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Wu J. An Important but Overlooked Measure for Containing the COVID-19 Epidemic: Protecting Patients with Chronic Diseases. China CDC Wkly 2020; 2:249-250. [PMID: 34594633 PMCID: PMC8428447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wu
- National Center for Chronic and Non-Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
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52
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Brooks SK, Smith LE, Webster RK, Weston D, Woodland L, Hall I, Rubin GJ. The impact of unplanned school closure on children's social contact: rapid evidence review. Euro Surveill 2020. [PMID: 32265006 DOI: 10.1101/2020.03.17.20037457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundEmergency school closures are often used as public health interventions during infectious disease outbreaks to minimise the spread of infection. However, if children continue mixing with others outside the home during closures, the effect of these measures may be limited.AimThis review aimed to summarise existing literature on children's activities and contacts made outside the home during unplanned school closures.MethodsIn February 2020, we searched four databases, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Embase and Web of Science, from inception to 5 February 2020 for papers published in English or Italian in peer-reviewed journals reporting on primary research exploring children's social activities during unplanned school closures. Main findings were extracted.ResultsA total of 3,343 citations were screened and 19 included in the review. Activities and social contacts appeared to decrease during closures, but contact remained common. All studies reported children leaving the home or being cared for by non-household members. There was some evidence that older child age (two studies) and parental disagreement (two studies) with closure were predictive of children leaving the home, and mixed evidence regarding the relationship between infection status and such. Parental agreement with closure was generally high, but some disagreed because of perceived low risk of infection and issues regarding childcare and financial impact.ConclusionEvidence suggests that many children continue to leave home and mix with others during school closures despite public health recommendations to avoid social contact. This review of behaviour during unplanned school closures could be used to improve infectious disease modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha K Brooks
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Louise E Smith
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca K Webster
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dale Weston
- Behavioural Science Team, Emergency Response Department Science and Technology, Public Health England, Porton Down, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Woodland
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Hall
- Department of Mathematics and School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - G James Rubin
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London, United Kingdom
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53
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Brooks SK, Smith LE, Webster RK, Weston D, Woodland L, Hall I, Rubin GJ. The impact of unplanned school closure on children's social contact: rapid evidence review. Euro Surveill 2020; 25:2000188. [PMID: 32265006 PMCID: PMC7140596 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2020.25.13.2000188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundEmergency school closures are often used as public health interventions during infectious disease outbreaks to minimise the spread of infection. However, if children continue mixing with others outside the home during closures, the effect of these measures may be limited.AimThis review aimed to summarise existing literature on children's activities and contacts made outside the home during unplanned school closures.MethodsIn February 2020, we searched four databases, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Embase and Web of Science, from inception to 5 February 2020 for papers published in English or Italian in peer-reviewed journals reporting on primary research exploring children's social activities during unplanned school closures. Main findings were extracted.ResultsA total of 3,343 citations were screened and 19 included in the review. Activities and social contacts appeared to decrease during closures, but contact remained common. All studies reported children leaving the home or being cared for by non-household members. There was some evidence that older child age (two studies) and parental disagreement (two studies) with closure were predictive of children leaving the home, and mixed evidence regarding the relationship between infection status and such. Parental agreement with closure was generally high, but some disagreed because of perceived low risk of infection and issues regarding childcare and financial impact.ConclusionEvidence suggests that many children continue to leave home and mix with others during school closures despite public health recommendations to avoid social contact. This review of behaviour during unplanned school closures could be used to improve infectious disease modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha K Brooks
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Louise E Smith
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca K Webster
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dale Weston
- Behavioural Science Team, Emergency Response Department Science and Technology, Public Health England, Porton Down, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Woodland
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Hall
- Department of Mathematics and School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - G James Rubin
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London, United Kingdom
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54
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Lotfinejad N, Assadi R, Aelami MH, Pittet D. Emojis in public health and how they might be used for hand hygiene and infection prevention and control. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2020; 9:27. [PMID: 32041666 PMCID: PMC7011445 DOI: 10.1186/s13756-020-0692-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Emojis are frequently used picture characters known as possible surrogates for non-verbal aspects of behavior. Considering the ability of emojis to enhance and facilitate communication, there has been a growing interest in studying their effects in scientific and health-related topics over the past few years. Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a field of medicine that is directly associated with specific behaviors. These include hand hygiene, which is the cornerstone of the prevention of healthcare-associated infections, and essential in stemming the spread of antimicrobial resistance. This paper aims to provide an overview of how emojis have been used in the medical and public health literature and proposes their possible use in IPC and hand hygiene to put forth a vision for the future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasim Lotfinejad
- Department of Research, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Hand Hygiene and Infection Control Research Center, Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Reza Assadi
- E-Learning Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hassan Aelami
- Department of Pediatrics & Hand Hygiene and Infection Control Research Center, Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Didier Pittet
- Infection Control Programme and WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety, University of Geneva Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, 4 Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil, 1211, Geneva 14, Switzerland.
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55
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van Wees DA, Heijne JCM, Heijman T, Kampman KCJG, Westra K, de Vries A, de Wit J, Kretzschmar MEE, den Daas C. A Multidimensional Approach to Assessing Infectious Disease Risk: Identifying Risk Classes Based on Psychological Characteristics. Am J Epidemiol 2019; 188:1705-1712. [PMID: 31145447 PMCID: PMC6736114 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwz140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Prevention of infectious diseases depends on health-related behavior, which is often influenced by psychological characteristics. However, few studies assessing health-related behavior have examined psychological characteristics to identify risk groups, and this multidimensional approach might improve disease risk assessment. We aimed to characterize subgroups based on psychological characteristics and examine their influence on behavior and disease risk, using chlamydia as a case study. Selected participants (heterosexuals aged 18–24 years and females aged 18–24 years who had sex with both men and women) in a Dutch longitudinal cohort study (the Mathematical Models Incorporating Psychological Determinants: Control of Chlamydia Transmission (iMPaCT) Study) filled out a questionnaire and were tested for chlamydia (2016–2017). Latent class analysis was performed to identify risk classes using psychological predictors of chlamydia diagnosis. Two classes were identified: class 1 (n = 488; 9% chlamydia diagnosis) and class 2 (n = 325; 13% chlamydia diagnosis). The proportion of participants with high shame, high impulsiveness, and lower perceived importance of health was higher in class 2 than in class 1. Furthermore, persons in class 2 were more likely to be male and to report condomless sex compared with class 1, but the number of recent partners was comparable. Thus, risk classes might be distinguished from each other by psychological characteristics beyond sexual behavior. Therefore, the impact of the same intervention could differ, and tailoring interventions based on psychological characteristics might be necessary to reduce chlamydia prevalence most effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daphne A van Wees
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Janneke C M Heijne
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Titia Heijman
- Public Health Service Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Karin Westra
- Public Health Service Hollands Noorden, Alkmaar, the Netherlands
| | - Anne de Vries
- Public Health Service Kennemerland, Haarlem, the Netherlands
| | - John de Wit
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Mirjam E E Kretzschmar
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
- Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Chantal den Daas
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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56
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Raude J, MCColl K, Flamand C, Apostolidis T. Understanding health behaviour changes in response to outbreaks: Findings from a longitudinal study of a large epidemic of mosquito-borne disease. Soc Sci Med 2019; 230:184-193. [PMID: 31030009 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2018] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Although greater attention has been recently given to the ecological determinants of health behaviours, we still do not know much about the behavioural changes induced by the spread of infectiousdiseases. OBJECTIVE In this study, we took advantage of a large epidemic of chikungunya, an emerging mosquito-borne disease, in French Guiana to examine the dynamic interaction between risk-related perceptions and behaviours that occurs in response to a disease outbreak. In particular, we tested empirically the assumption that both risk perceptions and health behaviours were elastic with respect to prevalence of chikungunya. METHODS A representative sample of French Guianan (N=434) was interviewed in January 2015 just after the peak of the epidemic, and again 2 months later. Participants were asked about their perceptions of the threat, as well as their engagement in a range of protective behaviours promoted by the regional health authorities to control the spread of the disease. RESULTS The surveys showed that (1) the frequency of some health behaviours - those related to visible control methods - significantly increased with the subjective and objective prevalence of the disease, (2) perceived risk of infection for oneself tended to decrease considerably over time, and (3) the risk reappraisal hypothesis failed to account for this paradoxical trend in the people's response to the risk of contracting the disease. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that people may fail to adjust their risk perceptions, and to a lesser extent their health protective behaviours, to the course of an epidemic. Notably, the prevalence elasticity of preventive action found in previous studies of behavioural response to infectious diseases differed substantially according to the type of intervention (personal versus environmental methods). This paradoxical trend may be attributed to risk habituation effects, which seem to vary significantly according to the social visibility of thepreventive actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jocelyn Raude
- EHESP Rennes, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, France; Unité des Virus Emergents (UVE: Aix-Marseille Univ - IRD 190 - Inserm 1207 - IHU Méditerranée Infection), Marseille, France.
| | - Kathleen MCColl
- EHESP Rennes, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, France; Unité des Virus Emergents (UVE: Aix-Marseille Univ - IRD 190 - Inserm 1207 - IHU Méditerranée Infection), Marseille, France
| | - Claude Flamand
- Institut Pasteur de Guyane, Unité D'Epidémiologie, Cayenne, France
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Truelove SA, Graham M, Moss WJ, Metcalf CJE, Ferrari MJ, Lessler J. Characterizing the impact of spatial clustering of susceptibility for measles elimination. Vaccine 2019; 37:732-741. [PMID: 30579756 PMCID: PMC6348711 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Measles elimination efforts are primarily focused on achieving and maintaining national vaccination coverage goals, based on estimates of the critical vaccination threshold (Vc): the proportion of the population that must be immune to prevent sustained epidemics. Traditionally, Vc estimates assume evenly mixing populations, an invalid assumption. If susceptible individuals preferentially contact one another, communities may remain vulnerable to epidemics even when vaccination coverage targets are met at the national level. Here we present a simple method to estimate Vc and the effective reproductive number, R, while accounting for spatial clustering of susceptibility. For measles, assuming R0 = 15 and 95% population immunity, adjustment for high clustering of susceptibility increases R from 0.75 to 1.29, Vc from 93% to 96%, and outbreak probability after a single introduction from <1% to 23%. The impact of clustering remains minimal until vaccination coverage nears elimination levels. We illustrate our approach using Demographic and Health Survey data from Tanzania and show how non-vaccination clustering potentially contributed to continued endemic transmission of measles virus during the last two decades. Our approach demonstrates why high national vaccination coverage sometimes fails to achieve measles elimination, and that a shift from national to subnational focus is needed as countries approach elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun A Truelove
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Matthew Graham
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; The Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Wellcome Trust Overseas Programme, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
| | - William J Moss
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - C Jessica E Metcalf
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; Office of Population Research, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Matthew J Ferrari
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA; Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Justin Lessler
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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