An application of the reasoned action approach to clinical students' intention toward a career in geriatrics.

Guided by the reasoned action approach, this study examined select individual, information, and social factors that influence intention toward pursuing a career in geriatrics among 314 clinical medical and nursing students in Ghana. A Poisson regression showed attitude toward older persons was a significant influencing factor of intention to choose a career in geriatrics for medical students (B = 0.015, SE = 0.0048, p = 0.002) but not nursing students (B = 0.009, SE = 0.0145, p = 0.512). Personal interest was, however, a significant influencing factor for both medical and nursing students (B = 0.462, SE = 0.0592, p = 0.000) and (B = 0.015, SE = 0.0048, p = 0.002), respectively. Nursing students with moderate to strong interest were 1.6 times more likely to express an intention to specialize in geriatrics, and medical students were 1.5 times more likely to express an intention to specialize in geriatrics. The results show that the most important factor influencing geriatric career intention is students' personal interest in the field. Evidence-based interventions such as early educational and practice exposure to the field and interactions with older adults are recommended.

Prioritizing the National Aging Policy in Ghana: Critical Next Steps.

Most developing nations are facing rapid population aging with limited economic and social resources. In Ghana, a National Aging Policy (NAP) was promulgated by the government in 2010 to ensure the well-being of older adults. Since its passage, the NAP has yet to be funded and implemented. In this paper we synthesize key information on policies and programs targeted at older adults in Ghana and identify the challenges that are adversely impacting their welfare, including the non-implementation of the National Aging Policy. To give the NAP needed attention and promote its implementation, a national coordinating body exclusively devoted to older adults is an essential first step. Critical next steps are offered to promote the effective implementation of the NAP and ensure the well-being of older adults in Ghana. With its current foundation of support programs for older adults, Ghana has the opportunity to be the lead nation in Sub-Saharan Africa to establish a national level office dedicated to promoting older adults' well-being and including them in the nation's development efforts.

Differential impact, differential adjustments: diverse experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic by college students in an Upper-Midwestern University, USA.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic though widespread is not monolithic. Therefore, a differentiated understanding of the pandemic's impact on people is critical. Further, it is important to recognize that even within the same group people's experiences may differ. The current study explored how the onset of COVID-19 and its mitigation measures impacted university students across the broad spectrum of their lives. The study utilized a qualitative approach based on individual and focus group interviews through Zoom. Participants were recruited using convenience and purposive sampling strategies. Twenty-one students (mean age = 33.8, over 76% whites, 15 females) participated in the study. Guided by systems and ecological systems theories and grounded in a contextualist paradigm, the data were analyzed thematically. Pseudonyms were adopted to preserve the anonymity of the participants. The findings revealed that COVID-19 has impacted students in varied ways ranging from the seemingly simple to the multi-layered and complex. An overarching theme, "same storm, different boats", which conveys the notion of differential impact, and differential adjustments was identified. Nested under the overarching theme are two main themes (1) Impact of COVID-19: disruptions, stressors, and silver linings and (2) Coping with COVID-19. Participants reported positive as well as negative impacts. Factors that helped students cope included institutional support, empathy from instructors, and family support. The findings suggest that to effectively respond to the impact of COVID-19 on students, it will be important to identify and attend to the distinct and diverse stressors within this population, and systems and ecological systems theories are important guiding frameworks.

Medical students perspectives and consideration of geriatrics for future practice. An exploratory study of a public medical school in Ghana.

Ghana has one of the fastest growing aging populations in sub-Sahara Africa, but little is known about the geriatric workforce. A sample of 12 medical students in one Ghanaian public university participated in an exploratory qualitative study to share their perspectives on specialty choices in Ghana, interest in working with older patients, and their consideration of geriatrics for future practice. The findings revealed limited knowledge of geriatrics as well as low interest in its selection as a specialty for future practice. These were attributable to multi-faceted factors, including the lack of both exposure to geriatric medicine and geriatrics-focused training for students in this institution. It is critical that geriatric education be prioritized and incorporated in medical schools to nurture students' interest and future consideration of the specialty. This will help bolster the number of geriatric-oriented physicians and secure specialized care for the aging population.

Stimulators of medical students' interest in geriatric medicine-A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES: This study is a systematic review on stimulators of interest in pursuing a geriatric career among medical students in different countries. The review also assessed whether there were differences or similarities based on geographic regions or income categorisations. METHODS: A 20-year (1998-2018) review of quality primary research articles was conducted (n = 10). For analysis, studies were categorised into low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and high-income countries, based on World Health Organization and World Bank's income grouping for the 2019 fiscal year. RESULTS: The frequently mentioned stimulators of interest in geriatrics were as follows: cultivating positive attitudes towards older people, participation in geriatric-related interventions and positive experiences during a geriatric training. Lack of published peer-reviewed articles from the LMICs limited the researchers' ability to compare the two income groups. CONCLUSION: Suggestions to improve future systematic reviews that consider global factors, global participation or any aspect of global inclusion are discussed.

Predicting Chikungunya disease personal protective behaviors: Results of a cross-sectional survey of US-Caribbean travelers.

Background: Incidents of vector-borne disease have recently tripled in the United States. Chikungunya disease is a particularly common disease in the Caribbean, posing a threat to international tourists. However, the relationship between psychological variables derived from the protection motivation theory (PMT), and adoption of protective behaviors against the disease, is uncertain. This study sought to identify the psychological predictors of travelers' protective health behaviors, specifically (1) appropriate clothing use, and (2) indoor spatial repellent use. Methods: An online, retrospective survey of U.S. international travelers to Caribbean destinations measured the five constructs of the PMT in the context of Chikungunya disease: Perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, perceived response efficacy, perceived self-efficacy, and knowledge. Hierarchical logistic regression analyzed whether these five theoretical constructs predicted the two protective behaviors in respondents who met study criteria (n = 184). Results: Results suggest that the interaction between chikungunya knowledge and perceived chikungunya severity predicts both appropriate clothing use (odds ratio [OR]: 1.95, CI: 1.18-3.25, P =0.010) and indoor spatial repellent use (OR: 1.55, CI: 1.05-2.29, P =0.029). In the cases of appropriate clothing use, the interaction between perceived chikungunya severity and perceived vulnerability was also a significant predictor (OR: 9.67, CI:1.23-75.80, P =0.031). Additionally, indoor spatial repellent use was also predicted by the interaction of chikungunya knowledge and perceived vulnerability (OR: 1.88, CI:1.18-3.02, P =0.009). Conclusion : Two-pronged educational approaches may be most efficacious in increasing protective health behaviors. Such efforts could reduce incidents of chikungunya disease and other vectorborne diseases in travel destinations featuring high exposure risks.