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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global daily life, including the world of elite athletes. This paper examines the multifaceted impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on elite swimmers and water polo athletes, specifically their mental health, their concerns over the virus, their intentions of getting vaccinated, and sleep disturbances that they may have faced. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on elite swimmers and water polo players, using an anonymous questionnaire. Results: A total of 200 elite athletes participated. The majority of the participants reported a negative impact on their mental health, screened positive for insomnia (n = 107 (53.5%), with females (n = 101; 57.7%), swimmers (n = 100, 66.7%), and university students (n = 71, 71.7%) being more vulnerable (p < 0.001). Concerns about contracting the disease especially during important training or tournament periods and potential career disruption also affected their psychological well-being. While the majority (75%) had the intention of getting vaccinated, an alarming percentage was yet uncertain over its decision. Conclusions: This study highlights the significant psychological distress faced by elite aquatic athletes during the pandemic. It emphasizes the difficulties faced by elite swimmers and water polo athletes and determines not only the importance of addressing the vaccination intentions of athletes, but also how critical it is to confront the challenges they face both for their personal health and for the restoration of world sports to their pre-pandemic state. More large-scale studies are required to inform policies targeted at minimizing disruption to the athletes' career, provision of information on preventive measures and vaccination, and improvement in psychological well-being in case of similar major public health issues in the future. Additionally, this study calls for further research to explore the unique challenges faced by aquatic athletes, such as those related to their training environments and fear of contagion, to better support them in future public health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chatbots are computer programs that present a conversation-like interface through which people can access information and services. The COVID-19 pandemic has driven a substantial increase in the use of chatbots to support and complement traditional health care systems. However, despite the uptake in their use, evidence to support the development and deployment of chatbots in public health remains limited. Recent reviews have focused on the use of chatbots during the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of conversational agents in health care more generally. This paper complements this research and addresses a gap in the literature by assessing the breadth and scope of research evidence for the use of chatbots across the domain of public health. Objective: This scoping review had 3 main objectives: (1) to identify the application domains in public health in which there is the most evidence for the development and use of chatbots; (2) to identify the types of chatbots that are being deployed in these domains; and (3) to ascertain the methods and methodologies by which chatbots are being evaluated in public health applications. This paper explored the implications for future research on the development and deployment of chatbots in public health in light of the analysis of the evidence for their use. Methods: Following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines for scoping reviews, relevant studies were identified through searches conducted in the MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and Open Grey databases from mid-June to August 2021. Studies were included if they used or evaluated chatbots for the purpose of prevention or intervention and for which the evidence showed a demonstrable health impact. Results: Of the 1506 studies identified, 32 were included in the review. The results show a substantial increase in the interest of chatbots in the past few years, shortly before the pandemic. Half (16/32, 50%) of the research evaluated chatbots applied to mental health or COVID-19. The studies suggest promise in the application of chatbots, especially to easily automated and repetitive tasks, but overall, the evidence for the efficacy of chatbots for prevention and intervention across all domains is limited at present. Conclusions: More research is needed to fully understand the effectiveness of using chatbots in public health. Concerns with the clinical, legal, and ethical aspects of the use of chatbots for health care are well founded given the speed with which they have been adopted in practice. Future research on their use should address these concerns through the development of expertise and best practices specific to public health, including a greater focus on user experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, as society struggled with increasing disease burden, economic hardships, and with disease morbidity and mortality, governments and institutions began implementing stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders to help stop the spread of the virus. Although wellintentioned, one unintended adverse consequence was an increase in violence, abuse, and neglect. Methods: We reviewed the literature on the effect the pandemic had on domestic violence, child and elder abuse and neglect, human trafficking, and gun violence. In this paper we explore common themes and causes of this violence and offer suggestions to help mitigate risk during ongoing and future pandemics. Just as these forms of violence primarily target at-risk, vulnerable populations, so did pandemic-related violence target marginalized populations including women, children, Blacks, and those with lower socioeconomic status. This became, and remains, a public health crisis within a crisis. In early 2021, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Public Health and Injury Committee was tasked with reviewing the impact the pandemic had on violence and abuse as the result of a resolution passed at the 2020 ACEP Council meeting. Conclusion: Measures meant to help control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic had many unintended consequences and placed people at risk for violence. Emergency departments (ED), although stressed and strained during the pandemic, remain a safety net for survivors of violence. As we move out of this pandemic, hospitals and EDs need to focus on steps that can be taken to ensure they preserve and expand their ability to assist victims should another pandemic or global health crisis develop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected public health. Directly, the pandemic resulted in over 6.6 million deaths, numerous hospitalizations, and widespread illness. The pandemic has also affected health indirectly through government-imposed protective measures, causing decline in mental well-being and increasing social isolation. Unlike previous disasters or crises, the pandemic's worldwide and enduring impact necessitates a unique research approach. The Network for Health Research in Disasters in the Netherlands responded by initiating a longitudinal, extensive research project called the Integrated Health Monitor COVID-19. The Integrated Health Monitor COVID-19 explores both the direct and indirect health effects of the pandemic at the population level. Methods: The Integrated Health Monitor COVID-19 employs a dual-pronged monitoring strategy alongside an annual literature review. This strategy comprises short-cycle monitoring (conducted quarterly) and long-cycle monitoring (conducted once every one or two years). This comprehensive approach enables the evaluation of health trends during the pandemic, facilitating comparisons with pre-pandemic levels and identification of risk and protective factors. Both monitoring methods incorporate data from surveys and general practice registries. The integration of annual literature reviews with these measurements enables iterative research, while dialogues on policy and practice improvements enhance the knowledge-to-action process. Discussion: Much of the existing knowledge about the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is derived from research on sudden-onset disasters limited to specific geographical areas. This study is anticipated to provide valuable fresh insights into the evolving dynamics of population health and specific vulnerabilities within the ongoing pandemic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: To better direct assessments and interventions toward the general population during both the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and future crises with societal restrictions, data on the types of practical and emotional problems that people are experiencing are needed. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the types of practical and emotional problems that the general population is experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic and to construct an empirically derived inventory based on the findings. Methods: A total of 396 participants, recruited among members of the general public in Sweden who were experiencing practical and/or emotional problems during the pandemic, accessed a self-guided digital problem-solving intervention for a period of 1 week to report and solve the problems they experienced. Prior to accessing the intervention, the participants completed a short self-assessment regarding symptoms of depression and anxiety. Content analysis was used to account for the types of problems participants reported. A set of items for an inventory was later proposed based on the problem categories derived from the analysis. Results: A majority of participants had clinically relevant symptoms of either depression or anxiety. The problems reported were categorized as 13 distinct types of problems. The most common problem was difficulty managing daily activities. Based on the categories, a 13-item inventory was proposed. Conclusions: The 13 types of problems, and the proposed inventory, could be valuable when composing assessments and interventions for the general population during the ongoing pandemic or similar crises with societal restrictions. The most common problem was of a practical nature, indicating the importance of including examples of such problems within assessments and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adverse mental and emotional health outcomes are increasingly recognized as a public health challenge associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: The goal of this study was to examine the association of COVID-19 risk misperceptions with self-reported household isolation, a potential risk factor for social isolation and loneliness. Methods: We analyzed data from the Franklin Templeton-Gallup Economics of Recovery Study (July to December 2020) of 24,649 US adults. We also analyzed data from the Gallup Panel (March 2020 to February 2021), which included 123,516 observations about loneliness. The primary outcome was self-reported household isolation, which we defined as a respondent having no contact or very little contact with people outside their household, analogous to quarantining. Results: From July to December 2020, 53% to 57% of respondents reported living in household isolation. Most participants reported beliefs about COVID-19 health risks that were inaccurate, and overestimation of health risk was most common. For example, while deaths in persons younger than 55 years old accounted for 7% of total US deaths, respondents estimated that this population represented 43% of deaths. Overestimating COVID-19 health risks was associated with increased self-reported household isolation, with percentage differences ranging from 5.6 to 11.8 (P<.001 at each time point). Characteristics associated with self-reported household isolation from the July and August 2020 surveys and persisting in the December 2020 survey included younger age (18 to 39 years), having a serious medical condition, having a household member with a serious medical condition, and identifying as a Democrat. In the Gallup Panel, self-reported household isolation was associated with a higher prevalence of loneliness. Conclusions: Pandemic-related harms to emotional and mental well-being may be attenuated by reducing risk overestimation and household isolation preferences that exceed public health guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older people are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a profound impact on research as well as clinical service delivery. This commentary identifies key challenges and opportunities in continuing to conduct research with and for older people, both during and after the current pandemic. It shares opinions from responders to an international survey, a range of academic authors and opinions from specialist societies. Priorities in COVID-19 research include its specific presentation in older people, consequences for physical, cognitive and psychological health, treatments and vaccines, rehabilitation, supporting care homes more effectively, the impact of social distancing, lockdown policies and system reconfiguration to provide best health and social care for older people. COVID-19 research needs to be inclusive, particularly involving older people living with frailty, cognitive impairment or multimorbidity, and those living in care homes. Non-COVID-19 related research for older people remains of critical importance and must not be neglected in the rush to study the pandemic. Profound changes are required in the way that we design and deliver research for older people in a world where movement and face-to-face contact are restricted, but we also highlight new opportunities such as the ability to collaborate more widely and to design and deliver research efficiently at scale and speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current global health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, has posed an unprecedented challenge to our health systems, economy, socio-political organizations, and the infrastructure of most countries and the world. This pandemic has affected physical health as well as mental health adversely. Several recent evidence suggests that health systems across the world have to improve their preparedness in context to infectious pandemics. The research on mental health aspects of COVID-19 and other related pandemics is lacking due to obvious reasons. This narrative review article, along with our personal views, is on various current and future mental health issues in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic focusing on various challenges and suggested solutions. The aim is also to update mental health strategies in the context of such rapidly spreading contagious illness, which can act as a resource for such a situation, currently and in future. We recommend that there is a need to facilitate mental health research to understand the psychiatric aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, include psychiatrists in the task force, and make available psychotropic and other medications with special attention to the deprived sector of the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]