Facemask-wearing behavior to prevent COVID-19 and associated factors among public and private bank workers in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Given widespread vulnerability to COVID-19 infection in areas with low vaccination rates, facemask wearing is repeatedly emphasized for the general population including bank workers, who have contact with many customers each day. Over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, studies focused on facemask wearing among healthcare workers but not among bank workers, who are also at risk of COVID-19. To address this gap and to consider intervention measures that encourage the wearing of facemasks, this study was conducted to identify behaviors of facemask wearing and associated factors among bank workers in Dessie City, Ethiopia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 413 bank workers who were selected using a simple random sampling technique from January 1st to 30th, 2021 in Dessie City, Ethiopia. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and on-the-spot observational checklist. The collected data were checked, coded and entered to EpiData version 4.6 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 for data cleaning and analysis. Data were analyzed using bivariable (crude odds ratio [COR]) and multivariable (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]) logistic regression model at 95% confidence interval (CI). Variables from the bivariable analysis with a p-value <0.25 were considered for multivariable analysis. Then, variables that had a p-value <0.05 were declared as factors significantly associated with behavior of facemask wearing. MAIN FINDINGS: In this study, the behavior of facemask wearing among bank workers was 50.4% [95%CI: 45.3-55.2%] with 21.1% always wearing a facemask, 72.4% sometimes, and 6.5% never. A majority of the bank workers 350 (84.7%) had good knowledge of COVID-19 and half of them 208 (50.4%) had a positive attitude towards taking precautions against COVID-19. Just over two-thirds of the respondents 284 (68.8%) preferred to wear a non-medical mask. Two hundred fifty-five (61.7%) said wearing a facemask interfered with communication and 259 (62.7%) felt that wearing a facemask was not comfortable. Facemask-wearing behavior was significantly associated with a high level of positive attitude towards taking precautions against COVID-19 (AOR = 3.27, 95% CI: 1.75-6.11), the perception that the consequences of getting COVID-19 could be serious (AOR = 4.87, 95% CI: 2.38-9.94), the presence of chronic illness (AOR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.07-4.48), sex being female (AOR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.06-3.32) and age being greater or equal to 35 years (AOR = 9.25, 95% CI: 4.79-17.88). CONCLUSION: The main finding of the study showed that the behavior of facemask wearing among bank workers was relatively low (50.4%) compared to other types of workers as found in other studies. To increase the behavior of facemask wearing among bank workers, health decision makers need to develop updated guidance for promotion of facemask wearing to increase the practical and appropriate use of facemasks among bank workers. Bank managers and concerned government bodies should enforce mask use to change behavior of these workers.

Interrogating the World Bank's role in global health knowledge production, governance, and finance.

BACKGROUND: In the nearly half century since it began lending for population projects, the World Bank has become one of the largest financiers of global health projects and programs, a powerful voice in shaping health agendas in global governance spaces, and a mass producer of evidentiary knowledge for its preferred global health interventions. How can social scientists interrogate the role of the World Bank in shaping 'global health' in the current era? MAIN BODY: As a group of historians, social scientists, and public health officials with experience studying the effects of the institution's investment in health, we identify three challenges to this research. First, a future research agenda requires recognizing that the Bank is not a monolith, but rather has distinct inter-organizational groups that have shaped investment and discourse in complicated, and sometimes contradictory, ways. Second, we must consider how its influence on health policy and investment has changed significantly over time. Third, we must analyze its modes of engagement with other institutions within the global health landscape, and with the private sector. The unique relationships between Bank entities and countries that shape health policy, and the Bank's position as a center of research, permit it to have a formative influence on health economics as applied to international development. Addressing these challenges, we propose a future research agenda for the Bank's influence on global health through three overlapping objects of and domains for study: knowledge-based (shaping health policy knowledge), governance-based (shaping health governance), and finance-based (shaping health financing). We provide a review of case studies in each of these categories to inform this research agenda. CONCLUSIONS: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, and as state and non-state actors work to build more inclusive and robust health systems around the world, it is more important than ever to consider how to best document and analyze the impacts of Bank's financial and technical investments in the Global South.

Network-based risk measurements for interbank systems.

This paper focuses on evaluating the systemic risk in interbank networks, proposing a series of measurements: risk distance, risk degree and m-order risk degree. The proposed measurements are formally proven to have good basic and extended properties that are able to reflect the effect of bank size, liability size, liability distribution, and the discount factor on the default risk, not only of a single bank, but also of the entire system. Additionally, the abovementioned properties and the relationship between risk distance and financial contagion indicate the rationality embodied in the proposed measurements. This paper also provides some implications on how to decrease or prevent the systemic risk in an interbank system.

Expanding access to primary healthcare for women through a microfinance institution: A case study from rural Guatemala.

The utilization of existing social networks is increasingly being recognized as a powerful strategy for delivering healthcare services to underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries. In Guatemala, multiple barriers prevent access to healthcare services for rural and indigenous populations, and strategies for delivering healthcare in more efficient ways are needed. The case study we describe here is a unique collaboration between a microfinance institution (Friendship Bridge) and a primary care organization (Wuqu' Kawoq | Maya Health Alliance) to scale up healthcare through an existing lending-borrowing social network. The program provides primary care services to female clients of Friendship Bridge in rural areas of Guatemala, with nurses working as frontline primary care providers, providing door-to-door healthcare services. Over the first 22 months of the project, we have reached over 3500 of Friendship Bridge's clients, with overall high acceptance of services. All clinical documentation and program monitoring and evaluation are done through audit trails within an electronical medical record system, which improves efficiency and lowers the associated time and resources costs. We utilize quality improvement methodologies to aid in decision making and programmatic adjustments scale up. These strategies have allowed us to expand services rapidly under challenging geographic and logistical constraints, while concurrently iteratively improving staff training and supervision, clinical care, and client engagement processes.

Cyclic motifs in the Sardex monetary network.

From decentralized banking systems to digital community currencies, the way humans perceive and use money is changing1-3, thus creating novel opportunities for solving important economic and social problems. Here, we study Sardex, a fast-growing community currency in Sardinia (involving 1,477 businesses arrayed in a network with 48,170 transactions) using network analysis to shed light on its operation. Based on our experience with its day-to-day operations, we propose performance metrics tailored for Sardex but also to similar economic systems, introduce criteria for identifying prominent economic actors and investigate the interplay between network structure and economic robustness. Leveraging new methods for quantifying network 'cyclic density' and 'k-cycle centrality,' we show that geodesic transaction cycles, where money flows in a circle through the network, are prevalent and that certain nodes have a pivotal role in them. We analyse the transactions within cycles and find that the economic turnover of the involved firms is higher, and that excessive currency and debt accumulations are lower. We also measure a similar, but secondary, effect for nodes and edges that serve as intermediaries to many transactions. These metrics are strong indicators of the success of such mutual credit systems at individual and collective levels.

Providing primary health care through integrated microfinance and health services in Latin America.

The simultaneous burdens of communicable and chronic non-communicable diseases cause significant morbidity and mortality in middle-income countries. The poor are at particular risk, with lower access to health care and higher rates of avoidable mortality. Integrating health-related services with microfinance has been shown to improve health knowledge, behaviors, and access to appropriate health care. However, limited evidence is available on effects of fully integrating clinical health service delivery alongside microfinance services through large scale and sustained long-term programs. Using a conceptual model of health services access, we examine supply- and demand-side factors in a microfinance client population receiving integrated services. We conduct a case study using data from 2010 to 2012 of the design of a universal screening program and primary care services provided in conjunction with microfinance loans by Pro Mujer, a women's development organization in Latin America. The program operates in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru. We analyze descriptive reports and administrative data for measures related to improving access to primary health services and management of chronic diseases. We find provision of preventive care is substantial, with an average of 13% of Pro Mujer clients being screened for cervical cancer each year, 21% receiving breast exams, 16% having a blood glucose measurement, 39% receiving a blood pressure measurement, and 46% having their body mass index calculated. This population, with more than half of those screened being overweight or obese and 9% of those screened having elevated glucose measures, has major risk factors for diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease without intervention. The components of the Pro Mujer health program address four dimensions of healthcare access: geographic accessibility, availability, affordability, and acceptability. Significant progress has been made to meet basic health needs, but challenges remain to ensure that health care provided is of reliable quality to predictably improve health outcomes over time.

[Development of Human Health Discoveries. 10 years results of Young Innovative Company incubation]. / Le développement des découvertes en Santé Humaine. Résultats de 10 ans d'incubation de Jeunes Entreprises Innovantes.

Medicine is evolving every day in its operating procedures and the services offered to patients, emphasizing personalized medicine, safety and medical benefits. The individual patient is more than ever the hub of healthcare organization. Medical innovation is thus a public health priority. However it requires an accurate assessment of medical utility and risk-benefit ratios, and in-depth analysis of economic and organizational impacts. Ten years of experience in the Paris Biotech Santé company incubator has identified key actions for effective support of research projects and the success of innovative companies. Strong expertise is needed to prepare development plans, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and obtain research funding. During its first decade, this incubator has created 87 innovative companies employing 1500 people, raised more than 90 million euros of funding, and reached a cumulative company value of 1200 million euros. Key factors of success have been identified, but an analysis of the causes of failure shows that operational adjustments are mandatory, particularly a strong commitment from medical experts, in order to promote access to new and useful products for patients while at the same time assessing their social impact.

Dilemas pessoais no trabalho imaterial bancário / Personal dilemmas in the banking immaterial labour

Visando destacar e analisar a vivência de dilemas pessoais ante a lógica do trabalho imaterial bancário, a presente pesquisa exploratória de orientação qualitativa aliou o suporte teórico oferecido, principalmente, por Bauman, Sennett e Gaulejac ao campo empírico referente ao trabalho bancário. A coleta de dados deu-se por meio da realização de entrevistas individuais semiestruturadas e de grupos focais, que somaram um total de 38 sujeitos da pesquisa. Analisados à luz da literatura pertinente, os resultados indicam que a vivência de dilemas pessoais no trabalho imaterial bancário está relacionada ao medo da incompetência e estigma de perdedor, ao nomadismo involuntário, à captura e dominação do tempo de vida, à corrida individualizada para o mérito, ao medo da estagnação profissional e à saúde na precarização das relações de trabalho.

The present qualitative exploratory research aims to analyze the experience of personal dilemmas in the context of banking immaterial labor. The theoretical support is mainly offered by Bauman, Sennett and Gaulejac. The data collection method used was semi-structured individual interviews and two focus groups, all counting 38 participants. The results were analyzed according to the pertinent literature and they indicate that personal dilemmas in the banking work are related to fear of incompetence stigma; to the involuntary nomadism; to the fact that work captures and dominates time after work; to competition for merit; fear of professional stagnation; and to health conditions under precarious labor relations.