Economic resilience of families in a suburban residential area in the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

Background and Objectives: Faster than expected, the COVID-19 disease changed people's lives on an unprecedented scale. The present research aimed to shed light on the economic challenges of the pandemic and the efforts made concerning economic resilience. Thus, this study delved into the experience of families residing in a suburban town. Methods: The present study was qualitative in type. It used a qualitative content analysis with a guided approach conducted through 17 in-depth semi-structured individual interviews with subjects over 15 years of age living in Tawheed Gonabad town. These subjects had lived in the area for at least three years. The interviews were held and audio-recorded in a purposive sampling method after gaining informed consent from the participants in the spring of 2021. In order to estimate the validity of the data, Lincoln and Goba's criteria were used. Results: The economic resilience of families during the pandemic was marked by three main categories and nine sub-categories. The categories were: (1) changes to the economic dimension of the family (the sub-categories: employment, income, consumption and socioeconomic status), (2) solutions to the economic changes of the family (sub-categories: reliance on internal resources, family and receiving support from outside of the family), and (3) the effectiveness of economic resilience of families at higher levels (sub-categories: macroeconomics, family social capital and regional resilience). As more detailed results showed, the pandemic has caused a decrease in the income and consumption of essential items in quantity and quality and imposed excessive costs on the target community. The dominant solution to economic problems has been changing consumer's behavior and income diversification. The lack of supportive plans, poor social networks and the identity of the neighborhood are the significant barriers to the increase of economic resilience. Conclusion: The families investigated in the present study were vulnerable in many ways and had low economic resilience. In order to improve the families' level of economic resilience, it is necessary to know the context and carry out interventions and support plans based on the families' internal and external capacities, including the neighborhood's empowering conditions.

Economic Resilience of Families in a Suburban Residential Area in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Background and Objectives: Faster than expected, the COVID-19 disease changed people's lives on an unprecedented scale. The present research aimed to shed light on the economic challenges of the pandemic and the efforts made concerning economic resilience. Thus, this study delved into the experience of families residing in a suburban town. Methods: The present study was qualitative in type. It used a qualitative content analysis with a guided approach conducted through 17 in-depth semi-structured individual interviews with subjects over 15 years of age living in Tawheed Gonabad town. These subjects had lived in the area for at least three years. The interviews were held and audio-recorded in a purposive sampling method after gaining informed consent from the participants in the spring of 2021. In order to estimate the validity of the data, Lincoln and Goba's criteria were used. Results: The economic resilience of families during the pandemic was marked by three main categories and nine sub-categories. The categories were: 1) changes to the economic dimension of the family (the sub-categories: employment, income, consumption and socioeconomic status), 2) solutions to the economic changes of the family (sub-categories: reliance on internal resources, family and receiving support from outside of the family), and 3) the effectiveness of economic resilience of families at higher levels (sub-categories: macroeconomics, family social capital and regional resilience). As more detailed results showed, the pandemic has caused a decrease in the income and consumption of essential items in quantity and quality and imposed excessive costs on the target community. The dominant solution to economic problems has been changing consumer's behavior and income diversification. The lack of supportive plans, poor social networks and the identity of the neighborhood are the significant barriers to the increase of economic resilience. Conclusion: The families investigated in the present study were vulnerable in many ways and had low economic resilience. In order to improve the families' level of economic resilience, it is necessary to know the context and carry out interventions and support plans based on the families' internal and external capacities, including the neighborhood's empowering conditions. © 2022 The Authors. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Economic Resilience of Families in a Suburban Residential Area in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

Background and Objectives: Faster than expected, the COVID-19 disease changed people's lives on an unprecedented scale. The present research aimed to shed light on the economic challenges of the pandemic and the efforts made concerning economic resilience. Thus, this study delved into the experience of families residing in a suburban town. Method(s): The present study was qualitative in type. It used a qualitative content analysis with a guided approach conducted through 17 in-depth semi-structured individual interviews with subjects over 15 years of age living in Tawheed Gonabad town. These subjects had lived in the area for at least three years. The interviews were held and audio-recorded in a purposive sampling method after gaining informed consent from the participants in the spring of 2021. In order to estimate the validity of the data, Lincoln and Goba's criteria were used. Result(s): The economic resilience of families during the pandemic was marked by three main categories and nine sub-categories. The categories were: 1) changes to the economic dimension of the family (the sub-categories: employment, income, consumption and socioeconomic status), 2) solutions to the economic changes of the family (sub-categories: reliance on internal resources, family and receiving support from outside of the family), and 3) the effectiveness of economic resilience of families at higher levels (sub-categories: macroeconomics, family social capital and regional resilience). As more detailed results showed, the pandemic has caused a decrease in the income and consumption of essential items in quantity and quality and imposed excessive costs on the target community. The dominant solution to economic problems has been changing consumer's behavior and income diversification. The lack of supportive plans, poor social networks and the identity of the neighborhood are the significant barriers to the increase of economic resilience. Conclusion(s): The families investigated in the present study were vulnerable in many ways and had low economic resilience. In order to improve the families' level of economic resilience, it is necessary to know the context and carry out interventions and support plans based on the families' internal and external capacities, including the neighborhood's empowering conditions.Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Upstream Determinants and Downstream Risk Factors of COVID-19 Infection in Iran: A Qualitative Study of Health Professionals' Views

Background: Iran, after China, emerged as one of the first COVID-19 epidemic countries. Despite all efforts to interrupt new transmission chains, the virus continued to quickly spread across the country. WHO has highlighted a crucial role for social factors and intersectoral collaboration to tackle COVID-19. This study aimed to identify challenges related to the upstream determinants and downstream risk factors of COVID-19 infection in Iran as perceived by health professionals at different levels of service administration. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study in October 2020. A directed qualitative content analysis was done to explore the views of health professionals and administrators toward determinants of COVID-19 infection in Iran. Using a deductive approach, we tested the implications of the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) framework regarding COVID-19. Results: The determinants of COVID-19 infection in Iran are referred to as: 1) upstream social determinants, including political considerations in dealing with COVID-19, conflicting authority structures between and within organizations and sectors, poor intersectoral collaboration, unstable macroeconomic environment, pandemic crisis management, poor governance in the health system, cultural and societal values, trust and social capital, and individuals' socioeconomic status;and 2) downstream risk factors, including poor health literacy, poor compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines, secrecy related to the infection, individual's health status, lifestyle, and virus characteristics. Conclusion: It is essential to motivate people to practice preventive COVID-19 infection behaviors. To change the behavior at the population level, a complex fusion of policy and practice, and dealing with the complexity of structural determinants and downstream risk factors are needed. Please cite this article as: Jorjoran Shushtari Z, Shirazikhah M, Ahmadi S, Salimi Y, Biglarian A, Almasi A, Paykani T. Upstream Determinants and Downstream Risk Factors of COVID-19 Infection in Iran: A Qualitative Study of Health Professionals' Views. © Journal of Health Sciences and Surveillance System.All right reserved.

Covid-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Its Related Factors in the General Population of Tehran and Kermanshah

Background and Objectives: Vaccine acceptance could seriously affect global efforts to control the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to estimate the Covid-19 vaccine acceptance and its related factors in Tehran and Kermanshah. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 850 participants in Tehran and Kermanshah using the random digit dialing method. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio of factors related to vaccine acceptance. Results: The frequency of the Covid-19 vaccine acceptance was 66.47% (95% confidence interval: 69.57%, 63.21%). Moreover, 86.02% of the participants stated that they would use any type of (Iranian / foreign) vaccine approved by the Iranian Ministry of Health. However, 13.98% of the participants stated that they only preferred foreign approved vaccines (if available). The variables of age, fatalism, and socioeconomic status had significant associations with the Covid-19 vaccine acceptance. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the Covid-19 vaccine acceptance was moderate. In order to achieve herd immunity by vaccination faster in our society, the strategy of prioritizing vaccination can be planned based on the related variables such as religious beliefs and fatalism, younger age groups, and people with higher socio-economic status that are willing to receive the vaccine. © 2021, Iranian Epidemiological Association. All rights reserved.