Knowledge levels among elderly people with Diabetes Mellitus concerning COVID-19: an educational intervention via a teleservice

Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19 among multiethnic elderly Asian residents in Singapore: a mixed-methods study

Introduction

We investigated the knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) towards coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its related preventive measures in Singaporeans aged ≥60 years.

Methods

This was a population-based, cross-sectional, mixed-methods study (13 May 2020-9 June 2020) of participants aged ≥ 60 years. Self-reported KAP about ten symptoms and six government-endorsed preventive measures related to COVID-19 were evaluated. Multivariable regression models were used to identify sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with KAP in our sample. Associations between knowledge/attitude scores and practice categories were determined using logistic regression. Seventy-eight participants were interviewed qualitatively about the practice of additional preventive measures and data were analysed thematically.

Results

Mean awareness score of COVID-19 symptoms was 7.2/10. The most known symptom was fever (93.0%) and the least known was diarrhoea (33.5%). Most participants knew all six preventive measures (90.4%), perceived them as effective (78.7%) and practised 'wear a mask' (97.2%). Indians, Malays and participants living in smaller housing had poorer mean scores for knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms. Older participants had poorer attitudes towards preventive measures. Compared to Chinese, Indians had lower odds of practising three out of six recommendations. A one-point increase in score for knowledge and attitudes regarding preventive measures resulted in higher odds of always practising three of six and two of six measures, respectively. Qualitative interviews revealed use of other preventive measures, for example, maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Conclusions

Elderly Singaporeans displayed high levels of KAP about COVID-19 and its related preventive measures, with a positive association between levels of knowledge/attitude and practice. However, important ethnic and socioeconomic disparities were evident, indicating that key vulnerabilities remain, which require immediate attention.

Introducing Telemedicine in Italy: Citizens' Awareness of a New Healthcare Resource

In recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, new technologies have emerged as useful resources in healthcare. Telemedicine services may decrease opportunities for contagion by limiting direct medical contacts; they can lead to greater access to and better quality of care, especially for the elderly and chronically ill patients. However, there are still some difficulties in their widespread use, such as lack of knowledge about the effectiveness and safety of telemedicine; lack of awareness of its existence; privacy issues; and lack of computer literacy. The aim of this study is to assess the awareness of and attitude toward telemedicine in the Italian adult population, considering sociodemographic characteristics and territorial differences in telemedicine service implementation. A questionnaire was administered to Italian citizens from October 2022 to February 2023 using communication and social media in order to collect sociodemographic and health characteristics and data on awareness and use of telemedicine services. Less than half of the respondents (n = 1002) were aware of telemedicine services in their region; most of them did not use the available services due to a preference for in-person visits or lack of need. More than 90% of participants who used these services were satisfied with them. A negative attitude toward telemedicine was found in a higher proportion of older adults. This study demonstrated that, although telemedicine services are active in Italy, a large part of the population ignores its availability. Therefore, further efforts should be made to increase citizens' awareness and the use of telemedicine in our country.

Metabolic control of diabetic patients assisted by private and public health care systems during the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective cohort study

AIMS

We sought to analyze the impacts of social restriction measures imposed by the pandemic COVID-19 on the control of metabolic parameters in diabetic patients.

METHODS

We accessed the medical records of patients who underwent clinical follow-up in the public and private health systems between July 2019 and June 2021. The sample consisted of 288 patients (111 adults and 177 older individuals). A two-way ANOVA mixed model was used to test the effects of intra- (time: baseline and after 24 months) and inter-subject factors. Linear regression analysis was used to predict the difference in body weight considering age, sex, HbA1c, health care system and insulin use.

RESULTS

Among adults, we observed an increase in body weight and LDL-c levels, especially for insulin users (p ≤ 0.05). Adults assisted by the public health care system showed higher HbA1c levels (p = 0.001). Among older individuals using insulin, blood glucose levels decreased (p = 0.019). Body weight decreased in those assisted by the private system (p = 0.005), while glycemia decreased for patients assisted by both health care systems (p = 0.043). The linear regression model confirmed that the increase in body weight was more pronounced in adults than in older individuals.

CONCLUSION

The social restriction measures imposed by the pandemic affected the metabolic control of diabetic patients, especially adults assisted by the public health care system.

The COVID-19 pandemic: knowledge, attitudes and practices of coronavirus (COVID-19) among patients with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

It is necessary to evaluate COVID-19 data on Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) to confirm effective protective practice and to reduce risk in society. Hence, the study was carried out to determine KAP towards COVID-19 and the factors associated with knowledge and practices among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

METHODS

In this cross-sectional (descriptive-analytical) study, 357 patients with diabetes in Izeh participated in the study. The sampling method used was convenience sampling method. Data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire of demographic information and KAP of patients with T2D in relation to the new coronavirus. The validity and reliability of the research tool was confirmed using the content validity and test-retest. Data analysis was done in Stata.14.2 and Smartpls 3.2.8 using descriptive and analytical statistical tests.

RESULTS

The mean score of participants' KAP towards Covid-19 was 74.22 (16.30), 72.88 (14.87), and 70.51 (19.70), respectively. The lowest and the highest score of the patients' knowledge was in the field of transmission (56.60 (20.96)) and care and prevention of the COVID-19 (88.58 (21.88)), respectively. Residence was the most important factor predicting the practice of diabetic patients with an explanatory coefficient ([SMD 1.08 (95% CI 0.85 to 1.30), P < 0.001] and R² = 0.87%).

CONCLUSION

Despite the good level of KAP of people towards the COVID-19 disease, there were answers showing poor knowledge, incorrect beliefs and attitudes, and insufficient practice regarding different aspects of the COVID-19 in some cases in our study. Residence was a strong predictor of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients' practice in terms of protective behaviors against Covid-19. Hence, educational needs evaluation based on residence is recommended, especially in rural T2DM patients.

COVID-19-related knowledge influences mental health, self-care behaviors, and quality of life among elderly with non-communicable diseases in Northern Thailand

Background

A growing body of research shows that individuals with non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and heart disease, are more likely to suffer from severe COVID-19 and, subsequently, death. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of COVID-19-related knowledge on mental health, healthcare behaviors, and quality of life among the elderly with NCDs in Northern Thailand.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, the participants were 450 elderly people with NCDs, living in the Chiang Rai province, Northern Thailand. Random sampling was applied to select the subjects. Data collection included demographic information, COVID-19-related knowledge, healthcare behaviors, the Suanprung Stress Test-20, the Thai General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) for the assessment of mental health, and the Thai version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF.

Results

Almost half of the participants (45.6%) had poor knowledge about COVID-19. More than half of the sample had high stress (52.0%) and a low score in healthcare behaviors (64.9%), while approximately one-third of the participants had mental health problems (34.0%). The overall quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic was moderate (70.7%). The score of COVID-19-related knowledge was significantly correlated with scores of stress (r = -0.85), mental health (r = -0.74), healthcare behaviors (r = 0.50), and quality of life (r = 0.33). Multiple linear regression found that history of COVID-19 detection and COVID-19-related knowledge were associated with scores of stress and quality of life (p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression showed that history of COVID-19 detection (OR = 4.48, 95% CI = 1.45-13.84) and COVID-19-related knowledge (OR = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.17-0.31) were associated with mental health problem (p < 0.05).

Discussion

The findings emphasize the importance of COVID-19-related knowledge concerning the improvement of self-care behaviors and quality of life in the elderly population with NCDs during the pandemic, especially due to the high rate of stress and mental health problems documented in our sample. Health education interventions for this vulnerable population should be organized.

Knowledge about COVID-19 and Associated Factors Early in the Outbreak among the Brazilian Population

(1) Background: In Brazil, the first case of the novel coronavirus occurred on the 25 February 2020, and since then, it has spread rapidly over the entire country. During a pandemic, knowledge, attitudes, and practices are expected to largely influence the adherence to non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs). We evaluated the knowledge about COVID-19 and associated factors early in the outbreak among the Brazilian population. (2) Methods: A Brazilian cross-sectional study was carried out using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of the following topics: isolation, caring for someone sick at home, cleaning habits, disinfecting habits, and true and fake news. Logistic regression was conducted using sociodemographic and associated factors as the independent variables and a knowledge score as the dependent variable to estimate factors associated with knowledge about COVID-19. Crude, sex-, and age-adjusted odds ratios (OR) were calculated. (3) Results: Participants with a better educational status had higher odds of having a higher knowledge score (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.15-5.37). Similarly, healthcare providers (health students and professionals) had higher odds of having higher scores regarding knowledge about COVID-19 (OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.05-2.48) than other counterparts. Of the wrong answers, the most frequent was the isolation period, followed by household recommendations to prevent COVID-19 and cleaning habits. (4) Conclusions: In conclusion, our study suggests that a higher educational status and being a healthcare provider are conditions associated with superior knowledge about COVID-19. In addition, inadequate knowledge related to isolation, COVID-19 prevention, and cleaning habits were found in our study. We believe that improving awareness to address these specific COVID-19 issues through a health education campaign is a significant approach for public health policymakers to fight against COVID-19 in Brazil.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of COVID-19 Safety Measures Among Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Patients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by an enveloped RNA beta coronavirus, has become a pandemic, with a mortality rate ranging from 0.7% to 10.8%. Although older adults with comorbidity are more likely to suffer severe disease and eventual mortality, diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most frequently reported noncommunicable diseases shown to predict poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients.

Aim: To determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of COVID-19 safety measures and factors associated with poor knowledge and practice among type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah.

Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 267 patients with T1DM aged 18-65, admitted to the hospital from January to June 2020. Data were collected via phone interviews during September 2020. The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions for knowledge, five for attitude, and eight concerning practices, and some questions were based on diabetes and COVID-19 specifically.

Results: Overall, 64 participants with a median age of 53 years were studied. The median COVID-19 knowledge score showed poor (11.50%), average (43.75%), and good knowledge (6.25%). Most of the participants practiced precautionary measures outside their homes.

Conclusion: In conclusion, half of the population had poor COVID-19 knowledge, 60.9% of the participants felt anxious, and most of them performed precautionary measures, including wearing a facemask, maintaining a 1-m distance, and washing their hands regularly.

Construction of a Physical and Medical Care Integrated Model for the Elderly in the Community Based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

With the increasingly serious population aging, economic system transformation, and social transformation, the elderly have an increasingly strong demand for the elderly care service industry, but the development of China’s elderly care service industry started late, and there are still many problems. For how to build a better elderly care service model, under the current situation of shortage of elderly care resources, community elderly care may become a solution. By analyzing the status quo, existing problems and development trends of home-based care services in Hangzhou’s community, and learning from foreign experience, it explores the establishment of a “integrated physical, medical, and nursing care” community health management model for the elderly and provides a perfect solution for the development of Hangzhou’s community elderly care services countermeasures and suggestions for mode operation. Based on the evaluation, problem analysis, and empirical research on the current situation of home care services in Hangzhou communities, this paper draws on relatively mature community care practices, proposes to build a community elderly health management model that combines medical care and care, and improves and innovates the overall design and medical care of the elderly service model measures for the health management of the elderly in the integrated community. The experimental results of this study show that, according to the demand for elderly care services, elderly people in need of care account for 86.6%, 79.5%, and 68.4% of the elderly population, especially in the areas of medical care, life care, and housekeeping services.

Knowledge, Awareness, and Practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 among the marine fishers of Maharashtra State of India: An online cross-sectional Analysis

The knowledge, awareness, and practices (KAP) about COVID-19 among the marine fishers who are engaged in the high-risk occupations and depend on the vulnerable sources of income in the Maharashtra state of India, were investigated to understand the behavioral changes and vulnerability among the respondents because of COVID-19. Data were collected through an online survey from 1st July to 30th July 2020 during the first peak of COVID-19 in the study area by using the questionnaire. Authors based on the latest recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the questionnaire and covered the KAP aspects under study. The questionnaire was administered through Google form link and the link was disseminated through social media such as Facebook and What's App. The completed responses (n = 533) received from the eligible sample, excluding those outsides of the fisher community and duplicate entries were considered for analysis. Appropriate statistical tools were used to analyze the data. Among the respondents, 447 men (83.86%) and 86 women (16.14%), with a mean age of 45.4 years (M = 45.4, SD = 1.18). The results revealed that 70.92% of respondents perceived a low risk of infection because of COVID-19 with M = 1.77 and SD = 0.583, but authors found the perceived severity score high (M = 3.95, SD = 1.21) among the 60.97% of respondents. Around 95% of respondents were aware of the COVID-19, while almost all respondents knew the medium of infection and symptoms of COVID-19. The behavior of respondents towards COVID-19 infection was positive and was following sufficient precautionary measures suggested by WHO to protect themselves from COVID-19 infection. The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that the demographic features of respondents like age, education were significantly contributing to the KAP of the fisher community. The results confirmed the importance of KAP which is reflected in the behavioral responses of the fishers while tackling the COVID-19 pandemic situation. The results regarding the risk perception, severity, KAP about COVID-19 provide a collective understanding of the emerging infectious disease among the marine fishers of Maharashtra state of India.

The Use of mHealth in Orthopedic Surgery: A Scoping Review

(1) Background: It is well known that the success of surgical procedures is related to optimal postoperative management and follow-up. In this regard, mHealth technologies could potentially improve perioperative care. Based on these considerations, the objective of this scoping review is to evaluate the current status and use of mHealth interventions designed to provide perioperative care in orthopedic surgery. (2) Methods: This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement (Extension for Scoping Review) and follows the framework of Arskey and O'Malley. (3) Results: The use of mHealth in the surgical setting is mainly oriented towards the development of applications for monitoring post-operative pain and optimizing communication between the various health professionals involved in patient care. (4) Conclusions: The mHealth systems can have a positive impact both on patient participation in the therapeutic process and on the communication between health professionals, increasing the quality of care.

Knowledge and Lifestyle Behaviors Related to COVID-19 Pandemic in People over 65 Years Old from Southern Italy

BACKGROUND

Control measures adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic had a considerable impact on human daily life and lifestyles. Adherence to the recommended measures is influenced by knowledge and attitudes towards the disease. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the level of knowledge regarding COVID-19, the related control measures, and lifestyle behaviors adopted during the pandemic in a sample of elderly Italian people.

METHODS

A web-based questionnaire investigating socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of COVID-19, the related preventive measures, and lifestyle changes that occurred during the pandemic, were distributed to ≥65 years old people living in South Italy.

RESULTS

A satisfactory level of knowledge about COVID-19 and the related control measures has been found in the enrolled sample. However, a decrease in physical activity, as well as worsening sleeping and dietary habits, were found in roughly 60% of participants. Females were impacted greater by these lifestyle changes.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants in this study showed a good level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 and its prevention. Nevertheless, they reported an increase in unhealthy habits that may have important health consequences in the long term and should be addressed by public health interventions targeted at older people.

Assessing the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of COVID-19 among Quarantine Hotel Workers in China

During the pandemic, quarantine hotel workers face a higher risk of infection while they host quarantine guests from overseas. This study's aim is to gain an understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of quarantine hotel workers in China. A total of 170 participants took part in a cross-sectional survey to assess the KAP of quarantine hotel workers in China, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chi-square test, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), descriptive analysis, and binary logistic regression were used to examine the sociodemographic factors associated with KAP levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that 62.41% have good knowledge, 94.7% have a positive attitude towards COVID-19, but only 78.2% have good practices. Most quarantine hotel workers (95.3%) are confident that COVID-19 will be successfully controlled and that China is handling the COVID-19 crisis well (98.8%). Most quarantine hotel workers are also taking personal precautions, such as avoiding crowds (80.6%) and wearing facemasks (97.6%). The results evidence that quarantine hotel workers in China have acquired the necessary knowledge, positive attitudes and proactive practices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study can provide a reference for quarantine hotel workers and their targeted education and intervention.

Digital Health Services among Patients with Diabetes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

COVID-19 pandemic causes massive disruption of the global health system. The diabetic patients are the vulnerable parts population who are predicted to have a significant issue during the pandemic regarding the conventional type of consultation by face-to-face which may result in the higher risk of COVID-19 exposure. This study aims to observe the use of digital health services for diabetes management during COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar during August until September 2020. The keywords that are used on the searching process are diabetes AND digital service OR telemedicine OR technology AND COVID-19. The criteria included the selection of scientific publication as an original research and reviews.

RESULTS

All published articles were gathered from 3 search engines; PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. The discussion explicates the practical considerations that are in accordance with the current condition of each country. In order to do so, the evidence is classified based on the level of global digital health framework in the developed and developing countries. It was found that the minimal level of digital health that connects diabetes patients with healthcare providers was at level 2, which is by using the video mode. The most advanced is at level 3B, which is applied by using the CGM devices, which provide active monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment based on timely clinical judgment.

CONCLUSION

It is feasible to utilize the digital health service during the COVID-19. This review is projected to be beneficial for the patient and health care providers to select the most feasible approach of digital health that merits the contextual resource.