Factors Associated With the Intention to Participate in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Frontline Prevention Activities Among Nursing Students in Vietnam: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Intention and practice on personal preventive measures against COVID-19 among older adults in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: an epidemiological study using the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Introduction

Older adults aged 65 years and above are among the most vulnerable to adverse outcomes and death following a COVID-19 infection. The weekly epidemiological updates by the World Health Organisation show that the continued emergence of concerning subtypes of the virus indicates that the pandemic remains a public health concern and the public should continue to comply with personal preventive measures (PPMs). This study applies the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) which is rooted in the field of Public Health, Epidemiology, and Preventive Medicine to Saudi older adults to predict their health behaviour.

Methods

This behavioural epidemiological study recruited older adult participants aged 65 years of age and above. A tool which consisted of sociodemographic and health-related questions, as well as questions regarding the components of the TPB, namely, Attitude, Subjective Norm, Perceived Behavioural Control was used. Bivariate analyses, followed by unadjusted and adjusted multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to derive odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results

The total number of participants was 502. The mean age was 70.34 years, with similar distributions between males and females. In total, 52.2% intended to practice PPMs, whereas only 48% had a good practice. Also, 56% had a favourable Attitude towards PPMs, 61.4% had a positive Subjective Norm and 39.8% had perceived they had a high control over their behaviour. Females, and high educational status were predictors for high intention to practice PPMs (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.01-2.52 and OR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.44-5.16 respectively). Further predictors included Attitudes, Subjective Norm and Perceived Behavioural Control. Results also show that intention to practice was significantly associated with a lower odd of practicing PPMs (OR = 0.06, 95% CI = 0.04-0.10).

Conclusion

Current findings highlight the need to continue with public health efforts targeting vulnerable older adults. Also, the fact that intention negatively predicted practice highlights the need for further behavioural epidemiological studies addressing the intention-behaviour gap.

A Systematic Scoping Review of Motivations and Barriers in COVID-19 Volunteering Among Health Students: The Potential for Future Pandemic Volunteers

Background

The high number of cases of COVID-19 has caused an increase in workload and a shortage of medical personnel in various countries, so volunteers are needed, such as health students. However, becoming a volunteer during a pandemic is influenced by motivational factors and barriers.

Purpose

This study aims to identify the motivations and barriers of health students as COVID-19 volunteers.

Methods

This study uses a systematic scoping review. A literature review was conducted using CINAHL, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases. The study was eligible for inclusion if it included articles published from 2020 to 2022, full-text, and primary studies. Studies were excluded if they were not in English. The keywords used in English were "health students OR nursing students OR medical students" AND "motivation OR willingness" AND "Barriers" AND "volunteer OR volunteering OR volunteerism OR voluntary" AND "COVID-19 OR covid-19 OR SARS-CoV-2 OR COVID-19 pandemic". Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) appraisal tool.

Results

We found 12 articles showing motivational factors and barriers among health students volunteering to control COVID-19. Motivational factors include domain values, understanding, enhancement, career, incentive, government, social, and demographics. In contrast, barriers include fear, lack of training and knowledge, PPE shortage, unpreparedness and role uncertainty, and lack of interest, support, and protection.

Conclusion

Our findings highlight that eight motivational factors and seven barriers influence health students' involvement in COVID-19 volunteering. However, to optimize the potential of health students, further preparation is essential to ensure that students can volunteer effectively, such as integrating volunteer training programs into the curriculum in preparation for future pandemic mitigation.

Barriers to COVID-19 contact tracing: View from frontline healthcare students in Vietnam

In the context of the complicated continuous waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, contact tracing, along with social distancing and lock-down, proved its crucial role in the suppression of epidemic spreading and management. With the high demand for responsiveness, healthcare students were constantly involved in the process, and challenges have emerged along the way. This study aims to identify the barriers faced by healthcare students while performing the contact tracing task at the frontline of the pandemic. A qualitative study was conducted in July 2021 in a health center in Binh Duong province, Vietnam. A total of 20 healthcare students were invited through random recruitment of participants and interviewed until the principle of saturation was reached. Three main barriers were identified including ineffective work management of local managers, lack of capability of human resources and facilities, and uncooperative attitude of local residents. Given the existing barriers, cooperative, innovative strategies, shared data systems, and timely public awareness campaigns, especially among primary health centers of the healthcare system, are imperative to reduce the workload and optimize the efficacy of healthcare students' support.

Application of behavioral change theory and models on COVID-19 preventive behaviors, worldwide: A systematic review

Objective:

This systematic review aimed to assess the global application of behavioral change theory and models on COVID-19 preventive behaviors.

Methods:

This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses procedure. Databases such as PubMed/MIDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, EMB ASE, World Health Organization libraries, and Google Scholar were used to search all published articles in the area of application of behavioral change theory and model on COVID-19 preventive behavior until October 1, 2022. Studies published in another language other than English were excluded. Two independent reviewers did the article selection and quality check. A third reviewer asked if any disagreement were found.

Result:

Seventeen thousand four hundred thirty-six total articles were retrieved from all sources after the removal of duplicated articles and those not evaluating the outcome of interest were excluded. Finally, 82 articles done using behavioral change theory and model on COVID-19 preventive behaviors were included. The health belief model (HBM) and theory of planned behavior (TPB) were most commonly used in COVID-19 preventive behaviors. The constructs of most behavioral theories and models were significantly associated with COVID-19 preventive behaviors such as hand washing, face mask use, vaccine uptake, social isolation, self-quarantine, social distance, and use of sanitizers.

Conclusion:

This systematic review summarizes comprehensive evidence on the application of behavioral change theory and model on COVID-19 preventive behaviors globally. A total of seven behavioral change theories and models were included. The HBM and TPBs were most commonly used for COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Therefore, the application of behavioral change theory and models is recommended for developing behavioral change interventional strategies.

Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to explain junior nurses’ and final‐year student nurses’ intention to care for COVID‐19 patients in China: a multisite cross‐sectional study

Aim

To explore junior nurses' and final‐year student nurses' intention to care for COVID‐19 patients amidst the Delta COVID‐19 variant outbreak in China using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) as a framework.

Background

The COVID‐19 pandemic has intensified global nursing shortage. Junior nurses and final‐year student nurses represent the backbone of the future frontline nursing workforce. The TPB is a valid theoretical model for predicting nurses' caring behaviours.

Methods

A 47‐item self‐administered questionnaire was disseminated online to a convenience sample of 547 junior nurses and final‐year student nurses located in 13 regions across mainland China.

Results

Approximately 63.4% of the participants intended to care for COVID‐19 patients voluntarily and 65.6% by non‐voluntary assignment. The TPB model significantly predicted 45% of the variance in behavioural intention, subjective norms being the strongest predictor. Gender, vaccination status and ethical perceptions regarding frontline work significantly correlated with the intention to provide care.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the importance of social, organisational and family support underpinning future junior nurses' professional commitment in times of public health crisis.

Implications for nursing management

Pandemic‐tailored workplace training programmes for nurses/student nurses that emphasize on self‐care and ethical issue discussions are warranted. Hospital managers should collaborate with community partners to offer additional family support for nurses in need.

What Prompted the Adoption of Self-Protective Behaviors in Response to COVID-19? Evidence From Women Living in the Rural Areas of Western China

Background

Self-protective behaviors, such as handwashing and mask-wearing, are effective to reduce the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but few studies have focused on women living in rural areas who bear the brunt of the impacts of the pandemic due to their economic and social vulnerabilities. This study explores what prompted the adoption of self-protective behaviors in response to COVID-19 among women living in rural areas of western China.

Methods

The study sample consisted of 1,524 women from 116 townships across 10 counties in rural western China. We collected data in May and August 2020 on women's socioeconomic characteristics, exposure to COVID-19-related information, psychological response to COVID-19, and adoption of self-protective behaviors. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were conducted to analyze the relations among the variables.

Results

During the lockdown, 1,221 (80.12%) of the 1,524 women in the study sample reported wearing a mask every time when they went outside and 1,021 (66.99%) reported handwashing with soap every time after they came home. Perceived efficacy had the strongest association with self-protective behaviors (β = 0.38; p < 0.001). Receiving public health guidance (β = 0.18; p < 0.001) was indirectly associated with more self-protective behaviors via greater perceived efficacy. Higher socioeconomic status was also directly associated with increased adoption of self-protective behaviors (β = 0.24; p < 0.001). Other variables, such as receiving surveillance and risk information, communication channels, perceived risks, and fear, were indirectly associated with the adoption of self-protective behaviors with smaller effect sizes (all β were lower than 0.10).

Conclusions

Not all women were able to adopt self-protective behaviors, such as mask-wearing and handwashing, during the COVID-19 pandemic in western China. To further encourage behavioral changes in response to public health crises, the government should develop clear and actionable guidelines and adopt targeted health communication strategies to reach the most disadvantaged groups of society. These findings may inform tailored responses to COVID-19 in other low- and middle-income countries.