Quality of Novel Coronavirus Related Health Information over the Internet: An Evaluation Study.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread globally from its epicenter in Hubei, China, and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. The most popular search engine worldwide is Google, and since March 2020, COVID-19 has been a global trending search term. Misinformation related to COVID-19 from these searches is a problem, and hence, it is of high importance to assess the quality of health information over the internet related to COVID-19. The objective of our study is to examine the quality of COVID-19 related health information over the internet using the DISCERN tool. METHODS: The keywords included in assessment of COVID-19 related information using Google's search engine were "Coronavirus," "Coronavirus causes," "Coronavirus diagnosis," "Coronavirus prevention," and "Coronavirus management". The first 20 websites from each search term were gathered to generate a list of 100 URLs. Duplicate sites were excluded from this search, allowing analysis of unique sites only. Additional exclusion criteria included scientific journals, nonoperational links, nonfunctional websites (where the page was not loading, was not found, or was inactive), and websites in languages other than English. This resulted in a unique list of 48 websites. Four independent raters evaluated the websites using a 16-item DISCERN tool to assess the quality of novel coronavirus related information available on the internet. The interrater reliability agreement was calculated using the intracluster correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Results showed variation in how the raters assigned scores to different website categories. The .com websites received the lowest scores. Results showed that .edu and .org website category sites were excellent in communicating coronavirus related health information; however, they received lower scores for treatment effect and treatment choices. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the gaps in the quality of information that is available on the websites related to COVID-19 and study emphasizes the need for verified websites that provide evidence-based health information related to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Landscape Analysis of Public Health Jobs in India to Develop an Evidence-Based Public Health Curriculum.

The increase in communicable and non-communicable disease incidence and prevalence, changing population demographics, along with concerns about pandemics, natural disasters, and wars, have highlighted the challenges faced by health systems. The study aims to identify data on publicly posted public health jobs available to applicants eligible to work in India to identify the public health and allied fields workforce needs, skills, and expertise in India. A cross-sectional study was done in June-July 2021. The data was collected from eleven common job portals in India. Descriptive and content analysis was done to identify the most common job titles, educational level preferred/desired, skills, and experience required in the public health jobs in India. In total 382 unique public health and related fields jobs were analyzed. Job postings were most commonly classified as manager (n = 68), officer/lead (n = 61), analyst (n = 49), and consultant (n = 44). Around one-fifth of the jobs were based in Delhi (n = 98, 24%). About a quarter of the job postings required more than 8 years of experience (26%, n = 100). More than half of the job postings mentioned having the knowledge and understanding of data analysis and statistical approaches (n = 116, 64%). Around 15% (n = 193) of the job posting wanted the candidate to have expertise in communication. Skills were classified into various types such as software, technical, and language. Timely assessment of the curriculum should be done to impart skills related to the needs of the employers and prepare a skilled and competent public health workforce to address the 21st century public health challenges.

A cross sectional study to examine factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, hesitancy and refusal in urban and rural settings in Tamil Nadu, India.

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic left the Indian healthcare system overwhelmed. The severity of a third wave will depend on the success of the vaccination drive; however, even with a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, hesitancy can be an obstacle to achieving high levels of coverage. Our study aims to estimate the population's acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in an Indian district. A pilot community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March-May 2021. The data was collected from eight primary health centres in Tamil Nadu. The eligible study participants were interviewed using a self-constructed questionnaire. A total of 3,130 individuals responded to the survey. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to assess the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and refusal. Results of our study showed that 46% percent (n = 1432) of the respondents would accept the COVID-19 vaccine if available. Acceptance for the COVID-19 vaccine was higher among males (54%), individuals aged 18-24years (62%), those with higher education (77%), having the higher income (73%), and employed (51%). Individuals with no education (OR: 2.799, 95% CI = 1.103-7.108), and low income (OR: OR: 10.299, 95% CI: 4.879-21.741), were significant predictors of vaccine hesitancy (p < 0.05). Living in urban residence (OR: 0.699, 95% CI = 0.55-0.888) and age between 18 to 25 years (OR: 0.549, 95% CI = 0.309-0.977) were protective factor of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. While individuals in the age group 25-54years (OR = 1.601, 95%CI = 1.086-2.359), fewer education (OR = 4.8, 95% CI = 2.448-9.412,), low income (OR = 2.628, 95% CI = 1.777-3.887) and unemployment (OR = 1.351, 95% CI = 1.06-1.722) had high odds of refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. Concerns and suspicions about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine (63%) was the major reasons causing hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccine The public health authorities and government need to design, develop and implement targeted interventions to enhance awareness about COVID-19 vaccines, and barriers and enablers to vaccine acceptance among individuals across diverse settings. Emphasis on involving local and religious leaders, ASHA workers, community healthcare workers, Anganwadi workers, and auxiliary nurse midwives can help to overcome context-specific barriers in areas of low COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, especially in rural settings.

Apps on Google Play Store to assist in self-management of hypertension in Indian context: features analysis study.

Background: A large number of individuals with hypertension are turning to the Internet and m-health technologies for assistance. There is a need to study the content of smartphone applications on hypertension. The study aimed to review and investigate the functional and analytical characteristics of apps related to the self-management of hypertension available on Google Play Store. Methods: Search was conducted in February 2021 in India using the Google Play Store database to identify currently available Android-based apps related to self-management of hypertension/high blood pressure (BP). Keywords used were: 'Hypertension', 'High blood pressure', 'DASH diet', 'Hypertension diet', and 'Blood pressure diet'. A total of 822 apps were screened based on the duplicates, inclusion, and exclusion criteria. A total of 210 were included for further analysis. Results: Eighteen percent (n=37) of the apps had an overall rating of 4.5 or above. About 41% of the apps belonged to the medical category and 41% of the apps were characterized in the health and fitness category. Feature of logging/recording the BP measurement was seen in 73% of the apps. In-app graphing to analyze BP trends was reported in 64 % of the included apps. A few apps focused on tracking medication (n=19), sodium intake (n=2), and calorie intake (n=4). Conclusions: The features were common across all the included apps and were focusing only on recording the BP, providing statistics and trends of BP, and providing educational information. App developers should now aim to provide other components of self-management techniques to help individuals tackle hypertension.

Examine the impact of COVID-19 Vaccine Communication, Acceptance and Practice (CO-VIN-CAP) on Vaccine hesitancy in an Indian setting: Protocol for a Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccine is considered to be a key to limiting and eliminating infectious disease. But, the success of the vaccination program will rely on the rates of vaccine acceptance among the population. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to examine the factors that influence vaccine hesitancy and vaccine acceptance and to explore the unintended consequences of COVID-19 infections. The study will further explore the association between socio-demographic characteristics, health status, COVID-19 related knowledge, attitude, practice, and its influence on Vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among individuals living in urban and rural settings of Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the Southern state of India. METHODS: A cross-sectional study will be conducted between January 2021 and January 2023. A sample of approximately 25,000 individuals will be recruited and enrolled using a non-probability complete enumeration sampling method from eleven selected urban and rural settings of Chennai. The data will be collected at a one-time point by administering the questionnaire to the eligible study participants. The collected data will be used to assess the rates of vaccine acceptance, hesitancy as well as knowledge, attitudes, practices, and beliefs regarding COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccine. Lastly, the study questionnaire will be used to assess the unintended consequences of COVID-19 infection. RESULTS: A pilot of 2500 individuals has been conducted to pre-test the self-administered study questionnaire. The data collection initiated on March 1, 2021 and the initial results are planned for publication by June 2021. Descriptive analysis of the gathered data will be performed using Statistical Analysis System (SAS) v9.1 and reporting of the results will be done at 95% confidence interval and P=.049. The study will help explore the burden of vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among individuals living in urban and rural settings of Chennai. Further, it will help to examine the variables that influence vaccine acceptance and hesitancy. Lastly, the result findings will help to design and develop a user-centered informatics platform that can deliver multimedia-driven health educational modules tailored to facilitate vaccine uptake in varied settings. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed study will help in understanding the rate and determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among the population of Chennai. The findings of the study would further facilitate the development of a multifaceted intervention to enhance vaccine acceptance among the population.

Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance, Intention, and Hesitancy: A Scoping Review.

COVID-19 vaccine is regarded as the most promising means of limiting the spread of or eliminating the pandemic. The success of this strategy will rely on the rate of vaccine acceptance globally. The study aims to examine the factors that influence COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, intention, and hesitancy. PubMed was searched comprehensively for articles using the keyword "COVID-19 vaccine surveys." Of the 192 records, 22 studies were eligible for the review. Eighty-two percent of these studies were conducted among the general population. Gender, age, education, and occupation were some of the socio-demographic variables associated with vaccine acceptance. Variables such as trust in authorities, risk perception of COVID-19 infection, vaccine efficacy, current or previous influenza vaccination, and vaccine safety affected vaccine acceptance. Globally, in March 2020, the average vaccine acceptance observed was 86% which dropped to 54% in July 2020 which later increased to 72% in September 2020. Globally, the average rate of vaccine hesitancy in April 2020 was 21%, which increased to 36% in July 2020 and later declined to 16% in October 2020. Large variability in vaccine acceptance and high vaccine hesitancy can influence the efforts to eliminate the COVID-19. Addressing the barriers and facilitators of vaccines will be crucial in implementing effective and tailored interventions to attain maximum vaccine coverage.

A pilot evaluation of Swasthya Pahal program using SMAART informatics framework to support NCD self-management.

BACKGROUND: Empirical research acknowledges the capability of mHealth and eHealth interventions for ensuring high-quality and tailored healthcare to individuals. People living with various health conditions get access to a wide range of healthcare services through digital interventions. The aim of the study is to examine the usefulness of Swasthya Pahal, a community-based Health for all program, aimed to enhance screening and self-management of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity among police personnel. METHODS: A convenient sample of 64 individuals aged 18 years and above present at the Police Sanchar Training Centre, Dehradun, Uttarakhand were enrolled over 2 days in January 2020. The Swasthya Pahal pilot program was approved by the Uttarakhand State Police authorities. Individuals' health data was recorded using an interactive, bi-lingual, touch screen, computer-based program. Subjective data was collected and self-reported information was gathered about (I) socio-demographics, (II) health behaviors, (III) clinical status, and (IV) Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP). Objective data assessments included measurements such as weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels using a series of physiological sensors. Additional information gathered at 1 month follow up included modifications that individuals made in their self-management of diabetes and hypertension, diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking. Information was gathered related to individuals' interest in receiving SMS based health messages. RESULTS: The average age of study participants was 37 (SD =8) years, 88% were males, and 42% had graduate education. Hypertension (31%) was found to be the most common family history. Thirty-six percent of individuals were presently smokers or consumed alcohol. Sixty-two percent of them self-reported doing some form of exercise. Walking, jogging and yoga were the most common exercise types. Eighty-seven percent of them were not receiving any treatment to self-manage hypertension. Based on the JNC 8 criteria, 37% of the individuals were hypertensive. Fifty of the 64 individuals expressed interest to receive SMS message, 64% of them expressed keenness to receive weekly SMS messages. Messages related to diet, physical activity, sleep, and smoking and alcohol consumption were perceived as important. CONCLUSIONS: The Swasthya Pahal program using the SMAART informatics framework is a useful tool to enhance screening and self-management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among police personnel.