of this study illustrate the challenges and opportunities of leveraging a rural hospital as an anchor institution for expanding local food system development in rural Appalachia. This study also offers insights into the intersections of health, culture, and economy in an Appalachian community, and provides a framework for expanding local food system initiatives."

Factors explaining variations in COVID-19 deaths in rural America. (Special Issue: Space, place, and COVID-19.)

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, case and death rates from the disease in rural counties were significantly lower than in urban counties. This pattern changed during the summer and fall of 2020, and by December, death rates in rural counties were higher than in urban counties. This article uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau and voting and COVID-19 data from The New York Times to explore factors related to the increase in COVID-19 deaths in rural counties in the United States. Further analysis is conducted to understand variations in death rates across different types of rural counties. Multivariate regression models revealed that death rates were related to both measures of disadvantage and political views.

Telemedicine and its impact on rural health care in times of COVID-19: a systematic review

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance and utility of telemedicine in providing a way to connect patients and healthcare professionals when an in-person consultation is not possible in rural areas. A systematic review of Telemedicine and its impact on rural healthcare in times of COVID-19 was carried out from 2016 to 2021. The search strategy identified 1480 papers from digital libraries such as Google Scholar, ACM Digital Library, ProQuest, ARDI, Taylor & Francis Online, Wiley Online Libray and Microsoft Academic. Then 71 papers were considered based on exclusion criteria. The results of the systematic review have focused on recent studies of Telemedicine where it highlights the importance in the care of patients in rural areas also provides statistical graphs of the extracted studies to compare by relevance to their settings and situations.