The impact of positive thinking on anxiety level of corona virus/ covid-19 infection during the lockdown among UNRWA staff in Jordan.

The current study aimed to identify the impact of positive thinking on the anxiety of Coronavirus infection through the lockdown among UNRWA staff in Jordan. To achieve the objectives of the study, three measures were developed, the Positive Thinking Scale, the anxiety level of Coronavirus Infection Scale, and the lockdown Scale. A sample of (2036) employees responded to the measures. The results showed that the level of anxiety for COVID -19 infection among the sample was high, and statistically significant differences were found in the level of Covid-19 infection anxiety according to the sex variable for females, also statistically differences were found in the level of anxiety in COVID-19 infection according to age in favor of (31-40), and statistically differences for the social status in favor of married couples. Results also showed a direct negative impact of positive thinking variable on the level of anxiety associated with COVID-19 infection, and an effect of positive thinking on the level of anxiety during activating the lockdown. The study recommends designing training programs for employees to help them adapt to different circumstances and enable them to continue performing their assigned work. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of An-Najah University Journal for Research, B: Humanities is the property of An-Najah National University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Prescription Opioid Use Among Cancer Patients before and after the Onset of COVID-19: Evidence from Real-World Data

Objectives: Opioids play a significant role in the effective management of cancer-related pain. The COVID-19 lock down may have reduced access to opioids and caused a decline in the use of prescription of opioids among cancer survivors. This study compared opioid prescription rates among cancer survivors before and after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic using real-world electronic health records (EHR). Method(s): Cohort analyses of cancer patients using data from EHR database from the TriNetX, a global federated health research network across 76 healthcare organizations. We analyzed changes in prescription opioid use before (March 1, 2018, through March 1, 2019) and after onset of COVID-19 (April 01, 2020, through March 2021) among cancer survivors. The key outcome variable was any opioid prescription within 1 year of cancer diagnosis. One-to-one propensity score matching was used to balance the characteristics (age, sex, race, diagnoses including diabetes, hypertensive diseases, overweight, mood disorders, and visual disturbances) of the two cohorts. Data were analyzed using the TriNetX platform. Result(s): There were 1,502,143 cancer survivors before COVID-19 and 1,412,599 cancer survivors after the onset of COVID-19. The one-to-one propensity-score match yielded 1,382,561 cancer patients, mean age 64 at cancer diagnosis, and 73% were white. Percentage of opioid use among cancer patients declined from 35.6% before the COVID-19 to 35.1% after the onset of the pandemic (OR=0.976, 95% CI 0.971-0.981). Average number of opioid prescriptions within 1 year of cancer diagnosis declined from 5.7 before to 5.3 after the COVID-19 onset (p<0.001). Conclusion(s): Among cancer survivors, a small decline in prescription opioid use was observed after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies are needed to distinguish the impact of revised guidelines, opioid prescription policy changes, and COVID-19 lock down on lower rates of prescription opioid use among cancer survivors.Copyright © 2023

The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Ambient Air Quality in Shanghai, 2022

The COVID-19 lockdown contributes to the improvement of air quality. Most previous studies have attributed this to the reduction of human activity while ignoring the meteorological changes, this may lead to an overestimation or underestimation of the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on air pollution levels. To investigate this issue, we propose an XGBoost-based model to predict the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 during the COVID-19 lockdown period in 2022, Shanghai, and thus explore the limits of anthropogenic emission on air pollution levels by comprehensively employing the meteorological factors and the concentrations of other air pollutants. Results demonstrate that actual observations of PM2.5 and PM10 during the COVID-19 lockdown period were reduced by 60.81% and 43.12% compared with the predicted values (regarded as the period without the lockdown measures). In addition, by comparing with the time series prediction results without considering meteorological factors, the actual observations of PM2.5 and PM10 during the lockdown period were reduced by 50.20% and 19.06%, respectively, against the predicted values during the non-lockdown period. The analysis results indicate that ignoring meteorological factors will underestimate the positive impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on air quality. © 2023 by the authors.

Social media use, psychological well-being and physical health during lockdown

In efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, many countries have implemented a variety of lockdown and quarantine measures. With substantially reduced face-to-face interactions, many people may have relied heavily on social media for connection, information, and entertainment. However, little is known about the psychological and physical health implications of social media use during strict lockdown. The current study investigates the associations of social media use with psychological well-being and physical health among Wuhan residents (N = 1214). Our findings showed that non-COVID related self-disclosure was positively associated with psychological well-being, while COVID related information consumption and sharing were negatively associated with psychological well-being. Further, more generic use of social media was associated with lower psychological well-being, which in turn related to more somatic symptoms. Quarantined people used social media more frequently than non-quarantined people. Importantly, the negative association between social media use and psychological well-being was significantly stronger for quarantined people than unquarantined people. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Information, Communication & Society is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Neighbourhood governance, citizen initiatives and media application: Investigating community group buying during Shanghai's COVID lockdown

Academic debates highlight bureaucratic steering of crisis governance in authoritarian China. Nonetheless, the crisis response from the bottom up has been less represented. To address this lacuna, we explore how citizens initiate the crisis response in the neighbourhood by investigating Community Group Buying (CGB) during the 2022 pandemic lockdown in Shanghai. We qualitatively analyze the narratives of Chinese stakeholders, to get insight into the dynamics, components and implications of CGB. This study indicates that facing urgent needs and the failure of institutional response system, community residents leveraged social media to bond together to purchase essentials in bulk during the lockdown. The components of CGB involve: constructing online interactive spaces, creating community conventions, forming leadership, optimizing CGB procedures, legitimizing CGB by social media promotion. CGB favoured neighbourhood ties and advanced civic participation and increased the reciprocal interaction of the state and society and the responsiveness of policy practitioners to public demands during crises. However, local disagreements eroded volunteerism and citizens' initiatives in neighbourhood governance to some extent. Our study will not only deepen global audiences' understanding of spontaneous neighbourhood governance in authoritarian China, but also contribute neighbourhood-level solutions for responding to the future crises globally.

Economic development in a pandemic: Reflections from Melbourne, ‘the world's most locked-down city'

This paper explores the key principles of economic development in a pandemic. It does so by drawing on the lessons learned through the economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Australian city of Melbourne. Melburnians experienced 263 days largely confined to their homes, one of the longest lockdown periods in the world, resulting in deserted city streets and a devastated central city economy. The experience forced the City of Melbourne to adopt a range of unique and innovative responses, first to keep businesses afloat during lockdown, and then to reactivate the city. Melbourne did this while keeping a focus on longer-term economic development. This somewhat unique experience makes Melbourne a useful case study informing best-practice economic development in a pandemic. Key lessons emerging from Melbourne's experience include the need to respond and iterate rapidly, the importance of collaboration with stakeholders and other tiers of government, and the need to maintain a focus on multiple time horizons, even in the midst of the crisis. These insights are potentially transferrable to economic development responses to other crises, including those catalysed by climate change. © 2023, Henry Stewart Publications. All rights reserved.

Child, adolescent, and parent mental health in general population during a year of COVID-19 pandemic in belgium: a cross-sectional study

Background: This study aims to evaluate the mental health status of children, adolescents and their parents during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium. Method(s): Analysis compared results before and during the second national lockdown, which started on November 2nd 2020. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between May 2020 and April 2021. Result(s): Two hundred and eighteen adults and 273 children fully completed the survey. Almost one in five children (17.9%) presented moderate-to-severe scores of depression. Adolescents presented a higher level of depression than children (p = 0.007). The rate of moderate-to-severe depression scores (10.8% to 21%, p = 0.007) and internalized symptoms increased during the second lockdown (p < 0.001). Parents' depression (p < 0.001) and anxiety (p = 0.027) levels also increased during the second lockdown. Logistic regression showed that the use of psychotropic medication in parents and parents' depression scores were risk factors for children to have worse depression scores. Conclusion(s): The second lockdown appears to worsen the effects of the pandemic on children's and parents' mental health. There is a need to implement specific interventions targeting both children/adolescents and their parents to support them during lockdown periods and improve mental health outcomes.Copyright © 2022, The Author(s).

Impact of Particulate Matter on Pre- and Post-Covid Lockdown in the Wards of Urban Jaipur

The impact of air pollutants on human health is a major issue that developing nations are facing in last decade. Effect of particulate matter especially PM2.5 and PM10 has been severely affecting mortality and morbidity in Rajasthan state as per global lead medical journal Lancet recent publication. Twelve air pollutant-monitoring sta tions in Jaipur city are not enough to predict the exact concentration of air pollutants in each of the 91 wards of Jaipur. In absence of accurate concentration at micro level, it becomes a major challenge for urban planners to remedial strategies. In this paper through GIS spatial distribution, a comparative study of particulate matter at each of the 91 wards during pre-lockdown for the year 2019 and post-lockdown 2020 was done. Results for 2020 showed slightly less pollution;similarly, air purity index, an indicator for healthier environment, was determined for each ward. © 2023 Scientific Publishers. All rights reserved.

Covid-19 lockdown effect on aerosol optical depth in Delhi National Capital Region, India

Coronavirus cases in India have been steadily increasing since March 2020. COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been managed by a variety of preventative measures. A prominent measure by the Government of India to prevent the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) began on March 25, 2020, with a complete suspension of all outdoor activities throughout the country. Such complete lockdown has resulted in a decrease in anthropogenic emissions, which is partly due to restrictions on human activities. Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), a landlocked area, suffers from high amounts of aerosols due to both natural and anthropogenic sources. The present research focuses on changes in Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) prior to and during lockdown (initial and second lockdown phases) around satellite cities (Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Gurugram) of Delhi using high-resolution MODIS AOD product. With the implementation of lockdown measures in phase I and phase III of the current study region, AOD decreased dramatically, while phase II and phase IV lockdown phases had a higher concentration of aerosol. An unexpected increase in AOD occurred during the second lockdown compared with the initial lockdown and before the lockdown. Overall, the average percentage change from 2019 to 2020 during first lockdown is -4.44%, while the average percentage change from 2020 to 2021 is 27.63%. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Forum geografic.

The Antecedents of Consumer Satisfaction Toward OTT Platforms During COVID-19 Lockdown in India

The outbreak of COVID-19 has emerged as the biggest threat to human life. It has changed the entire lifestyle of human beings concerning their emotional stability and cognitive development. Enjoyment is one of the emotions and acts as a positive stimulus that a consumer used to feel and seeks for a balanced life. Since the nationwide lockdown was implemented on March 25, 2020, people have turned restless about how to enjoy themselves at home, as all of their options of going out were being shattered. It was the time when continuous innovations in the form of digital content through over-the-top (OTT) platforms flourished and provided an affordable and diversified entertainment source to consumers. These OTT services help consumers to view the contents via the Internet directly. Furthermore, it has drastically changed people's preferences toward diversified content based on their choices. This study aims to explore the various determinants affecting consumer satisfaction toward the OTT platforms amid COVID-19 crisis in India. The study's main findings revealed that among the demographic variables, age group of the consumer largely influences their satisfaction toward OTT platforms. Moreover, work from home, affordability, convenience, and content quality are the significant determinants affecting consumer satisfaction levels toward OTT platforms. The study is relevant to the current marketing scenario, as it provides useful insights for the content developers of the major OTT platforms such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Voot, and many others to enhance the consumer satisfaction in the terms of digital content consumption.

Care and domestic work through crises. Juggling with space and time in athens

The paper discusses changing conditions of care and domestic work in Greece in the context of the ongoing health crisis, which follows a long period of successive and simultaneous crises (financial, social, pandemic, refugee, war) and extreme neoliberal policies implemented to control them. The focus is on the burden that women (have to) assume in conjunctures which reinstate care (and domestic work) as "women's work”, with particular emphasis in the periods of "lockdown” adopted by the government in order to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The general overview is supported by research in Athens and material from interviews with women who juggle with space and time as they struggle to care for the self and for others while adhering to personal goals and aspirations, as well as to the "social benefits” of previous decades of relative prosperity. © 2023, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. All rights reserved.

Impact of COVID-19 Lock Down on Quality of Life among Primary Caregivers of Individuals with Schizophrenia in Rural Areas

BACKGROUND: The lockdown would become the primary strategy for facing covid-19 as it quickly mutates which might cause repeated pandemics;however, it negatively affects individuals' quality of life (QOL). The schizophrenia caregivers experience considerable stress. The research on the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on QOL of schizophrenia caregivers is essential, especially for those who reside in rural areas. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the impact of lockdown-related COVID-19 on QOL among primary caregivers of schizophrenia patients living in a rural area. METHOD(S): This study recruited 204 primary caregivers (15-79 years). This study used the World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) to asses QOL's primary caregiver. Evaluate the possible change in caregivers' QOL before and during the COVID-19 lockdown using paired t-test for repeated measures. RESULT(S): The mean age of the caregivers was 46.61 years (SD = 12.79), ranging from 15 to 79 years, with a preponderance of male (54.5%), aged 38-47 years old (29.7%), married (81.2%), employed (57.4%), and had senior high school level of education (34.7%). Majority were parents (26.2%) of the ill relative, and took care of the patients more than 5 years (52.5%). There was a statistical difference (p < 0.05) in caregivers' QOL between before and during the COVID-19 lockdown, including in physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environment domain. CONCLUSION(S): Implementing a lockdown policy related to COVID-19 has negatively impacted the caregivers' QOL. The degradation of caregivers' QOL showed from before to during COVID-19 lockdown. Further study needs to explore the QOL of other mental illness caregivers regarding COVID-19 lockdown. This finding becomes a reference for a government to modify some policy-related lockdowns to minimize their negative impact.Copyright © 2023 Utomo Utomo, Eko Mulyadi, Endang Fauziyah.

Changes in stress intensity associated with gastrointestinal health in students population during the COVID-19 lockdown

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions from routine life habits had a tremendous impact on psychological and physical health of youth. It is known that stress, anxiety and depression can be associated with the development of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and known to exacerbate present GI symptoms. The pandemic has forced many changes in the behavior of student population such as the studying in an asocial environment. The aim of this study was to examine and quantify the influence of stress onto the quality of life and GI symptoms in the student population in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), before and during the pandemic lockdown. Methods: A total of 279 students from B&H were assessed for their GI and emotional status in pre-COVID period and during the COVID period using validated instruments: GI symptom rating scale (GSRS), Visceral Sensitivity Index, and the Patient Health Questionnaire 15-item Somatic Symptom Severity Scale. Results: The results showed that moderate and severe GI symptoms were more frequently present among student population at the time of the pandemic than in period before pandemic. The most pronounced symptoms were bloating syndrome and abdominal pain syndrome according to the GSRS. Conclusions: We concluded that concern for one's health and changed way of life are directly related to a worsening of the symptoms of GI disorders in the student population. Further research should go in the direction of early prevention of GI disorders that take root in early youth and later develop into chronic forms. © 2023 Lejla Usanovic, et al.;licensee University of Sarajevo - Faculty of Health Studies. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cities of Central Asia: New hotspots of air pollution in the world

Central Asian cities are one of the hotspots for air pollution worldwide. There are limited studies and knowledge regarding air quality variation in this region. This study investigated PM2.5 temporal variations and the influence of meteorological parameters on PM2.5 concentrations for six major cities in Central Asia: Almaty and Astana (Kazakhstan), Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Dushanbe (Tajikistan), and Tashkent (Uzbekistan). The results show severe air quality deterioration in the cities with annual PM2.5 concentrations up to ten-fold higher than the limits. A clear seasonal pattern with winter peaks was observed in Almaty, Bishkek, and Astana, whereas winter and summer were highly polluted in Tashkent and Dushanbe. Based on the pollution profiles, cities were classified into several clusters. Episodes with high PM2.5 concentrations were evaluated for regional pollutant transportation using the HYSPLIT model. The results of this investigation highlight a significant discrepancy in official emissions inventory studies. While previous studies have suggested that transportation is the primary source of air pollution, the approach to estimate the share of emission sources was based on an outdated methodology that obscures information on the most hazardous pollutants, including PM2.5. This study shows that coal combustion is the primary source of PM2.5 pollution in most cities, offering policymakers critical insights into the sources of air pollution in the region. These findings demonstrate the need for policymakers to take swift action to address coal use and adopt effective measures to mitigate PM2.5 pollution, thereby improving the health and well-being of the population.

The effect of consumer lockdown on the relationship between environmental beliefs and pro-environmental behaviors

This study investigates the disruptive effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the relationship between environmental beliefs and pro-environmental behaviors. We used a survey conducted in the four major cities of Colombia before COVID-19 arrived in December 2019 and then repeated it in October 2020, after most of the major restrictions on mobility and economic activity had been lifted. The survey captured ecocentric and anthropocentric beliefs using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) and Pro Environmental Behaviors (PEBS) using 18 questions about energy and water savings, recycling, and sustainable purchasing. In the 2020 survey, we included a measure of the severity of the individual's experience of disruption, including economic, family, and health-related aspects. Controlling for demographic variables, we analyzed (1) descriptive changes in NEP and PEBS, (2) the moderating effect of the disruption on the effect of NEP on PEBS, (3) the direct effect of disruption severity on PEBS, and (4) the moderating effect of severity on the effect of NEP on PEBS in 2020. We found that disruption caused by the lockdown crisis decreased anthropocentric beliefs and slightly increased ecocentric beliefs. This disruption also modified the effects of NEP on PEBS, thereby ameliorating the capacity of NEP to activate PEBS. The severity of experience moderated most of these effects. We discuss the implications of our results for the theory of environmental beliefs and pro-environmental behaviors and offer recommendations to reverse the potential negative effect of the COVID-19 crisis on the promotion of sustainable consumption.

Serological Evidence and Self-Reported Outcomes in Patients with Adrenal Insufficiency During The First Waves of COVID-19 in the North- East Italy

Background: East during COVID-19 is a potentially serious and fatal new infection that first broke out in Italys North Eastduring Spring 2020. Among subjects considered more clinically vulnerable, patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI) have a known increased risk of infections, that could lead to poor prognosis and death due to adrenal crisis. Even the psychological and sociooccupational impact of COVID-19 could affect the health of AI patients, requiring a dynamic and continuous adaptation of the daily glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. Aim(s): To investigate if AI patients have a higher risk for COVID-19 infection than the general population, all residents in the red zone Veneto, in North-East Italy. Moreover, based on a purpose-built ADDI-COVID questionnaire, the study aimed to evaluate the subjective perception of an increased risk for COVID-19 infection and pandemic-related psycho-social impact, working life and self-adjustments of GC therapy. Method(s): Open-label, cross-sectional monocentric study on 84 (65 primary and 19 secondary) AI patients, all resident in Veneto, followed-up at the Endocrinology Unit, University-Hospital of Padua, for at least 3 years, in good and stable clinical conditions. At the end of the first COVID-19 wave (by August 2020), all patients underwent serological investigation of anti-SARS-CoV2 IgG and ADDI-COVID questionnaire. All AI patients enrolled were contacted during March-April 2021 to evaluate eventual COVID-19 infection occurrence after the second and third waves, completing a follow-up period of about 12 months. Result(s): All AI patients resulted negative to the serological test for anti-SARS-CoV2 IgG at the end of the first wave of COVID-19. After the second and third pandemic waves, COVID-19 infection occurred in 8 (10%) patients, and none needed intensive care or hospitalization. Half patients felt an increased risk of COVID-19 infection, significantly associated with an increased stress (p = 0,009) and the consequent increase of GC stress-dose (p = 0,002). Only one patient reported adrenal crisis stress correlated. The great majority of the 61 (73%) worker patients changed their working habits during the lockdown, which was inversely related with COVID-19-related stress (p = 0,0015). A significant association was found between workers and endocri- nologist contact (p= 0,046) since 18 among 20 AI patients who contacted the endocrinologist were workers. Discussion and Conclusion(s): Patients with AI residence in Veneto did not show a higher incidence of COVID19-infection compared with general population residents in Veneto after the first pandemic waves. However, the perception of increased COVID- 19 infection risk significantly impacted the psychological well-being, working habits and GC daily doses of AI patients. Especially during this pandemic period, therapeutic patient education was crucial to prevent and treat situations or conditions that could lead to an adrenal crisis. The endocrinologic consultation could help to strengthen the awareness of AI patients, especially if they were workers.

COVID-19 pandemic and comfort food consumption based on gender in a Brazilian sample: which variables are related to this behavior?

PurposeThis study aims to identify comfort food (CF) consumption and its associated factors during the pandemic period. The study also involves an online survey conducted five months after the quarantine started in Brazil. Design/methodology/approachData on lifestyle, eating habits and anthropometric data were collected before and during the pandemic, and the differences in these habits were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were performed to identify predictors of CF consumption by gender. FindingsA total of 1,363 individuals were included in the sample, with a median age of 31 years old, of whom 80.3% were women. Since individuals were free to respond about the food consumed without predetermined categories, it was possible to carry out a faithful assessment of the occurrence of this behavior. At the same time, allowing the subjectivity and symbolism inherent to the concept of CF to be embraced. CF consumption was present for 54%, with "sweets" being the most mentioned group by both genders. The factors associated with CF consumption in women during the pandemic were increased snacking, increased bread, candies and alcoholic beverage intake, increased time spent at work, worsened sleep quality, reduced meals, perceived stress (PS), emotional eating (EE), age and increased frequency of meat intake. In men, the predictors for CF consumption were remote full-time work/study, PS, EE and early waking time. For both genders, CF consumption during the pandemic period was associated with PS and EE. Originality/valueThis study provides an important overview of the possible contributions of the pandemic on behaviors and food choices related to the consumption of CF in Brazilians. This information is valuable to support further studies to investigate and treat the impacts of the pandemic on lifestyle, eating habits and behavior, mental health and other factors in the postpandemic period.

Digital Socialligators? Social Media-Induced Perceived Support During the Transition to the COVID-19 Lockdown

The sudden COVID-19-induced transition from a physical university life to a virtual one was a painful one for many students. Social distancing measures mean more than a simple change from face-to-face to online education. This study investigates how different social aspects, such as the students' psychological sense of community, social capital, and use of social media, facilitated the perceived social support during the transition to the COVID-19 lockdown. Our results not only underline social media's role, but also indicate that the perceived social support, as well as the bonding and bridging social capital, were particularly relevant during the transition process. Our findings are aimed at organizational management by recommending actionable ways in which they could improve social support by organizing computer-supported social networks, social support predictors, and specialized interventions for students with less perceived social support. As such, the study provides unique insights into the COVID-19-induced lockdown situation among students, while offering a transition model that also generalizes to other settings. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Social Science Computer Review is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)