MyMedR

Displaying all 5 publications

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Societal influence and psychological distress among Indonesian adults in Java on the early Omicron wave of COVID-19

d'Arqom A, Akram M, Azzahranisa NS, Nasution MZ, Surjaningrum ER, Yusof J

Future Sci OA, 2023 Dec;9(10):FSO894.
PMID: 37753359 DOI: 10.2144/fsoa-2023-0104

AIM: Changes during the COVID-19 pandemic might create pressure on different people, thus this study aimed to measure respondents' psychological distress during the early phase of the Omicron wave in Java Island.
METHODS: A web-based survey on societal influence and COVID-19-related psychological distress was distributed through social media in November-December 2021, and received 396 responses.
RESULTS: This study showed that almost 50% of respondents faced psychological distress during the early phase of the Omicron variant, especially concerning hypervigilance and avoidance. Several sociodemographic factors might contribute to the incidence of psychological distress including comorbidity, age and education.
CONCLUSION: Taken together, the incidence of COVID-19-related psychological distress was still found in the early phase of the Omicron variant, especially among young adults.
Practice and knowledge of dietary supplement consumption among Indonesian adults post-delta wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

d'Arqom A, Nasution MZ, Kadir SZSA, Yusof J, Govindaraju K

F1000Res, 2023;12:3.
PMID: 37469719 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.129045.2

Background: Increasing dietary supplement (DS) consumption was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, including during the post-Delta wave period. This study aimed to measure the practice of DS consumption and respondents' knowledge of DS. Methods: An internet-based survey was distributed from October-December 2021 and obtained 541 valid and completed responses. Descriptive analysis was performed to present the practice of DS consumption, including frequency, duration, aim, preferable dosage form etc. Level of knowledge on DS principles, side effects and regulation were also measured. Inferential analyses were conducted to determine the predictors of the respondents' DS practice and level of knowledge. Results: Data from 541 valid responses showed that 77.63% of respondents consumed DS in the last 3 months, with only 59.52% reporting also consuming DS before the COVID-19 pandemic. One half of the respondents had good knowledge about DS; however, some knowledge regarding side effects and possible drug-supplement interaction needed improvement. Their DS consumption practice was affected by their economic status and history of contracting COVID-19. Nevertheless, the level of knowledge was not affected by the sociodemographic factors and DS supplement experience. Conclusions: Taken together, the practice of self-consumption of DS in Indonesia is increasing; hence, knowledge of DS is necessary to avoid detrimental effects that might occur in the future. Increasing access to information on better labelling and educating consumers about DS are important actions to consider.
Sentiment analysis of Indonesian tweets on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccinations

Kalanjati VP, Hasanatuludhhiyah N, d'Arqom A, Arsyi DH, Marchianti ACN, Muhammad A, et al.

F1000Res, 2023;12:1007.
PMID: 38605817 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.130610.3

BACKGROUND: Sentiments and opinions regarding COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccination on Indonesian-language Twitter are scarcely reported in one comprehensive study, and thus were aimed at our study. We also analyzed fake news and facts, and Twitter engagement to understand people's perceptions and beliefs that determine public health literacy.
METHODS: We collected 3,489,367 tweets data from January 2020 to August 2021. We analyzed factual and fake news using the string comparison method. The difflib library was used to measure similarity. The user's engagement was analyzed by averaging the engagement metrics of tweets, retweets, favorites, replies, and posts shared with sentiments and opinions regarding COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination.
RESULT: Positive sentiments on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination dominated, however, the negative sentiments increased during the beginning of the implementation of restrictions on community activities (PPKM). The tweets were dominated by the importance of health protocols (washing hands, keeping distance, and wearing masks). Several types of vaccines were on top of the word count in the vaccine subtopic. Acceptance of the vaccination increased during the studied period, and the fake news was overweighed by the facts. The tweets were dynamic and showed that the engaged topics were changed from the nature of COVID-19 to the vaccination and virus mutation which peaked in the early and middle terms of 2021. The public sentiment and engagement were shifted from hesitancy to anxiety towards the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines, whilst changed again into wariness on an uprising of the delta variant.
CONCLUSION: Understanding public sentiment and opinion can help policymakers to plan the best strategy to cope with the pandemic. Positive sentiments and fact-based opinions on COVID-19, and COVID-19 vaccination had been shown predominantly. However, sufficient health literacy levels could yet be predicted and sought for further study.
Fulltext Dietary Supplement Consumption and Mental Health in Indonesian Adults During Second Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic

Yusof J, d'Arqom A, Andriani AP, Nasution MZ, Fatimah N, Mustika A, et al.

Patient Prefer Adherence, 2023;17:1799-1811.
PMID: 37520062 DOI: 10.2147/PPA.S415925

PURPOSE: This study aimed to measure supplement consumption behavior and mental health status among Indonesian adults during the second year of COVID-19.
PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Online questionnaire regarding supplement consumption, and Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) was distributed from March to June 2021 and obtained 1006 valid and completed questionnaires. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted to determine the frequency and predictor factors of the respondents' supplement consumption behavior and mental health status.
RESULTS: Respondents were divided into two groups, vulnerable and non-vulnerable individuals. The finding showed that 34.5% respondents were vulnerable individuals, including the elderly and those with comorbid disease(s). The vulnerable and non-vulnerable groups exhibited a high prevalence of supplement consumption, with the vulnerable group demonstrating a greater tendency for regular use. The incidence of mental health problems in both groups did not significantly differ (23-38%), where anxiety was higher than depression and stress. Supplement consumption was associated with mental health status. Several positive predicting factors for supplement consumption behavior included older age, higher economic status, and higher education. While the younger age and unmarried respondents were more likely to develop mental health problems.
CONCLUSION: Taken together, given dietary supplement consumption increased during the pandemic and the potential associations between supplement consumption and mental health, controlling the correct information and regulation regarding supplements, especially their risks and benefits, was important. Additionally, support for mental health issues was necessary, since it might affect self-medication behavior.
Fulltext Health literacy on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccinations in Indonesia

Kalanjati VP, Hasanatuludhhiyah N, d'Arqom A, Muhammad A, Marchianti ACN, Arsyi DH, et al.

F1000Res, 2022;11:1296.
PMID: 36636472 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.125551.2

Introduction: Health literacy on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects people's capability to ascertain their health and health care quality during the pandemic. The objective of this study was to determine the levels of health literacy about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccinations (Vaccines and Vaccinations literacy-VL) in the Indonesian adult general population, assessing the perceptions of the respondents about current adult immunization and beliefs about vaccinations in general, and analyzing correlations of these variables with the VL levels. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a rapid survey was administered via the Internet. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics; the internal consistency of the VL scales was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient; the inter-correlation between the functional and interactive-critical VL questions, the underlying components (factors) and each question's load on the components were identified using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). An alpha level lesser than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Responses to functional- and interactive/ critical- VL questions were acceptable and showed internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.817 and 0.699, respectively), lowest values observed were 0.806 for functional scale and 0.640 for the interactive-critical scale. The PCA demonstrated that there were two components accounting for 52.45% of the total variability. Approximately 60% of respondents were females (n=686). Almost all respondents used the internet to seek information regarding COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccinations. Many used at least one social media actively with 74.4% of respondents sometimes believing the validity of this information. Conclusions: High scores were observed in both functional- and interactive/ critical-VL, and were quite in a balance between sexes in the prior VL and higher in females for the latter; these were also closely related to the educational level and age group. It is crucial to increase public health literacy in managing the pandemic.