Health Promotion Perspectives
Volume:11 Issue: 1, Feb 2021

Global health diplomacy has gained significant importance and undoubtedly remained high on the agendas of many nations, regional and global platforms amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Many countries have realized the importance of the health sector and the value of a healthy workforce. However, there is little control on issues related to trade that impact on human health due to the dominance of profit-oriented business lobbies. A balance, however, needs to be struck between economic profits and a healthy global population. This paper aimed to highlight the importance of building capacity in global health diplomacy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic so that health personnel may effectively negotiate on the multisectoral stage to secure the resources they need. The recent proposal to waive off certain provisions of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19 by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organization (WTO) presents an important opportunity for all governments to unite and stand up for public health, global solidarity, and equitable access at the international level so that both developed and developing nations may enjoy improved health outcomes related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) dissemination occurred from December 2019 and quickly spread to all countries. Infected patients with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms, ranging from mild to severe illness. The most mortality was observed in patients with underlying disease and over 45 years. World statistics have shown that the COVID-19 outbreak is most expanded in Middle Eastern, West Asian, European, North, and South American countries, and is least expanded in African countries. Therefore, the aim of the paper was the evaluation of six African countries including Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Guinea, Togo, and Djibouti to find why this disease is least expanded in African countries. Study was conducted by Questioner for countries health organizers to define their different aspect exposure and fight with COVID-19 including epidemiology, clinical aspects of the disease, case definitions, diagnosis laboratory confirmation, and referral of cases by the portal of entry, case management, and disease prevention in these countries. According to this opinion review, due to the low international flights and low domestic travel, the spread, and prevalence of COVID-19 was low and the return of the immigrants of these countries has caused the spread of COVID-19 among these countries. Experience, preparation, and impact of previous infections epidemic such as the Ebola virus epidemic would have beneficial, which have promoted certain reflexes among people that cause low dissemination in these countries.

The spreading of health-related rumors can profoundly put society at risk, and the investigation of strategies and methods can efficiently prevent the dissemination of hazardous rumor is necessary, especially during a public health emergency including disease outbreaks. In this article we review the studies that implicated the surveillance system in identifying rumors and discuss the different aspects of current methods in this field.

We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases for relevant publications in English from 2000 to 2020. The PICOS approach was used to select articles, and two reviewers extracted the data. Findings were categorized as a source of rumors, type of systems, data collection, and data transmission methods. The quality of the articles was assessed using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) checklist.

Five studies that presented the methods used for rumor detection in different outbreaks were included in the critical appraisal process. Findings were grouped into four categories: source of rumors, type of systems, data collection, and data transmission methods. The source of rumors in most studies was media, including new social and traditional media. The most used data collection methods were human-computer interaction technique, and automatic and manual methods each were discussed in one study. Also, the data transmission method was asynchronous in the majority of studies.

Based on our findings, the most common rumor detection systems used in the outbreaks were manual and/or human-computer methods which are considered to be timeconsuming processes. Due to the ever-increasing amount of modern social media platforms and the fast-spreading of misinformation in the times of outbreaks, developing the automatically and real-time tools for rumor detection is a vital need.

Africa is facing the triple burden of communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and nutritional disorders. Multilateral institutions, bilateral arrangements, and philanthropies have historically privileged economic development over health concerns. That focus has resulted in weak health systems and inadequate preparedness when there are outbreaks of diseases. This review aims to understand the politics of disease control in Africa and global health diplomacy’s (GHD’s) critical role.

A literature review was done in Medline/PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and Google scholar search engines. Keywords included MeSH and common terms related to the topics: “Politics,” “disease control,” “epidemics/ endemics,” and “global health diplomacy” in the “African” context. The resources also included reports of World Health Organization, United Nations and resolutions of the World Health Assembly (WHA).

African countries continue to struggle in their attempts to build health systems for disease control that are robust enough to tackle the frequent epidemics that plague the continent. The politics of disease control requires the crafting of cooperative partnerships to accommodate the divergent interests of multiple actors. Recent outbreaks of COVID-19 and Ebola had a significant impact on African economies. It is extremely important to prioritize health in the African development agendas. The African Union (AU) should leverage the momentum of the rise of GHD to (i) navigate the politics of global health governance in an interconnected world (ii) develop robust preparedness and disease response strategies to tackle emerging and reemerging disease epidemics in the region (iii) address the linkages between health and broader human security issues driven by climate change-induced food, water, and other insecurities (iv) mobilize resources and capacities to train health officials in the craft of diplomacy.

The AU, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and African Centres for Disease Control should harmonize their plans and strategies and align them towards a common goal that integrates health in African development agendas. The AU must innovatively harness the practice and tools of GHD towards developing the necessary partnerships with relevant actors in the global health arena to achieve the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Street vending practices are common in Africa and cater to a large portion of the continent’s population. Since the identification of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Africa, various governments have implemented measures to control the spread of infection. These measures may have an adverse effect on street vending practices. This paper demonstrates the extent to which COVID-19 measures of control and prevention affects street vending practices in Africa and how it can be remedied. There has been reduced economic growth and increased hunger among individuals involved in street vending practices due to the prohibitions put in place by governments. Measures directed at curbing the spread of the virus inadvertently affect street vending practices and vendors. Current and future pandemic response plans should reflect the integration of measures directed at reducing potential hardship and a further economic setback for individuals involved in street vending practices.

Prior studies have indicated the complex relationships of smartphone use and smartphone addiction with mental health and life satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the structural relationships among smartphone use, smartphone addiction, mental health problems (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress [DAS] and satisfaction with life [SWL]).

Cross-sectional data were collected by convenience sampling via an online survey of undergraduate students at a Midwestern university in the United States. The sample size of 601 collected from undergraduate students that owned a smartphone and completed responses to the variables was utilized in this study. We assessed the hypothesized variables, including smartphone use, smartphone addiction, and mental health outcomes variables on a Likert-type scale. Structural analysis was used to examine the relationships.

Results suggested that smartphone use had a significant negative association with DAS symptoms (β = -.31, t = -3.81, P<.001) and was positively associated with SWL (β = .25, t = 3.41, P<.001). However, smartphone use had a significant positive relationship with smartphone addiction (β = .48, t = 5.51, P<.001). Smartphone addiction was positively related to DAS (β = .44, t = 6.33, P<.001), but it was not related to SWL (β = -.08, t = -1.26, P > .05).

This study enhances our understanding of the associations between smartphone use and the health and well-being of undergraduate students. Implications for supporting their psychological health are discussed.

Cervical cancer is largely preventable. The study was aimed to find out the attributes of screening and vaccination for cervical cancer among female school teachers of Kota, Rajasthan, India.

It was an observational study, cross-sectional in design conducted among female school teachers of Kota, Rajasthan, India using a predesigned structured questionnaire administered by Google Form during the months of March to May, 2020. In total, 397 school teachers from 18 different schools of Kota participated in our survey.

Among the study subjects, 33 (8.3%) had ever undergone screening for cervical cancer, whereas only 12 (3.0%) had taken vaccine against it. In multivariable logistic regression analysis; age (>40 years) [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 5.7 (2.0-15.8)], correct knowledge regarding frequency of screening (yes) [AOR: 6.0 (2.4-15.5)], positive attitude for the disease (yes) [AOR: 3.0 (1.1-8.0)] and gynaecologist consultation behaviour (periodic) [AOR: 1.4 (1.1-8.6)] were significant attributes of ever undergoing screening for cervical cancer. On the other hand, the multivariable significant attributes of vaccination were age (≤40 years) [AOR: 7.6 (1.5-38.9)] and positive attitude for the disease (yes) [AOR: 6.4 (1.1-38.2)].

Acceptance of screening and vaccination for cervical cancer among the study subjects was found to be quite low. Policymakers should more actively involve school teachers in generating awareness and in raising the demand for cervical cancer screening and vaccination in their native communities to curb the disease in the country.

This study aims to examine and determine the role of race/ethnicity in chronic conditions in women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during any of their previous pregnancies.

We used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007–2016 to identify women who self-reported prior GDM and chronic disease diagnoses such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, depression, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We used bivariate analysis using the chi-square test (χ²) and multiple logistic regressions to perform statistical test for associations, taking into consideration design and sample weight.

Among participants with prior GDM diagnoses, black women had a 74.4% prevalence of chronic disease, followed by Whites, 58.5% Hispanics, 58.0%, and Asians, 51.9% (P=0.009). Black women with prior GDM diagnoses had 2.4 odds of having chronic conditions compared to Whites (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.28-4.50). In addition, they had higher odds of being former smokers (AOR=1.73, 95% CI=1.01-2.96), current smokers (AOR=1.96, 95% CI=1.06-3.61), having a body mass index (BMI) of 25-29.9 (AOR=2.55, 95% CI=1.10-5.87), or a BMI ≥30 (AOR=4.09, 95% CI = 2.05-8.17) compared to their White counterparts. Hispanic women had lower odds of being diagnosed with GDM and associated chronic diseases.

Black women with GDM were disproportionally affected and at higher risk to be diagnosed with chronic conditions. Smoking and obesity were strongly associated with chronic disease diagnoses. Our findings also suggest a ‘Hispanic Paradox’, requiring further study. These findings inform primary care clinicians and Obstetricians, and Gynecologists of at-risk patients who could benefit from lifestyle modification recommendations and counseling

The main objective of this study was to investigate the logics behind tendencies towards bottled drinking water usage in spite of availability of treated tap water. The amount of waste bottle is also estimated in Iran and managing principles for resolving the issue presented.

A questionnaire was used to survey the logics behind tendencies toward bottled drinking water consumption among 120 participants. In order to estimate the quantities of the PET wastes produced in the country, data about bottled water production rate as well as volume of the imported and exported drinking bottled water were collected from 1962 to 2015 and applied in the calculations.

Findings suggested that about 0.026 to 3.86 billion liters (about 1.04 billion liters on average) of bottled water was consumed annually between 2000 and 2015. Furthermore, bottled water consumption increased from 0.41 to 48.9 L/capita-year within the same time period. In the meantime, the plastic bottle waste generation rate rose from 12.84 to 1519.38 g/ capita-year. There is no efficient and suitable system for managing and recycling waste bottles in the country. The perceived unreliability of tap water quality was the main reason of bottled water consumption among 74% of the respondents.

To reduce bottled water consumption and the associated harmful environmental and health consequences, measures such as informing people, validating public water supply quality, preventive rules enactment, and establishing extended producer responsibility (EPR) are highly recommended.

The expected second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has started in various regions of the world. Public health experts warned that it could be as lethal as the first wave if people did not comply with self-protective measures. Currently, there is a gap in the literature on the relationship between peoples’ assessment of the effectiveness of community-based measures regarding adherence to self-protective behaviors for COVID-19 prevention and control. This study aimed to assess the role of the perceived effectiveness of communitybased measures in adherence to self-protective behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cross-sectional online survey conducted from March 24 to June 22, 2020. The study sample included 400 participants (49% male and 51% female) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The outcome measure was compliance to four self-protective behaviors i.e., “social distancing;” “wearing facemask;” “washing hands more frequently;” and “disinfecting surfaces in homes.” We computed Chisquare statistics and odds ratios (ORs) using 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

The findings demonstrated that participants aged 25–34 years old were 25% less likely to comply with hand hygiene (OR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.33–0.95) and social distancing (OR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.34–0.98). Misconceptions related to COVID-19 significantly decreased compliance with self-protective behaviors by up to 27%. Participants who rated government decisions as useful were approximately 1.7 times more likely to comply with self-protective behaviors.

Community-based measures should focus on engaging segments of the population that are currently less compliant. Health education policies should also focus on enhancing the perceived sense of control and personal responsibility and reduce anxiety levels. A continuous commitment to the implementation of preventive interventions and the clarification of misconceptions are required to combat the expected second wave.

The present study aimed to investigate the psychological determinants of adherence to treatment among patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) referring to Imam Ali Hospital in Kermanshah, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 227 patients (mean age=58.10,SD = 13.44) with CVDs, who were randomly selected amongst those admitted to Imam Ali cardiovascular medical center of Kermanshah in 2018. Data were collected through Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), the Jefferson Scale of Patient’s Perceptions of Physician Empathy (JSPPPE), the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ), and Adherence to Treatment Questionnaire. The relationships between the criterion and predictor variables were assessed using Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression (stepwise method) in IBM SPSS Statistics-23.

The adherence to treatment was associated with meaning in life (r=0.367), patients’ perceptions of physician empathy (r=0.218), and illness perception (r=-0.238), at the 0.01 level. Meaning in life, patient’s perceptions of physician empathy, and illness perception explained 18.6% of the variance in adherence to treatment. Meaning in life (beta=0.367 and P≤0.001) was the most influential predictor of adherence to treatment. Additionally, there was a significant difference in the score of adherence to treatment by gender (23.46±4.42 for female vs. 24.77±3.53 for male, P=0.030).

The patients’ perceptions of physician empathy, meaning in life, and illness perception were important factors to predict adherence to treatment in patients with CVDs. Gender was a significant predictor of the adherence to treatment.

Sleep disorders have an enormous impact on occupational health and are counterproductive from an economic perspective. However, the processes of causing sleep disorders from psychosocial aspects have not yet been known. The purpose of this study was to describe how sleep disorders develop among workers with respect to different psychosocial conditions.

A conventional qualitative content analysis was conducted with a semi-structured interview among twenty-seven workers (14 males and 13 females) who were diagnosed with sleep disorders or had a self-reported history of sleep difficulties. Study participants were recruited from a specialized clinic and communities using snowball sampling. This paper adhered to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist.

The results showed that there were four steps involved in the sleep disorders development process. Firstly, participants with sleep disorders developed ‘early warning signs’ with 11 categories of triggers; secondly, ‘aggravating factors’ on top of these early warning signs; thirdly, workers tried to ‘cope with’ their sleep disorders in the ways they thought would be effective. Finally, when coping failed to improve the quality of sleep, it led to the onset of sleep disorders.

The development of sleep disorders and triggers of psychosocial factors were revealed. An occupational health nurse can bring these findings in practice for preventing worker’s sleep disorders.

Women’s experience and satisfaction with childbirth care are increasingly being addressed by health care providers, managers, and policymakers. Due to need for a validated special scale for assessing satisfaction of women with preterm birth, we aimed to translate and adapt the first specific tool, Preterm Birth Experiences and Satisfaction Scale (P-BESS), into Persian language and evaluate its psychometric properties.

A methodological and cross-sectional study was conducted in two tertiary levels of maternal hospitals in Tabriz. The Iranian version of the scale was developed from the original English version using forward-backward translation. After confirmation of its face and content validity, the scale was completed by 201 women who had given birth prematurely.

Exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors (staff professionalism and empathy, confidence in Staff, information and explanations) with eigenvalues greater than 1, explaining a total variance of 55.4%. Confirmatory factory analysis showed that the 17-item, three factor model fitted the data well: the root mean square error of approximation 0.060. There were moderate correlations between the total and sub-scales of Iranian P-BESS and overall satisfaction (r = 0.45 to 0.66), as well as need for improvement (r = -0.46 to -0.61), which confirm convergent validity. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability of the scale and its sub-scales were satisfactory (α = 0.852 to 0.922, intraclass correlation coefficient; 0.83 to 0.92).

The Iranian version of P-BESS is a valid and reliable scale which can be used by policy makers, managers, health care providers and researchers.

Our aim was to analyze the association of self-reported mentally-passive and mentally-active sedentary behaviors with different patterns (bouts and breaks) of devicemeasured sedentary time in adolescents.

This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 375 adolescents (177 boys) aged 10- 15 years. Total time, bouts and breaks of sedentary time were measured through accelerometers. Self-reported sedentary behavior in different activities was summed and divided into mentallyactive (playing electronic games, studying and reading) and mentally-passive (watching TV, watching DVD, and using computer for leisure). Bayesian linear regression models were used for association analyses.

Only mentally-passive sedentary behaviors were positively associated with longer bouts [1-4 minutes: mean posterior distribution: -0.431 (95% credible interval: -0.745 to -0.114); ≥15 minutes: 0.641 (0.122 to 1.222)] and lower number of breaks [-0.138 (-0.228 to -0.044)] of device-measured sedentary time.

Self-reported mentally-passive sedentary behaviors are associated with longer bouts and lower breaks of device-measured sedentary time.