The Relationship between Health Consciousness and Home-Based Exercise in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Using the Theory of Perceived Value to Determine the Willingness to Consume Foods from a Healthy Brand: The Role of Health Consciousness

Eating low amounts of healthy foods leads to high rates of diet-related diseases. How can we control and reduce the increase in these diseases? One of the recommendations is to improve nutritional competence, which means greater health consciousness. The objective of the present study is to determine the influence of health consciousness on the dimensions of perceived value and their impact on the willingness to consume foods from a healthy brand. Through a non-experimental, cross-sectional, and explanatory study, the responses of 518 participants (men and women) who confirmed being consumers of the healthy brands of food were analyzed. The study included adults aged from 18 to 58 years recruited using non-probability sampling. Data was collected using a self-report form and statistically analyzed using Smart PLS. The findings support that health awareness positively and significantly influences perceived quality value, perceived financial value, perceived social value, and perceived emotional value; contrary to this, it was detected that the perceived financial value does not influence the willingness to consume foods from healthy brands. This study contributes significantly to health science by showing how the theory of perceived value predicts the intention to consume healthy brands, with health consciousness intervening in this prediction. Therefore, it is concluded that the study population that consumes healthy foods has experienced the positive impact of perceived value and reports that the factors that comprise it influence their intention to consume healthy foods.

Modelling the significance of value-belief-norm framework to predict mass adoption potentials of internet of things-enabled wearable fitness devices

Self-health monitoring technologies have become increasingly popular in averting unanticipated health complications. However, the adoption rate of such technologies in developing countries is surprisingly low. Furthermore, empirical studies on the application of the value-belief-norm (VBN) model to elucidate intention to use IoT-enabled wearable fitness devices (IoT-enabled WFDs) are scarce. This study aimed to expand the VBN model by integrating health values, health consciousness, health knowledge-seeking, and social norms as influencing constructs. The proposed holistic framework was empirically tested to examine these constructs on users' decision-making process of adopting IoT-enabled WFDs. A web-based survey involving 866 adults in China aged 18-30 years was conducted. The gathered data were analysed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. The results revealed the significant influence of health consciousness and health knowledge-seeking on personal health beliefs, as well as the favourable impact of personal health beliefs on personal norms and awareness of consequences. The results further demonstrated the substantial influence of awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibilities on personal norms. Besides that, personal norms and societal norms were found to have strong influence on the intention to adopt IoT-enabled WFDs, which was revealed to have significant influence on the actual usage. This study's findings offer novel theoretical insights on the behavioural characteristics of adopting IoT-enabled WFDs and serve as a practical guideline for industry experts and marketers to establish appropriate marketing strategies to support the IoT-enabled wearable sector. The findings also benefit policymakers in their efforts of developing strategies that emphasise the unique benefits of self-healthcare monitoring to encourage active lifestyle and decrease obesity and overweight-related health risks.

A self-powered intelligent integrated sensing system for sports skill monitoring

The use of green intelligent sensing systems which are based on triboelectric nanogenerators have sparked a surge of research in recent years. The development has made significant contributions to the field of promoting human health. However, the integration of an intelligent sensing system with multi-directional triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) remains challenges in the field of motion monitoring. To solve this research issue, this study designed a self-powered multifunctional fitness blanket (SF-MFB) which incorporates four TENGs, features multi-sensors and wireless motion monitoring capabilities. It presents a self-powered integrated sensing system which utilizes four TENG sensing units to monitor human motion. Each TENG sensing unit collects the mechanical energy generated during motion. The system is composed of SF-MFB, Bluetooth transmission terminal, and upper computer analysis terminal. Its main purpose is to wirelessly monitor and diagnose human sports skills and enables real-time human-computer interaction. The TENG integrated self-powered sensing system demonstrates practicality in sports skills monitoring, diagnosis, human-computer interaction and entertainment. This research introduces a novel approach for the application of TENG self-powered intelligent integrated sensing system in health promotion.

Positive impacts of COVID-19 Lock down in Bangladesh: An online investigation

Background

This research focuses on the positive impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown on society and the environment, despite acknowledging the widespread negative effects of the pandemic and lockdown measures. The research was aimed at pinpointing and evaluating the beneficial results stemming from these measures.

Method

Data for the study was collected through an online survey distributed via Google forms to adults over the age of 18 across the country. A total of 1230 participants completed the survey, mostly from rural areas (61.7%), providing valuable insights for analysis. The questionnaire encompassed personal, family, and cohesive social data, along with information on the environment and biodiversity. The study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to analyze the data and examine correlations between variables.

Results

The findings indicated that the COVID-19 lockdown had positive implications for individuals and society, leading to increased health consciousness, improved family relationships, and constructive social attitudes. Moreover, restrictions on access to natural tourist destinations and parks during the lockdown contributed to positive changes in biodiversity. These results highlight the importance of adopting appropriate measures during pandemics to foster personal and social well-being, as well as the preservation of natural environments and biodiversity.

Conclusion

This study emphasizes the need for further research to promote sustainable living in similar situations. By understanding the data appropriately, individuals can play a constructive role in future pandemics, leading to positive outcomes for both society and the environment.

University students' living conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic and predictors of their subjective health views: A cross-sectional survey

This study aimed to explore the factors influencing subjective health views based on the living conditions and concerns of university students during the coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. From March to April 2021, a questionnaire survey was administered to 8,547 Japanese university students, and logistic regression analysis was used to explore factors related to subjective health views. The results showed that satisfaction with quality of sleep (OR = 2.651, 95% Cl 2.370-2.966,p < 0.001), satisfaction with university life (OR = 2.486, 95%Cl 2.215-2.789, p < 0.001), satisfaction with diet (OR = 1.849, 95% CI: 1.496-2.285, p < 0.001), regular exercise (OR = 1.759, 95% CI: 1.594-1.941, p < 0.001), consciousness of nutritional balance (OR = 1.276, 95% CI: 1.147-1.420,p < 0.001), eating breakfast every day (OR = 1.247, 95% CI: 1.121-1.387, p < 0.001), and consuming soft drinks at least once a week (OR = 0.865, 95% CI: 0.755-0.966, p = 0.010) were positive factors for subjective views of health. On the other hand, anxiety about whether the necessary credits can be obtained (OR = 0.885, 95% CI: 0.799-0.980, p = 0.019), infection from minimal outings (OR = 0.881, 95% CI: 0.794-0.976, p = 0.016) building and maintaining friendships on campus (OR = 0.867, 95% CI: 0.767-0.980, p = 0.023), and being able to continue working (OR = 0.713, 95% CI: 0.640-0.795, p < 0.001) were identified as negative factors. To ensure a healthy university life during the COVID-19 pandemic or future pandemic, supports tailored to students' living conditions and measures to address their anxieties are required.

Sports and the Pandemic: The Impact of COVID-19 on Active Living and Life Satisfaction of Climbers

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant changes in every aspect of our lives. Because of the measures imposed, people were only allowed to leave their homes for certain purposes, and all types of cultural and sports events were canceled. Climbers were greatly affected by these limited options for regular physical activity outside of the home environment. Little is known about the crisis' effects on the climbing community in German-speaking regions. Thus, we surveyed 1028 German-speaking climbers (mean age 34.6 years, SD 10.4; 50.4% females) from December 2020 to February 2021. A cross-sectional online survey collected data on climbing frequency and preferences as well as levels of life satisfaction, using the standardized Short Life Satisfaction Questionnaire for Lockdowns (SLSQL) before and during the crisis. Results showed that due to the pandemic, study subjects climbed less frequently, preferred outdoor locations to climb, and showed decreased life satisfaction scores (21%, (d = 0.87, p < 0.001). In conclusion, these findings highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on climbing sports activities and life satisfaction in this study sample. To preserve physical and mental health, indoor and outdoor sport activities should be continued as much as possible with reasonable hygiene concepts in place.

Individual and Parental Factors of Adolescents' mHealth App Use: Nationally Representative Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Knowledge of the characteristics of adolescents who use mobile health (mHealth) apps to monitor health and how these characteristics differ from those of app nonusers is limited.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to determine mHealth app use based on adolescent and parental factors, including sociodemographics, digital skills, and health indicators, in a nationally representative sample of Czech adolescents (N=2500).

METHODS

Adolescents aged 11 to 16 years and one of their parents participated in an online survey in 2021. A professional research agency recruited the participants. Quotas were used to ensure the sample's representativeness. The sociodemographic factors were the adolescents' age, gender, and parental perceived financial security. The adolescents also provided information about their screen time, eHealth literacy, BMI, health anxiety, physical activity, and sleep quality. Parents reported their digital skills, mobile phone attitudes, and the mediation of their children's online health information-seeking behaviors. We evaluated the differences between the users and nonusers of mHealth apps and identified the significant predictors of mHealth app use. Next, we separately examined how these factors were associated with the use of mHealth apps that track calorie intake or expenditure, number of steps, weight, or sports activity (eg, exercise, running, and working out), as well as other mHealth apps (eg, those that track sleep and heart rate).

RESULTS

More than half of the adolescents (1429/2455, 58.21%) reported using mHealth apps. App users were relatively older and, more often, girls. Apps that counted the number of steps were used most frequently, and adolescents whose parents reported higher perceived financial security used them more regularly. Overall, being older and physically active and having higher eHealth literacy skills were associated with using mHealth apps. Adolescents with higher BMI, health anxiety, and lower sleep quality more frequently used mHealth apps to track calorie intake or expenditure, weight, and health indicators. mHealth apps to track physical activity were used more regularly by girls. There was a positive association between parental mediation of online health information-seeking behaviors and adolescents' mHealth app use.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrated that older age, physical activity, and eHealth literacy skills were the common underlying factors of adolescents' mHealth app use. We initially showed parents as significant role models for their children's adoption of, and engagement with, mHealth apps when they actively mediate their online health information-seeking behaviors. Improving the eHealth literacy skills of adolescents through parental guidance might enhance health technology use in this population. Tracking eating behaviors, weight, and health were more prevalent for adolescents who reported higher BMI, health anxiety, and lower sleep quality. Future research studies should examine the determinants and health outcomes of adolescents' mHealth app use longitudinally.

Examining the role of saving and safety on the buying behavior: lessons from the Indian consumer's in COVID-19 crisis

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed consumer buying behavior across the world. COVID-19 crisis brought a behavioral change in consumers' attitudes toward health, financial and social well-being. The current research work highlights the factors influencing consumer buying behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic considering saving and safety perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

This study attempts to understand the gap in buying behavior with reference to saving and safety. Survey-based study was conducted during the second phase of COVID-19, and the respondents were those who lived in highly affected COVID cities in India. Exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis were carried out for testing the hypotheses.

Findings

Seven factors became the prominent factors in consumer buying patterns during the pandemic. Consumers in the times of COVID-19 pandemic spend only on essential items as compared to nice-to-have and non-essential items.

Research limitations/implications

Respondents considered in the research were millennials aged 25–40. The current research is limited to specific geographic location.

Practical implications

The study assessed how savings and safety influence consumer buying behavior. The 2S framework model for consumer buying behavior during pandemic has been developed. The findings of the study provides a road map to the companies, policy makers, managers and consumers in understanding the consumer buying behavior during pandemic.

Originality/value

The current research work observe the changes in the behavioral patterns of consumers in the context of 2S framework, i.e. saving and safety. This study offer novel contribution as there is no available literature that examined the saving and safety aspects together for consumer buying behavior during crisis.

Sports Participation and Anti-Epidemic: Empirical Evidence on the Influence of Regular Physical Activity on the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mainland China

This study aims to investigate the effects and influencing mechanisms of regular physical activity (RPA) on the COVID-19 pandemic. Daily data from 279 prefecture-level cities in mainland China were collected from 1 January to 17 March 2020. A two-way fixed-effects model was used to identify the causal relationship between physical activity and COVID-19, while also considering factors such as patterns of human behavior and socioeconomic conditions. The instrumental variable (IV) approach was applied to address potential endogeneity issues for a more accurate causal identification, and the mediating effect model was applied to examine the mechanisms of the influence of physical activity on the epidemic. We found that regular physical activity significantly improves individual immunity, which, in turn, leads to a reduction in the probability of being infected with COVID-19. Furthermore, we investigated the heterogeneity of the influence, finding that the negative impact of physical activity on the pandemic is more pronounced in the absence of adequate medical resources, strong awareness of prevention among residents, and fully implemented public health measures. Our results provide empirical evidence for the mechanisms of influence of physical activity on the pandemic. We would suggest that not only should physical activity be actively practiced during the pandemic, but also long-term regular exercise habits should be consciously cultivated to improve the ability of the individual immune system to better cope with sudden outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases.

Augmented reality advertising and college students' interest in the extreme sports: Moderating role of innovation resistance and health consciousness

Advertising and promotions are the most utilized types of augmented reality (AR) activations for marketers across all industries. The same is true for the sports industry. This form of augmented reality is meant to bring attention to the organization through a novel technology such as AR. Recently, a lack of interest among students in extreme sports has been attributed to a lack of professional advertising and marketing innovation. This situation requires the attention of researchers, and this study investigates the impact of augmented reality advertising on college students' interest in extreme sports, specifically in China. The article also investigates the moderating role of innovation resistance and health consciousness in the relationship between augmented reality advertising and college students' interest in extreme sports in China. Students actively participating in sports were selected using the purposive sampling technique, and AMOS was used for data analysis. According to the findings, augmented reality advertising positively correlates with interest in extreme sports. The findings also revealed that innovation resistance and health consciousness significantly moderated college students' interest in extreme sports and augmented reality advertising. This research assists regulators in developing regulations to increase interest in extreme sports through augmented reality advertising and innovation adoption.

Profiling of Croatian Consumers Based on Their Intention to Consume Farmed Fish

Today’s increased demand and consumption of fish would be impossible to ensure without aquaculture. Farmed fish, however, is often considered inferior among consumers in comparison to its wild counterparts. The aim of this study was to profile Croatian fishery consumers based on their intention to consume farmed fish. The participants in this study were a nationally representative sample of people responsible for food purchasing within the household (n = 977), whose responses were collected by the CAWI (computer-aided web interviewing) method. Four clusters were identified and described: farmed fish enthusiasts (21.1%), farmed fish supporters (17.4%), indifferents (44.7%), and farmed fish sceptics (16.8%). Results showed that consumer segments differed significantly with respect to age, income, employment status, living region, and physical activity. Furthermore, intention to consume farmed fish is related to fish consumption in general (those with higher intention are more frequent fish consumers). Interestingly, prejudices against farmed fish are present in all clusters; however, these prejudices are more pronounced among those with the weakest intention to consume farmed fish. Differences between clusters were observed also in respect to product information and preferences, knowledge about fish, places of usual purchase, and source of information about fishery products. The obtained results could be used in designing marketing strategies to promote farmed fish consumption.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Physical Activity Among Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Physical inactivity has been identified as a major factor in developing and progressing chronic non-communicable diseases such as obesity. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranks high worldwide in rates of obesity. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, public health measures have been enforced. These included social distancing, masking, reduction of workplace daily hours, prevention of social gatherings, and home quarantine measures. These ultimately restricted the ability to perform regular physical health activities. The aim of this study is to understand the impact of COVID-19 on physical activity among adults in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Methodology

A cross-sectional study was conducted among the Saudi population. An online survey was sent through social media to gather data regarding individual physical activity before and after the start of the COVID-19 restrictions. The data were collected from March 20, 2021, until May 20, 2021, and analyzed using chi-square and paired t-test using the SAS software version 9.4.

Results

In total, 433 participants completed the survey. There were 183 (42.3%) males, and the majority of the participants were Saudi nationals (284, 65.6%). Most of the participants (181, 41.8%) were in the age group 25-35 years and 253 (58%) had bachelor’s degrees. Although the results did not show a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-COVID-19 respondents in terms of physical activity, married participants, participants from the eastern province, and participants who did not exercise regularly were all significantly impacted by lack of exercise compared to their counterparts (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Taking measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is essential. Nonetheless, recommendations should be sought for physical activity during lockdowns, and large-scale research should be conducted to better understand what causes the exaggeration of sedentary lifestyles during lockdowns and how to prevent them. Further studies need to be conducted, and national guidelines should be made available in case of a future lockdown.

Modelling the mass adoption potential of wearable medical devices

Digital technologies empower users to manage their health and reduce the burden on the public health system. The mass adoption of wearable medical devices (WMDs) promotes the ageing population’s confidence besides facilitating users. Thus, the current study aims to empirically evaluate the formation of perceived product value (PPV) with the WMDs’ computability, usefulness, cost, and accuracy, the intention to use WMDs influenced by health consciousness (HCS), health anxiety (HAY), product value, and perceived critical mass (PCM), and later the adoption of WMDs among Chinese adults. The study examined the mediating effect of PPV on the relationship between the intention to use WMDs and perceived compatibility (PCT), perceived cost (PCO), perceived usefulness (PUS), and perceived technology accuracy (PTA). This study adopted a cross-sectional approach and used an online survey to collect quantitative data from 1,160 Chinese adults. Data analysis was performed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Results showed that PCT, PUS, and PTA significant positive effect on PPV. Meanwhile, HCS, PCM, and PPV has a significant positive effect on intention to use WMDs, and the intention to use WMDs and PCM influenced the adoption of WMDs. Consequently, the analysis confirmed that PPV mediated the relationships between the intention to use WMD and PCT, PUS, and PTA. The WMD cost must be reduced to enhance the value of WMDs. Finally, the study’s implications, limitations, and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

The effects of community safety support on COVID-19 event strength perception, risk perception, and health tourism intention: The moderating role of risk communication

The community is crucial in preventing COVID-19 pandemic. By employing 313 online surveys, it is found that the community safety support enhances risk perception, disruption recognition, and criticality recognition but it negatively impacts on novelty recognition. Additionally, risk communication could moderate the relationship between risk perception and health tourism intention. These findings reveal that people would pay more attention to the risk information and they could join health tourism in the post-pandemic period to enhance their personal physical and mental health. Therefore, health tourism enterprises should appropriately strengthen risk communication and improve people's health awareness to further promote healthy tourism consumption.

Are Sports Champions Also Anti-Epidemic Heroes? Quantitative Research on the Influence of Sports Champions' Demonstration Effect on the COVID-19 Epidemic in China

What kind of role do sports champions play in the COVID-19 epidemic? Do they contribute to the mitigation of the epidemic by some pathway? In this paper, we empirically explore the influence and mechanism of the demonstration effect of sports champions upon the COVID-19 epidemic using COVID-19-related dataset of prefecture-level cities in China from 1 January 2020 to 17 March 2020. The two-way fixed effect model of econometrics is applied to estimate the result, the instrumental variable approach is adopted to address potential endogeneity issues, and socio-economic factors including public health measures, residents’ self-protection awareness, effective distance from Wuhan are also taken into consideration. The results show that the demonstration effect of champions in major sporting events increases the participation in physical exercise, which in turn reduces the possibility of being infected with the epidemic. An increase of one gold medal results in a 0.93% increase in the sports population, then leads to a 3.58% decrease in the cumulative case growth rate (p < 0.01). Further, we find that the effect is greater in regions with developed economies and abundant sports resources. Interestingly, it is greater in regions with less attention to sports, which again confirms the role of the demonstration effect.

Antecedents of self-protective behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh

CONTEXT

Self-protective behavior (SPB) plays a significant role in controlling the spread of infection of a pandemic like coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Little research has been conducted to examine critical factors influencing SPB, especially in a developing country like Bangladesh.

AIMS

This study aimed to develop and test a theoretical model based on the extended information-motivation-behavior (IMB) skills model to investigate factors associated with SPB among Bangladeshi people.

METHODS

An online, cross-sectional survey was conducted on Bangladesh citizens (18 years and older) from June 1 and July 31, 2020. A total of 459 responses were used to assess the proposed model's overall fit and test the hypothesized relationships among the model constructs.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED

The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling to identify relationships among model variables.

RESULTS

Health information-seeking behavior, health motivation, self-efficacy, and health consciousness (HC) (P < 0.05) had a significant impact on SPB among Bangladeshi people. The results identified the consequences of various degrees of HC on SPB in the COVID-19 outbreak.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirms the IMB model's applicability for analyzing SPB among people in developing countries like Bangladesh. The findings of this study could guide policymakers to develop and implement targeted strategies to ensure timely and transparent information for motivating people to improve SPB during the COVID-19 and in case of a future outbreak of an epidemic.

The effects of the home-based exercise during COVID-19 school closure on the physical fitness of preschool children in China

BACKGROUND

Social distancing and school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the physical activities of the preschool children living in China. However, the effects of home-based exercise on the physical fitness of Chinese preschool children during COVID-19 school closures are still unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of home-based exercise on the physical fitness of Chinese preschool children during COVID-19 school closure.

METHODS

In this retrospective analysis, data from 1,608 Chinese preschool children (aged 3-5.5 years) in a second-tier city of Guangdong Province of China (Zhongshan city) were extracted from three successive National Physical Fitness Measurement (NPFM) from 2019 to 2021. NPFM consists of weight, height, and six subtests of physical fitness including 10-m shuttle run test (SRT), standing long jump (SLJ), balance beam walking (BBW), sit-and-reach (SR), tennis throwing (TT), and double-leg timed hop (DTH) tests. The change differences or change ratios of all the items in NPFM between any two successive years from 2019 to 2021 were compared. The exercise profiles about home-based and outdoor exercise before, during, and after COVID-19 school closure were obtained from 185 preschool children via retrospective telephone survey.

RESULTS

Between 2019 and 2021, 1,608 preschool children were included in this study. We observed larger changes in SLJ, SR, TT, and DTH tests during school closure than after school closure. But the children showed lower reduction rates in the completion time of SRT and BBW. During school closure, higher change ratios in SLJ and TT were observed in the children primarily participating in home-based exercise than those primarily participating in outdoor exercise. However, no statistical differences were observed in the changes in SRT and BBW between home-based and outdoor training groups.

CONCLUSION

The home-based exercise program might be an alternative approach to improve the physical fitness of preschool children during COVID-19 school closure, but could not be beneficial to speed-agility and balance functions. A specific guideline geared toward a home-based exercise program during the COVID-19 outbreak is highly needed.

Changes in physical activity associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals with overweight and obesity: an interrupted time series analysis with historical controls

The objective of this study was to investigate changes in physical activity patterns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals with overweight and obesity who were participating in a school district worksite weight loss program. We conducted comparative design interrupted time series analyses on physical activity device (Fitbit) data from the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 school years (N = 211). We administered a questionnaire in 2020 to supplement device data. After the stay-at-home orders in 2020, participants tended to decrease their weekly step count (B = −1315.7, SE = 627.7, p = .045), decrease their weekly “Lightly active minutes” (B = −39.1, SE = 12.6, p = .007), and increase their weekly “Very active minutes” compared to their counterparts from the year before (B = 7.6, SE = 3.2, p = .020). Decreased motivation, gym closures, and safety concerns were cited as barriers to physical activity. Having more time and health consciousness were cited as facilitators of physical activity. The COVID-19 pandemic was related to changes in physical activity in both positive and negative ways, revealing opportunities to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in this population. More research is needed to determine optimal approaches to health promotion in the post-COVID-19 era.

Health effects of immediate telework introduction during the COVID-19 era in Japan: A cross-sectional study

Background

Telework has been widely discussed in several fields; however, there is a lack of research on the health aspects of teleworking. The current study was conducted to determine the health effects of teleworking during an emergency statement as evidence for future policy development.

Method

This was a cross-sectional study in which we administered an online questionnaire to 5,214 general workers (response rate = 36.4%) from June 2020 to August 2020. Based on working methods during the pandemic, workers were categorized into the office group (n = 86) and telework group (n = 1597), and we characterized their demographics, changes in lifestyle, telework status, physical symptoms, and mental health.

Results

The results showed that the workers’ residence, marital status, management positions, and employee status affected the choice of the work method. During the emergency, teleworkers experienced more changes in their habits than office workers. In terms of exercise habits, 67.0% of the individuals belonging to the office-telework (OT) group exercised less. Approximately half of the teleworkers were satisfied with their telework, and those in the OT group were less satisfied with their telework than those in the telework-telework (TT) group, and they reported an increase in both working hours and meeting hours. Work-family conflict was more pronounced in the TT group than in the two other groups. Only 13.2% of individuals did not experience any stress in the past 30 days, and all three groups showed varying degrees of anxiety and depressive tendencies. In addition, all teleworkers experienced adverse physical symptoms before and after the emergency.

Conclusion

Health issues associated with teleworking should be given adequate attention.

How Does Social Currency Influence Prosocial Behavior? The Role of Collective Self-Esteem and Communication Network Heterogeneity

The social currency, the existing potential resource in the social networks and communities of an individual, has become more significant in the era of information technology. Meanwhile, the rapid development of Internet service, especially its application on mobile devices, brings many new contents of prosocial behaviors (PBs), which benefits both individuals and communities. Specifically, social currency plays a positive role in promoting PB, forming positive personalities, promoting positive social adaptation, and contributing to human survival and social development. However, the theoretical research in this field still lags far behind the development of practice, and the research on the impact of social currency on PB remains exceedingly scarce. Grounded in the social exchange theory (SET), the present study collects a total of 497 WeChat user questionnaires, constructs a model for the influence mechanism of social currency on PB, and tests the hypothesis through hierarchical regression. According to the results obtained, it was found that the social currency is positively associated with PB, and users with a more social currency are more likely to act prosocially on their own. The PB of an individual is then influenced by the social currency generated through collective self-esteem (CS) so that the perception of CS can be considered as a mediating variable. Moreover, the communication network heterogeneity (CNH) moderates the above relationship, and the degree of heterogeneity will have different effects on the relationship of CS. The obtained conclusions enrich the previous theoretical results of PB and provided new insights for social managers to enhance the prosocial-related behaviors for the group, organization, and society.

Why Older People Seek Health Information Online: A Qualitative Study

Despite the increasing number of older adults’ growing need for health information, little is known about their motivation to seek online health information. This exploratory qualitative study was conducted to examine why older adults seek required health information through online sources. In this qualitative content analysis, we purposefully approached 19 older adults with age in the range between 60–75 (63.78 ± 3.8 years) in Tabriz, Iran. Data were collected via individual, semi-structured face-to-face interviews at a place and time convenient to the study participants from October 2018 to September 2019. We evaluated the content of recorded data until saturation was reached, using MAXQDA 10 software. Subsequently, four central motivational themes were emerged including being self-reliant, achieving a healthier life, seeking reliable sources of health information, and accumulating health information. Older adults seek health information based on their needs and expectations to achieve optimal health status. Our findings provide valuable information for nurses and other health care providers to facilitate older adults’ access to trusting and valid online health information. It further suggests that, with the consideration of COVID-19 pandemic, fact-checking skills of elderly in identifying and accessing credible information sources should be addressed in future health literacy interventions.

Motivation and Intention Toward Physical Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives From Integrated Model of Self-Determination and Planned Behavior Theories

Background: In attempts to hinder the spread of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many countries have continued distancing, isolation, and quarantine measures, which has led to limited opportunity of physical activity. This study provides empirical support for a motivational process behind physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic by testing the influence of psychosocial variables derived from the integrated model of self-determination theory (SDT) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Korean adults (N = 248). Participants completed the measures of SDT and TPB constructs modified to reflect their participation in physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample size of 243 participants was employed, and the integrated model was tested using serial multiple mediation analysis to check the hypothesized relationships. Results: Findings indicated that in the COVID-19 context, the satisfaction of basic psychological needs positively predicts the level of self-determined motivations for physical activity, which is partially related to the level of social cognitive beliefs and intentions. The findings also demonstrated that attitude toward physical activity during COVID-19 was a major variable explaining the serial multiple relationships between the SDT and TPB constructs. The potential influence of demographics (gender, age, marital status, and past physical activity) was controlled as a covariate, and no significant effects were identified. Conclusion: The current study identified the psychosocial mechanisms of intention of South Koreans' physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, which could be used as an empirical basis for the development of interventions to maintain or strengthen physical activity in unprecedented situations.

Rural Social Participation through Osekkai during the COVID-19 Pandemic

We investigated the effects of enabling Osekkai, the traditional Japanese behavior of creating a helping culture, on social participation among rural people in rebuilding social connections that can be vital during the coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The subjects of this cross-sectional study were people interested in the Osekkai conference (control group) and those actively involved in Osekkai activities (exposure group). The primary outcome of social participation was measured as the frequency of meeting and the number of friends or acquaintances. The demographic data of the participants and process outcomes were measured using a questionnaire provided to all 287 registered participants. The effective response rate was 64.5% (185 responses). The involvement in Osekkai conferences was statistically associated with a high frequency and number of meetings with friends or acquaintances (p < 0.001 and 0.048, respectively). A health check was significantly associated with the number of friends or acquaintances met in the previous month, while high social support was significantly associated with loneliness. Thus, we confirm that Osekkai contributes to high social participation, although we see no relationship with loneliness. Future studies should investigate this cause-and-effect relationship and promote culturally sensitive activities to improve social and health outcomes in rural Japan.

The Development Strategy of Home-Based Exercise in China Based on the SWOT-AHP Model

In view of the increasing importance of sports to people and the impact of COVID-19 on people’s lives, home-based exercise has become a popular choice for people to keep fit due to its unique advantages and its popularity is expected to keep growing in the future. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the development direction of home-based exercise and put in the corresponding efforts. However, there is currently a lack of research on all aspects of home-based exercise. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effective sustainable development strategy of home-based exercise in China through a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) hybrid model. Thirteen factors corresponding to the SWOT analysis were identified through a literature review and expert opinions. The results show that in China the advantages and potential outweigh the weaknesses and threats of home-based exercise. Home-based exercise should grasp the external development opportunities and choose the SO development strategic type that combines internal strengths and external opportunities. As the core for the development of home-based exercise, this strategy should be given priority. To sum up, home-based exercise is believed to have a bright future.

The Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 Home Confinement and Physical Activity: A Structural Equation Model Analysis

Background

COVID-19 break out has created panic and fear in society. A strict kind of lockdown was imposed in Wuhan, Hubei province of China. During home confinement due to lockdown, people face multidimensional issues. The present study explored the psychological impacts of COVID-19 home confinement during the lockdown period and Wuhan’s residents’ attitude toward physical activity.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted to collect the primary data according to the study objectives. The population was Wuhan residents (+ 18 years) who were in home confinement. A total of 2280 participant’s reply to the online questionnaire survey and collected data after quantifying the data, about 2200 (96.49%); about (49.8%) female, about (49.4%) male, others about (0.2%), and about (0.6%) were not disclosed their gender participants responses were used for analysis. The collected data were analyzed through appropriate statistical techniques.

Results

According to results, H1 is supported with β = −40.793, t = 57.835, p = 0.000, which claimed a negative association between COVID-19 lockdown policy and behavior and attitude. Results for H2 reveals that the COVID-19 lockdown policy have negative influence on emotional control with β = −0.769, t = 46.766, p = 0.000 and it is supported. H3 documented a significant positive relationship between COVID-19 lockdown policy and lockdown period psychological impact, which means lockdown policy, is the main reason to increase the lockdown psychological impact. Further, COVID-19 lockdown policy have negative influence on physical activity (H4) and self-belief (H5) with β = −0.657, t = 32.766, p = 0.000 and β = −0.620, t = −6.766, p = 0.000 respectively. H6 stated that there is a positive impact of behavior and attitude toward physical activity. The results for H6, behavior, and attitude affecting the physical activity with β = 0.401, t = 10, p = 0.000, which is supported.

Conclusion

COVID-19 home confinement created various psychological impacts, negatively affecting the emotional state due to depression and anxiety. Physical activity is the best strategy to manage human nature’s psychological issues, and people’s attitudes were positive toward physical activity during home confinement. However, the lockdown policy also affects physical activity participation negatively, and a sedentary lifestyle prevailed during home confinement.