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Misinformation about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a significant threat to global public health because it can inadvertently exacerbate public health challenges by promoting spread of the disease. This study used a convenience sampling technique to examine factors associated with misinformation about COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa using an online cross-sectional survey. A link to the online self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 1,969 participants through social media platforms and the authors' email networks. Four false statements-informed by results from a pilot study-were included in the survey. The participants' responses were classified as "Agree," "Neutral," and "Disagree." A multinomial logistic regression was used to examine associated factors. Among those who responded to the survey, 19.3% believed that COVID-19 was designed to reduce world population, 22.2% thought the ability to hold your breath for 10 seconds meant that you do not have COVID-19, 27.8% believed drinking hot water flushes down the virus, and 13.9% thought that COVID-19 had little effect on Blacks compared with Whites. An average of 33.7% were unsure whether the 4 false statements were true. Multivariate analysis revealed that those who thought COVID-19 was unlikely to continue in their countries reported higher odds of believing in these 4 false statements. Other significant factors associated with belief in misinformation were age (older adults), employment status (unemployed), gender (female), education (bachelor's degree), and knowledge about the main clinical symptoms of COVID-19. Strategies to reduce the spread of false information about COVID-19 and other future pandemics should target these subpopulations, especially those with limited education. This will also enhance compliance with public health measures to reduce spread of further outbreaks.

This article presents the spatial patterns of general and high-tech start-up rates and explores regional factors associated with entrepreneurship in U.S. micropolitan areas. Regression results show that general entrepreneurship in these small cities is predicted by population growth, the middle-age population group, the presence of small businesses, and natural amenities. Additionally, high-tech start-up activities are positively associated with human capital, creative knowledge (instead of technological knowledge), high-tech clustering, and proximity to a large metropolitan area. These findings are compared with the patterns in larger metropolitan areas. This research sheds light on local entrepreneurship policy in the small-city context.

The purpose of this study is to determine the factors associated with adverse maternal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in urban Fiji. This cross-sectional study used data from existing records of singleton pregnant women with GDM attending the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) Suva Fiji between June 2013 and May 2014. Data retrieved included demographic data, antenatal and intrapartum care data, route of delivery, treatment modality, and maternal risk factors. The prevalence of GDM is 3.0%, n = 255/8698, and the most frequent maternal complications were induction of labor (66%), C-section (32%), and preeclampsia (19%), and 25% had babies with birthweight > 4 kg. Older women (≥ 36 years) and those treated with insulin were 5.2 times and 10.7 times, respectively, more likely to have labor induction during childbirth compared with younger women and those on dietary management. Family history of diabetes was associated with 2.4× and/or 2.5× higher odds of cesarean delivery and/or develop hypertension in pregnancy, respectively. Parity > 5 children and diagnoses of GDM after the first trimester reduced the odds of cesarean delivery. The odds of developing preeclampsia in GDM was 3.4 times higher (95% confidence interval (CI) of adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.03, 18.78) among obese women than normal-weight women, and married women were less likely to have babies with birthweight > 4 kg. The prevalence of and adverse outcomes among women with GDM attending antenatal public health care in Suva Fiji were higher than previously reported from the hospital. Older and multiparous women with GDM, those insulin treated, and with a strong family history and high body mass index (BMI) need special attention and better monitoring by health care personnel to reduce adverse outcomes during pregnancy.

The use of mathematical and numerical techniques to elucidate arterial hemodynamics has increased in recent years owing to the prevalence of arterial diseases. Many works have appeared employing three-dimensional models to simulate blood flow in arteries. However, this comes at a huge computational cost and power. In this work, a mathematical model for simulating and predicting blood flow dynamics in an arterial vessel has been developed to meet the teeming need for a computationally-cheap numerical model. The time-dependent one-dimensional hyperbolic system of quasilinear partial differential equations was established from the consideration of physical conservation laws of momentum and mass. This fluid-structure interaction model also incorporates an elastic mural model of the compliant arterial wall material. The combined arterial flow model was solved to simulate flow in the iliac artery using the method of lines. The results revealed that arterial hemodynamics can be adequately captured by a one-dimensional model as proposed. Also, the simulations generated for idealized healthy states could serve as a base model for the numerical simulation of diseased states in the artery.

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Background Vaccination remains the most powerful weapon against the emergence of new variants of coronavirus (COVID-19). However, false information about COVID-19 vaccines through various platforms including social media remain a major threat to global public health. The study examined the impact of information sources on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and resistance in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods A validated web-based questionnaire was administered in French and English to 2572 participants from sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries including Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, who were aged 18 years and over. An e-link to the survey was disseminated via emails and posted on social media platforms (Facebook and WhatsApp). The COVID-19 vaccination status (vaccinated, hesitancy and resistance) and their association with sources of information (mainstream media and social media) were assessed by conducting multinomial logistic regression analyses. Results The prevalence of vaccine resistance and hesitancy in SSA was higher among social media users (72.2 and 84.5%) and those that watched TV (73.0 and 79.7%), but lower among newspaper readers (42.5 and 36.7%) respectively, during the pandemic. Multivariate analysis revealed that Southern and Central African respondents were more likely rely on TV for information, women and those who smoke were more likely to rely on friends and family members for information during the pandemic. Lower education (primary education or less) was associated with lower likelihood of social media use for COVID-19 related information compared with postgraduate qualification (aOR 0.36, 95%CI 0.20, 0.62). Resistance to COVID-19 vaccination was associated with reliance families and friends (aOR 1.44, 95%CI = 1.08, 1.93), watching TV (aOR 1.54, 95%CI = 1.11, 2.14) and social media use (adjusted odds ratio aOR 2.93, 95%CI = 2.10, 4.09), which was also associated with vaccine hesitancy (aOR 1.46, 95%CI = 1.15, 1.85) among the respondents. Conclusions Our study showed that reliance on social media and television had the strongest impact on vaccine hesitancy. However, further research and investments are needed to improve the availability of reliable healthcare information in these channels to protect people and empower them to make appropriate choices about their health.

Background Vaccination remains the most powerful weapon against the emergence of new variants of coronavirus (COVID-19). However, false information about COVID-19 vaccines through various platforms including social media remains a major threat to global public health. This study examined the impact of information sources on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and resistance in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods A validated web-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 14 March to 16 May 2021, and was administered in both French and English to 2572 participants aged 18 years and over. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, medical and vaccination history, and the information sources (mainstream media and social media) used by the participants during the pandemic were obtained. There were three main outcomes: The vaccinated group were those who responded in the affirmation (Yes) to the question of whether they have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Those who responded ‘not sure’ or ‘no’ to the question were then asked if they were willing to be vaccinated when the vaccine became available in their home countries. The responses to this follow-up question were used to derive the second and third outcome variables of ‘vaccine hesitancy’ and ‘vaccine resistance’, respectively. A series of logistic regression analyses were used to examine the impact of information sources on the three main outcomes. Results The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the participants was lowest among newspaper readers (42%) and highest among TV (72%) and social media users (73%). The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine-resistance was also lowest among newspaper readers (37%) but highest among social media users (87%). Multivariate analyses revealed that compared to those who did not use these information sources, SSA participants who relied on the radio (aOR 0.83, 95%CI = 0.70, 0.99), TV (aOR 0.80, 95%CI = 0.65, 0.97) and social media (aOR 0.79, 95%CI = 0.65, 0.97) for information during the pandemic were less likely to be hesitant towards taking the vaccines. However, social media users (aOR 2.13, 95%CI = 1.62, 2.80), those who watched TV (aOR 1.40, 95%CI =1.08, 1.80), relied on healthcare workers (HCWs: aOR 1.32, 95%CI = 1.07, 1.63) and families/friends (aOR 1.31, 95%CI = 1.06, 1.61) for COVID-19 related information during the pandemic were more likely to resist taking the COVID vaccines in this study. Participants who relied on the newspaper for information during the pandemic were less likely to resist the vaccines (aOR 0.77, 95%CI = 0.62, 0.95) compared to non-readers of a newspaper. Conclusion We found that all six information sources except radio were strong predictors of the resistance towards COVID-19 vaccination. Further research on how these channels can be used to improve the availability of reliable healthcare information is needed. Investments in these resources will protect people and empower them to make appropriate choices about their health.

Social media addiction has attracted the attention of researchers especially during the COVID era because negative emotions generated from the pandemic may have increased social media addiction. The present study aimed to investigate the role of negative emotions and social media addiction on health problems during and after the COVID lockdown. A survey was conducted with 2926 participants aged between 25 and 45 years. The data collection period was between 2nd September and 13th October 2020. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling was conducted for data analysis by controlling the respondents' working time, leisure time, gender, education, and age. Our study showed that social media addiction and time spent on social media impact health. Interestingly, while anxiety about COVID increased social media addiction, fear about COIVD reduced social media addiction. Also, long working hours contributed most to people’s health issues, and its impact on social media addiction and hours was much higher than negative emotions, where males faced more health challenges than females. The impacts of negative emotions generated by the COVID on social media addiction and health issues should be reconsidered. Government and employers' control of people's working time stress should prioritize solving social media addiction-related issues.

Background Adolescent girls face several challenges relating to menstruation and its proper management. Lack of adequate sanitary products, inadequate water supply, and privacy for changing sanitary pads continue to leave adolescent girls with limited options for safe and proper menstrual hygiene in many low-income settings, including Ethiopia. These situations are also compounded by societal myths, stigmas surrounding menstruation, and discriminatory social norms. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled proportion of safe menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls in Ethiopia using the available studies. Methods We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, African Journal Online (AJOL), Hinari, Science Direct, ProQuest, Direct of Open Access Journals, POPLINE, and Cochrane Library database inception to May 31, 2021. Studies reporting the proportion of menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls in Ethiopia were considered. The Cochrane Q test statistics and I2 tests were used to assess the heterogeneity of the included studies. Since the included studies revealed considerable heterogeneity, a random effect meta-analysis model was used to estimate the pooled proportion of menstrual hygiene management (MHM). Results Of 1,045 identified articles, 22 studies were eligible for analysis (n = 12,330 participants). The pooled proportion (PP) of safe MHM in Ethiopia was 52.69% (95%CI: 44.16, 61.22). The use of commercial menstrual absorbents was common 64.63% (95%CI: 55.32, 73.93, I2 99.2%) followed by homemade cloth 53.03% (95%CI: 22.29, 83.77, I2 99.2%). Disposal of absorbent material into the latrine was the most common practice in Ethiopia 62.18% (95%CI: 52.87, 71.49, I2 98.7%). One in four girls reported missing one or more school days during menstruation (PP: 32.03%, 95%CI: 22.65%, 41.40%, I2 98.2%). Conclusion This study revealed that only half of the adolescent girls in Ethiopia had safe MHM practices. To ensure that girls in Ethiopia can manage menstruation hygienically and with dignity, strong gender-specific water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities along with strong awareness creation activities at every level are needed.

Introduction: Understanding the specific geospatial variations in childhood stunting is essential for aligning appropriate health services to where new and/or additional nutritional interventions are required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and national targets. Objectives: We described local variations in the prevalence of childhood stunting at the second administrative level and its determinants in Nigeria after accounting for the influence of geospatial dependencies. Methods: This study used the 2018 national Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey datasets (NDHS; N = 12,627). We used a Bayesian geostatistical modelling approach to investigate the prevalence of stunting at the second administrative level and its proximal and contextual determinants among children under five years of age in Nigeria. Results: In 2018, the overall prevalence of childhood stunting in Nigeria was 41.5% (95% credible interval (CrI) from 26.4% to 55.7%). There were striking variations in the prevalence of stunting that ranged from 2.0% in Shomolu in Lagos State, Southern Nigeria to 66.4% in Biriniwa in Jigawa State, Northern Nigeria. Factors positively associated with stunting included being perceived as small at the time of birth and experience of three or more episodes of diarrhoea in the two weeks before the survey. Children whose mothers received a formal education and/or were overweight or obese were less likely to be stunted compared to their counterparts. Children who were from rich households, resided in households with improved cooking fuel, resided in urban centres, and lived in medium-rainfall geographic locations were also less likely to be stunted. Conclusion: The study findings showed wide variations in childhood stunting in Nigeria, suggesting the need for a realignment of health services to the poorest regions of Northern Nigeria.