Prevalence and factors associated with fear of COVID-19 in military personnel during the second epidemic wave in Peru.

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mounting workload and heightened stress may contribute to exacerbated mental health challenges, including an increased fear of COVID-19, among military personnel. Despite the potential influence of these factors, there remains a scarcity of studies addressing mental health issues, particularly the fear of COVID-19, within this specific population. We aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with fear of COVID-19 among military members. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2 and 9, 2021, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Lambayeque region, Peru. The outcome variable was fear of COVID-19, assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. The association with resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, abbreviated as CD-RISC), food insecurity (Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, abbreviated as HFIAS), physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form, abbreviated as IPAQ-S), eating disorder (Eating Attitudes Test-26, abbreviated as EAT-26), and other socio- demographic variables was assessed. Results: Among the 525 participants, the median age was 22, 95.8% were male, and 19.2% experienced fear of COVID-19. A higher prevalence of fear of COVID-19 was associated with age (PR=1.03; 95% CI: 1.01-1.06), religion (PR=2.05; 95% CI: 1.04-4.05), eating disorder (PR=2.95; 95% CI: 1.99-4.36), and having a relative with mental disorder (PR=2.13; 95% CI: 1.09-4.17). Overweight (PR=0.58; 95% CI: 0.37-0.90) and a high level of resilience (PR=0.63; 95% CI: 0.43-0.93) were associated with a lower prevalence of fear of COVID-19. Discussion: Two out of ten military personnel were afraid of COVID-19. Our results highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing the factors contributing to fear of COVID-19 among military personnel, emphasizing the significance of mental health support and preventive measures within this specific population.

Depression and anxiety in peruvian military personnel during the pandemic context: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, increased workload and stress could have increased mental health problems (anxiety and depression) in military personnel. However, the number of studies in military members is scarce, especially in regard to mental health. The objective of this study was determine the prevalence and factors associated with depression and anxiety in Peruvian military personnel. METHODS: We undertook an analytical cross-sectional study. The survey was distributed face to face between November 02 and 09, 2021, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic among the military personnel. We used some instruments to measure depression (Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-9), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD-7), insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index, ISI), food insecurity (Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, HFIAS), physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaires, IPAQ-S), resilience (abbreviated CD-RISC), and fear of COVID-19 scale. The exclusion criteria included those who did not completely fill out the evaluation instruments. RESULTS: We analyzed the data of 615 military personnel that participated in the survey. Of them, 93.7% were male and the median age was 22 years old. There was a prevalence of 29.9% and 22.0% in regard to depression and anxiety symptoms, respectively. In addition, it was found that being married (PR: 0.63; 95% IC: 0.42-0.94), having a relative with mental health problems (PR: 2.16), having experienced food insecurity (PR: 1.48), insomnia (PR: 2.71), fear of COVID-19 (PR: 1.48), and a high level of resilience (PR: 0.65) were factors associated with depression. In regard to anxiety, the factors associated were working for more than 18 months since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (PR: 0.52), a high level of resilience (PR: 0.50; 95% IC: 0.33-0.77), insomnia (PR: 3.32), fear of COVID-19 (PR: 2.43). CONCLUSION: We found a prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety of 29.9% and 22.0%, respectively. In regard to the factors that attenuate depression, we can mention being married and having resilience; and among the aggravating factors, having a relative with mental health problems, food insecurity, insomnia, and fear of COVID-19. Finally, anxiety increased through working time, insomnia, and fear of COVID-19.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Eating Disorders in Military First Line of Defense against COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study during the Second Epidemic Wave in Peru.

Few studies have evaluated eating disorders in military personnel engaged in defense activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with eating disorders in military personnel from Lambayeque, Peru. A secondary data analysis was performed among 510 military personnel during the second epidemic wave of COVID-19 in Peru. We used the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) to assess eating disorders. We explored associations with insomnia, food insecurity, physical activity, resilience, fear to COVID-19, burnout syndrome, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and selected sociodemographic variables. Eating disorders were experienced by 10.2% of participants. A higher prevalence of eating disorders was associated with having 7 to 12 months (PR: 2.97; 95% CI: 1.24-7.11) and 19 months or more (PR: 2.62; 95% CI: 1.11-6.17) working in the first line of defense against COVID-19, fear of COVID-19 (PR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.26-3.85), burnout syndrome (PR: 3.73; 95% CI: 1.90-7.33) and post-traumatic stress (PR: 2.97; 95% CI: 1.13-7.83). A low prevalence of eating disorders was found in the military personnel. However, prevention of this problem should be focused on at-risk groups that experience mental health burdens.

Suicide Risk in Military Personnel during the COVID-19 Health Emergency in a Peruvian Region: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Military personnel represent a frontline group exposed to multiple stressors. These factors have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, predisposing to the development of suicidal risk (SR). Given the few studies conducted in this population, we evaluated the prevalence of SR and its associated factors during the health emergency. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted in person among 514 participants in Lambayeque, Peru in 2021. The outcome was SR, and the exposures were depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), PTSD (PCL-C), and other sociodemographic variables. The prevalence of SR was 14.0% (95% CI: 11.12-17.31%) and was significantly higher in people with a family history of mental health (PR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.13-4.15) and in those with moderate clinical insomnia (PR: 2.21; 95% CI: 1.19-4.12). Military personnel with high resilience had a lower prevalence of SR (PR: 0.54, CI: 0.31-0.95). Anxiety was associated with a higher prevalence of SR (PR: 3.27; 95% CI: 1.76-6.10). Our findings show that at least 1 out of 10 military personnel are at risk of suicide. Special attention should be paid to the associated factors to develop interventions and reverse their consequences. These results may be useful in policy implementation and general statistics of SR in the local and regional context.

Association between Working Time and Burnout Syndrome in Peruvian Military during the Second Epidemic Wave of COVID-19.

There is scant evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on burnout in front-line military personnel and how working time may influence on this condition. We aimed to determine the association between working time and Burnout syndrome in military personnel. A cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data among 576 military personnel from Lambayeque, Peru during the second wave of COVID-19 in 2021. We used the Maslach Burnout Inventory instrument to measure Burnout Syndrome. We evaluated its association with work time, measured as the number of months that the military member worked during the pandemic. The prevalence of burnout syndrome was 9%. Of the total sample, 39.1% and 10.3% presented depersonalization and emotional exhaustion, respectively. Military personnel working for more than 18 months had a 104% higher prevalence of Burnout syndrome (PR: 2.04, 95%CI: 1.02-4.10). Exposure to a prolonged work time during the pandemic increased the prevalence of Burnout syndrome in military personnel. This information helps to understand the potential effects of the pandemic on this population and provides insight into the time the military members would need rest to prevent Burnout syndrome.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Insomnia in Military Personnel: A Retrospective Study during the Second COVID-19 Epidemic Wave in Peru.

Studies in military personnel are scarce and have reported increased rates of medical consultations and insomnia. The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with a number of factors that increase the prevalence of insomnia, which has established consequences in the military. However, reported data are from different settings. We aimed to identify the prevalence and factors associated with insomnia during the second COVID-19 epidemic wave in Lambayeque, Peru. A retrospective study in 566 participants was conducted face-to-face in November 2021. The dependent variable was insomnia, measured with the Insomnia Severity Index. The independent variables were socio-labor variables, physical activity, food insecurity, eating behavior disorder, fear of COVID-19, and resilience. The prevalence of insomnia was 23% (95% CI: 19.6-26.7%). In multivariate analysis, insomnia was associated with a personal history of mental health (PR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.01-2.93), food insecurity (PR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.05-1.95), fear of COVID-19 (PR: 2.57, 95% CI: 1.87-3.54), and high resilience (PR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.42-0.86). Overall, the Peruvian military population presents a high prevalence of insomnia during the pandemic period. Special attention should be paid to factors that influence insomnia. Prevention and promotion programs should be established to reverse this negative trend in the military.

Factores asociados al bloqueo de rama derecha en adultos mayores / Factors associated with right bundle branch block in older adults

RESUMEN Introducción: Existe poca literatura sobre la asociación entre el bloqueo de rama derecha y factores de riesgo como la hipertensión y la diabetes en pacientes de Latinoamérica y Perú. Objetivo: Determinar los factores asociados al bloqueo de rama derecha en adultos mayores. Métodos: Estudio transversal que incluyó 376 pacientes adultos mayores atendidos en el Hospital Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo, Lambayeque-Perú. La variable dependiente fue la presencia de bloqueo de rama derecha y las variables independientes fueron edad, sexo, antecedente de hipertensión arterial y diabetes. Se estimaron razones de prevalencia e intervalos de confianza al 95 %. Resultados: De 376 pacientes, la mayoría eran varones (55,9 %), la edad media fue de 75,6 años, el 11,4 % tuvo antecedente de hipertensión y el 9 % era diabético. El 41 % tuvo diagnóstico de bloqueo de rama derecha. En la regresión múltiple; el sexo femenino (RP=1,53, IC 95 %: 1,21 - 1,95), antecedente de hipertensión (RP=1,55; IC 95 %: 1,21 - 2,00) y diabetes mellitus (RP=1,49, IC 95 %: 1,12 - 2,00) se asociaron de forma positiva a presentar bloqueo de rama derecha. El modelo anidado seleccionó las variables: sexo femenino (RP=1,54, IC 95 %: 1,21 - 1,96) y antecedente de hipertensión arterial (RP=1,61, IC 95 %: 1,25 - 2,08). Conclusión: El sexo femenino, antecedente de hipertensión arterial y de diabetes mellitus se asocian positivamente a presentar bloqueo de rama derecha.

ABSTRACT Introduction: There is little literature on the association between right bundle branch block and risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes in patients in Latin America and Peru. Objective: To determine the factors associated with right bundle branch block in older adults. Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study completed by 376 elderly patients treated at Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo Hospital, Lambayeque-Peru. The dependent variable was the presence of right bundle branch block, and the independent variables were age, sex, history of hypertension, and diabetes. Prevalence ratios and 95 % confidence intervals were estimated. Results: Of 376 patients, the majority were male (55,9 %), the mean age was 75,6 years, 11,4 % had a history of hypertension and 9 % were diabetic; 41 % had a diagnosis of right bundle branch block. In simple regression, the frequency of right bundle branch block was 56 % (PR= 1,56; 95 % CI: 1,22-1,99), 65 % (PR=1,65; 95 % CI: 1,26 - 2,15) and 59 % (PR= 1,59; CI 95 %: 1,18 - 2,14) higher in women, hypertensive and diabetics; respectively. In the multiple regression; female sex (PR= 1,53; 95 % CI: 1,21 - 1,95), history of hypertension (PR= 1,55; 95 % CI: 1,21 - 2,00) and diabetes mellitus (PR= 1,49; 95 % CI: 1,12 - 2,00) were positively associated with right bundle branch block. The nested model selected the variables: female sex (PR= 1,54; 95 % CI: 1,21 - 1,96) and history of arterial hypertension (PR= 1,61; 95 % CI: 1,25 - 2,08). Conclusion: Female sex, history of arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus were positively associated with presenting right bundle branch block in older adults.