Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Is the COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign an Opportunity to Improve Adherence to Cancer Screening Programmes? The Challenge of a Pilot Project in a Large Local Health Authority in Rome.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected health services worldwide. The suspension of cancer screening programs during the lockdown period, coupled with the other measures taken to limit the SARS-CoV-2 spread, contributed to the idea that cancer preventive interventions are deferrable. In this opinion paper, we present some data on cancer screening coverage in one of the largest Local Health Authorities in Italy in recent years. Within this context, we introduce the benefits of a pilot project in which we took advantage of the great attention on the COVID-19 vaccination campaign to improve screening uptake. In this project, we offered men and women eligible for cancer screening the opportunity to book appointments while waiting to be vaccinated. In addition, trained healthcare personnel were available on-site to discuss any barriers to participation with the attendees. Despite the project having only just started, preliminary results are encouraging, with positive feedback from the attendees. In conclusion, we advocate for the need to adopt a comprehensive approach when it comes to population health, and we use this project as an example to discuss how it is possible to contribute to minimizing the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with resources already in place.

Changes in Student's Breakfast and Snack Consumption during the Second COVID-19 Lockdown in Portugal: A Five-Wave Study.

The circumstances of the COVID-19 lockdown affected many students' life spheres, including their feeding patterns and snack intake. The main goals of the present study were to: (a) analyze the changes in students' breakfast and snacking consumption during lockdown, and (b) analyze changes in the content of the students' snacks using the Healthy Eating Index. This study analyzed data from a sample of 726 students from 36 classes from the late elementary (i.e., fifth grade) through high school (i.e., twelfth grade) from two public schools in the north of Portugal. Data were collected in five moments during the 2020/2021 school year, pre-, during, and post-second lockdown moments. Throughout the five moments, almost 90% of the students ate breakfast, and the majority brought snacks from home to eat in school. Surprisingly, there was an increase in the quality of the snacks consumed during lockdown compared to the pre-lockdown moments (e.g., consumption of more whole and total fruits and less consumption of food with added sugar, saturated fats, refined grains, and fatty acids). Suggestions for healthy behavior promotion will be discussed, such as improving the school food environment and teaching children to prepare healthy lunch boxes.

COVID-19-related anxiety and lifestyle changes.

This study aimed to identify factors that affect lifestyle changes and focused on coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-related anxiety since the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea. Data from 213,848 individuals from the 2020 Korean Community Health Survey were analyzed using a complex sampling design. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression analyses were performed. Participants reported a high level of COVID-19-related anxiety, with a score of 19.28 out of 25. The score of healthy behavioral change index was -0.51, indicating negative changes in physical activity, dietary habits, and sleep patterns. A slight positive change was reported for addictive behavioral change index, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, at 0.27 scores, indicating a decrease in these behaviors. COVID-19-related anxiety was an important factor that negatively affected health behavior. The high-risk groups that were vulnerable to anxiety included older adults and those who have little social support or few social encounters. Thus, identifying high-risk groups with the potential for worsened health behavior and providing interventions to reduce the anxiety caused by COVID-19 are necessary.

THE INFLUENCE OF DYNAMIC SOCIETY ON STUDENTS' HEALTH.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: The article examines the impact of a dynamic society on the health of students of pedagogical specialties, identifies approaches to the formation of self-preserving and health-preserving behavior in student youth. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: A set of methods was used in one-step (cross-sectional) research: general scientific (analysis, synthesis, comparison, systematization, generalization), empirical (observations, interviews, questionnaires) to determine the impact of negative factors of a dynamic society on student health. The object of research is the process of the impact of a dynamic society on student health. Subject - factors influencing the dynamic environment on the health of students of the first (bachelor's) educational level of pedagogical specialties. RESULTS: Results: In our opinion, the dynamism of modern society is an important factor in changing the personality of a young person to understand the value of their own health, awareness of the relationship of physical, social, spiritual, and intellectual development in health. The results of the study are based on a survey of students. The questions were formulated in such a way as to investigate the influence of the factors of a dynamic society on the well-being and health of the respondents. The study was conducted remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic using a Google questionnaire. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The results of the survey of students provided an opportunity to study the impact of dynamic society factors on the well-being and health of respondents and find out the importance of responsible self-preservation and health-preserving behavior and professional career.

Learning Methods During School Closure and Its Correlation With Anxiety and Health Behavior of Thai Students.

Background: The sequential waves of epidemic spread of COVID-19 in Thailand have caused periodic closures of schools, and exposed students to different learning methods that require multiple adjustment strategies. This study aimed to examine how different learning methods may correlate with anxiety and health behavior (e.g., physical activity, active play, screen time, sleep) of primary and secondary school students in Thailand. Methods: Thailand Report Card (TRC) Data (2021) was employed. The sample of the TRC was drawn by multi-stages random sampling stratified by region, district, urban/rural, school size, sex, and age to ensure national representativeness. A total of 6,078 Thai primary (64%) and secondary (36%) school students were included in the analysis. Results: About two-thirds (66.4%) of the sample experienced a shift from traditional classroom to fully online learning, 6.9% experienced partial online instruction, 23.6% received handouts or written assignments, and 3.1% resumed traditional classroom learning. Compared to fully online learning, students who experienced traditional classroom (onsite) teaching were 37.8% less likely to report moderate-to severe anxiety (OR 0.6; p-value 0.021). There was no significant correlation between school closure-induced anxiety with overall physical activity (PA) and active play, but anxiety was significantly associated with screen time and sleep duration. Receiving handouts/written assignments only as the learning method was significantly correlated with PA, but two methods (handouts and onsite/traditional classroom) was significantly correlated with active play. Students who experienced classroom learning were also more likely to comply with recommended durations of screen time and sleep. Conclusion: Although online learning was probably the most convenient choice during COVID-19 containment measures in Thailand, this method did not provide sufficient opportunity for PA and play. Online learning also encouraged an excessive use of screen media, and disrupted sleeping patterns. Online learning also pressured Thai students to make various adjustments in their daily routines that may have further aggravated anxiety.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Risky Behaviors and Health Changes in African-American Smokers Who Are Eligible for LDCT Screening.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted much of day-to-day life in the US and around the world. Smokers have a higher risk of adverse outcomes due to COVID-19. This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on risky behaviors and health changes in lower income African-American smokers eligible for Low dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening, who may be more adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 22 African-American daily smokers who were eligible for LDCT screening participated in this study. The mean age of participants was 61.2 years old (SD = 4.7), 77.3% of the smokers were female, all participants had an income below $20,000, and 63.6% were on Medicaid. Descriptive statistics were used to provide summary information on demographics, COVID-19, and health status. Results showed that participants increased cigarette smoking, spent more time on screens, increased sugary drink consumption, consumed more vegetables and fruits, and engaged in more gardening activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, participants also decreased physical activity time and slept less during the pandemic. In general, more than one-third of participants gained more body weight and reported increased stress and anxiety. Our results suggest that African-American smokers who qualify for LDCT screening should be encouraged to consider strategies not only for smoking cessation, but also risky behavior control and management.

Weight control practices among the Saudi Arabian population during the Covid-19 lockdown.

OBJECTIVES: Physical activity appears to be essential to maintain health during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically for those at high risk, because of its advantages mentally as well as physically. This study determines weight control behaviors among the Saudi population during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional survey of Saudis aged 18-60 and residents in the country during the lockdown period. The study sample was 384 people obtained from the Leslie formula for sample size calculations. The population covered all Saudi regions. RESULTS: A total of 397 people responded to the survey. Among these people, 196 (49.4%) were male and 201 (50.6%) were female. The majority of them were urban residents (288; 72.5%). One hundred seventy-five (44.1%) had engaged in healthy behavior for weight control during the COVID-19. Factors that significantly affected these healthy behaviors were gender, employment, and educational level (P value <0.05). During pandemic, certain activities and behaviors were affected (P value < 0.05), including smoking (36; 9.1%), exercising (255; 64.2%), dieting for weight loss (98; 24.7%), dieting for weight maintenance (102; 25.7%), regular dieting before COVID-19 (112; 28.2%), and maintaining exercise after pandemic (194; 48.9%). Other significantly affected healthy behaviors were decreasing food intake (301; 75.8%; P value 0.01) and eating less meat (200; 50.4%; P value 0.00). CONCLUSIONS: Healthy behavior for weight control during the COVID-19 pandemic was reported by less than half of the study population. Minority (15.6%) engaged in at least one unhealthy or extreme weight loss practice. Healthy behavior was significantly influenced by gender, employment, and educational level.

Physical activity, resilience, emotions, moods, and weight control of older adults during the COVID-19 global crisis.

BACKGROUND: The main purpose of the research was to examine the differences between adults in the age group 70+ and two other age groups (45-59 and 60-69), concerning their healthy and active lifestyle. The death toll of the current COVID-19 pandemic is strongly biased toward the elderly. However, some studies of crises suggest that older adults tend to perceive events as less stressful than do younger people. Therefore, we examined healthy behavior in populations at risk according to the age cutoff-points used by the Ministry of Health at the time of vaccination, and divided the participants into three age groups (45-59, 60-69, and 70+) following health organizations' recommendations. METHODS: Participants were 1202 people, 381 males and 821 females, aged 45-90. A survey comprised of six parts was used: Demographic background, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-short version, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - PANAS, the Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale, a questionnaire for measuring depressive moods, and questions regarding weight change, based on the Israeli National Health and Nutrition (MABAT) survey. Data were collected in Israel during the first complete lockdown. The questionnaire was distributed via e-mail, WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook using a snowball sampling method. RESULTS: Resilience and negative feelings and depression symptoms were higher in age group 45-59 compared to 70+ year-old participants, and the depression symptoms score was also higher among participants aged 45-59 compared to ages 60-69. Physical activity was associated with higher resilience, fewer depression symptoms, and fewer negative emotions. Regarding gender and psychological variables, no differences were found. During the time of lockdown, weight change was not prevalent and sleeping hours increased. CONCLUSION: In adults at 70+, the physical activity level, physical activity before and during the lockdown, emotions, sleeping hours, and weight change were similar to the other adult groups that were examined (45-59 and 60-69). However, in the older adults groups (70+ and 60-69), resilience and depression symptoms were lower than in the youngest age group.

Factors influencing healthy role models in medical school to conduct healthy behavior: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the factors that support or inhibit medical teachers as healthy role models in medical school to conduct healthy behavior. METHODS: This qualitative study involved semi-structured in-depth interviews with medical teachers categorized as healthy role models in a medical school from a previous survey. Ten medical teachers were selected using purposive sampling. Three medical teachers were interviewed by direct meetings, and the remaining were phone interviewed, with one interview facilitated by chat using WhatsApp. Transcribed interviews were coded openly. Themes were finalized through discussion and debate to reach a consensus. RESULTS: Two themes were identified: perceived facilitators and perceived barriers, which were classified into four categories and 13 subcategories: intrinsic facilitators (motivation, conscious awareness, having physical limitations, knowledge, and economic reasons); extrinsic facilitators (the impact on doing a particular job, feedback, time, and environment); intrinsic barriers (the lack of self-motivation and having physical limitations); and extrinsic barriers (the burden of responsibilities for being medical teachers and environment). CONCLUSIONS: Factors that support and inhibit medical teachers as healthy role models in medical school are influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This result could be used by medical schools to design appropriate interventions to help medical teachers as healthy role models in conducting healthy behavior. More studies are needed to explore other factors that influence medical teachers to conduct healthy behavior. During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthy role models in medical schools are vitally important and significantly contribute to the overall health of a nation.

Increasing handwashing in young children: A brief review.

Personal hygiene is critical for preventing the spread of infection. One important component of personal hygiene is handwashing. This review summarizes research on behavioral strategies to address handwashing in children, offers areas for additional research, and suggests a treatment package to teach handwashing to young children.