Risk Perception of International Medical Students About Coronavirus (COVID-19) in China and Their Willingness to Fly Back

The associations between cognitive function and depressive symptoms among older Chinese population: A cohort study

With the rapid development of society, population aging has emerged as a significant global challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of baseline cognitive performance, current cognitive function, and cognitive decline on subsequent depressive symptoms. Data were obtained from participants aged 65 years and older in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), Wave 2014-2018. Of the 7,192 participants in Wave 2014, 1,627 were included in the analysis. Multivariate regressions were conducted to estimate the associations between cognitive measures and depressive symptoms. Our results indicated that baseline cognitive function was not associated with subsequent depressive symptoms, but current cognitive function was. Furthermore, participants who experienced significant cognitive decline were more likely to develop depressive symptoms. Covariates, including marital status, economic status, physical activity, and recreational activity, were also associated with subsequent depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that slowing cognitive decline is an effective strategy for preventing depressive symptoms in older adults, promoting their health and wellbeing.

Remain or return? An empirical study of influencing factors on the return of Chinese international students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

COVID-19 is now a global public health crisis with unprecedented political, economic, and social consequences affecting nations across the world. It also has a profound impact on the mobility of international students. When the COVID-19 was under control in China, and it was spreading dramatically in the United Kingdom, Chinese international students studying in the United Kingdom have been caught in a double bind over whether to return home or not.

Objective

This study aims to explore the factors that influenced Chinese international students' choices of return during the COVID-19 pandemic when the COVID-19 was under control in China, while it was spreading dramatically in the United Kingdom.

Methods

Taking Chinese international students studying in the United Kingdom as an empirical case, this study used qualitative and quantitative research methods to explore the factors that influenced their choices of return. Based on the Rational Choice Theory and qualitative analysis of text data, this paper constructed the influencing factors model of returning to China. On this basis, we developed a questionnaire and collected data from 1,333 students in late April and early May 2020. Binary Logistic Regression with 95% CI for odds ratio (OR) was used to identify significant factors.

Results

The reserve of epidemic prevention supplies (OR = 0.712), transportation expenses (OR = 0.618), and quarantine expenses (OR = 0.702) negatively affected the return choice of overseas students. The supply of daily necessities (OR = 1.495), the anti-epidemic policy of the United Kingdom (OR = 1.684), and the demand for job hunting after graduation (OR = 1.661) had positive effects.

Conclusion

The institutional rationality had the biggest promoting effect, replaced development rationality, and became the most important factor for overseas students to return to China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic rationality, which has a significant negative effect, is the biggest obstacle to returning home. These conclusions have policy implications for governments' response to the COVID-19 epidemic and improvement of the quality of services for overseas students.

Risk Perception Measurement and Influencing Factors of COVID-19 in Medical College Students

Purpose: In China, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been under control and entered the normal prevention and control stage. For medical college students, many studies have analyzed their knowledge, risk perception, and prevention behaviors of COVID-19, but only a few pieces of research explore the content structure of COVID-19 risk perception and the influencing factors. This study measured the students' risk perception of COVID-19 and its dimensions and analyzed the influencing factors of risk perception among them. Methods: The online questionnaire survey was conducted at Hangzhou Medical College in Zhejiang Province among undergraduates and junior college students. A scale was formulated to precisely measure and analyze the COVID-19 risk perception among medical college students. The factors affecting the COVID-19 risk perception in medical college students were analyzed using the multivariate linear regression model. Results: A total of 810 medical students participated in the survey. Results show that COVID-19 risk perception among medical college students was divided into four dimensions: perceived health threat, perceived severity, perceived controllability, and perceived infection possibility. The results showed that income, education, major, and COVID-19 knowledge were the important factors affecting the COVID-19 risk perception of medical college students. Related factors have different influences on the various dimensions of COVID-19 risk perception. COVID-19 knowledge was significantly related to all dimensions of risk perception. Conclusion: This study evaluates the content structure of medical college students' risk perception of COVID-19 precisely and related influencing factors. It is necessary to grasp the risk perception, prevention, and control behaviors of medical college students of different backgrounds, education levels, and majors. Further knowledge training should be conducted for students majoring in clinical medicine, especially the pandemic prevention and control measure training to enhance their sense of security at work.