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Hammoudi SF, Ahmed O, An H, Hong Y, Ahn MH, Chung S. Adherence to Physical Distancing and Health Beliefs About COVID-19 Among Patients With Cancer. J Korean Med Sci 2023; 38:e336. [PMID: 37935163 PMCID: PMC10627725 DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2023.38.e336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study aimed to validate questionnaires on adherence to physical distancing and health beliefs about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among patients with cancer and explore their interaction with depression or viral anxiety among them. METHODS Through an online survey, data from 154 cancer patients (female: 82.5%, breast cancer: 66.2%, current cancer treatment, presence: 65.6%) were collected from March to June 2022. The survey gathered responses to questionnaires on adherence to physical distancing, health beliefs about COVID-19, perceived social norms, Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 items, and Patient Health Questionnaire-2. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for construct validity and structural equation model (SEM) were performed. RESULTS The CFA showed a good model fit for adherence to physical distancing (comparative fit index [CFI] = 1.000, Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] = 0.930, root-mean-square-error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.000, and standardized root-mean-square residual [SRMR] = 0.050) and a satisfactory model fit for health beliefs about COVID-19 (CFI = 0.978, TLI = 0.971, RMSEA = 0.061, and SRMR = 0.089). Through SEM, we found that personal injunctive norms were the main mediators linking health beliefs with physical distancing in patients with cancer. Depression also mediated the effects of viral anxiety and perceived severity on physical distancing (χ² = 20.073, df = 15, P = 0.169; CFI = 0.984; RMSEA = 0.047). CONCLUSION The questionnaires are reliable and valid. Patients with cancer may be able to adhere to physical distancing by addressing perceived severity, viral anxiety, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, perceived barriers, as well as personal injunctive norms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Oli Ahmed
- Department of Psychology, University of Chittagong, Chattogram, Bangladesh
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Hoyoung An
- Department of Psychiatry, Keyo Hospital, Uiwang, Korea
| | - Youjin Hong
- Department of Psychiatry, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Korea
| | - Myung Hee Ahn
- Division of Psychiatry, Health Screening and Promotion Center, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
| | - Seockhoon Chung
- Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
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2
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Newbold SC, Ashworth M, Finnoff D, Shogren JF, Thunström L. Physical distancing versus testing with self-isolation for controlling an emerging epidemic. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8185. [PMID: 37210388 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35083-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Two distinct strategies for controlling an emerging epidemic are physical distancing and regular testing with self-isolation. These strategies are especially important before effective vaccines or treatments become widely available. The testing strategy has been promoted frequently but used less often than physical distancing to mitigate COVID-19. We compared the performance of these strategies in an integrated epidemiological and economic model that includes a simple representation of transmission by "superspreading," wherein a relatively small fraction of infected individuals cause a large share of infections. We examined the economic benefits of distancing and testing over a wide range of conditions, including variations in the transmissibility and lethality of the disease meant to encompass the most prominent variants of COVID-19 encountered so far. In a head-to-head comparison using our primary parameter values, both with and without superspreading and a declining marginal value of mortality risk reductions, an optimized testing strategy outperformed an optimized distancing strategy. In a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis, an optimized policy that combined the two strategies performed better than either one alone in more than 25% of random parameter draws. Insofar as diagnostic tests are sensitive to viral loads, and individuals with high viral loads are more likely to contribute to superspreading events, superspreading enhances the relative performance of testing over distancing in our model. Both strategies performed best at moderate levels of transmissibility, somewhat lower than the transmissibility of the ancestral strain of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen C Newbold
- Department of Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA.
| | - Madison Ashworth
- Department of Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
- Fletcher Group, Inc., London, KY, 40741, USA
| | - David Finnoff
- Department of Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
| | - Jason F Shogren
- Department of Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
| | - Linda Thunström
- Department of Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
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3
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Song J, Jin DL, Song TM, Lee SH. Exploring Future Signals of COVID-19 and Response to Information Diffusion Using Social Media Big Data. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:ijerph20095753. [PMID: 37174270 PMCID: PMC10178337 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20095753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 is a respiratory infectious disease that first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. With COVID-19 spreading to patients worldwide, the WHO declared it a pandemic on 11 March 2020. This study collected 1,746,347 tweets from the Korean-language version of Twitter between February and May 2020 to explore future signals of COVID-19 and present response strategies for information diffusion. To explore future signals, we analyzed the term frequency and document frequency of key factors occurring in the tweets, analyzing the degree of visibility and degree of diffusion. Depression, digestive symptoms, inspection, diagnosis kits, and stay home obesity had high frequencies. The increase in the degree of visibility was higher than the median value, indicating that the signal became stronger with time. The degree of visibility of the mean word frequency was high for disinfectant, healthcare, and mask. However, the increase in the degree of visibility was lower than the median value, indicating that the signal grew weaker with time. Infodemic had a higher degree of diffusion mean word frequency. However, the mean degree of diffusion increase rate was lower than the median value, indicating that the signal grew weaker over time. As the general flow of signal progression is latent signal → weak signal → strong signal → strong signal with lower increase rate, it is necessary to obtain active response strategies for stay home, inspection, obesity, digestive symptoms, online shopping, and asymptomatic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juyoung Song
- Criminal Justice, Pennsylvania State University, Schuylkill, PA 17972, USA
| | - Dal-Lae Jin
- Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Korea University & Transdisciplinary Major in Learning Health Systems, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Min Song
- School of Industry and Environment, Gachon University, Seoul 13120, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Ho Lee
- CEO for HealthMax Co., Ltd., Seoul 06078, Republic of Korea
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4
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Szymski D, Weber H, Anzer G, Alt V, Meyer T, Gärtner BC, Krutsch W. Contact times in professional football before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: Tracking data from the German Bundesliga. Eur J Sport Sci 2023; 23:460-467. [PMID: 35076328 DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2032837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic led to a lockdown in team sports in March 2020. Because the risk of virus transmission seems to correlate with the duration of close contacts, data on contact times are necessary to assess the risk of virus transmission in sports. In this study, an optical tracking system was used to determine contact times between players of the two highest men's professional football leagues in Germany in the 2019-20 season and in the first half of the 2020-21 season. Contacts between players were defined as being within a two-metre radius during matches and were differentiated as either match-specific or non-match-specific. In total, 918 matches with 197,087 contacts were analysed. The mean overall contact time of one-to-one situations of 36 s (SD: ± 66) before the lockdown was reduced to 30 s after the lockdown (SD: ± 60) (p < 0.0001). In professional football, contacts between two players infrequently occur within a two-metre radius, averaging less than 35 s. Only 36 player pair contacts lasted for more than 15 min (0.00018%). The mean accumulated contact time per player with all others was 10.6 ± 6.9 min per match, with a decrease from 11.6 ± 7.0 min before the lockdown to 10.0 ± 6.6 min (p < 0.0001) after lockdown in the season 2019-20. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has resulted in a reduction in match-specific contacts of 25%. It seems questionable if such short contacts in open-air sports may lead to considerable virus transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Szymski
- Department of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Centre Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, University Medical Centre Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Hendrik Weber
- Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Sportec Solutions AG, Ismaning, Germany
| | - Gabriel Anzer
- Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Sportec Solutions AG, Ismaning, Germany
| | - Volker Alt
- Department of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Centre Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, University Medical Centre Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tim Meyer
- Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Sports and Preventive Medicine, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.,FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Barbara C Gärtner
- Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany
| | - Werner Krutsch
- Department of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Centre Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, University Medical Centre Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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5
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Lupu D, Tiganasu R. The implications of globalization on COVID-19 vaccination in Europe. Sci Rep 2022; 12:17474. [PMID: 36261454 PMCID: PMC9580415 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21493-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Although globalization has left its mark on economic dynamism, causing conditionalities among various aspects (market openness, production networks, technological and information developments, migratory flows, international cooperation, humanitarian support, etc.), the less pleasant side of it should not be omitted, i.e. the emergence of the framework for the faster diffusion of epidemiological diseases. Thus, with the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, its widespread circulation is a serious challenge for the provision of efficient solutions to combat it, especially in countries with fragile health systems, poor institutional quality and lack of resources. In this paper we aim to investigate the implications of globalization on the COVID-19 vaccination of the population. The period under analysis is January 1, 2021-January 1, 2022, using montly data, and the object of our study are 48 European states. To capture the relationship between globalization and the vaccination rate, we applied regression models, including a number of factors that may influence the progress of vaccination. In order to test the robustness of the results, the two-stage least squares (2SLS) regressions was used. The regression models developed underlined that globalization impacts the degree of vaccination. More globalized economies are more competitive in COVID-19 management, and the significance of this effect comes from better interconnection in global markets and easier access to medical discoveries. At the same time, countries with a higher vaccination rate are associated with higher levels of development. Based on the results obtained, we proposed some policy recommendations to increase the propensity to vaccinate, ensure equity in the distribution of vaccines and provide financial support to developing countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Lupu
- grid.8168.70000000419371784Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Carol I Boulevard, no.22, Iasi, Romania
| | - Ramona Tiganasu
- grid.8168.70000000419371784Faculty of Law, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Carol I Boulevard, no. 19, Iasi, Romania
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6
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Tildesley MJ, Vassall A, Riley S, Jit M, Sandmann F, Hill EM, Thompson RN, Atkins BD, Edmunds J, Dyson L, Keeling MJ. Optimal health and economic impact of non-pharmaceutical intervention measures prior and post vaccination in England: a mathematical modelling study. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211746. [PMID: 35958089 PMCID: PMC9364008 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Background. Even with good progress on vaccination, SARS-CoV-2 infections in the UK may continue to impose a high burden of disease and therefore pose substantial challenges for health policy decision makers. Stringent government-mandated physical distancing measures (lockdown) have been demonstrated to be epidemiologically effective, but can have both positive and negative economic consequences. The duration and frequency of any intervention policy could, in theory, be optimized to maximize economic benefits while achieving substantial reductions in disease. Methods. Here, we use a pre-existing SARS-CoV-2 transmission model to assess the health and economic implications of different strengths of control through time in order to identify optimal approaches to non-pharmaceutical intervention stringency in the UK, considering the role of vaccination in reducing the need for future physical distancing measures. The model is calibrated to the COVID-19 epidemic in England and we carry out retrospective analysis of the optimal timing of precautionary breaks in 2020 and the optimal relaxation policy from the January 2021 lockdown, considering the willingness to pay (WTP) for health improvement. Results. We find that the precise timing and intensity of interventions is highly dependent upon the objective of control. As intervention measures are relaxed, we predict a resurgence in cases, but the optimal intervention policy can be established dependent upon the WTP per quality adjusted life year loss avoided. Our results show that establishing an optimal level of control can result in a reduction in net monetary loss of billions of pounds, dependent upon the precise WTP value. Conclusion. It is vital, as the UK emerges from lockdown, but continues to face an on-going pandemic, to accurately establish the overall health and economic costs when making policy decisions. We demonstrate how some of these can be quantified, employing mechanistic infectious disease transmission models to establish optimal levels of control for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Tildesley
- The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, School of Life Sciences and Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Anna Vassall
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SH, UK
| | - Steven Riley
- School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mark Jit
- Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppell Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
- School of Public Health, University of Hong Kong, Patrick Manson Building, 7 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
| | - Frank Sandmann
- Statistics, Modelling and Economics Department, National Infection Service, Public Health England, London, UK
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Modelling and Health Economics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Edward M. Hill
- The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, School of Life Sciences and Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Robin N. Thompson
- The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, School of Life Sciences and Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Benjamin D. Atkins
- The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, School of Life Sciences and Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - John Edmunds
- Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppell Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Louise Dyson
- The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, School of Life Sciences and Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Matt J. Keeling
- The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, School of Life Sciences and Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
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7
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Kim MH, Lee J, Oh HJ, Bayarsaikhan T, Gim THT. A modeling study of the effect of social distancing policies on the early spread of coronavirus disease 2019: a case of South Korea. THE ANNALS OF REGIONAL SCIENCE 2022; 71:1-18. [PMID: 35615062 PMCID: PMC9123615 DOI: 10.1007/s00168-022-01140-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The social distancing policy is an effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in the initial phase of their outbreak when medical evidence to support a particular course of treatment is deficient. While studies on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have mainly focused on the effects of specific measures (e.g., school and workplace closures and restrictions on movement), few investigated the characteristics of epidemic trends in response to the intensity of the policy and the amount of time required for policy measures to take effect. This study employs the SIRD (susceptible, infected, recovered, and deceased) model to analyze the COVID-19 epidemic trend according to the intensity of the social distancing policy in South Korea. The model reveals that the reproduction number began at 5.58 and fluctuated between 0.14 and 1.72 during the study period in accordance with different policy intensities. At the beginning of the social distancing policy, restrictions on public facility use were likely to have been effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19. When the intervention was relaxed, the transmission potential increased significantly. According to the reproduction number, social distancing policies prove to be effective after 13-19 days of implementation; however, as the pandemic progressed, this period extended from 13-14 to 18-19 days for the same effect. This suggests that governments need to consider not only the intensity of the social distancing policy, but also people's low responsiveness as the pandemic remains prevalent over time. It is also recommended they take preemptive action to ensure sufficient time for the policy to achieve its stated goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moon-Hyun Kim
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University, Gwanak-ro 1, Gwanak-gu, Building 82, Room 214, Seoul, 08826 South Korea
| | - Jiwon Lee
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University, Gwanak-ro 1, Gwanak-gu, Building 82, Room 214, Seoul, 08826 South Korea
| | - Hee-Jin Oh
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University, Gwanak-ro 1, Gwanak-gu, Building 82, Room 214, Seoul, 08826 South Korea
| | - Tsolmon Bayarsaikhan
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University, Gwanak-ro 1, Gwanak-gu, Building 82, Room 214, Seoul, 08826 South Korea
| | - Tae-Hyoung Tommy Gim
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Interdisciplinary Program in Landscape Architecture, and Environmental Planning Institute, Seoul National University, Gwanak-ro 1, Gwanak-gu, Building 82, Room 222, Seoul, 08826 South Korea
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8
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Ravindra K, Singh T, Vardhan S, Shrivastava A, Singh S, Kumar P, Mor S. COVID-19 pandemic: What can we learn for better air quality and human health? J Infect Public Health 2021; 15:187-198. [PMID: 34979337 PMCID: PMC8642828 DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2021.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 lockdown resulted in improved air quality in many cities across the world. With the objective of what could be the new learning from the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns for better air quality and human health, a critical synthesis of the available evidence concerning air pollution reduction, the population at risk and natural versus anthropogenic emissions was conducted. Can the new societal norms adopted during pandemics, such as the use of face cover, awareness regarding respiratory hand hygiene, and physical distancing, help in reducing disease burden in the future? The use of masks will be more socially acceptable during the high air pollution episodes in lower and middle-income countries, which could help to reduce air pollution exposure. Although post-pandemic, some air pollution reduction strategies may be affected, such as car-pooling and the use of mass transit systems for commuting to avoid exposure to airborne infections like coronavirus. However, promoting non-motorized modes of transportation such as cycling and walking within cities as currently being enabled in Europe and other countries could overshadow such losses. This demand focus on increasing walkability in a town for all ages and populations, including for a differently-abled community. The study highlighted that for better health and sustainability there. is also a need to promote other measures such as work-from-home, technological infrastructure, the extension of smart cities, and the use of information technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaiwal Ravindra
- Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, 160012, India.
| | - Tanbir Singh
- Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Shikha Vardhan
- Centre for Environmental & Occupational Health, Climate Change & Health, National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi, 110054, India
| | - Aakash Shrivastava
- Centre for Environmental & Occupational Health, Climate Change & Health, National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi, 110054, India
| | - Sujeet Singh
- Centre for Environmental & Occupational Health, Climate Change & Health, National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi, 110054, India
| | - Prashant Kumar
- Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
| | - Suman Mor
- Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.
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9
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Weber S, Hahnel S, Nitschke I, Schierz O, Rauch A. Older Seniors during the COVID-19 Pandemic-Social Support and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life. Healthcare (Basel) 2021; 9:1177. [PMID: 34574950 PMCID: PMC8471424 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9091177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has greatly affected all parts of private life and led to social distancing and self-isolation. Limited social support for older or frail people might have led to decreased oral health and its related quality of life. The current study aimed to investigate the social support of older seniors and self-perceived oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Questionnaires were sent to all patients of the Dental Clinic of the University of Leipzig (Germany) aged 75, 80, or 85 years (n = 1228) at the end of February 2021. Besides demographic characteristics and care level, an adapted German version of the ENRICHD Social Support Inventory (ESSI-D) and the German Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) were included. The response rate was 35.7% (n = 439). Twelve replies were not included in the data analysis as participants had either no interest, were cognitively impaired, or did not match the required age group. Analysis of ESSI-D revealed low social support for 13.2% (n = 53/403) of the seniors. No statistically significant impact of assigned care level on low social support was identified. Seniors with an assigned care level (CLyes) presented higher OHIP-14 sum scores (CLno/CLyes 6.43/10.12; p < 0.001). This was also true for six of the seven OHIP-14 domains, except for functional limitation. Regarding seniors with an assigned care level, a weak positive correlation was identified for sum scores of the ESSI-D and the OHIP-14 (r = 0.29). Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, older seniors reported high self-perceived social support. As seniors with an assigned care level revealed more impaired OHRQoL and a correlation with lower social support, special attention should be given to this vulnerable and frail group in times of a pandemic. When restrictions may minimize access to dental treatment and might negatively influence the oral health of older seniors, health care programs should offer more individual options for dental/medical appointments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Weber
- Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and Materials Science, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (S.H.); (I.N.); (O.S.); (A.R.)
| | - Sebastian Hahnel
- Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and Materials Science, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (S.H.); (I.N.); (O.S.); (A.R.)
| | - Ina Nitschke
- Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and Materials Science, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (S.H.); (I.N.); (O.S.); (A.R.)
- Clinic of General, Special Care and Geriatric Dentistry, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Schierz
- Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and Materials Science, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (S.H.); (I.N.); (O.S.); (A.R.)
| | - Angelika Rauch
- Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and Materials Science, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (S.H.); (I.N.); (O.S.); (A.R.)
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10
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Burrowes VJ, Usoro IA, Campbell L. Early Pandemic Experiences and Lessons Learned Within A Multinational Corporation: A Testimonial of the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Occup Environ Med 2021; 63:e464-e470. [PMID: 33990530 PMCID: PMC8247542 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000002265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa J Burrowes
- International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation Corporate Health and Safety, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
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11
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Li L, Long D, Rouhi Rad M, Sloggy MR. Stay-at-home orders and the willingness to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic: A stated-preference discrete choice experiment. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253910. [PMID: 34197531 PMCID: PMC8248689 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The spread of COVID-19 in the Spring of 2020 prompted state and local governments to implement a variety of policies, including stay-at-home (SAH) orders and mandatory mask requirements, aimed at reducing the infection rate and the severity of the pandemic’s impact. We implement a discrete choice experiment survey in three major U.S. States—California, Georgia, and Illinois—to empirically quantify individuals’ willingness to stay (WTS) home, measured as the number of weeks of a potential new SAH order, to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease and explore factors leading to their heterogeneous WTS. Our results demonstrate broad support for statewide mask mandates. In addition, the estimate of WTS to lower new positive cases is quite large, approximately five and half weeks, even though staying home lowers utility. We also find that individuals recognize the trade-offs between case reduction and economic slowdown stemming from SAH orders when they decide to stay home or not. Finally, pandemic related factors such as age, ability to work from home, and unemployment status are the main drivers of the heterogeneity in individuals’ WTS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liqing Li
- Department of Economics, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, United States of America
| | - Dede Long
- Department of Economics, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Mani Rouhi Rad
- Agricultural Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States of America
| | - Matthew R. Sloggy
- Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CA, United States of America
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Yaesoubi R, Havumaki J, Chitwood MH, Menzies NA, Gonsalves G, Salomon J, Paltiel AD, Cohen T. Adaptive Policies to Balance Health Benefits and Economic Costs of Physical Distancing Interventions during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Med Decis Making 2021; 41:386-392. [PMID: 33504258 PMCID: PMC8084913 DOI: 10.1177/0272989x21990371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Policy makers need decision tools to determine when to use physical distancing interventions to maximize the control of COVID-19 while minimizing the economic and social costs of these interventions. We describe a pragmatic decision tool to characterize adaptive policies that combine real-time surveillance data with clear decision rules to guide when to trigger, continue, or stop physical distancing interventions during the current pandemic. In model-based experiments, we find that adaptive policies characterized by our proposed approach prevent more deaths and require a shorter overall duration of physical distancing than alternative physical distancing policies. Our proposed approach can readily be extended to more complex models and interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Yaesoubi
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Joshua Havumaki
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Melanie H. Chitwood
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Nicolas A. Menzies
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gregg Gonsalves
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Joshua Salomon
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - A David Paltiel
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Ted Cohen
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
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Löschel A, Werthschulte M. [Energy demand and CO 2 emissions according to COVID-19]. WIRTSCHAFTSDIENST (HAMBURG, GERMANY : 1949) 2021; 101:64-66. [PMID: 33487773 PMCID: PMC7813613 DOI: 10.1007/s10273-021-2827-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Löschel
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Am Stadtgraben 9, 48143 Münster, Deutschland
| | - Madeline Werthschulte
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Am Stadtgraben 9, 48143 Münster, Deutschland
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Elliott RJR, Schumacher I, Withagen C. Suggestions for a Covid-19 Post-Pandemic Research Agenda in Environmental Economics. ENVIRONMENTAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS 2020; 76:1187-1213. [PMID: 32836846 PMCID: PMC7399591 DOI: 10.1007/s10640-020-00478-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/11/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
In this article we draw upon early lessons from the 2020 Covid-19 crisis and discuss how these may relate to a future research agenda in environmental economics. In particular, we describe how the events surrounding the Covid-19 crisis may inform environmental research related to globalization and cooperation, the green transition, pricing carbon externalities, as well as the role of uncertainty and timing of policy inventions. We also discuss the implications for future empirical research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cees Withagen
- Department of Spatial Economics Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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