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Global energy consumption is growing rapidly, with the frequency and intensity of extreme events constantly increasing, posing a long-term threat to power supply and consumption. Therefore, analyzing the spatiotemporal characteristics of electricity consumption and quantitatively assessing the impact of extreme events on electricity consumption are of great significance. Based on fine-grained electricity consumption data from Europe for the years 2019–2022, this paper employs a data mining perspective and four methods including Z-score, Isolation Forest, Local Outlier Factor, and Autoencoder to detect abnormal electricity consumption during extreme events. Additionally, it combines indicators such as elastic loss, vulnerability, and duration to measure the impact of extreme events on electricity consumption. It is found that low temperatures could lead to abrupt changes in electricity consumption, with Northern Europe being more significantly affected by low temperatures. The COVID-19 pandemic had the most significant impact on electricity consumption in Europe, with the middle part of Europe being the hardest hit during the first wave of the pandemic. Electricity anomalies during the pandemic period were related to national pandemic control policies and exhibited some lag. High temperatures persisted for a longer duration in the middle part of Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper investigates the determinants of subjective well-being in Europe using the European Living, Working and COVID-19 (ELWC) Survey carried out by Eurofound (2021). Socio-demographics characteristics, employment status, measures of economic distress, inequality and work life balance are considered. Particular attention is paid to how quality of government support (QGS), that considers the dimensions of good governance such as integrity, fairness, reliability, responsiveness and influences subjective mental well-being (WHO-5) through the mediation of trust in other people and in institutions. Design/methodology/approach: To this end, the authors estimate a moderated mediation model for analysing the indirect role of QGS on WHO-5 through institutional trust and trust in people. Findings: The results support the hypothesis that the reduction in WHO-5 in the European population during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID--19), particularly marked in the 18–34 age group, is related to the perceived inadequacy of government interventions in managing economic and social uncertainty through supportive measures. This outcome is also due to reduced trust in institutions and other people, as both are significant mediators that reinforce the impact of public support on WHO-5. Practical implications: Government should pay greater attention to this relationship amongst good governance, trust and mental health of citizens because a healthy human capital is a significant factor for the long-run economic growth, in a special way when the authors refer to the young workforce with a greater life expectancy. Originality/value: In the literature, the role of trust as a mediator has been analysed in the relationship between individual economic situations and subjective well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no studies have examined the role of perceived QGS on subjective mental well-being using the mediating and backing effects of trust in people and institutions. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-08-2022-0549. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the volatility transmission between European Global Systemically Important Banks (GSIBs) and implied stock market volatility. A Dynamic Conditional Correlation Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity model is applied to determine the dynamic correlation between returns of Europe's GSIBs and the world's most prominent measure of market "fear", the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX). The results identify a higher negative co-relationship between the VIX and GSIB returns during the COVID-19 period compared with the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), with one-day lagged changes in the VIX negatively Granger-causing bank returns. The asymmetric impact of changes in implied volatility is examined by quantile regressions, with the findings showing that in the lower quartile–where extreme negative bank returns are present–jumps in the VIX are highly significant. This effect is more pronounced during COVID-19 than during the GFC. Additional robustness analysis shows that these findings are consistent during the periods of the Swine Flu and Zika virus epidemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought considerable transformations to the worldwide markets, creating an economic and sanitary crisis. Distribution channels were disrupted, affecting supply networks and business models. With restaurants and bars closed down, banned airlines and travel restrictions implemented, the economic well-being of worldwide industries got disturbed. As global decreases in alcohol trade were registered, wine market was appraised an industry worthy of being taken under consideration, with focus on its market size, incurred revenues, price evolution and degree of embracing digitalization to adapt to the ongoing restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The latter one referring to traditional wine tasting rooms which were banned due to the lockdown, wine industry found online wine tasting as a profitable alternative. The presented metrics were analyzed in Europe, with a high focus on region's main wine producers: France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Portugal, but not only. Research followed an exploratory approach to determine changes under pandemic restrictions, lockdown and finally economic crisis in the selected industry, by engaging international available data and statistics. The study, therefore, formulated relevant hypothesis based on market size and registered revenues, price evolution and adoption of online wine tasting strategies. Results of the paper highlight decreases in market size and revenues of European wine market, however, on the long-term, industry revival is forecasted. Prices slightly decreased mainly for prestigious wines (AOP labelled), showing consumer budget restraints brought by the crisis. European's wine market digitalization show differences among countries, with Germany being a leader for engaging such technologies. Our paper brings a snapshot of current trends and barriers under the COVID-19 pandemic, acting as a future basis and guidance for researchers in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 crisis and countries' reactions led to analyses about how governance systems influenced the management of the pandemic and how COVID-19 influenced businesses. The concept of institutional resilience transcends these directions of research, but we know little about what it means and how to measure it. This paper proposes an innovative framework to conceptualize and assess institutional resilience based on three organisational traits: preparedness, agility and robustness. This approach provides the opportunity to sequence actions before, during and after the pandemic. This framework will be applied through various cases studies in Europe in the contributions to this symposium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most workers had to work from home due to the successive lockdowns across European countries. This constraint posed significant challenges to many workers and companies regarding working conditions and work–life balance. Framed by the job demands–resources model (JD–R), the goal of this paper is to examine the association of perceived organizational support (POS) and individual resilience (IR) with work–life balance (WLB) during the COVID-19 pandemic across European countries. This goal is complemented by assessing the role of work-from-home (WFH) as a mediator. Based on a quantitative approach, data were extracted from the second round of the survey "Living, Working, and COVID-19" from Eurofound. A series of regressions using SEM-PLS tested the hypothesis. Findings reveal that WFH negatively influences WLB. POS positively influences WFH and negatively influences WLB when mediated by WFH. IR negatively influences WFH and positively influences WLB when mediated by WFH. These results have essential theoretical implications related to the relations between individual and organizational resources and WLB and practical implications for the management of WFH, namely, the importance of providing adequate organizational resources and promoting the development of individual resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to describe the impact of the COVID-19 containment measures on the provision of drug treatment and harm reduction services in European prisons in15 countries during the early phase of the pandemic (March -June 2020).Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a mixed method research approach that triangulates different data sources, including the results of an on-line survey, the outcome of a focus group and four national case studies.Findings: The emergence of COVID-19 led to a disruption in prison drug markets and resulted in a number of challenges for the drug services provision inside prison. Challenges for health services included the need to maintain the provision of drug-related interventions inside prison, while introducing a range of COVID-19 containment measures. To reduce contacts between people, many countries introduced measures for early release, resulted in around a 10% reduction of the prison population in Europe. Concerns were expressed around reduction of drug-related interventions, including group activities, services by external agencies, interventions in preparation for release and continuity of care.Practical Implications: Innovations aimed at improving drug service provision included telemedicine, better partnership between security and health staff and an approach to drug treatment more individualised. Future developments must be closely monitored.Originality/value: The paper provides a unique and timely overview of the main issues, challenges and initial adaptations implemented for drug services in European prisons in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper combines SHARE Corona Survey and SHARE Wave 7 data for 25 European countries and Israel (N = 40,919) with institutional and epidemic-related country characteristics to investigate healthcare access for Europeans aged 50+ during the outbreak of COVID-19. We use a micro–macro approach to examine whether and to what extent barriers to accessing healthcare measured by reported unmet healthcare needs vary within and between countries. We consider various aspects of barriers and distinguish among: (1) respondents who forewent medical treatment because they were afraid of becoming infected with the Coronavirus; (2) respondents who had pre-scheduled medical appointments postponed by health providers due to the outbreak; and (3) respondents who tried to arrange a medical appointment but were denied one. Limited access to healthcare during the initial outbreak was more common for the occupationally active, women, the more educated and those living in urban areas. A bad economic situation, poor overall health and higher healthcare utilisation were robust predictors of unmet healthcare. People aged 50+ in countries of 'Old' Europe, countries with higher universal health coverage and stricter containment and closure policies were more likely to have medical services postponed. Policymakers should address the healthcare needs of older people with chronic health conditions and a poor socio-economic status who were made more vulnerable by this pandemic. In the aftermath of the health crisis, public health systems might experience a great revival in healthcare demand, a challenge that should be mitigated by careful planning and provision of healthcare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 represents the greatest health crisis in recent human history. To date, it is still difficult to estimate its impact on mortality. This paper investigates the excess crude mortality in 27 European countries. The differences between the values observed in 2020 and 2021 with those predicted by a joinpoint regression model were evaluated. A multi-regression analysis was implemented to assess the relationship between health variables and excess mortality. Europe experienced a marked and surprising (S-value > 52) increase in crude mortality during 2020 (Δ% = +10.0%, 95% CI: [2.5; 18.7]) and 2021 (Δ% = +12.1%, 95% CI: [4.3; 21.2]). The difference between average excesses of Eastern and Western countries was not surprising (S < 2) and had little relevance (ΔE-W = −2.4, 95% CI: [−2; 7]) during 2020 but was more pronounced (S = 15, ΔE-W = +17.2, 95% CI: [11.0; 23.5]) during 2021. Excess crude mortality increased in 2021 (Δ% = +65%, 95% CI: [12.6; 118], S = 5.9). Evidence has been found for a surprising and marked negative linear relationship between COVID-19 vaccinations and excess mortality ("2021 excess mortality = A + BX4", with "A = 58 ± 7, S = 28" and "B = −0.65 ± 0.10, S = 22, Radj2 = 0.65, 95% CI: [0.38; 0.82]). In light of the current literature, these findings provide solid evidence of the substantial role of COVID-19 in the unexpected and marked excess mortality recorded in Europe. COVID-19 vaccinations have appeared to be one of the main determinants for reducing mortality. Future research should explore these aspects in more detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccination has been the most effective approach in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of the world's population has been vaccinated and sufficient data is available to analyze the impact of COVID-19 vaccines around the globe. In this paper, we present a correlation analysis between administered vaccine doses and COVID-19 cases/deaths in Europe. The correlation analysis is performed considering different types of vaccinations, different age groups and different COVID-19 variants (including the prevalent Delta and Omicron variants). We present a detailed analysis for 30 European countries giving various insights such as efficacy of six different vaccines, effect of vaccinating different age groups and how the correlation evolves as different COVID-19 variants emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of the COVID-19 global pandemic has strongly affected different issues of everyday life. The pandemic has changed consumer attitudes and behavior. Consequently, during COVID-19, businesses had to decide how to organize the advertising campaigns and what content should be addressed to consumers. Considering the limited number of articles concerning these issues, it seems important to evaluate the impact of the global health crisis on advertising messages in different countries. The main objective of this paper is to assess TV commercial campaigns implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the specific epidemic situation in the selected countries. The research methodology was based on the observation, a qualitative method of collecting data obtained through monitoring the content of TV commercials aired during the afternoon, before or after the main news service. The research was conducted in May 2020 and in May 2021 in five selected European countries affected to varying degrees by the coronavirus pandemic. The research results allowed evaluation of the advertising messages in terms of their content and values exposed. The findings indicate that the number of COVID-related TV commercials is not correlated with the number of patients and deaths from COVID-19. The themes appearing the most often in the TV commercials in the studied period were the #StayAtHome idea, family and friends, the aspect of safety during the crisis, and brands' special offers. The tone of the advertisements was usually uplifting and hopeful, trying to cheer the stressed societies. From a theoretical perspective, the research results show the advertising strategy issues in specific conditions in different European countries. These findings concerning TV commercial strategy during a pandemic crisis could provide references for other countries, especially in Europe. The research results could be useful for marketing managers in developing strategies concerning the successful planning of TV commercials in crisis periods in European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Psychotraumatology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Since 11 March 2020 when officially declared a global pandemic, Covid‐19 (or SARS‐COV2) has turned out to be a multifaceted disease differently affecting countries and individuals. What makes certain countries more vulnerable than others has attracted the interest of scientists from various disciplines. This paper intends to compare the impact of demographic parameters, population health conditions and policy actions on prevalence and fatality levels of Covid‐19 during the first 3 months since its declaration of global pandemic. A country‐level exploratory analysis has been conducted in order to assess how demography, national health conditions and measures taken interact and condition the disease outcomes. Analysis relies on publicly available data on Covid‐19 reported cases, deaths and number of persons tested. Those data are combined with demographic parameters (sex ratio, mean age, population density and life expectancy), health data (cardiovascular death rate, diabetes prevalence, share of smokers among males and females and number of hospital beds) and information about relative national policies aiming the management of the pandemic (lockdown timing and duration). Our analysis confirms the diversity of factors and the complexity of their interaction in explaining the propagation and fatality of the disease across Europe. Our findings question some well‐established attitudes concerning the role of demographic variables and public health conditions in the spread of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Applied Economics is the property of Singidunum University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Policymakers imposed constraints on public life to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, fiscal, monetary and macroprudential policies implemented a large range of expansionary measures to limit the economic consequences of the pandemic and stimulate recovery. In this paper, we assess the response of the equity market as a high-frequency indicator of economic activity to containment and stabilization policies for 29 European economies. We construct indicators of containment and stabilization policies and estimate a range of panel VAR models. The main results are threefold. First, we find that stock markets are highly responsive to containment and stabilization policies. We show that domestic fiscal policy, macroprudential policy as well as monetary policy support the recovery as reflected in the stock market. Second, expansionary fiscal policy conducted at the European level reduces rather raises stock prices. Third, we estimate the model over subsamples and show that the counter-intuitive stock market response to EU policies is driven by the responses in medium- and high-debt countries. These countries' stock markets are also particularly susceptible to monetary policy announcements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within global sport, volunteering has been identified as a fundamental resource to the effective operation and continuity of operations. However, investments in, and the success of, sport volunteering is contingent on amiable socio-cultural, political, and economic conditions. In Europe, the context of this paper, the vibrancy of sport volunteering remains a concern since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding the pandemic, some transnational sport networks and regional governmental partnerships have been making more dedicated investments to fortify volunteer cultures in the region. In addition, collaborative ventures are finding ways to connect sport volunteering with wider international issues to support its growth across all sectors. Here, sustainability and environmental change have provided a key issue platform for sport volunteer leverage. As the pandemic continues to confront the existence and practices of sport organisations, and specifically their ability to engage volunteers, these issues have become salient. We present a commentary of the Erasmus + Sport-funded, pan-European, sport volunteering and sustainability focused, PlayGreen consortia and its organisation members responses to the unfolding pandemic across Europe. Our commentary is guided by spatial theory and internal administration insights. The pandemic has brought new ideas and cohesion into sport volunteer communities, challenged, and changed modes of production, and led to new forms of social transformation and action vis-à-vis environmental and sustainability issues. As sport organisations continue to find viable ways of existing, the experiences within the PlayGreen consortia evidence creative potential for future volunteer engagements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on an original protest event analysis (PEA) dataset covering 30 European countries, this paper provides three sets of results. Despite its unlikeliness due to lockdowns and social distancing measures, protest during COVID-19 has hardly been put to a halt even if, as a result of the restrictions imposed by the lockdown measures on the opportunities of public collective actions, protest occurred at significantly lower levels compared to pre-COVID-19 times, in terms of number of events and, above all, in terms of the number of participants. Moreover, protest was refocused on COVID-19-related issues, in particular on protest against the restrictions imposed by the government lockdowns, while non-COVID-19 issues, in particular economic issues, were crowded out. In addition, protest during the COVID-19-crisis also responded to highly contingent national context conditions which varied between the different regions of Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary Health Care (PHC) plays a crucial role in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, with only 8% of cases requiring hospitalization. However, PHC COVID-19 data often goes unnoticed on European government dashboards and in media discussions. This project aims to examine official information on PHC patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, with specific objectives: (1) Describe PHC's clinical pathways for acute COVID-19 cases, including long-term care facilities, (2) Describe PHC COVID-19 pandemic indicators, (3) Develop COVID-19 PHC activity indicators, (4) Explain PHC's role in vaccination strategies, and (5) Create a PHC contingency plan for future pandemics. Methods: A mixed-method study will employ two online questionnaires to gather retrospective PHC data on COVID-19 management and PHC involvement in vaccination strategies. Validation will occur through focus group discussions with medical and public health (PH) experts. A two-wave Delphi survey will establish a European PHC indicators dashboard for future pandemics. Additionally, a coordinated health system action plan involving PHC, secondary care, and PH will be devised to address future pandemic scenarios. Analysis: Quantitative data will be analysed using STATA v16.0 for descriptive and multivariate analyses. Qualitative data will be collected through peer-reviewed questionnaires and content analysis of focus group discussions. A Delphi survey and multiple focus groups will be employed to achieve consensus on PHC indicators and a common European health system response plan for future pandemics. The Eurodata research group involving researchers from 28 European countries support the development. Discussion: While PHC manages most COVID-19 acute cases, data remains limited in many European countries. This study collects data from numerous countries, offering a comprehensive perspective on PHC's role during the pandemic in Europe. It pioneers the development of a PHC dashboard and health system plan for pandemics in Europe. These results may prove invaluable in future pandemics. However, data may have biases due to key informants' involvement and may not fully represent all European GP practices. PHC has a significant role in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, as most of the cases are mild or moderate and only 8% needed hospitalization. However, PHC COVID-19 activity data is invisible on governments' daily dashboards in Europe, often overlooked in media and public debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health inequalities—systematic differences in health outcomes between social groups and across spatial units—are ubiquitous, but not necessarily inevitable. They are the product of a complex interplay of social and economic processes operating at various scales. The unequal pattern of infection and death seen in the Covid‐19 pandemic has served to highlight the stark social gradient in health that exists within many European countries. Although the complex social determinants of health have been studied for many decades, there is still a great deal of work to do to elucidate explanations for health inequalities across time and space. To rise to the challenge, we need high‐quality, representative data capable of capturing multi‐scalar longitudinal processes. This special issue brings together eight new studies which all use national population register data linked with various other sources of administrative data (e.g., residence, tax and health records) to investigate different vectors of inequalities in health and mortality, covering spatial, socioeconomic, ethnic and migrant status. This editorial outlines their contributions, argues for the invaluable role of population register data to understand health inequalities and suggests promising future research avenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation goal here was to analyze how the level of public debt affects preparedness of health systems to face emergencies. In particular, this study examined the negative effects of high public debt on health systems of European countries in the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Empirical evidence revealed that European countries with a lower level of government debt as a percentage of GDP both in 2009 and 2019 (the period before the arrival of the pandemic) had lower COVID-19 fatality rates compared to countries with higher levels of public debt. The explanation is that high levels of public debt in countries trigger budget constraints that limit their ability to allocate resources to healthcare systems (e.g., health expenditures and investments), weakening health system performance and causing systemic vulnerability and lower preparedness during emergencies, such as with the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications of health policies are suggested to improve strategies of crisis management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the uneven geography of COVID‐19‐related excess mortality during the first wave of the pandemic in Europe, before assessing the factors behind the geographical differences in impact. The analysis of 206 regions across 23 European countries reveals a distinct COVID‐19 geography. Excess deaths were concentrated in a limited number of regions—expected deaths exceeded 20% in just 16 regions—with more than 40% of the regions considered experiencing no excess mortality during the first 6 months of 2020. Highly connected regions, in colder and dryer climates, with high air pollution levels, and relatively poorly endowed health systems witnessed the highest incidence of excess mortality. Institutional factors also played an important role. The first wave hit regions with a combination of weak and declining formal institutional quality and fragile informal institutions hardest. Low and declining national government effectiveness, together with a limited capacity to reach out across societal divides, and a frequent tendency to meet with friends and family were powerful drivers of regional excess mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I analyze whether the COVID-19 crisis might lead to a new wave of neo-nationalism. History teaches that socio-economic crises tend to pave the way for populist nationalists to seize the moment and place themselves as saviours of the people/nation against both an external threat and the domestic elite. In previous research, I detected three waves of nativist populism, emerging into what I call neo-nationalism in the post-war era, each rising in the wake of crisis. The characteristics of the current crisis are in many ways reminiscent of those that have previously led to the rise of nativist populism, which defines much of contemporary politics in the West, and indeed around the world. It is therefore timely to contemplate whether the crisis resulting from governmental responses to COVID-19 might ignite the fourth wave of neo-nationalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 control policies might negatively impact older adults' participation in volunteer work, instrumental support provision, and the likelihood of receiving instrumental support. Studies that quantify changes in these activities and the related factors are limited. The current study aimed to examine the level of volunteering, instrumental support provision and receipt before and during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and to determine whether older adults' volunteering, instrumental support provision and receipt were associated with individual exposure to COVID-19 and the stringency of country's COVID-19 control policy during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Corona Survey 1 was designed to focus on community-dwelling Europeans aged ≥50 years. History of participation in volunteering work and instrumental support provision or receipt was assessed from the previous SHARE Wave data. The country's COVID-19 control policy stringency index (S-Index) was from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker database. A total of 45,669 respondents from 26 European countries were included in the volunteering analysis. Seventeen European countries were included in the analyses of instrumental support provision (N = 36,518) and receipt (N = 36,526). The multilevel logistic regression model was fitted separately to analyse each activity. Results: The level of volunteering and instrumental support provision was lower during the pandemic, but instrumental support receipt was higher. The country S-Index was positively associated with support provision (OR:1.13;95%CI:1.02–1.26) and negatively associated with support receipt (OR:0.69;95%CI:0.54–0.88). Exposure to COVID-19 was positively associated with support receipt (OR:1.64;95%CI:1.38–1.95). COVID-19 exposure on close ones positively associated with volunteering (OR:1.47;95%CI:1.32–1.65), support provision (OR:1.28;95%CI:1.19–1.39), and support receipt (OR:1.25;95%CI:1.15–1.35). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted older Europeans' volunteering, instrumental support provision, and instrumental support receipt from outside their household. When someone close to them was exposed to COVID-19, older Europeans were likely to receive instrumental support and to volunteer and provide instrumental support. A stricter country's COVID-19 control policy might motivate older adults to provide instrumental support, but it prevents them from receiving instrumental support from outside their households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crises bring both human consequences and political repercussions. COV-ID-19, like any other crisis, strained both European governments and public support for them. During the first wave of the pandemic, political trust was correlated with public adherence to infection containment measures in the major democracies. At the end of the first wave, how did public perceptions of COVID-19 measures and of measures introduced by institutions to protect health and the economy affect the bond of political trust between the governed and the governors? Using Eurobarometer data, we estimate the effects on political trust of the public's assessment of institutional performance, political output and policy. Applying various multilevel regression models, we show that, at the end of the first wave of the pandemic, political trust was positively affected by institutional performance and only partially affected public perceptions and the policy measures taken by governments to contain the spread of the virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emerging research suggests that physical activity among children and adolescents decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a differentiated overview of European youth is lacking. In particular, no systematic analysis has been conducted to date on the impact of heterogeneous pandemic restrictions and school closures within European countries, and with regard to potentially vulnerable groups. Methods: We searched seven databases and included studies for children and adolescents (≤ 19 years) of the WHO European Region that compared physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic with a pre-pandemic baseline using validated measurement instruments. We used the Oxford Stringency Index and School Closure Index as indicators of restriction stringency. Screening for eligibility, data extraction, assessment of the study risk of bias (using the 'Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies - of Exposure' [ROBINS-E]) and certainty grading of evidence (using the GRADE approach), were all done in duplicate. Unpublished data was requested from study authors. Data were pooled in random effects models. An a priori protocol was published, reporting is carried out in accordance with the 'Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses' (PRISMA) statement. Results: Of 14,897 non-duplicate records, 26 publications (n = 15,038 pre-pandemic, n = 13,041 during pandemic) met full inclusion criteria. Comparison before and during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed a significant reduction in total physical activity (standardized mean difference [SMD], -0.57 [95%CI, -0.95; -0.20]) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (SMD, -0.43 [95% CI, -0.75; -0.10]), corresponding to a decrease of 12 min per day (a 20% reduction of the WHO recommendation). A decrease in sporting activity was also recorded. Subgroup analyses suggested that middle childhood (aged 8–12) and adolescents were particularly affected by the decline. School closures were associated with a reduction in physical activity. The certainty of evidence for all outcomes was low. Conclusions: A sharp decline in all forms of physical activity was recorded among European children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. This decline was higher during periods of school closure and mainly affected younger schoolchildren and adolescents. Immediate action by policy-makers and practitioners, as well as evidence-based public health strategies, are imperative in reversing this trend. Trial registration: PROSPERO: CRD42023395871 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19 outbreak has mostly affected people in the second half of their lives, at risk of isolation and loneliness; in fact, the impact of the pandemic was even more severe for the well-being of the elderly. Such a recent event has to be framed within the challenge of the demographic increase of people aged 65 years or older, which is particularly relevant in the European context. This paper explores which gaps have to be filled up in order to make cities a suitable place for the elderly to live in, particularly after any emergence of dysfunction and fragility in health, employment, transportation and welfare systems due to the pandemic. We assess the relative contribution of each regressor to the explained variance, that may advise policy makers about which urban features are perceived to be the most relevant for the elderly, even before the pandemic, and must be implemented. Our results have several policy implications. The assessment should provide a contribution to European decision-making processes headed to improve the perception of age-friendliness in urban environments, implementing a paradigm for reference, given the great heterogeneity of features characterizing European cities. • It is important to understand suitability of urban environments for the elderly. • The analysis covers 83 cities in Europe and the perceptions of their citizens. • The age-friendly city environment was associated with an elder-friendly city. • The R-squared decomposition identifies the most relevant features of cities. • Our results contribute to improve policies for cities after Covid-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how resilience and optimism were related to psychological well-being among older European adults during the early pandemic. The study used data sampled from the Eurofound COVID-19 survey conducted in 27 European countries during the first lockdown (April 2020). The study sample included 10,674 older adults (mean age = 69.71 ± 5.15, 68.6% women, 87.3% retired). Using structural equation modeling, the relationship between pandemic adversities, resilience, optimism, and well-being was investigated. Results indicated that resilience and optimism in part mediated the association between adversities and psychological well-being. Resilience and optimism have the potential to help older adults cope with stressful life events and other adversities. Future studies should more precisely explore the role of resilience and optimism, its formation, and the protective mechanisms that promote the psychological well-being of older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution has a strong impact on human health, from respiratory and severe pulmonary diseases to heart attack and cancer. During the 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, several peaks of mortality occurred, which could be related to particulate matter (PM) pollution events. The possible effects of PM (PM10 and PM2.5, with diameters less than 10 and 2.5 µm, respectively) on COVID-19 mortality have now been established. To better understand this relationship at the European level for the period 2020–2022, data from 16 representative locations in Europe (81 million people) with PM2.5 levels (µg·m−3) ranging from low to high values were analyzed using statistical methods. The analysis confirms a temporal relation between the peaks of PM2.5 exposure and COVID-19 mortality. The best correlation was obtained considering the history of exposure to PM2.5 pollution during a 2-month integration time coupled with a one-week delay for the COVID-19 mortality. Although the trend of COVID-19 mortality vs. PM2.5 levels varies among locations, the global trend was similar, giving an estimated mean value of a 40 ± 20% mortality increase per µg·m−3 PM2.5 increase. The stronger the positive (negative) gradient of the PM peak, the stronger the positive (negative) gradient of the COVID-19 mortality. These results indicate that a succession of PM pollution peaks could be more dangerous than permanent exposure to moderate pollution levels. Finally, PM number concentrations should be used in the future rather than the PM2.5 mass concentrations (µg·m−3), with the consideration of PM composition to better evaluate the effect of submicron particles on human health, particularly for other respiratory diseases. These results must be considered in the management of future pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus pandemic has severely affected Europe, but not equally. The aims of this study were to present the methodological issues of using pandemic indicators and to analyse the regional excess mortality data to show which regions and countries in Europe were the most and least affected by Covid-19 in each period of the pandemic, with a particular focus on the geographical reasons behind the differences. The study found that there were significant spatial inequalities and a strong centre-periphery differences in the excess mortality in Europe Although the centres (metropolitan and urban regions, Western and Southern Europe) were the most affected during the first wave, from the second wave, the main negative effects of the pandemic were shifted to the peripheries: rural regions and East-Central Europe (especially Bulgaria). However, the geographically isolated peripheries (sparsely populated areas and islands) had low excess mortality throughout the entire period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Considering the heterogenous evidence, a systematic review of the change in anxiety in European children and adolescents associated with the COVID-19 pandemic is lacking. We therefore assessed the change compared with pre-pandemic baselines stratified by gender and age as well as evaluated the impact of country-specific restriction policies. Methods: A registration on the 'International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews' (PROSPERO) occurred and an a priori protocol was published. We searched six databases (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, WHO COVID-19) using a peer-reviewed search string with citation tracking and grey literature screening. Primary outcomes were: (1) general anxiety symptoms; and (2) clinically relevant anxiety rates. We used the Oxford COVID-19 Stringency Index as an indicator of pandemic-related restrictions. Screening of title/abstract and full text as well as assessing risk of bias (using the 'Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Exposure' [ROBINS-E]) and certainty of evidence (using the 'Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation' [GRADE]) was done in duplicate. We pooled data using a random effects model. Reporting is in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. Results: Of 7,422 non-duplicate records, 18 studies with data from 752,532 pre-pandemic and 763,582 pandemic participants met full inclusion criteria. For general anxiety symptoms the total change effect estimate yielded a standardised mean difference (SMD) of 0.34 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17–0.51) and for clinically relevant anxiety rates we observed an odds ratio of 1.08 (95%-CI, 0.98–1.19). Increase in general anxiety symptoms was highest in the 11–15 years age group. Effect estimates were higher when pandemic-related restrictions were more stringent (Oxford Stringency Index > 60: SMD, 0.52 [95%-CI, 0.30–0.73]) and when school closures (School Closure Index ≥ 2: SMD, 0.44 [95%-CI, 0.23–0.65]) occurred. Conclusion: General anxiety symptoms among children and adolescents in Europe increased in a pre/during comparison of the COVID-19 pandemic; particularly for males aged 11–15 years. In periods of stringent pandemic-related restrictions and/or school closures a considerable increase in general anxiety symptoms could be documented. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022303714. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other severe health care disruptions endanger individuals to miss essential care. Machine learning models that predict which patients are at greatest risk of missing care visits can help health administrators prioritize retentions efforts towards patients with the most need. Such approaches may be especially useful for efficiently targeting interventions for health systems overburdened during states of emergency. Methods: We use data on missed health care visits from over 55,500 respondents of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) COVID-19 surveys (June – August 2020 and June – August 2021) with longitudinal data from waves 1–8 (April 2004 – March 2020). We compare the performance of four machine learning algorithms (stepwise selection, lasso, random forest, and neural networks) to predict missed health care visits during the first COVID-19 survey based on common patient characteristics available to most health care providers. We test the prediction accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the selected models for the first COVID-19 survey by employing 5-fold cross-validation, and test the out-of-sample performance of the models by applying them to the data from the second COVID-19 survey. Results: Within our sample, 15.5% of the respondents reported any missed essential health care visit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All four machine learning methods perform similarly in their predictive power. All models have an area under the curve (AUC) of around 0.61, outperforming random prediction. This performance is sustained for data from the second COVID-19 wave one year later, with an AUC of 0.59 for men and 0.61 for women. When classifying all men (women) with a predicted risk of 0.135 (0.170) or higher as being at risk of missing care, the neural network model correctly identifies 59% (58%) of the individuals with missed care visits, and 57% (58%) of the individuals without missed care visits. As the sensitivity and specificity of the models are strongly related to the risk threshold used to classify individuals, the models can be calibrated depending on users' resource constraints and targeting approach. Conclusions: Pandemics such as COVID-19 require rapid and efficient responses to reduce disruptions in health care. Based on characteristics available to health administrators or insurance providers, simple machine learning algorithms can be used to efficiently target efforts to reduce missed essential care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every country in Europe experienced an adverse impact from the COVID-19 pandemic on life satisfaction, though on average, satisfaction with life in the summer of 2022 is about the same as the pre-pandemic value in the autumn of 2019. Typically, an upsurge in the severity of the pandemic (measured by the number of COVID-related deaths) is associated with declining life satisfaction and an ebbing, with increasing life satisfaction. Of the three waves of the pandemic between March 2020 and the autumn of 2022, the most severe impact typically occurred in 2021 during the second wave; in the third wave, the response declined due to the spread of effective vaccines and the takeover of omicron variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A growing number of studies point to a high mental health burden among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly concerning anxiety. However, the study quality and effect direction are heterogeneous in the existing primary studies with a lacking overview for the European continent. Therefore, this systematic review aims to critically synthesise the evidence regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety among children and adolescents in Europe compared to a pre-pandemic baseline. Methods: A systematic literature search will be performed in six databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and WHO COVID-19 database) with a peer reviewed search strategy according to the evidence-based checklist Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS). Inclusion criteria are children and adolescents ≤ 19 years living in Europe and data report during the COVID-19 pandemic with an appropriate pre-pandemic baseline. Primary outcomes are general anxiety symptoms and clinically relevant anxiety rates. Risk of bias will be assessed using the 'Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies of Exposure' (ROBINS-E). Data extraction will systematically include information on study design, population characteristics, COVID-19 determinants, pre-pandemic baseline, diagnostic instruments and outcome. The certainty of evidence for each outcome will be evaluated by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach adapted to the use of non-randomised studies. All process steps will be performed independently by two reviewers; any discrepancies will be discussed and, if necessary, resolved by a third author. Also, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, publication bias analysis, and meta-regression analysis, if applicable, will be performed. The systematic review was registered in the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) and the protocol was prepared in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) statement. Discussion: This systematic review will address the lack of a critical and comprehensive summary of findings on the COVID-19 pandemic impact on anxiety among children and adolescents in Europe. In addition, it aims to identify pandemic-policy differences, such as the effect of school-closures, and identify particularly vulnerable risk groups. Systematic review registration: CRD42022303714 (PROSPERO). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has pushed many healthcare systems into crisis. High vaccine coverage amongst children reduces emergency room presentations, hospital admissions and deaths due to vaccine-preventable diseases, freeing up healthcare resources including polymerase chain reaction testing for patients with SARS-CoV-2. In Europe, rotavirus gastroenteritis leads to 75,000–150,000 hospitalisations and up to 600,000 medical encounters annually. Nevertheless, in 2022, only 18 countries in Europe (out of 38) have a publicly funded routine universal mass immunisation programme against rotavirus gastroenteritis. Evidence available in the last few years re-emphasises that rotavirus vaccines currently available in Europe are highly effective, preventing up to 96% of rotavirus-related hospitalisations in children less than 1 year of age (potentially 72,000–144,000 hospitalisations Europe-wide). Long-term surveillance indicates that rotavirus vaccination does not result in an overall increase in intussusception. On the contrary, increasing evidence suggests an overall reduction in intussusception in the first 12 months of life when early, high rotavirus vaccine coverage is achieved. Prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis has marked positive impacts on parental wages and government tax revenue, with benefits extending across the whole economy. In the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic setting there is a new imperative to achieve high levels of paediatric vaccination against vaccine-preventable diseases, including rotavirus gastroenteritis. The introduction of rotavirus universal mass vaccination can be expected to reduce the number of preventable illnesses, hospitalisations and deaths caused by rotavirus gastroenteritis. Reducing vaccine-preventable diseases is particularly urgent at this time when healthcare systems are preoccupied and overwhelmed with SARS-CoV-2. Graphical abstract available for this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the relationship between corruption and pandemic outcomes by investigating whether European countries with higher levels of corruption were less successful in fighting COVID- 19. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling techniques. Results indicate that corruption prevalence and poor bureaucratic quality both decrease trust in government, and this effect is persistent notwithstanding the socioeconomic conditions or geographic attributes of a country. Trust in government, coupled with stringency measures, is positively associated with the number of new people vaccinated and, thus, fewer COVID-19-related deaths. Furthermore, corruption undermines trust in the government and its institutions and, through this mechanism, prevents the suppression of the pandemic. Unlike other scarce studies that looked at the direct link between corruption and vaccination only, we also investigated the impact of corruption on the outcomes of government pandemic restriction measures and added several contextual variables into the model. We found that corruption poses a significant obstacle to the pandemic response. Our findings suggest to policymakers that their best weapon against COVID-19 is vaccination and that renewed efforts to eradicate corruption and establish trust between governments and citizens can positively impact vaccination rates and limit the most devastating effects of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research points to a high depression burden among youth during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, a lack of systematic evidence exists. We determine the change in depression symptoms among children and adolescents during COVID-19 compared to pre-pandemic baselines. By using country differences in pandemic-related restrictions and school closures in Europe as quasi-experimental design, we evaluate policy impacts on depression. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, following the PRISMA statement, we searched six databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, WHO COVID-19) using a peer-reviewed search string up until March 18, 2022 with citation tracking and grey literature searches. No limitations regarding language and effect measures existed. We included studies that compared (1) general depression symptoms or (2) clinically relevant depression rates in children and adolescents (≤ 19 years) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. The validated Oxford Stringency Index was used as indicator for pandemic-related restrictions. Screening for eligibility, extracting data from published reports and from unpublished data requested directly from study authors, assessing the study risk of bias and grading certainty of evidence using the GRADE approach, were all done in duplicate. Data were pooled in a random-effects model. PROSPERO: CRD42022303714. Results: Of 7,422 nonduplicate records, 22 studies with data from 868,634 participants pre-pandemic and 807,480 during pandemic, met full inclusion criteria. For the comparison of depression symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, moderate certainty of evidence was observed for general depression symptoms (standardized mean difference, 0.21 [95%CI, 0.12–0.30]; I2 = 94%) and low certainty of evidence for clinically relevant depression rates (odds ratio, 1.36 [95%CI, 1.05–1.76]; I2 = 95%) for total population. Increase in general depression symptoms was higher for male adolescents, whereas increase in clinically relevant depression rates was higher for females. Effect estimates were significantly higher when pandemic-related restrictions were more stringent or school closure occurred. Conclusion: An increase in depression symptoms occurred in a pre-pandemic vs. during-pandemic comparison within the COVID-19 pandemic, whereby pandemic-related restrictions (such as school closures) resulted in a considerable effect increase. Ensuring adequate supply of mental health recovery services and long-term monitoring is of high public health relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study investigated the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe on consultations, surgeries, and traumas in the field of orthopaedic and trauma surgery. Strategies to resume the clinical activities were also discussed. Methods: This systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: the 2020 PRISMA statement. All the comparative studies reporting data on the impact of Covid-19 in the field of orthopaedic and trauma surgery in Europe were accessed. Only comparative clinical studies which investigated the year 2020 versus 2019 were eligible. Results: 57 clinical investigations were included in the present study. Eight studies reported a reduction of the orthopaedic consultations, which decreased between 20.9 and 90.1%. Seven studies reported the number of emergency and trauma consultations, which were decreased between 37.7 and 74.2%. Fifteen studies reported information with regard to the reasons for orthopaedic and trauma admissions. The number of polytraumas decreased between 5.6 and 77.1%, fractures between 3.9 and 63.1%. Traffic accidents admissions dropped by up to 88.9%, and sports-related injuries dropped in a range of 59.3% to 100%. The overall reduction of the surgical interventions ranged from 5.4 to 88.8%. Conclusion: The overall trend of consultations, surgeries, and rate of traumas and fragility fractures appear to decrease during the 2020 European COVID pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic era. Given the heterogeneities in the clinical evidence, results from the present study should be considered carefully. Level of evidence: Level IV, systematic review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital nomadism is emerging as a growing segment of the labor force. It is an insightful framework for understanding work during the pandemic and perhaps into the post-pandemic era because it construes work to be related to the notion of space, time and the instrumentality of work. The present study is about how people understand, relate, and make sense of their work during the early phase of the pandemic lockdown in 2020. The study will report difficulties that arise from work digitalization during the lockdown, and the study conceived the various dimensionality of work to cope with work challenges. Semantic network analysis (SNA) was used to aid the analysis of the contents from four European countries. One hundred and sixty respondents are interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The words and word pairs from the SNA resulted in keywords identified for the four countries. There are common word hubs between the countries, such as hubs revolving around the meaning of 'time' and 'meeting'. However, there are also unique hubs such as 'task', 'office' and "colleagues". The results provide a cross-cultural comparison of how people adopted to work change. The organization of the word pairs in the network provided the narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the middle of the 20th century, economic theories predicted an evolution towards development that involved the tertiarization of the productive structure, with industry losing weight to the benefit of commerce and services. This model justified the deindustrialization of countries when, promoting globalization, large companies relocated production phases to third countries to take advantage of lower labor costs. Since the Great Recession and aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic and other economic factors, globalization seems to be entering a new phase in the third decade of the 21st century, in which Global Value Chains are changing to become even more regional and reshoring is a strategy increasingly employed by large European and North American companies. In the medium term, this global change will have a considerable impact on land systems on a global scale in what could be a new reindustrialization of the old continent. The article presents an investigation carried out on the impact of reshoring in leading European companies in six different industrial branches. The results of the research show how the relocation of the industry in the most developed countries is an incipient trend practiced by the leading European companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex workers in Europe have been dramatically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated measures. Ignored by most governments, excluded from social and economic measures put in place to protect other workers, sex workers were left to fend for themselves. The article, an abridged version of a previous report by the ICRSE, illustrates the impact of COVID-19 on sex workers by focusing on how the pandemic affected the socio-economic, health and safety conditions of sex worker communities and how they pro-actively responded to the first waves of the crisis in 2020. Based on data gathered through community research, the authors outline the specific ways in which sex workers living under different sex work legal regimes were hit by the crisis. Crucially, in countries such as France, Sweden and Ireland, where an 'End Demand' legislation is in place to supposedly 'rescue sex workers', these did not benefit from any state support. The article suggests that sex worker community organisations helped limit the spread of the virus through peer support and peer education, protecting not only sex workers' health, but society at large and showing similarities to the role of chaperones of public health sex workers had during the AIDS crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely discussed that the pandemic has impacted educational inequalities across the world. However, in contrast to data on health or unemployment, data on education outcomes are not timely. Hence, we have extremely limited knowledge about pandemic-related learning losses at the national and cross-national levels. As it might take years to get suitable comparative data, this study uses the latest large-scale international achievement survey from before the pandemic, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2019, to answer two research questions. First, which European countries are most likely to have experienced higher learning loss among their children? Second, which European countries have most likely experienced the greatest increases in learning inequalities? Results based on 4th graders' school achievements indicate that educational inequalities between and within countries are likely to have augmented substantially throughout Europe. Some European countries are probably already facing an education crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the regional mortality rates associated with the spread of Covid-19 in Europe. In particular, we analyse the potential contribution of the country's geographical and institutional features in shaping the virus's interregional spread and resulting local death rates. Our analysis is based on information from both pandemic waves from March to the end of November 2020. In a multilevel hierarchical regression estimation setting, covering information from over 600 OECD-TL3 areas, over 120 larger OECD-TL2 areas and 15 national-level areas, our findings suggest that local death rates are affected by the geographical and institutional features at the local, regional and national levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the development of the shadow economy of 36 European and OECD countries over the period from 2003 to 2022 and the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic from 2020 onwards, the average size of the shadow economy of 36 European and OECD countries decreased from 16.48% of GDP in 2020 to 16.07% in 2021 (a decline of 0.41 percentage points). Due to a continued (forecasted) economic recovery in 2022, the average shadow economy of these 36 countries will slightly increase to 15.96% of GDP (average of all 36 countries): a very modest reduction of 0.11 percentage points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues Numerous studies have examined the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on alcohol use changes in Europe, with concerns raised regarding increased use and related harms. Approach: We synthesised observational studies published between 1 January 2020 and 31 September 2021 on self‐reported changes in alcohol use associated with COVID‐19. Electronic databases were searched for studies evaluating individual data from European general and clinical populations. We identified 646 reports, of which 56 general population studies were suitable for random‐effects meta‐analyses of proportional differences in alcohol use changes. Variations by time, sub‐region and study quality were assessed in subsequent meta‐regressions. Additional 16 reports identified were summarised narratively. Key Findings: Compiling reports measuring changes in overall alcohol use, slightly more individuals indicated a decrease than an increase in their alcohol use during the pandemic [3.8%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.00–7.6%]. Decreases were also reported more often than increases in drinking frequency (8.0%, 95% CI 2.7–13.2%), quantity consumed (12.2%, 95% CI 8.3–16.2%) and heavy episodic drinking (17.7%, 95% CI 13.6–21.8%). Among people with pre‐existing high drinking levels/alcohol use disorder, high‐level drinking patterns appear to have solidified or intensified. Implications: Pandemic‐related changes in alcohol use may be associated with pre‐pandemic drinking levels. Increases among high‐risk alcohol users are concerning, suggesting a need for ongoing monitoring and support from relevant health‐care services. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that more people reduced their alcohol use in Europe than increased it since the onset of the pandemic. However high‐quality studies examining specific change mechanisms at the population level are lacking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first cluster of coronavirus cases in Europe was officially detected on 21st February 2020 in Northern Italy, even if recent evidence showed sporadic first cases in Europe since the end of 2019. In this study, we have tested the presence of coronavirus in Italy and, even more importantly, we have assessed whether the virus had already spread sooner than 21st February. We use a counterfactual approach and certified daily data on the number of deaths (deaths from any cause, not only related to coronavirus) at the municipality level. Our estimates confirm that coronavirus began spreading in Northern Italy in mid-January. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between material adversities due to pandemic crisis, institutional trust, and subjective well-being and mental health among middle-aged and older adults aged 50+ in Europe. The study used a cross-sectional design to examine Eurofound COVID-19 survey data collected from 27 European countries in April 2020. A total of 31,757 European middle aged and older adults aged 50 + were analyzed (Mean = 59.99, SD = 7.03). Analysis focused on the financial impact and material security in relation to pandemic lockdown, institutional trust (news media, police, national government, European Union, and healthcare system), and subjective well-being and mental health. Regression analysis indicated perceived insecurity in employment and housing, worsening finances, and difficulty paying for basic necessities were significantly related to respondents' life satisfaction, happiness, self-rated health, mental health index, and psychological distress. Institutional trust partially mediated the relationship between perceived adversities and subjective well-being and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic that reached Europe in 2020 has often been compared to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. In this article, we compare the two pandemics in terms of their respective impacts on the loss of life expectancy at birth in six European countries (France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland) by estimating life expectancy in 2020 using Eurostat data. We found that the loss of life expectancy at birth was up to 20 times larger between 1917 and 1918 than between 2019 and 2020. A decomposition of these losses clearly shows that in all six countries, the main contributors were older age groups in 2020 and younger age groups in 1918. These observations are consistent with evidence indicating that most COVID-19 fatalities were among the elderly, while a majority of Spanish flu fatalities were among the young. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The main research question concerned the identification of changes in the COVID-19 epidemiological situation using fuzzy clustering methods. This research used cross-sectional time series data obtained from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The identification of country types in terms of epidemiological risk was carried out using the fuzzy c-means clustering method. We also used the entropy index to measure the degree of fuzziness in the classification and evaluate the uncertainty of epidemiological states. The proposed approach allowed us to identify countries' epidemic states. Moreover, it also made it possible to determine the time of transition from one state to another, as well as to observe fluctuations during changes of state. Three COVID-19 epidemic states were identified in Europe, i.e., stabilisation, destabilisation, and expansion. The methodology is universal and can also be useful for other countries, as well as the research results being important for governments, politicians and other policy-makers working to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]