METHODOLOGY: Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from 1,914 respondents aged 18 and above by a marketing consulting firm via its online panel. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was used to analyze the data.
RESULTS: Out of the 1,914 respondents, 55.9% reported having a continuance intention to vaccinate against COVID-19, similar to other developing countries. The multivariate analysis revealed that perceived usefulness and satisfaction significantly influenced individuals' continuance intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. Additionally, attitude was found to play a key role in influencing behavioral change among individuals towards their perceptions of continuously getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
CONCLUSIONS: By integrating three theoretical frameworks (i.e., HBM, TRA and ECM), this study showed that behavioral characteristics could provide insights towards continuance vaccination intention. Hence, policymakers and key stakeholders can develop effective public health strategies or interventions to encourage vaccine booster uptake by targeting behavioral factors such as perceived usefulness, attitude, satisfaction, and subjective norms.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a nationwide, online-based cross-sectional study utilising a self-administered questionnaire that was distributed to tertiary hospital HCWs in Malaysia, conducted between June and August 2020.
RESULTS: Forty-eight physicians, 66 nurses and 79 medical assistants participated in this study. 73.6% correctly recognised PPE components while 40.4% revealed correct hand hygiene practices and approximately 20% had misconceptions about the proper usage of PPE. Although 78.8% disclosed high compliance, 37.3% perceived that PPE protocol interferes with patient care. HCWs have suboptimal knowledge levels of hand hygiene. Age and poor behaviour were the independent predictors of good compliance with PPE.
CONCLUSION: This study highlights the necessity to analyse discrepancies in PPE practice among HCWs and its contributing elements. Recognised barriers should be addressed to narrow the gap between knowledge, attitude and behaviour to improve compliance. The study findings would assist in developing an improved disease transmission control and prevention training protocols for HCWs as a preparation for possible infectious outbreaks in the future.
METHODS: This approach included the use of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) as a means of screening to identify individuals at moderate (score of 5-7) to high risk (score of 8 +) alcohol use, raising awareness, and investigating the potential utility of brief advice and referrals as a means of reducing risk.
RESULTS: Of the 54,187 participants, 43.0% reported engaging in moderate-risk alcohol consumption, with 22.1% reporting high-risk alcohol consumption. Resistance to brief advice was observed to increase with higher AUDIT-C scores. Similarly, participants engaging in high-risk alcohol consumption were resistant to accepting treatment referrals, with fewer than 10% open to receiving a referral.
CONCLUSIONS: While men were most likely to report patterns of high-risk alcohol consumption, they were more resistant to accepting referrals. Additionally, participants who were willing to receive brief advice were often resistant to taking active steps to alter their alcohol use. This study highlights the need to consider how to prevent harmful patterns of alcohol use effectively and holistically, especially in low socioeconomic settings through primary health care and community services.
METHODOLOGY: A rapid evidence review was conducted to identify how community engagement is used for infectious disease prevention and control during epidemics. Three databases were searched in addition to extensive snowballing for grey literature. Previous epidemics were limited to Ebola, Zika, SARS, Middle East respiratory syndromeand H1N1 since 2000. No restrictions were applied to study design or language.
RESULTS: From 1112 references identified, 32 articles met our inclusion criteria, which detail 37 initiatives. Six main community engagement actors were identified: local leaders, community and faith-based organisations, community groups, health facility committees, individuals and key stakeholders. These worked on different functions: designing and planning, community entry and trust building, social and behaviour change communication, risk communication, surveillance and tracing, and logistics and administration.
CONCLUSION: COVID-19's global presence and social transmission pathways require social and community responses. This may be particularly important to reach marginalised populations and to support equity-informed responses. Aligning previous community engagement experience with current COVID-19 community-based strategy recommendations highlights how communities can play important and active roles in prevention and control. Countries worldwide are encouraged to assess existing community engagement structures and use community engagement approaches to support contextually specific, acceptable and appropriate COVID-19 prevention and control measures.
METHOD: The online survey was conducted among the residents of Sindh, Pakistan, in July 2021 through a survey tool designed using Google Forms and sent to the population through various social media.
RESULTS: Of 926 study participants, 59.0% were male, and 68.6% were aged between 18 and 31 years. Higher percentages of responses were recorded from the Hyderabad division (37.5%), and 60.0% of respondents were graduates, with 34.8% of them in the private sector. The results showed that 36.4% of respondents had good knowledge, and 30.3% had a positive attitude toward COVID-19 vaccination. Almost 77% of respondents perceived that everyone should get vaccinated in the country and those health care workers on priority. A majority (80.8%) of respondents were willing to accept COVID-19 vaccination.
CONCLUSION: Despite having insufficient knowledge and a low percentage of positive attitude public in Sindh are willing to be vaccinated. Based on this finding, more effort has to be done to promote vaccination among the public, especially among the less educated population.
OUTBREAK SITUATION: A stringent screening process at all airports in Malaysia was enforced after the first case outside China was reported in Thailand. Up to April 14, 2020, Malaysia had reported two waves of COVID-19 cases, with the first wave ending successfully within less than 2 months. In early March 2020, the second wave occurred, with worrying situations.
ACTIONS TAKEN: The Government of Malaysia enforced a Movement Control Order starting on March 18, 2020 to break the chain of COVID-19. The media actively spread the hashtag #stayhome. Non-governmental organizations, as well as prison inmates, started to produce personal protective equipment for frontliners. Various organizations hosted fundraising events to provide essentials mainly to hospitals. A provisional hospital was set up and collaborations with healthcare service providers were granted, while additional laboratories were assigned to enhance the capabilities of the Ministry of Health.
ECONOMIC DOWNTURN: An initial financial stimulus amounting to RM 20.0 billion was released in February 2020, before the highlighted PRIHATIN Package, amounting to RM 250 billion, was announced. The PRIHATIN Package has provided governmental support to society, covering people of various backgrounds from students and families to business owners.