Factors associated with the perception of inadequate sanitary control in 12 Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Sanitary control mechanisms differ greatly from country to country. Therefore, it is important to know citizens' perception of different realities. We aimed to determine the factors associated with the perception of inadequate sanitary control in 12 Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is an analytical cross-sectional study. We asked about six perceptions in regard to different situations experienced by inhabitants of 12 Latin American countries during the pandemic. Frequencies according to country were described and associations vs. other important variables were obtained. Results: Out of 8,489 participants, 68% stated that there were moments of collective hysteria. Honduras was the country that most perceived inadequate control mechanisms established by the government. Multivariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences among many of the countries according to the six evaluated items. The higher the level of education, the greater the perception of poor control in five of the aspects. Additionally, men had a lower perception of inadequate control. The older the age, the lower the perception of inadequate control regarding whether there was collective hysteria and shortages of basic essentials. Those with COVID-19 had a lower perception of medicine shortages. Conclusion: The population of multiple realities in Latin America have perceived a bad management of the pandemic. Citizens' perception is an important indicator of the performance of each government during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study may provide valuable information on the relationship between the effectiveness of government sanitary control and people's mental health, which ultimately helps to create objective prevention programs against post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, fear of contagion, and collective hysteria. In addition, governments could use this information to design effective mitigation plans for future unavoidable pandemic events based on the six criteria discussed here.

Repercusión académica de la COVID-19 en universitarios peruanos / Academic impact of COVID-19 on Peruvian university students

Introducción: La pandemia del coronavirus ha generado que muchos estudiantes teman perder el ciclo. Objetivo: Validar una escala que mida la percepción de posibles repercusiones académicas en estudiantes universitarios en el Perú. Metodología: Se realizó un proceso de validación de un test que mide la percepción acerca de las posibles repercusiones académicas en estudiantes universitarios. La validación se realizó mediante búsqueda de literatura científica, construcción del primer bosquejo, validación del test por expertos (59 expertos: epidemiólogos, investigadores, médicos), análisis factorial exploratorio y estadístico. Resultados: Respecto a la relevancia se observa que el ítem 7 es más esencial o importante que los demás (V = 1,00; IC 95 por ciento: 0,73-0,96). El ítem 8 (M = 3,80; /= 1,152) presenta la mayor media y, la más baja, el ítem 6 (M = 3,03; DE = 1,342). La pertinencia del AFE se justifica con el índice KMO (0,85) y la prueba de Bartlett (12577,0; gl = 28; p = / 0,001) siendo aceptables y significativos. Se obtuvo un coeficiente α de Cronbach de 0,899 con un intervalo de confianza del 95 por ciento de 0,882-0,898; indicando que la consistencia del instrumento es buena. Conclusiones: Se validó una escala de factor único que mide la percepción que tienen los estudiantes universitarios acerca de las posibles repercusiones de la pandemia del coronavirus en sus estudios. Es necesario evaluar cada realidad y el instrumento puede servir como una escala base para ello(AU)

Introduction: As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, many students are worried that they may lose their academic term. Objective: Validate a scale to measure the perception of possible academic impacts among Peruvian university students. Method: A validation process was conducted of a test measuring the perception of university students about possible academic impacts. The validation was based on a scientific bibliography search, development of a preliminary overview, validation of the test by 59 experts: epidemiologists, researchers and physicians, exploratory factor analysis, and statistical analysis. Results: In terms of relevance, item 7 was found to be more essential or important than the others (V = 1.00; CI 95 percent: 0.73-0.96). Item 8 (M = 3.80; /= 1.152) exhibits the highest mean, and item 6 the lowest (M = 3.03; SD = 1.342). AFE relevance is justified by the KMO index (0.85) and Bartlett's test (12577.0; gl = 28; p = / 0.001), both of which were found to be acceptable and significant. A Cronbach's α coefficient of 0.899 was obtained, with a confidence interval of 95 percent, SD 0.882-0.898, indicating a good consistency level. Conclusions: A single factor scale was validated which measures the perception of university students about the possible impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on their studies. It is necessary to evaluate each reality, and the tool may serve as a base scale for that purpose(AU)