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Bronchiolitis due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of hospitalization among American infants. The overall burden of RSV among infants has been historically under-estimated due to variable testing practices, particularly in the outpatient setting. Universal masking and social distancing implemented during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic altered RSV seasonality, however potential consequences on RSV testing practices across different healthcare settings and sociodemographic groups have not been described. Variable testing practices could also affect accurate assessment of the effects of two recently approved RSV preventative agents targeting infants. Utilizing real-time clinical and viral surveillance, we examined RSV testing practices among infants with bronchiolitis within four United States healthcare systems across different healthcare settings and sociodemographic groups pre- and post-COVID-19. RSV testing among infants with bronchiolitis increased since 2015 within each healthcare system across all healthcare settings and sociodemographic groups, with a more dramatic increase since the COVID-19 pandemic. Outpatient testing remained disproportionately low compared to hospital-based testing, although there were no major differences in testing frequency among sociodemographic groups in either setting. Although RSV testing increased among infants with bronchiolitis, relatively low outpatient testing rates remain a key barrier to accurate RSV surveillance. • RSV testing rates among infants with bronchiolitis are increasing. • The percent of positive RSV tests is unchanged even with increased testing. • RSV testing rates were not affected by sociodemographic factors. • Outpatient testing remains a barrier to accurate RSV surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the recommendations for COVID-19 preventive health behaviors, it continues to increase alarmingly. This study examined how media coverage, myths, political leaders, and community leaders influence the attitudes and misconceptions about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination uptake in the Mississippi Delta region. This qualitative study employed focus group discussions (FDGs) with representatives from three rural counties in the Mississippi Delta. A thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis. Participants were aware of how COVID-19 is transmitted, the preventative measures that can be used to mitigate the spread of the virus, and misconceptions and beliefs that lingered in their communities. Participants were uncertain about the need for the COVID-19 vaccine in terms of perceived risks (e.g., side effects, efficacy, and safety) and its novelty. Participants also discussed a wide range of COVID-19 misinformation that resulted in distress and distrust of the vaccine and health behavior recommendations. There are varying misconceptions and beliefs about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccine among communities in the rural Mississippi Delta. Thus, multi-sectoral collaborations between agencies that can use risk communication frameworks to deliver accurate health information that can resolve misinformation about COVID-19 in rural communities are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal study applied the integrated model of self-determination theory (SDT) and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to explain COVID-19 preventive behaviours among parents of young children in the United States. The study adopted a two-wave longitudinal study design. Parents (N = 681) completed self-report questionnaires related to measures of SDT and the TPB constructs and behavioural adherence at baseline and after one month. We used standardised residual change scores to test the structural relationships of the integrated model. The parameter estimates of the model (CFI >.96, TLI >.86, RMSEA =.05, SRMR =.03) fit acceptably well to the data. Psychological need support was positively and significantly linked to autonomous and controlled motivation and amotivation. Autonomous motivation was positively and significantly correlated with TPB factors, and intention. Intention was a significant and positive predictor of behavioural adherence. The integrated model of SDT and the TPB appeared to be applicable to the explanation of COVID-19 prevention among the U.S. parents. Longitudinal data showed that a psychological need supportive social environment was related to favourable motivation, social cognition beliefs, intention and behavioural adherence to the preventive behaviours of parents protecting their young children from COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives Adopting preventive behaviors is crucial to avoiding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, and perceived anxiousness may influence such behaviors among older adults and their caregivers. This study investigated the relationships between perceived anxiousness about COVID-19 and preventive behaviors in older adult–caregiver dyads. Research Design and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using 1,565 older adult–caregiver dyads from the 2020 National Health and Aging Trend Study (NHATS)/National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) COVID-19 Supplements data. Actor–partner interdependence models were estimated to examine the associations between older adults' and family caregivers' perceived anxiousness about COVID-19 and their engagement in personal (e.g. wearing masks, washing hands) and social (e.g. avoiding contact with friends, limiting grocery shopping) preventive behaviors. Separate models were estimated based on older adults' dementia status. Results We found significant actor effects of anxiousness about COVID-19 on preventive behaviors of both older adults and caregivers in nondementia dyads. The anxiousness about COVID-19 of older adults had significant partner effects on both personal and social preventive behaviors of caregivers, whereas caregivers' anxiousness about COVID-19 only had a significant partner effect on social preventive behaviors of older adults. No significant partner effect was found in dementia dyads. Discussion and Implications Our findings highlight the critical role of caregivers in promoting older adults' health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic and maintaining mental well-being of older adults. The study also implies future efforts to explore the dyadic relationship of dementia care dyads in promoting health behaviors and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we describe community-based nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) incorporated into COVID-19 mitigation protocols, and SARS-CoV-2 incidence at five faith-based summer camps in the US. Retrospective cohort study. Six southeastern states within the United States (13 sites) were assessed from May 30 to August 14, 2021 (13 sites; N = 13,132; May–August 2021). Camp mitigation policies and NPIs (including masking, vaccinations, meal arrangements, physical distancing, pre-arrival testing, symptom screening, quarantine/isolation, and ventilation upgrades), and SARS-CoV-2 infections were tracked at each site. The symptomatic primary case attack rate was 24.7 (range: 0.0–120.0) cases per 100,000 people per week. Fewer infections were observed in camps with greater mitigation protocols. These findings suggest that nonpharmaceutical mitigation can promote stable access to youth programs for historically vaccine-hesitant subgroups. Policy recommendations for nonpharmaceutical interventions to prevent respiratory viral transmission in overnight youth faith-based camp settings may include outdoor activities, accessible symptomatic tests, prearrival testing, indoor mask use, small cohorts, physical distancing, and protocols to minimize staff exposures during time off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on people's lives since its initial outbreak and global spread in 2020. While the U.S. government and public health officials have recommended best practices such as social distancing, wearing a mask, and avoiding large public gatherings, these orders have been met with varying levels of acceptance from the public. Given the disparate compliance, this study builds on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to explore individual differences and personal motivation factors in order to better understand what may influence one's likelihood to adhere to COVID-19 protective measures. A U.S. national survey (N = 2,049) was conducted April–May 2020, roughly one month after stay-at-home orders were issued in some states. Participants were asked to report their likelihood of taking individual and community protective measures. Multivariate hierarchical linear regressions were run to analyze the extent to which participants' concerns about COVID-19's impact, individual and collective self-efficacy, coping behaviors, and personality traits influenced the dependent variables. Findings showed that COVID-19-related health concerns, collective efficacy, and proactive coping strategies were positively related to participants' likelihood of taking protective measures. Those with greater concerns about their general well-being and the economy, adverse coping strategies like denial and joking, as well as sensation-seeking personalities, were less likely to take protective measures. The discussion considers how individual differences fit into broader global efforts to stem COVID-19. Practical implications for public health messaging are that communication may focus on facilitating efficacy in order to boost compliance with protective measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social norm has been found to impact compliance with COVID-19 preventative behaviors, including handwashing, wearing a face mask, social distancing, and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces. There is, however, a limited understanding of the social norm influence mechanisms and its boundary condition in the context of COVID-19. Guided by the theory of normative social behaviors (TNSB), this study conducted an online survey (N = 336) to examine whether perceived injunctive norms (PIN), outcome expectation (OE), group identity (GID), group orientation (GO), and cultural tightness-looseness (CTL) can moderate and/or mediate the relationship between perceived descriptive norms (PDN) and behavioral intentions (BI) to perform COVID-19 preventative behaviors in the United States. Results showed that whereas OE mediated the PDN-BI relationship to enact all four focal behaviors, PIN mediated the PDN-BI relationship for social distancing, wearing a face mask, and cleaning and disinfecting. However, inconsistent with the predictions, all five moderators (i.e. PIN, OE, GO, GID, and CTL) attenuated, instead of strengthening, the PDN-BI relationships for particular preventative behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical distancing and face masks remain frontline prevention strategies due to suboptimal vaccine uptake and the highly infectious COVID-19 variants. Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by a chronic disease burden that places them at higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease. Therefore, they can greatly benefit from face mask use and physical distancing, especially if the individual(s) have not received the vaccine. We applied the Health Belief Model to explore barriers and motivators influencing physical distancing and face mask use among high-risk, Black American subgroups during the early COVID-19 pandemic stages. We conducted 62 semi-structured interviews among four Black American subgroups: young adults, individuals with underlying medical conditions, essential workers, and parents. Thematic analysis, guided by the Health Belief Model, yielded six themes: (1) Knowledge on Face Mask Use and Physical Distancing, (2) Perceived Susceptibility and Severity Varies by Subgroup, (3) Experience with and Perceived Self-Efficacy to Engage in Preventive Behavior, (4) Perceived Benefits to engaging in preventive behaviors, (5) Perceived Barriers to engage in preventive behaviors, and (6) Cues to action to increase participation. Each subgroup's unique experience informed multilevel, tailored approaches that can be used by health promotion practitioners to improve face mask use and physical distancing among uniquely vulnerable Black American subgroups in the current and future pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public distrust in official sources of health information and uncertainty about novel guidelines may discourage engagement in recommended disease prevention practices. The current study tests the hypothesis that building confidence in positive behavioral outcomes may support recommendation following even in the context of low trust in recommendation sources. This set of longitudinal studies examines the main and interaction effects of trust in official sources and behavioral beliefs in their prediction of recommended COVID-19 prevention behaviors (facemask wearing, social distancing, vaccination). Repeated measurement data were collected from a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults in May/June 2020 (T1; n = 1074), July 2020 (T2; n = 889), and April/June 2021 (T3; n = 750). All five tests, using lagged linear regression, found negative interactions between trust and behavioral beliefs, as hypothesized; three were significant (T1-T2: facemask wearing B=-0.10, SE = 0.04; T1-T3: social distancing B=-0.20, SE = 0.06; T2-T3 vaccination B=-0.27, SE = 0.10) and two were consistent albeit not significant (T1-T3: social distancing B=-0.13, SE = 0.08; T1-T3: facemask wearing B=-0.11, SE = 0.06). Supporting hypotheses, trust in recommendation sources predicted behavior most among those who were less certain about behavioral outcomes and confidence in behavioral benefits predicted behavior most among those with low trust in recommendation sources. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only challenged global health and given rise to several controversies, but it has also had an impact on how science is regarded in a diverse and often polarized society. The challenge specifically pertains to how science is utilized to inform public policies on confronting and responding to the pandemic. Two conflicting narratives have emerged, driven by disputed values, in reaction to COVID-19. The first involves scientific experts who influence governmental policies in terms of individual and social behavior, such as face masks, social distancing, lockdowns, and vaccination. The values that animate these experts are chiefly security and safety, particularly with respect to public health. The second narrative is societal and includes individuals who are skeptical and even espouse anti-science rhetoric towards the scientific community and its experts. And many of these skeptics represent anti-maskers and anti-vaccine activists. Their values are self-direction and personal freedom. The dispute over these values represents a major challenge to the social and political responses to the pandemic. To address this challenge, post-normal science is utilized to construct a framework to bridge the two opposing narratives and their disputed values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research which explored the potential role of descriptive and injunctive drinking norms, residence, college alcohol beliefs, fear of COVID-19, attitudes towards COVID-19 precautions such as social distancing, and political ideology in COVID-19 party behavior of college students. The study analyzed the correlations among the variables, as well as on-campus and off-campus partying by gender, residence and athlete status.

Background Wearing a face mask and keeping a minimal distance from others are common nonpharmaceutical interventions that governments may mandate or recommend to contain the spread of infectious diseases. The article addresses the following questions: (i) Do people interact closer when the face mask is worn? (ii) Do people interact closer because they believe that the mask reduces the risk of contagion? (iii) If the mask induces people to interact closer, does the increase in risk entailed by shorter distances entirely offset the decrease in risk offered by the mask? Methods With a view to maximizing both the external and the internal validity of the study, between 2021 and 2022 we performed a large field experiment on real-life interactions (n  > 4500) and a controlled laboratory experiment in virtual reality. Results Converging between the field and the lab, the results indicate that in general people interact closer when the mask is worn, and in particular when they believe that the mask reduces the risk of contagion. However, even assuming a very low filtration efficacy and an extremely large distance-reducing effect of the mask, the counteracting effect of shorter interpersonal distances is never strong enough to entirely offset the mask's protection. Conclusion The distance-reducing effect of the mask is real but warrants no serious objection against a face mask policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This symposium contribution presents three vignettes of resistance to COVID-19 public health measures in Alberta, Canada, where I live. These show resolutely individualistic attitudes toward health and a desire to understand the pandemic as a one-off aberration. I then suggest four ways that the work of bioethics needs to change. These begin with situating the pandemic within the context of global climate emergency and end with how a new polarization diminishes possibilities for the rational dialogue that bioethics has here-to-fore assumed people would engage in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores service providers' accounts of working with sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth and the improvised and non-institutionalized adaptations to their delivery of care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We present a narrative analysis of data from qualitative, in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted between July 2020 and August 2021 with 16 service providers who deliver programs and services for SGM youth in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Drawing on a central narrative of uncertainty in driving improvised adaptations to service provision amid the pandemic, we identified three sub-narratives: (i) uncertainty as characteristic of liminality; (ii) uncertainty as conducive to cooperation and collaboration; and (iii) uncertainty as enabling 'blue-sky thinking' and innovation. In each sub-narrative, we document service providers' accounts of how they navigated both uncertainty in the absence of direction from their organizations and constraint by COVID-19 public health mandates and guidelines. Amid pandemic-driven interruptions in structured guidance, these improvised practices of care became key in shaping the delivery of care to SGM youth in BC. These accounts offer insights into how uncertainty can be harnessed as a potent source of improvement of services for SGM youth now and throughout future phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tested the effect of mask use and other‐race effect on (a) face recognition, (b) recognition of facial expressions, and (c) social distance. Caucasian subjects were tested in a matching‐to‐sample paradigm with either masked or unmasked Caucasian and Asian faces. The participants exhibited the best performance in recognizing an unmasked face condition and the poorest to recognize a masked face that they had seen earlier without a mask. Accuracy was poorer for Asian faces than Caucasian faces. The second experiment presented Asian or Caucasian faces having emotional expressions, with and without masks. The participants' emotion recognition performance decreased for masked faces. From the most accurately to least accurately recognized emotions were as follows: happy, neutral, disgusted, fearful. Performance was poorer for Asian stimuli compared to Caucasian. In Experiment 3 the same participants indicated the social distance they would prefer with each pictured person. They preferred a wider distance with unmasked faces compared to masked faces. Distance from farther to closer was as follows: disgusted, fearful, neutral, and happy. They preferred wider social distance for Asian compared to Caucasian faces. Altogether, findings indicated that during the COVID‐19 pandemic mask wearing decreased recognition of faces and emotional expressions, negatively impacting communication among people from different ethnicities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We explored children's experiences of COVID-19 in terms of proximity and distance to significant others. Methods: Our qualitative study with children in Germany (6--15 years of age) explored their views and experiences of COVID-19 times via drawings and face-to-face semi-structured interviews (n = 13). We analysed data thematically and used the socio-ecological model as the theoretical underpinning. Case studies contextualized how children dealt with the COVID- 19 precautions. Results: Salient motives in children's drawings were school scenarios showing distancekeeping and mask-wearing as an expression of interpersonal distance; in the homeschooling context, loneliness was highlighted. Drawings also illustrated the impact of COVID-19 in terms of separation, illness and death. A dynamic perception of proximity and distance emerged from drawings and interviews. COVID-19 barred children from spending "real" time together with close friends. Bridging physical distance virtually was easier for adolescents than for children. Conclusion: To bolster children's mental and social resilience in future epidemics, participants' plea for maintaining social and physical interactions with significant others and for keeping schools open should be heeded by policy-makers. Our study also highlights the benefits of conducting direct research with children and using non-verbal methods of data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the importance of behavioral drivers in epidemic dynamics. With the relaxation of mandated nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) formerly in place to decrease transmission, such as mask-wearing or social distancing, adherence to an NPI is now the result of individual decision-making. To study these coupled dynamics, we embed a game-theoretic model for individual NPI adherence within an epidemiological model. When the disease is endemic, we find that our model has multiple (but none concurrently stable) equilibria: one each with zero, complete, or partial NPI adherence. Surprisingly, for the equilibrium with partial NPI adherence, the number of infections is independent of the transmission rate. Therefore, in that regime, a change in the rate of pathogen transmission, e.g., due to another (mandated) NPI or a new variant, has no effect on endemic infection levels. On the other hand, we show that vaccination successfully decreases endemic infection levels, and, unexpectedly, also reduces the number of susceptibles at equilibrium when there is partial adherence. From a game-theoretic perspective, we find that highly effective NPIs lead at most to partial adherence. As this effectiveness decreases, partially effective NPIs initially lead to increases in population-level adherence, especially if the risk is high enough. However, a completely ineffective NPI results in no adherence. Furthermore, we identify parameter regions where the individual incentives may not align with those of society as a whole. Overall, our findings illustrate complexities that can arise due to behavioral-epidemiological feedback and suggest appropriate measures to avoid more pessimistic population-level outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To estimate the impact of communicating to the public that men who have sex with men (MSM) are most at risk for mpox on potential stigmatization and risk perception. Methods. We conducted a survey experiment randomizing exposure to messages about mpox among a sample of the South Korean public (n = 1500) in July 2022. We randomized respondents to receive an informational message about mpox that was (1) a neutral informational message about mpox that did not highlight its origins or risk groups (control group), (2) a message explaining that the virus originated in Africa, or (3) a message emphasizing that MSM are most at risk. Results. We found that emphasizing that MSM are most at risk increases support for policies that would restrict lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/-sexual, queer or questioning–related events by about 7 percentage points compared with the control condition. However, the message describing African origins did not affect support for restricting travel from Africa. Neither changed risk perceptions or willingness to be vaccinated against mpox. Conclusions. Messages aimed at educating the public about most at-risk groups may trigger increased stigmatization of those groups in ways that could contribute to unnecessary persecution. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(10):1120–1127. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307347) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020, and the world has witnessed significant changes since then. Spain has been forced to go into extreme lockdown, cancelling all school classes and outdoor activities for children, which may have significant consequences on young people. This paper explores how young children have experienced lockdown as a consequence of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and what they think about their future lives after Covid-19. Data were collected from 73 students aged from 7 to 9 years old, using participant-produced drawings and short questions with children's and parents' descriptive comments. We used a children's rights perspective and the Freirean approach of a pedagogy of love and hope to analyse the data. Results suggest that participants have been through significant changes in their routines, and that what they miss most from their lives before Covid-19 is playing outdoors with their friends and visiting their grandparents. To our knowledge, this paper is the first of its kind in investigating how the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced the ways that children lived during pandemic and its possible implications for their futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mask‐wearing, social distancing, and vaccination remain effective ways to mitigate the spread of COVID‐19. Yet, many hesitate to enact some or all these preventive behaviors. We created three persuasive messages—framed to promote benefits to either (1) oneself, (2) close‐others, or (3) distant‐others—to determine whether the effectiveness of these messages varied based on personality differences (specifically independent/interdependent self‐construal and chronic construal level). In two online experiments (N = 862), we measured individual differences and showed participants one of the three messages. Consistent interactions between interdependent self‐construal and message conditions showed that those high in interdependent self‐construal responded most positively to the self‐focused messages promoting mask‐wearing, social distancing, and COVID‐19 vaccination. Those low in interdependent self‐construal responded most negatively to the self‐focused messages. Although no interaction effect was observed for independent self‐construal, and inconsistent evidence emerged for construal level, other‐focused messages performed either better or equally well to the self‐focused messages for most participants and may thus be promising for future public health communication efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a need for a measure to monitor adherence to transmission-reducing behaviours (TRBs) during pandemics. An adherence measure can monitor current TRBs, assess change over time and, potentially, predict later behaviours. The TRB adherence measure (scale consisting of seven items) includes questions based on government behavioural directives in Scotland that were common internationally, i.e., physical distancing, face covering and hand hygiene. Data were collected weekly for 6 weeks at the beginning of the pandemic, including a later follow-up repeated measure of some participants, in 20-minute structured telephone surveys with a nationally representative random sample of adults in Scotland. A total of 2969 people completed the adherence items and were highly adherent. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a unidimensional scale (CFI =.95; TLI =.93; RMSEA =.08; SRMR =.08), although internal consistency was low (Cronbach's alpha =.49). The adherence score significantly predicted adherence to a validity test item (ΔR2 =.114, F(1,2964) = 379.76, p <.001). It also predicted adherence to TRBs later over and above personal habitual styles (Creature of Habit Scale: COHS). The adherence score has been developed for routine monitoring of adherence to TRBs during the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be used to predict future similar behaviours and adherence to other behaviours, although it may be necessary to explore adherence to the specific behaviours occasionally. Adherent behaviour for one TRB is likely to be associated with adherence to government directives to other TRBs. Importantly, these TRBs are likely to be crucial in reducing COVID-19 case numbers, as well as protecting against other infectious diseases including influenza and the common cold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has demonstrated that conservative individuals (relative to liberal individuals) were less likely to adhere to COVID‐19 guidelines (e.g., social distancing). We argue that because adherence to COVID‐19 guidelines was largely characterized as "politically correct" behavior, individuals opposed to political correctness (PC) norms would follow COVID‐19 guidelines less, controlling for political conservatism and other relevant demographic variables. In two correlational studies and one preregistered experiment, we tested whether opposition to political correctness (OPC) predicts less adherence to COVID‐19 guidelines. Study 1 showed that OPC correlates negatively with mask‐wearing and social distancing, controlling for conservatism, gender, age, and religious identity. Study 2 replicated and extended these effects, demonstrating that seeing mask‐wearing as a common good (i.e., as a beneficial COVID‐19 mitigation strategy) mediated the relationship between OPC and mask‐wearing, social distancing, handwashing, and vaccination intentions. Study 3 experimentally manipulated feelings toward PC. Inconsistent with our preregistered hypothesis but consistent with previous research, participants induced to have positive feelings toward PC adhered to COVID‐19 guidelines the most and had the most positive feelings toward wearing masks. We discuss how moralization of health guidelines can predict individuals' likelihood of adhering to these guidelines. We also discuss how best to persuade individuals who see adherence to health guidelines as "politically correct," as well as future research directions to address this concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: This study aimed (a) to identify the communication issues and problems faced by individuals with hearing impairment (HI)/deafness during the COVID‐19 pandemic and (b) to describe strategies to overcome the issues/problems and/or prevent their negative impact. Background: Individuals with mild or severe HI face everyday communication problems, which have been worsened during the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, no studies have summarised the available evidence to better understand the communication challenges faced by them and strategies allowing better interactions. The long duration of the outbreak—more than 2 years, with policies that have just been lifted in some countries—and the possible return of restrictions in the next Winter suggest the need to summarise evidence in the field. Design and methods: A rapid review is reported here in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis guidelines. Medline, CINAHL and Scopus databases were searched, including (a) primary or secondary studies published from January 2020 to 12 January 2022, (b) involving individuals with HI/deafness, (c) during the COVID‐19 pandemic and (d) written in English. Data were extracted and summarised by using a content analysis approach. Patient or public contribution: No Patient or Public Contribution. Results: Fourteen studies were included as follows: three non‐systematic reviews, seven cross‐sectional, three quasi‐ experimental and one qualitative study, performed mainly in the US and the UK. Face mask covering use; physical and social distancing; and information, education, rehabilitation, and healthcare accessibility have emerged as the main challenges triggering consequences such as social isolation, loneliness, poor knowledge regarding the prevention and mental health issues. Strategies mitigating these challenges are as follows: (a) adopting transparent face masks, (b) using basic skills while interacting (e.g. maintaining eye contact), (c) improving the availability of sign language interpreters, (d) allowing the presence of family members and (e) teaching basics of sign language to healthcare professionals. Conclusions and relevance to clinical practice: Individuals with HI/deafness live with several challenges, suggesting that their vulnerability has increased tremendously during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The effectiveness of strategies to overcome these difficulties should be scrutinised by conducting more research. Moreover, there should be increased awareness among all citizens by equipping them with simple strategies to communicate effectively with individuals with HI, an approach that may increase inclusiveness and prevent further negative consequences and burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigate the role of generalized self-efficacy (GSE) in compliance with COVID-19 health behaviours such as wearing masks and social distancing. Two studies conducted online in the US: 312 adults in Study 1 and 253 adults in Study 2. In Study 1, participants reported compliance with four health behaviours related to COVID-19: social distancing, hand washing, avoiding non-essential travel, and wearing masks. In Study 2, participants reported expected compliance with wearing masks when it was framed as a national requirement, a state requirement, or a recommendation. In Study 1, GSE positively affected reported compliance with COVID-19 health behaviours. This result was mediated by the perception that these behaviours would offer enhanced control. Psychological reactance negatively affected reported compliance, while trust in science-based institutions and perceived threat from COVID-19 exerted positive effects. In Study 2, requiring (vs. recommending) masks led to higher willingness to comply with COVID-19 health behaviours. This was moderated by GSE, which significantly impacted compliance only when masks were required rather than recommended. Higher GSE predicted increased compliance with health behaviours related to COVID-19, such as wearing masks. This effect was strongest when these behaviours were framed as required rather than recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the risk perceptions and COVID-19 prevention practices of dormitory residents in Indonesia. Participants: Nineteen dormitory residents, 3 staff and 1 dormitory manager were recruited from the Saint Theresa Avila student dormitory. Methods: This qualitative study used individual interviews and framework analysis. Results: Generally, the study confirms that there is a gap between risk perception and COVID-19 prevention practices among dormitory residents. There are barriers in accessing hand washing facilities and in complying with COVID-19 prevention protocols including not wearing masks, not following quarantine procedures and visiting friends' rooms. Conclusion: Dormitory managers and staff should repeatedly remind residents to wear masks and maintain safe distance through sending short messages on dormitory social media groups. In addition to psychological assistance and basic supplies during self-quarantine, providing sanitizer and installing posters detailing the hand-washing steps are essential at each hand-washing facility in the dormitory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated factors related to preventive behaviors and fear of COVID-19: values and beliefs about threat to values because of COVID-19. In two studies, participants reported their own values and evaluated how COVID-19 may threaten values. They also reported their preventive behaviors (washing hands, wearing a facial mask, keeping social distance, and avoiding public places) and fear of COVID-19. COVID-19 is perceived as a threat to personal focused values (openness and self-enhancement values) rather than social focused values (conservation and self-transcendence values). Both value importance and perceived threats to values are related to preventive behaviors and fear of COVID-19. Greater importance of conservation values was related to engaging in preventive behaviors and increased fear of COVID-19. Perceived threats to personal focused values (self-enhancement and openness values) were also related to engaging in preventive behaviors and fear of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of message fatigue and what makes people fatigued in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collected with a Qualtrics panel (N = 744) showed that both active (i.e., reactance) and passive (i.e., inattention) resistance in message processing mediated the relationships between message fatigue and intentions to follow three types of preventive behaviors against COVID-19 (i.e., wearing masks, social distancing, and washing hands). The indirect effect of message fatigue on intention to seek COVID-19 information was explained by inattention but not reactance. Analyses of open-ended responses identified 18 types of COVID-related information that individuals were tired of hearing about. About 73.38% of participants (n = 546) reported that they were tired of hearing about at least one type of information about COVID-19, with mask-wearing being the most frequently mentioned (21.91%). The results extend existing research on message fatigue-evoked resistance to persuasion and provide practical implications for public health message design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how humor (incongruity humor vs. no humor) interacts with individual differences in perceived efficacy to influence health attitudes and behavioral intentions. Results of a controlled experiment (N = 294) revealed that among individuals with lower levels of perceived efficacy, incongruity humor, relative to no humor condition, resulted in greater source liking, which in turn, enhanced their attitudes and intentions to perform preventive health behaviors. However, for individuals higher in perceived efficacy, incongruity humor (vs. no humor) had an indirect negative effect on intentions via decreased attitudes. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since early 2020, COVID-19 has spread throughout the United States (US), killing more than 700,000. Mask-wearing, social-distancing, and hand hygiene can curb the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. However, the adherence to COVID-19 safety measures varies considerably among the US public, likely due to disparate perceptions of COVID-19's risk. The current study examines risk perceptions for COVID-19 (RP-C) in a nationally representative sample of US residents (N = 512), as well as their political preferences, news media consumption, COVID-19 safety attitudes (SA-C) and reported COVID-19 safety behaviors (SB-C; e.g., mask-wearing and social-distancing). Using structural equation modeling, we tested a comprehensive measure for RP-C with a single latent factor, finding good model fit. We found that higher RP-C was associated with being more liberal, consuming more traditional news media, having attitudes that supported compliance with COVID-19 safety measures, and having greater reported compliance with COVID-19 safety measures. In addition, factor loadings for RP-C items indicate that people's RP-C was more strongly determined by personal and family, rather than collective or societal risk, which suggests risk communication may be improved by focusing on personal and family risk. Public health efforts to combat COVID-19 are only as good as compliance allows, and RP-C's strong relationship with SB-C indicates a potential means for risk communicators to increase compliance with COVID-19 safety measures. This finding will remain important as new COVID-19 variants, such as the Delta variant, emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Behavioural, environmental, social and systems interventions (BESSIs) remain important for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to vaccination. However, people's adoption of BESSIs may decrease as vaccination rates increase due to reductions in the perceived threat of disease, and changes in risk perceptions of behaviours that increase the chance of infection. Thus, we examined predictors of and changes over time in reports of mask wearing and physical distancing and whether changes in mask wearing and physical distancing differed by vaccination status during the main 2021 COVID-19 vaccine roll-out period in Switzerland. Methods Weekly online cross-sectional surveys (26 April 2021 to 1 August 2021) among people 18–79 years old in Switzerland, N  = 6308 observations and 5511 cases. Logistic regression models using generalized estimating equations. Results Reports of being vaccinated increased, while mask wearing and physical distancing decreased over time. This decrease was similar regardless of vaccination status. However, the level of reported mask wearing and physical distancing remained higher among vaccinated people. Older, female, and Italian language region respondents also had higher odds of reporting mask wearing and physical distancing. Conclusions Adoption of COVID-19 preventive behaviours is associated with demographics and vaccination status. Further research is needed to understand the reasons why people who are not vaccinated are less likely to adopt preventive behaviours, including that they may have fewer social and environmental opportunities to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study evaluated the association between depression and non‐compliance with COVID‐19 preventive behaviors among community‐dwelling South Korean older adults. Methods: We utilized the 2020 Korean Community Health Survey—a community‐based nationwide survey. A score of 10 points or higher on the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 was defined as depression. Non‐compliance with COVID‐19 preventive behaviors was assessed on the following three behaviors: washing hands, wearing masks, and watching distance. We also included socio‐demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and COVID‐19‐related characteristics as covariates. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed, and all statistical analyses were stratified by sex. Results: The 70,693 participants included 29,736 men and 40,957 women. Notably, 2.3% of men and 4.2% of women had depression. Non‐compliance with washing hands was significantly higher in men than women (1.3% vs. 0.9%), whereas no significant differences were observed in wearing masks and watching distance. The adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that depression was positively associated with non‐compliance with washing hands and watching distance in both sexes. The association between depression and non‐compliance with wearing masks was significant only in women. Conclusions: There was an association between depression and non‐compliance with COVID‐19 preventive behaviors in South Korean older adults. This signifies that health providers need to reduce depression to improve compliance with preventive behaviors in older adults. Key points: Men are less likely to comply with washing hands than are women.Depression is associated with non‐compliance with COVID‐19 preventive behaviors in both sexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Black fungus (mycoses) is an opportunistic invasive infection that predominantly occurred among immunosuppressed persons. It has been recently detected in COVID-19 patients. The pregnant diabetic woman is susceptible to such infections and needs recognition for protection. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the nurse-led intervention on the knowledge and preventive practice of diabetic pregnant women regarding fungal mycosis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: This quasi-experimental study was conducted at maternal health care centers in Shebin El-Kom, Menoufia Governorate, Egypt. The study recruited 73 diabetic pregnant women through a systematic random sampling of pregnant women attending the maternity clinic during the period of the study. A structured interview questionnaire was used to measure their knowledge regarding Mucormycosis and COVID-19 manifestations. The preventive practices were assessed through an observational checklist of hygienic practice, insulin administration, and blood glucose monitoring for the prevention of Mucormycosis infection. Results: The study revealed a statistically significant increment in the participants' knowledge, preventive practice, personal hygiene, and diabetes self-care scores (9.56 ± 1.75 ,3.6 ± 1.18, 3.18 ± 1.29 post-intervention) comparable to (6.19 ± 1.66, 1.97 ± 1.35, 0.89 ± 1.38 pre-intervention) respectively. There was a significant improvement in the overall COVID-19 protective score against Mucormycosis (from 2.66 ± 1.74 to 4.53 ± 1.43). Conclusion: Nursing educational sessions had a positive effect on pregnant women's awareness and preventive behavior. Hence, it is recommended to integrate nurse-led intervention targeting the preventive practice against COVID-19-associated Mucormycosis infection (CAM) as routine services for diabetic pregnant women during antenatal care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The FLURESP project is a public health research funded by the European Commission, with the objective to design a methodological framework to assess the cost-effectiveness of existing public health measures against human influenza pandemics. A dataset has been specifically collected in the frame of the Italian health system. As most of interventions against human influenza are relavant against other respiratory diseases pandemics, potential interests in COVID-19 are discussed. Methods: Ten public health measures against human influenza pandemics pandemic were selected to be also relevant to other respiratory virus pandemics such as COVID 19: individual (hand washing, using masks), border control (quarantine, fever screening, border closure), community infection (school closure, class dismissal, social distancing, limitation of public transport), reduction of secondary infections (implementation of antibiotic therapy guidelines), pneumococcal vaccination for at-risk people, development of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity, implementation of life support equipments in ICU, screening interventions, vaccination programs targeting health professional and targeting general population. Results: Using mortality reduction as effectiveness criteria, the most cost-effective strategies are "reduction of secondary infections" and "implementation of life support equipment in ICU". The least cost-effective option whatever the level of pandemic events are screening interventions and mass vaccination. Conclusions: A number of intervention strategies against human influenza pandemics appears relevant against every respiratory virus, including the COVID-19 event. Measures against pandemics should be considered according to their expected effectiveness but also their costs for the society because they impose substantial burden to the population, confirming the interest of considering cost-effectiveness of public health measures to enlighten decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was carried out to determine the effect of high school students' perception of risk of COVID‐19, wearing masks and social distance behavior on stress during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Method: This descriptive study was performed on 1034 participants between the ages of 15 and 18 between June 21 and July 2, 2021. "Descriptive Questionnaire," "COVID‐19 Risk Perception Form," "Mask Wear Behavior Form," "Social Distance Behavior Form," and "Perceived Stress Scale" were used in data collection. Results: It was determined that 81.4% of the students used disposable medical masks, and 50.6% of them used the mask they wore for one day. In the characteristics of the risk perception of COVID‐19, 31% have a risk perception, 45% are afraid to contact people returning from abroad, 58.8% avoid going to crowded places, 66.8% are afraid of contacting people with flu symptoms. It was found that they always kept sufficient distance while communicating with others. As a result of the multiple regression, it was determined that gender, mask type, mask usage frequency, risk perception, social distance behavior, and mask‐wearing behavior had a statistically significant effect on the perceived stress level (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These results provide theoretical inferences for public health policies targeting the high school students to develop accurate risk perception and protective behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To better understand the knowledge, practice, importance, awareness, usefulness, and confidence of non‐Hispanic Black and English‐ and Spanish‐speaking Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes. Design: A descriptive cross‐sectional survey study design was used and descriptive statistics was conducted. Sample: Non‐Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes were recruited from three New York City public hospitals. Measurements: A one‐time survey was delivered via email, text message or over the phone. Results: Of the 96 participants, 47.9% were Hispanic/Latino and 52.1% were non‐Hispanic Black individuals; 43.8% of the surveys were completed in Spanish and 56.3% in English; 41.7% were female and 58.3% male; 77.1% preferred to complete the survey via the telephone, 14.6% through email, and 8.3% via text message. Chi‐square findings showed, 90.6% knew mask wearing prevented COVID‐19; 96.9% knew that covering the nose and mouth during mask wearing is needed, 93.8% wore a mask, and 92.8% felt it important or very important to wear a mask to prevent the spread of COVID‐19. For social distancing, 88.5% knew it prevented the spread of COVID‐19, 93.8% practiced it, and 95.8% felt it important or very important. Conclusion: In having a better understanding of the knowledge and practices of COVID‐19 among non‐Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations with diabetes, the development of culturally and linguistically tailored community‐based mitigation strategies can be developed that are aimed at improving the preparedness of these groups for the next emerging infectious disease, such as COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced children to reckon with the causal relations underlying disease transmission. What are children's theories of how COVID-19 is transmitted? And how do they understand the relation between COVID-19 susceptibility and the need for disease-mitigating behavior? We asked these questions in the context of children's beliefs about supernatural beings, like Santa and the Tooth Fairy. Because these beings cannot be observed, children's beliefs about the impact of COVID-19 on them must be based on their underlying theories of disease transmission and prevention rather than on experience. In the summer of 2020, N = 218 U.S. children between the ages of 3 and 10 years (M = 81.2 months) were asked to rate supernatural beings' susceptibility to COVID-19, and the extent to which these beings should engage in disease-mitigating behaviors, such as social distancing and mask wearing. Many children believed supernatural beings were susceptible to COVID-19. However, children rated the need for supernatural beings to engage in disease-mitigating behaviors as higher than the beings' disease susceptibility, indicating a disconnect between their conceptions of the causal relations between disease-mitigating behavior and disease prevention. Children's belief that a particular supernatural being could be impacted by COVID-19 was best predicted by the number of human-like properties they attributed to it, regardless of the child's age. Together, these findings suggest that although young children fail to appreciate specific pathways of disease transmission, they nonetheless understand disease as a bodily affliction, even for beings whose bodies have never been observed. Public Significance Statement: The COVID-19 pandemic required children (and adults) to develop a theory of airborne disease transmission and prevention on the basis of very little data. What do children believe about COVID-19 prevention and transmission? Children in our study robustly believed that the impact of COVID-19 was greater for beings that were relatively more human-like, suggesting a lay-belief that COVID's impact depends on the possession of human-like properties. In addition, children—but not adults—sometimes said that beings should engage in disease-mitigating behaviors (e.g., mask wearing) even in cases where they believed that a particular being was not susceptible to COVID-19. These data suggest an important disconnect between children's beliefs about COVID-19 and what would be predicted by an adult-like understanding of germ theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pre-registered study was designed to test whether reminders of death and coronavirus would have similar or different effects on health behavior intentions concerning COVID-19 (e.g., mask wearing, social distancing) and whether the type of framing of these behaviors would moderate these effects. The study utilized a 3 (threat: mortality salience vs. coronavirus reminder vs. control topic) x 3 (framing: autonomy-supportive vs. controlled vs. neutral) design. Measures of perceived threat of COVID-19, reactance proneness, and political orientation were included as individual differences. Although the interaction between threat and framing conditions was not significant, the data revealed that (1) lower perceived threat of COVID-19 was associated with lower health behavior intentions to reduce the spread of the virus; (2) after an induction to express their thoughts and feelings about COVID-19, participants with low perceived threat of COVID-19 significantly increased their health intentions; (3) perceived threat of COVID-19 moderated the relationship between reactance proneness and health intentions, such that those high in reactance proneness reported lower intentions unless they had high perceptions of threat; and (4) politically conservative participants reported lower intentions to engage in healthy behaviors, and this relationship was mediated by their lower perceived threat of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 poses significant risks to global education. It has shifted traditional learning in the classroom to remote learning at home. The Department of Education initiated a continuity plan in the Philippines that applies a remote learning approach. In remote learning, parents became active participants by being solid scaffolds for their children's learning at home. Through a phenomenological design, the study explored the lived experiences of parents during the pandemic times. The data was gathered through one-on-one interviews with each of the six parent participants, with strict observance of basic IATF protocols like mask-wearing and social distancing. The collected responses were transcribed, examined, coded, and broken down into themes. After data analysis, three significant themes emerged: the description of parents' experiences in scaffolding their children's remote learning, the help extended by the parents to minimize academic stress, and the effects of remote learning on their children's education. The analyzed data revealed that parents became successful scaffolders amid the struggles and lack thereof. Furthermore, parents realized that, while remote learning may not be the best option for their children due to demotivation in learning, it is one way to keep their children safe while learning. Based on the findings, significant measures may be adopted by the Department of Education, teachers, parents, and future researchers, particularly in enhancing modules and learning environments that are more learner-centered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk of COVID-19 infection from virulent aerosols is particularly high indoors. This is especially true for classrooms, which often do not have pre-installed ventilation and are occupied by a large number of students at the same time. It has been found that precautionary measures, such as the use of air purifiers (AP), physical distancing, and the wearing of masks, can reduce the risk of infection. To quantify the actual effect of precautions, it is not possible in experimental studies to expose subjects to virulent aerosols. Therefore, in this study, we develop a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to evaluate the impact of applying the aforementioned precautions in classrooms on reducing aerosol concentration and potential exposure in the presence of index or infected patients. A CFD-coupled Wells–Riley model is used to quantify the infection probability (IP) in the presence of index patients. Different cases are simulated by varying the occupancy of the room (half/full), the volumetric flow rate of the AP, two different locations of the AP, and the effect of wearing masks. The results suggest that using an AP reduces the spread of virulent aerosols and thereby reduces the risk of infection. However, the risk of the person sitting adjacent to the index patient is only marginally reduced and can be avoided with the half capacity of the class (physical distancing method) or by wearing face masks of high efficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personality traits play a role in prosocial behavior in relation to containment measures intended to tackle the COVID‐19 pandemic. Empirical findings indicated that individuals high in socially aversive traits such as callousness are less compliant with containment measures. This study aimed to add cross‐cultural data on the relationship between antisocial traits and adherence to COVID‐19 containment measures. The sample consisted of 4,538 adults recruited by convenience in nine countries (Australia, Brazil, England, Iraq, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States). Statistical analyses indicated two latent profiles from our sample, empathic and antisocial, and six COVID‐19 containment‐measure‐related factors using measures covering antisocial traits (PID‐5), empathy (ACME), global personality pathology (LPFS‐BF), and COVID‐19 behaviors and beliefs. Through MANCOVA, the antisocial profile consistently showed less compliance and concern about the COVID‐19 containment measures, even when controlling for demographics and local pandemic covariables. The network analysis indicated a lack of empathy and callousness as crucial traits of the predisposition to non‐compliant behavior. In elaborating on prosocial campaigns in community emergencies, our cross‐cultural findings would need to consider personality traits that focus on antisociality, anticipating similar associations and potential impacts in future disease outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: We examined fidelity and feasibility of implementation of COVID‐19 preventive measures in schools, and explored associations between adherence to these measures and staff well‐being, to inform policy on sustainable implementation and staff wellbeing. METHODS: Surveys were conducted across 128 schools in England with 107 headteachers and 2698 staff‐members with reference to autumn term 2020, examining school‐level implementation of preventive measures, adherence, and teacher burnout (response rates for headteacher and staff surveys were 84% and 59%, respectively). RESULTS: The median number of measures implemented in primary and secondary schools was 33 (range 23‐41), and 32 (range 22‐40), respectively; most measures presented challenges. No differences were found regarding number of measures implemented by school‐level socio‐economic disadvantage. High adherence was reported for staff wearing face‐coverings, staff regularly washing their hands, (secondary only) desks facing forwards, and (primary only) increased cleaning of surfaces and student hand‐washing. Adherence to most measures was reported as higher in primary than secondary schools. Over half of school leaders and 42% (517/1234) of other teaching staff suffered from high emotional exhaustion. Higher teacher‐reported school‐wide adherence with measures was consistently associated with lower burnout for leaders and other teaching staff. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate a tremendous effort in implementing preventive measures and an urgent need to support investments in improving teacher wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has posed substantial threats to global public health. Individuals are extensively exposed to interpersonal sources of health information (e.g., family, friends, colleagues, physicians, and pharmacists). Interpersonal connections often encourage people to question or reinforce other sources of health information, which can affect their perceptions and behaviors. This study integrates research on how exposure to interpersonal health communication affects people's risk perception and affective responses to influence health-protective behaviors such as health information seeking and adherence to protective measures. Findings from an online survey of U.S. adults (n = 488) demonstrated that risk perception and affective responses serve as behavioral motivation factors. The influences of cognitive and affective responses were greater to the extent that individuals believed the health-protective behaviors are beneficial. Our study illuminates how people engage in preventive health behaviors to protect themselves in the COVID-19 context and demonstrates the influence of interpersonal social networks in motivating such behaviors. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Role modelling communicates a standard of behavior to another person. Silent role modelling occurs when this standard can be communicated without articulating reasons for the action; articulate role modelling occurs when it is necessary to articulate reasons in order to effectively role model the standard of behavior, and to avoid misinterpretation. Nurses are role models in virtue of the respect and admiration given to the nursing profession. As such, nurses have role model obligations. This paper examines nurses' role model obligations for healthy behaviors and pandemic precautions. Research often identifies nurses as role models for healthy behavior, despite the fact that nurses are typically no healthier than the general population. This paper argues that nurses do not have a duty to role model healthy behaviors. The ability to adopt healthy behaviors is affected by numerous personal and individual factors. For a nurse to share their struggles to adopt healthy behaviors as articulate 'imperfect' role models violates their right to privacy. By contrast, nurses do have a moral duty to role model pandemic precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as correctly wearing appropriate masks, maintaining social distancing, avoiding gatherings of multiple households when pandemic precautions are not being taken, and staying up to date on vaccination. Nurses' duty to role model pandemic precautions does not involve sharing any personal information. Nurses have a duty to be silent role models when the risk of misinterpretation is low, and a duty to be articulate role models, who explicitly communicate reasons for the role modelled behavior, when necessary to ensure they are not misinterpreted. When articulate role modelling goes beyond the minimal role modelling duty, and imposes a comparative cost to the nurse, articulate role modelling is not obligatory, but supererogatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Social distancing policy was introduced in Israel in 2020 to reduce the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of social distancing on other infections in children, by comparing disease rate and healthcare utilization before and after social distancing. Methods This was a before-and-after study. Within this retrospective database analysis of parallel periods in 2019 (periods 1 and 2) and 2020 (periods 3 [prelockdown period] and 4 [lockdown period]) we included all pediatric population registered in the electronic medical records of the Maccabi Healthcare Services, Israel, looking at the occurrence of non–COVID-19 infections, antibiotic purchasing, physician visits, ambulatory emergency care center visits, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations. Results A total of 776 828 children were included from 2019, and 777 729 from 2020. We found a lower infection rate in 2020 versus 2019. We did not find a difference in infection rate between periods 1 and 2, while there was a significant difference between periods 3 and 4. We found a significant difference between periods 2 and 4, with a higher RR than for the comparison between periods 1 and 3. There was a modest decrease in ambulatory emergency care center visits in 2020, and lower increases in emergency department visits and hospital admissions. We found decreases in antibiotic purchasing between periods 1 and 3 and between periods 2 and 4, more pronounced in 2020 than in 2019. Conclusions Analysis of findings before and after social distancing and masking showed reduced prevalence of non–COVID-19 pediatric infections and reduced consumption of healthcare services and antibiotics related with the lockdown period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 outbreak affected the daily lives of individuals with Down syndrome, who were considered to have a higher risk of severe infection. While several studies have reported mental health issues in children and/or parents in the general population, no study has focused on people with Down syndrome and their caregivers. This study investigated the disinfection behaviors of individuals with Down syndrome and their caregivers' stress. A cross-sectional retrospective survey was conducted in October 2020. Caregivers of children and adults with Down syndrome were administered questionnaires including measures for practiced disinfection behavior in children, caregiver's child-related stress, and psychological distress. About half of the respondents' children practiced hand hygiene and mask-wearing behaviors, while physical distancing was performed less frequently. Habitual practices in physical distancing are affected by intellectual function. Logistic regression showed that caregivers' stress was associated with the irritability of individuals with the disorder (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 8.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.69–42.09) and the burden of infection-prevention behaviors for people with Down syndrome (adjusted OR = 4.26, 95% CI 1.88–9.65). This study showed the characteristics of disinfection behaviors in individuals with Down syndrome and associated factors for serious caregiver stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to determine the perceived impact of the coronavirus pandemic on physical and mental health and healthy lifestyle behaviors in community-dwelling persons with disabilities, as compared with those without disabilities. Design: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted with a web-based global survey. Results: Over 3 mos, 3550 responses were collected from 65 countries. The study included 2689 responses without skipped questions as full data for analysis. Most respondents were women (82.82%), and approximately half (52.81%) were between the ages of 25 and 39 yrs, followed by those between the ages of 40 and 60 yrs (38.6%). Among the participants, 52% indicated physical activity levels decreased and 20% reported eating less fruit and vegetables than before. Furthermore, 45% noted that they slept less than before. Perceived physical and mental health and changes to eating habits during the pandemic showed a significant difference in people with and without disabilities. Furthermore, perceived effects on physical health had a significant effect on the reported degree of disability. Conclusions: This study indicates that the pandemic had a larger impact on perceived physical and mental health and changes in eating habits and tobacco use among people with disabilities than people without disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]