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1.
BMJ Open ; 13(6): e066897, 2023 06 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-20233982

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To (1) understand what behaviours, beliefs, demographics and structural factors predict US adults' intention to get a COVID-19 vaccination, (2) identify segments of the population ('personas') who share similar factors predicting vaccination intention, (3) create a 'typing tool' to predict which persona people belong to and (4) track changes in the distribution of personas over time and across the USA. DESIGN: Three surveys: two on a probability-based household panel (NORC's AmeriSpeak) and one on Facebook. SETTING: The first two surveys were conducted in January 2021 and March 2021 when the COVID-19 vaccine had just been made available in the USA. The Facebook survey ran from May 2021 to February 2022. PARTICIPANTS: All participants were aged 18+ and living in the USA. OUTCOME MEASURES: In our predictive model, the outcome variable was self-reported vaccination intention (0-10 scale). In our typing tool model, the outcome variable was the five personas identified by our clustering algorithm. RESULTS: Only 1% of variation in vaccination intention was explained by demographics, with about 70% explained by psychobehavioural factors. We identified five personas with distinct psychobehavioural profiles: COVID Sceptics (believe at least two COVID-19 conspiracy theories), System Distrusters (believe people of their race/ethnicity do not receive fair healthcare treatment), Cost Anxious (concerns about time and finances), Watchful (prefer to wait and see) and Enthusiasts (want to get vaccinated as soon as possible). The distribution of personas varies at the state level. Over time, we saw an increase in the proportion of personas who are less willing to get vaccinated. CONCLUSIONS: Psychobehavioural segmentation allows us to identify why people are unvaccinated, not just who is unvaccinated. It can help practitioners tailor the right intervention to the right person at the right time to optimally influence behaviour.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Social Media , Adult , Humans , United States/epidemiology , COVID-19 Vaccines/therapeutic use , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , Self Report , Intention , Probability , Vaccination
2.
BMJ Open ; 13(6): e070637, 2023 06 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-20233763

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To quantify population health risks for domiciliary care workers (DCWs) in Wales, UK, working during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: A population-level retrospective study linking occupational registration data to anonymised electronic health records maintained by the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank in a privacy-protecting trusted research environment. SETTING: Registered DCW population in Wales. PARTICIPANTS: Records for all linked DCWs from 1 March 2020 to 30 November 2021. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Our primary outcome was confirmed COVID-19 infection; secondary outcomes included contacts for suspected COVID-19, mental health including self-harm, fit notes, respiratory infections not necessarily recorded as COVID-19, deaths involving COVID-19 and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Confirmed and suspected COVID-19 infection rates increased over the study period to 24% by 30 November 2021. Confirmed COVID-19 varied by sex (males: 19% vs females: 24%) and age (>55 years: 19% vs <35 years: 26%) and were higher for care workers employed by local authority social services departments compared with the private sector (27% and 23%, respectively). 34% of DCWs required support for a mental health condition, with mental health-related prescribing increasing in frequency when compared with the prepandemic period. Events for self-harm increased from 0.2% to 0.4% over the study period as did the issuing of fit notes. There was no evidence to suggest a miscoding of COVID-19 infection with non-COVID-19 respiratory conditions. COVID-19-related and all-cause mortality were no greater than for the general population aged 15-64 years in Wales (0.1% and 0.034%, respectively). A comparable DCW workforce in Scotland and England would result in a comparable rate of COVID-19 infection, while the younger workforce in Northern Ireland may result in a greater infection rate. CONCLUSIONS: While initial concerns about excess mortality are alleviated, the substantial pre-existing and increased mental health burden for DCWs will require investment to provide long-term support to the sector's workforce.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Home Care Services , Male , Female , Humans , Cohort Studies , Wales/epidemiology , COVID-19/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , Pandemics , Information Storage and Retrieval
3.
BMJ Open ; 13(5): e069355, 2023 05 18.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2322691

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Data linkage systems have proven to be a powerful tool in support of combating and managing the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the interoperability and the reuse of different data sources may pose a number of technical, administrative and data security challenges. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This protocol aims to provide a case study for linking highly sensitive individual-level information. We describe the data linkages between health surveillance records and administrative data sources necessary to investigate social health inequalities and the long-term health impact of COVID-19 in Belgium. Data at the national institute for public health, Statistics Belgium and InterMutualistic Agency are used to develop a representative case-cohort study of 1.2 million randomly selected Belgians and 4.5 million Belgians with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis (PCR or antigen test), of which 108 211 are COVID-19 hospitalised patients (PCR or antigen test). Yearly updates are scheduled over a period of 4 years. The data set covers inpandemic and postpandemic health information between July 2020 and January 2026, as well as sociodemographic characteristics, socioeconomic indicators, healthcare use and related costs. Two main research questions will be addressed. First, can we identify socioeconomic and sociodemographic risk factors in COVID-19 testing, infection, hospitalisations and mortality? Second, what is the medium-term and long-term health impact of COVID-19 infections and hospitalisations? More specific objectives are (2a) To compare healthcare expenditure during and after a COVID-19 infection or hospitalisation; (2b) To investigate long-term health complications or premature mortality after a COVID-19 infection or hospitalisation; and (2c) To validate the administrative COVID-19 reimbursement nomenclature. The analysis plan includes the calculation of absolute and relative risks using survival analysis methods. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study involves human participants and was approved by Ghent University hospital ethics committee: reference B.U.N. 1432020000371 and the Belgian Information Security Committee: reference Beraadslaging nr. 22/014 van 11 January 2022, available via https://www.ehealth.fgov.be/ehealthplatform/file/view/AX54CWc4Fbc33iE1rY5a?filename=22-014-n034-HELICON-project.pdf. Dissemination activities include peer-reviewed publications, a webinar series and a project website.The pseudonymised data are derived from administrative and health sources. Acquiring informed consent would require extra information on the subjects. The research team is prohibited from gaining additional knowledge on the study subjects by the Belgian Information Security Committee's interpretation of the Belgian privacy framework.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , Belgium/epidemiology , COVID-19 Testing , SARS-CoV-2 , Pandemics , Cohort Studies
4.
BMJ Open ; 13(5): e071208, 2023 05 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2314594

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Despite cultural, religious and legal constraints, alcohol and drug abuse is rising in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Therefore, we aim to produce a scoping review to summarise available scientific literature on alcohol and substance dependence (ASD) in all ethnic and religious groups in the UAE to inform future scientific inquiries. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Social work faculty from the UAE University will conduct the scoping review between March 2023 and February 2024. Drawing on the participants, concept, context (PCC) framework, the following review question was developed: What can be learnt from a review of scientific literature on alcohol and substance abuse in all ethnic and religious groups in the UAE? The scientific literature on ASD in the UAE published between 1971 and January 2023, in either English or Arabic, will be considered, including all ethnic, religious and age groups. Grey literature, such as postgraduate dissertations and conference proceedings, will also be considered. Eight English and two Arabic databases and print copies of literature sources in university libraries will be included. EndNote and Covidence software will be used for deduplication, screening and data extraction. Screening and reviewing search results will involve two English-speaking and two Arabic-speaking team members who will work independently. A third reviewer will resolve conflicts. The inter-rater reliability data from the title and abstract screening stage will be exported, and Cohen's kappa coefficient will be calculated. Data charting informed by the Covidence data extraction tool 2.0 will occur after pilot testing, followed by qualitative content analysis. Reporting of the findings will align with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews tool. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required for this study because this is a scoping review of published studies and grey literature. Findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journal publications, scientific conferences and a policy brief.


Subject(s)
Alcoholism , Substance-Related Disorders , Humans , Ethanol , Reproducibility of Results , Review Literature as Topic , Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology , United Arab Emirates/epidemiology
5.
BMJ Mil Health ; 2023 May 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2319853

ABSTRACT

Defence Engagement (DE) has been a core UK Defence task since 2015. DE (Health) is the use of military medical capabilities to achieve DE effects within the health sector to achieve security and defence objectives. DE (Health) practitioners must understand the underlying defence context that shapes these objectives. The strategic context is becoming more uncertain with the return of great power competition layered on enduring threats from non-state actors and transnational challenges. The UK response has been to develop the Integrated Review, outlining four national security and international policy objectives. UK Defence has responded by developing the integrated operating concept, differentiating military activity between operating and warfighting. Engage is one of the three functions of operate activity, which is complementary to the other operate functions of protect and constrain. DE (Health) can play a unique role in engagement, given its ability to develop new partnerships through health-related activity. DE (Health) may be an enabler for other engagements or to enable the protect and constrain functions. This will be dependent on delivering improvement in health outcomes. Therefore, the DE (Health) practitioner must be conversant with both the contemporary defence and global health contexts to deliver effective DE (Health) activities. This is an article commissioned for the DE special issue of BMJ Military Health.

6.
BMJ Innovations ; 9(2):116-123, 2023.
Article in English | EMBASE | ID: covidwho-2299719

ABSTRACT

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic requires a nimble approach to building trust between healthcare providers and community. Crowdsourcing is one community-engaged approach that may be effective at engaging marginalised communities to identify ways to build trust. This early-stage innovation report assesses the effectiveness of using a crowdsourcing contest to elicit community ideas on how to build trust between healthcare providers and community about COVID-19 and promote community engagement about vaccines. Methods This mixed-methods study conducted a qualitative assessment of crowdsourcing contest entries and evaluated online community engagement via social media analytics (reach, video views, engagement). Themes from contest entries informed the development of community leader video interviews. Qualitative data from contest entries were digitally transcribed and analysed using axial coding. Results Contest participants (n=19) were European Americans (n=10), African Americans (n=8, 87%) and American Indians (n=1), the majority of whom identified as women (n=18) and were 18-80 years old. Contest entry recommendations included: (1) partner with community stakeholders and providers, (2) improve access to credible information from trusted sources, (3) use multiple channels of communication, and (4) use clear and plain language. Conclusion Crowdsourcing contests coupled with public education are beneficial community engagement tools to identify new ways to promote trust between medical professionals and diverse community members about COVID-19. Crowdsourcing contests also provide opportunity for partnership and critical dialogue between healthcare professionals and community leaders.Copyright © 2023 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

7.
BMJ Open ; 13(4): e070670, 2023 04 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2297328

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Adopting a social determinants of health perspective, this project aims to study how disproportionate COVID-19 mortality among immigrants in Sweden is associated with social factors operating through differential exposure to the virus (eg, by being more likely to work in high-exposure occupations) and differential effects of infection arising from socially patterned, pre-existing health conditions, differential healthcare seeking and inequitable healthcare provision. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This observational study will use health (eg, hospitalisations, deaths) and sociodemographic information (eg, occupation, income, social benefits) from Swedish national registers linked using unique identity numbers. The study population includes all adults registered in Sweden in the year before the start of the pandemic (2019), as well as individuals who immigrated to Sweden or turned 18 years of age after the start of the pandemic (2020). Our analyses will primarily cover the period from 31 January 2020 to 31 December 2022, with updates depending on the progression of the pandemic. We will evaluate COVID-19 mortality differences between foreign-born and Swedish-born individuals by examining each mechanism (differential exposure and effects) separately, while considering potential effect modification by country of birth and socioeconomic factors. Planned statistical modelling techniques include mediation analyses, multilevel models, Poisson regression and event history analyses. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This project has been granted all necessary ethical permissions from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (Dnr 2022-0048-01) for accessing and analysing deidentified data. The final outputs will primarily be disseminated as scientific articles published in open-access peer-reviewed international journals, as well as press releases and policy briefs.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Emigrants and Immigrants , Adult , Female , Humans , Sweden/epidemiology , Social Factors , Social Determinants of Health , Observational Studies as Topic
8.
BMJ Open ; 13(4): e071962, 2023 04 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2292081

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to understand the evidence related to integration of social support into interventions, to identify literature gaps related to social support interventions, and to clarify dimensions of supportive functions, outcomes, and providers among the elderly in nursing homes. DESIGN: This scoping review followed the approach by Arksey and O'Malley. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool V.2018 was used for quality assessment of the studies. DATA SOURCES: Searches were conducted of the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Public Library of Science, SocioHub, Wiley Online Library and PsycINFO databases for publications from 2010 to 2021. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: We searched for primary studies and heterogeneous study designs published in English. Eligible studies took place in nursing and care homes and had study populations of elderly adults (older adults, geriatrics, ageing, seniors, older people and those aged 60 years and older). DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: A data extraction form based on Joanna Briggs Institute's recommendations for scoping reviews was used. Two reviewers independently extracted data and performed quality assessment of the studies. Then, extracted data and quality assessment reports were discussed by all authors. RESULTS: Thirty-one eligible studies were included in this review. 54.8% of the studies provided interventions for cognitively impaired residents. The top-three outcomes were neuropsychiatric symptoms, physical function and quality of life, respectively. The interventions were performed by nursing home staff (83.9%), other persons with specific qualifications (58.1%) and health volunteers (6.5%). Most studies (90.3%) depicted the integration of emotional and instrumental supportive functions into interventions. CONCLUSION: The appropriate dimensions of supportive function, mainly emotional and instrumental support, are important to integrate into the social care of elderly people living in nursing homes.


Subject(s)
Geriatrics , Quality of Life , Aged , Humans , Middle Aged , Nursing Homes , Aging , Social Support
9.
BMJ Open ; 13(2): e069623, 2023 02 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2262485

ABSTRACT

The aim of this scoping review is to provide an overview of the existing qualitative research concerning the lived experiences of children and young people currently in foster care. INTRODUCTION: Lived experience of foster care is an area of limited research. Studies tend to focus on foster caregiver retention rates, education performance outcomes, evaluations and policy development. Although these studies are important, they provide little insight into the everyday lives of those currently in foster care, which is likely to influence these previous areas of research. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The scoping review will be guided by Arksey and O'Malley's approach to scoping studies. A systematic database search of PubMed, CINAHL and PsycINFO will be conducted followed by a systematic chain search of referenced and referencing literature. English-language peer-reviewed qualitative studies of children and young people currently in foster care will be included. We will exclude studies linked to transitioning out of foster care and studies with samples mixed with other types of out-of-home care. Mixed-methods studies will be excluded in addition to programme, treatment or policy evaluations. Following removal of duplicates, titles and abstracts will be screened, followed by a full-text review. Two researchers will independently screen references against inclusion and exclusion criteria using Covidence software. The quality of the included studies will be assessed by two independent reviewers using the appropriate Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Information gathered in this research will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences relevant to foster care services and quality improvement. Reports will be disseminated to relevant foster care agencies, where relevant. Ethical approval and informed consent are not required as this protocol is a review of existing literature. Findings from the included studies will be charted and summarised thematically in a separate manuscript.


Subject(s)
Checklist , Home Care Services , Child , Humans , Adolescent , Databases, Factual , Educational Status , Qualitative Research , Review Literature as Topic
10.
BMJ Open ; 13(3): e066655, 2023 03 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2252390

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of the current study, The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Health in Early and Adult Life (SHINE), was to build on the landmark Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), a longitudinal birth cohort initiated in 1991, by conducting a health-focused follow-up of the now adult participants. This effort has produced an invaluable resource for the pursuit of life course research examining links between early life risk and resilience factors and adulthood health and disease risk. PARTICIPANTS: Of the 927 NICHD SECCYD participants available for recruitment in the current study, 705 (76.1%) participated in the study. Participants were between 26 and 31 years and living in diverse geographic locations throughout the USA. FINDINGS TO DATE: In descriptive analyses, the sample exhibited risk on health status indicators, especially related to obesity, hypertension and diabetes. Of particular concern, the prevalence of hypertension (29.4%) and diabetes (25.8%) exceeded national estimates in similar-age individuals. Health behaviour indicators generally tracked with the parameters of poor health status, showing a pattern of poor diet, low activity and disrupted sleep. The juxtaposition of the sample's relatively young age (mean=28.6 years) and high educational status (55.6% college educated or greater) with its poor health status is noteworthy, suggesting a dissociation between health and factors that are typically health protective. This is consistent with observed population health trends, which show a worsening of cardiometabolic health status in younger generations of Americans. FUTURE PLANS: The current study, SHINE, lays the groundwork for future analyses in which the uniquely robust measures collected as a part of the original NICHD SECCYD will be leveraged to pinpoint specific early life risk and resilience factors as well as the correlates and potential mechanisms accounting for variability in health and disease risk indicators in young adulthood.


Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus , National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U.S.) , Adult , Child , Humans , Adolescent , United States/epidemiology , Young Adult , Child Care , Follow-Up Studies , Child Development
11.
Am J Epidemiol ; 192(6): 972-986, 2023 06 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2280244

ABSTRACT

In response to the rapidly evolving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the All of Us Research Program longitudinal cohort study developed the COVID-19 Participant Experience (COPE) survey to better understand the pandemic experiences and health impacts of COVID-19 on diverse populations within the United States. Six survey versions were deployed between May 2020 and March 2021, covering mental health, loneliness, activity, substance use, and discrimination, as well as COVID-19 symptoms, testing, treatment, and vaccination. A total of 104,910 All of Us Research Program participants, of whom over 73% were from communities traditionally underrepresented in biomedical research, completed 275,201 surveys; 9,693 completed all 6 surveys. Response rates varied widely among demographic groups and were lower among participants from certain racial and ethnic minority populations, participants with low income or educational attainment, and participants with a Spanish language preference. Survey modifications improved participant response rates between the first and last surveys (13.9% to 16.1%, P < 0.001). This paper describes a data set with longitudinal COVID-19 survey data in a large, diverse population that will enable researchers to address important questions related to the pandemic, a data set that is of additional scientific value when combined with the program's other data sources.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Population Health , Humans , United States/epidemiology , COVID-19/epidemiology , Ethnicity , SARS-CoV-2 , Longitudinal Studies , Minority Groups
12.
BMJ Open ; 13(2): e062272, 2023 02 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2246731

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on healthcare utilisation. This study aimed to quantify how the online and face-to-face utilisation of healthcare services changed during this time and thus gain insights into the planning of future healthcare resources during the outbreak of infectious diseases. DESIGN: This work is an interrupted time-series study. SETTING: Monthly hospital-grade healthcare-service data from 22 tertiary first-class public hospitals managed by the Beijing Hospital Authority and online-consultation data from GoodDoctor were used in this study. METHODS: This is an interrupted time-series study about the change in face-to-face and online healthcare utilisation before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. We compared the impact of COVID-19 on the primary outcomes of both face-to-face healthcare utilisation (outpatient and emergency visits, discharge volume) and online healthcare utilisation (online consultation volume). And we also analysed the impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare utilisation of different types of diseases. RESULTS: The monthly average outpatient visits and discharges decreased by 36.33% and 35.75%, respectively, compared with those in 2019 in 22 public hospitals in Beijing. Moreover, the monthly average online consultations increased by 90.06%. A highly significant reduction occurred in the mean outpatients and inpatients, which dropped by 1 755 930 cases (p<0.01) and 5 920 000 cases (p<0.01), respectively. Online consultations rose by 3650 cases (p<0.05). We identified an immediate and significant drop in healthcare services for four major diseases, that is, acute myocardial infarction (-174, p<0.1), lung cancer (-2502, p<0.01), disk disease (-3756, p<0.01) and Parkinson's disease (-205, p<0.01). Otherwise, online consultations for disk disease (63, p<0.01) and Parkinson's disease (25, p<0.05) significantly increased. More than 1300 unique physicians provided online-consultation services per month in 2020, which was 35.3% higher than in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Obvious complementary trends in online and face-to-face healthcare services existed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Different changes in healthcare utilisation were shown for different diseases. Non-critically ill patients chose online consultation immediately after the COVID-19 lockdown, but critically ill patients chose hospital healthcare services first. Additionally, the volume of online physician services significantly rose as a result of COVID-19.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Parkinson Disease , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , Pandemics , Beijing/epidemiology , Communicable Disease Control , Referral and Consultation , Hospitals, Public
13.
BMJ Open ; 12(12): e064590, 2022 12 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2193781

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The stress and anxiety associated with the predisposition of ageing workers to severe COVID-19 illness, once occupationally infected, jeopardise their mental health. This study aimed to investigate the association between individual level, work environment exposure factors and perceived workplace safety with a decline in mental health of ageing workers from different industry sectors. DESIGN: Observational study, prevalence assessment of survey added to longitudinal cohort data. SETTING: The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) from 27 countries in Europe and Israel participating in the COVID-19 survey (summer 2020) and having prepandemic waves' SHARE data. PARTICIPANTS: Workers aged 50-70 (n=6449) who attended their workplaces at least partially after the pandemic broke out. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: Perceived decline in mental health compared with preoutbreak status. RESULTS: Multilevel analyses demonstrated that 24.5% (95% CI 23.5% to 25.5%) of ageing workers in Europe experienced mental health decline associated with national-level self-reported COVID-19 burden. Workplace safety perception was the strongest predictor, as each one-point increase in unsafe perception was associated with 60% of mental health decline (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.47 to 1.74), explaining 30% of increased reported mental health symptoms of ageing workers. Safety perception mediates the mental health outcomes of the work environment, such as workplace contagion risk and work location. Female gender (OR=1.77, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.02), financial difficulties (OR=1.19, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.28), higher vulnerability index (comorbidities, age >60) (OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.18), pre-existing mental problems (OR=1.78, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.04) and increased national burden of COVID-19 (OR=1.01, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.02) were associated with declines in mental health, whereas exclusively working on-site was protective. CONCLUSION: Vulnerable subgroups for mental health declines among ageing workers were revealed, which warrant their screening and employers' evaluation of workplace conditions of ageing workers to prevent mental health-related implications. Workplace interventions should aim to reduce work environment influences on infection risk and mental distress.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , Female , COVID-19/epidemiology , Mental Health , Working Conditions , Workplace/psychology , Aging
14.
BMJ Open ; 12(12): e061715, 2022 12 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2193758

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To explore communities' perceptions about COVID-19 in the context of the ANRS COV33 Coverage-Africa clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of treatments in preventing clinical worsening of COVID-19. DESIGN: Descriptive qualitative study using semistructured in-depth individual interviews conducted by telephone in French and Soussou between May and September 2021. Data were transcribed, translated in French when applicable and analysed with the thematic analysis method. SETTING: The eight neighbourhoods most affected by COVID-19 in Conakry's urban context, capital of Guinea. PARTICIPANTS: 4 community leaders acting as key informants-providing insights regarding population's opinions-and six community members, who were exposed to an information session conducted as part of Coverage-Africa. RESULTS: According to participants, community members have heterogeneous viewpoints about COVID-19: it exists and is dangerous; it is benign ('bad cold'); or it is fictitious (eg, government conspiracy). The fear of stigmatisation and social isolation of those sick or cured of COVID-19 was largely reported by participants, with illustrations of distressing situations for the victims. To avoid stigma, many patients seem to adopt strategies of discretion (eg, lying/hiding about the disease). Although community attitudes were reported to have evolved since the beginning of the epidemic, stigma remained a pervasive concern for many people. CONCLUSIONS: Community perceptions about COVID-19 in Conakry may be partly explained by the Guinean context of Ebola history and of sociopolitical tensions. Stigmatisation of COVID+ people seems to be aimed at protecting others against contamination. However, social avoidance can greatly affect the morale of stigmatised people, especially in collectivist cultures like Guinea. Further investigating stigma, including its role on seeking COVID-19 screening and treatment services, and its consequences on mental health among affected/exposed people, would contribute to identifying improved prevention and care interventions in preparation for future health threats, and to promoting participation in health research. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04920838 (Pre-results stage).


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , Guinea/epidemiology , Qualitative Research , Social Stigma , Africa
15.
BMJ Open ; 12(12): e066389, 2022 12 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2161864

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To compare the mental health and life satisfaction of those employed in the gig work and contingent work with those in full-time or part-time work and the unemployed in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. To explore the possible mechanisms of latent and manifest benefits of employment, such as financial precarity and loneliness. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. PARTICIPANTS: A representative sample of 17 722 employed and unemployed British adults, including 429 gig workers. People with disability, retirees and full-time students are not included in the sample. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mental health (General Health Questionnaire-12 score) and life satisfaction (a direct question from UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS)) as outcomes. Self-reported loneliness (four widely used questions from UKHLS) and financial precarity (a direct question from UKHLS) as mediators. RESULTS: Gig workers reported mental health and life satisfaction worse than those employed full time and part time, but better than the unemployed. Mediation analyses showed that gig workers' worse mental health and life satisfaction than other workers were explained by their higher levels of loneliness and financial precarity, while gig workers' better mental health and life satisfaction than the unemployed were explained by their less financial precarity. CONCLUSIONS: Informal and freelance economy provided manifest benefits of employment to gig workers compared with unemployment but lacked latent benefits of employment. Public policies should provide social support to freelance and contingent workers to reduce their loneliness and improve their psychological well-being, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Mental Health , Adult , Humans , Loneliness , Longitudinal Studies , Pandemics , Cross-Sectional Studies , COVID-19/epidemiology , Personal Satisfaction
16.
BMJ Open ; 12(10): e064186, 2022 10 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2088814

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The transition from paediatric to adult diabetes care in youth-onset diabetes (type 1 diabetes mellitus, Y-T1DM and type 2 diabetes mellitus, Y-T2DM) is associated with worsening glycaemic control, missed clinical visits, decreased medication adherence and the emergence of cardiometabolic complications. The socio-ecological challenges that influence transitioning to adult diabetes care may be distinct between Y-T1DM and Y-T2DM. The goal of this scoping review is to map the state of the literature on transitioning care in Y-T2DM compared with Y-T1DM and to identify the main sources and types of evidence available. The objectives are : (1) to identify the factors within the socio-ecological framework (individual, relationship, community, societal) associated with transitioning to adult care in Y-T2DM compared with Y- T1DM, and (2) to identify knowledge gaps related to transitioning to adult care. METHODS: The scoping review protocol and reporting will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for scoping reviews guidelines. A systematic search of scientific databases (PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, Scopus and APA PsycNet will be undertaken for articles between 1 January 1990 and 30 September 2022. Study designs will include peer-reviewed experimental and quasi-experimental published studies without language or country-specific restrictions. We will exclude articles on other diabetes subtypes and will exclude non-peer reviewed articles such as opinion papers, anecdotal reports or supplementary commentaries. ANALYSIS: References will be collated, sorted and extracted using Covidence. Factors associated with transition from paediatric to adult diabetes care in Y-T1DM and Y-T2DM will be identified using the socio-ecological framework and results will be presented in narrative format, tables, and summary graphs. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval will not be applicable for this review. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: https://osf.io/k2pwc.


Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 , Transitional Care , Adult , Adolescent , Child , Humans , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/therapy , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/therapy , Research Design , Systematic Reviews as Topic , Review Literature as Topic
17.
BMJ Innovations ; 2022.
Article in English | Web of Science | ID: covidwho-2070580

ABSTRACT

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic requires a nimble approach to building trust between healthcare providers and community. Crowdsourcing is one community-engaged approach that may be effective at engaging marginalised communities to identify ways to build trust. This early-stage innovation report assesses the effectiveness of using a crowdsourcing contest to elicit community ideas on how to build trust between healthcare providers and community about COVID-19 and promote community engagement about vaccines. Methods This mixed-methods study conducted a qualitative assessment of crowdsourcing contest entries and evaluated online community engagement via social media analytics (reach, video views, engagement). Themes from contest entries informed the development of community leader video interviews. Qualitative data from contest entries were digitally transcribed and analysed using axial coding. Results Contest participants (n=19) were European Americans (n=10), African Americans (n=8, 87%) and American Indians (n=1), the majority of whom identified as women (n=18) and were 18-80 years old. Contest entry recommendations included: (1) partner with community stakeholders and providers, (2) improve access to credible information from trusted sources, (3) use multiple channels of communication, and (4) use clear and plain language. Conclusion Crowdsourcing contests coupled with public education are beneficial community engagement tools to identify new ways to promote trust between medical professionals and diverse community members about COVID-19. Crowdsourcing contests also provide opportunity for partnership and critical dialogue between healthcare professionals and community leaders.

18.
BMJ Open ; 12(10): e064981, 2022 10 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2064172

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: We investigated associations between multiple sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, occupational social class, education and ethnicity) and self-reported healthcare disruptions during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Coordinated analysis of prospective population surveys. SETTING: Community-dwelling participants in the UK between April 2020 and January 2021. PARTICIPANTS: Over 68 000 participants from 12 longitudinal studies. OUTCOMES: Self-reported healthcare disruption to medication access, procedures and appointments. RESULTS: Prevalence of healthcare disruption varied substantially across studies: between 6% and 32% reported any disruption, with 1%-10% experiencing disruptions in medication, 1%-17% experiencing disruption in procedures and 4%-28% experiencing disruption in clinical appointments. Females (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.40; I2=54%), older persons (eg, OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.13 to 1.72; I2=77% for 65-75 years vs 45-54 years) and ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.35; I2=0% vs white) were more likely to report healthcare disruptions. Those in a more disadvantaged social class were also more likely to report healthcare disruptions (eg, OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.27; I2=0% for manual/routine vs managerial/professional), but no clear differences were observed by education. We did not find evidence that these associations differed by shielding status. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic could contribute to the maintenance or widening of existing health inequalities.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , COVID-19/epidemiology , Female , Health Services Accessibility , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Pandemics , Prospective Studies , United Kingdom/epidemiology
19.
BMJ Open ; 12(10): e063280, 2022 10 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2064163

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Rapid diagnostic centres (RDCs) are being implemented across the UK to accelerate the assessment of vague suspected cancer symptoms. Targeted behavioural interventions are needed to augment RDCs that serve socioeconomically deprived populations who are disproportionately affected by cancer, have lower cancer symptom awareness and are less likely to seek help for cancer symptoms. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of delivering and evaluating a community-based vague cancer symptom awareness intervention in an area of high socioeconomic deprivation. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Intervention materials and messages were coproduced with local stakeholders in Cwm Taf Morgannwg, Wales. Cancer champions will be trained to deliver intervention messages and distribute intervention materials using broadcast media (eg, local radio), printed media (eg, branded pharmacy bags, posters, leaflets), social media (eg, Facebook) and attending local community events. A cross-sectional questionnaire will include self-reported patient interval (time between noticing symptoms to contacting the general practitioner), cancer symptom recognition, cancer beliefs and barriers to presentation, awareness of campaign messages, healthcare resource use, generic quality of life and individual and area-level deprivation indicators. Consent rates and proportion of missing data for patient questionnaires (n=189) attending RDCs will be measured. Qualitative interviews and focus groups will assess intervention acceptability and barriers/facilitators to delivery. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval for this study was given by the London-West London & GTAC Research Ethics (21/LO/0402). This project will inform a potential future controlled study to assess intervention effectiveness in reducing the patient interval for vague cancer symptoms. The results will be critical to informing national policy and practice regarding behavioural interventions to support RDCs in highly deprived populations.


Subject(s)
Neoplasms , Quality of Life , Cross-Sectional Studies , Feasibility Studies , Humans , Neoplasms/diagnosis , Referral and Consultation
20.
Cas Lek Cesk ; 161(3-4): 167-171, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2027028

ABSTRACT

The article deals with the concept, development, and current state of public health in the Czech lands as a theoretical and practical scientific discipline, as it has been formed and profiled during more than two hundred years of history. It identifies five developmental stages, which briefly characterizes and introduces important representatives of the field at the time. It describes the transformation of public health care after 1989 and points out some of the consequences of institutional reduction associated with the weakening of the field, which became fully apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Public Health , COVID-19/epidemiology , Czech Republic/epidemiology , Humans , Pandemics
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