Time of pandemic: Temporal perspectives related to compliance with public health regulations concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.

The widespread COVID-19 conspiracy theories are a problem in dealing with the pandemic, as their proponents tend not to adhere to public health regulations. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between religious fundamentalism, delusions, compliance with public health regulations, and religion-related conspiracy beliefs about the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were 570 internet users aged 18–60. They responded to questions regarding sociodemographic variables, compliance with public health regulations, conspiracy beliefs concerning COVID-19, as well as the Revised Religious Fundamentalism Scale, and the Delusions Scale. The results indicated that people exhibiting more conspiracy beliefs were less likely to comply with public health regulations concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and showed more religious fundamentalism. Additionally, there was an indirect effect of religious fundamentalism on conspiracy beliefs through delusions. The results suggest that when formulating epidemiological messages, it is worth paying attention to the importance of rational thinking.

Home delivery of legal intoxicants in the age of COVID-19.

Egg freezing for age-related fertility decline: preventive medicine or a further medicalization of reproduction? Analyzing the new Israeli policy

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed massive flaws in human health systems worldwide. Communities with higher health deficiencies suffered even more drastic effects when COVID-19 interacted with pre-existing diseases—making COVID a more lethal virus. Considering that business can only thrive if their stakeholders enjoy good health and well-being, the critical role of business in improving health spans from occupational health and public health policy and regulations to the health of external stakeholders such as consumers and the surrounding communities. Despite the intrinsic connection between business and human health, business scholars have mainly paid attention to internal stakeholders, such as employees, and public health policy and regulations as they directly affect business, while overlooking the impact of business on external stakeholder health. This symposium intends to open a place for discussion of the role of business in tackling human health challenges and the impact of business on the health of external stakeholders such as consumers and communities. This symposium will also be a springboard to propose a research agenda for business and management scholars interested in health and the advancement in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for not only SDG 3 on Good Health and Well-being but also related SDGs such as SDG 2 on Zero Hunger and SDG 13 on Climate Action. Coproducing Social Impact Through a Community-Empowered Human Resource Model Presenter: Andrea Maria Prado; INCAE Business School Presenter: Andy Pearson; INCAE Business School Presenter: Silvia Dorado; U. of Massachusetts, Boston Presenter: Ying Chen; U. of Rhode Island Health-Washing in Business Presenter: Remy Balarezo; U. de Piura Presenter: Ivan Montiel; City U. of New York, Baruch College Evaluating the Impacts of Corporate Health Initiatives Presenter: Bryan W. Husted; Tecnologico de Monterrey Presenter: Irene Henriques; York U. Presenter: Lilia Raquel Rojas-Cruz; EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey

Background:The mental health of postpartum women has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the experiences that underlie this remain unexplored. The purpose of this study was to examine how people in Canada who gave birth during the pandemic were affected by policies aimed at limiting interpersonal contact to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission in hospital and during the early weeks postpartum.Methods:We took a social constructionist approach and used a qualitative descriptive methodology. Sampling methods were purposive and involved a mix of convenience and snowball sampling via social media and email. Study inclusion was extended to anyone aged 18 years or more who was located in Canada and was pregnant or had given birth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were obtained via semistructured qualitative telephone interviews conducted between June 2020 and January 2021, and were analyzed through thematic analysis.Results:Sixty-five interviews were conducted; data from 57 women who had already delivered were included in our analysis. We identified the following 4 themes: negative postpartum experience in hospital owing to the absence of a support person(s); poor postpartum mental health, especially in women with preexisting mental health conditions and those who had had medically complicated deliveries; asking for help despite public health regulations that prohibited doing so; and problems with breastfeeding owing to limited in-person follow-up care and lack of in-person breastfeeding support.Interpretation:Policies that restrict the presence of support persons in hospital and at home during the postpartum period appear to be causing harm. Measures to mitigate the consequences of these policies could include encouraging pregnant people to plan for additional postpartum support, allowing a support person to remain for the entire hospital stay and offering additional breastfeeding support.

BackgroundThe available evidence suggests that women were more likely to wear face masks as a precaution during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have explicated this gender disparity in wearing face masks. This study investigates associations of demographic factors with wearing face masks in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic, then explicates gender disparity in wearing face masks from the lens of the Protection Motivation Theory.MethodsThe first part of this study employed a structured online survey of 708 Malaysian adult participants. Data collected were quantitatively analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple linear regression. The second part of this study was conducted among 28 women to better understand gender disparity in protection motivations from the perspectives of women.ResultsGender has the strongest positive association with wearing face masks (p-value < .001), followed by age (p-value = .028). The Protection Motivation Theory adequately explicated the gender disparity in wearing face masks. Additionally, women were motivated to wear face masks beyond protection from the SARS-CoV-2.ConclusionUnderstanding the underlying motivations for wearing face masks informs design of gender-based public health messages to increase compliance with public health regulations and reduce morbidity and mortality for present and future public health crises.

Trust in governmental organizations is a crucial factor in terms of encouraging people to conform to public health regulations, such as those recommended to slow down the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, trust in governmental organizations tends to decline over time, reducing the compliance with public health regulations. This study aimed at exploring, first, the role of future anxiety and fatigue as serial mediators of the relationship between trust in governmental organizations and protective behaviors, and, secondly, the role of Covid-19 risk perception as a moderator between fatigue and protective behaviors. A total of 948 Italian participants (302 males and 646 females), ranged from 18 to 80 years (M = 27.20, SD = 11.01), answered an online survey during the second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak. A moderated serial mediation model was performed using a structural equation modeling. The results indicate that: (1) a higher trust in Italian governmental organizations was associated with a greater compliance in terms of adopting protective behaviors; (2) a lower trust in Italian governmental organizations increased anxiety about the future which, in turn, raised levels of fatigue, leading, finally, to a reduction in the levels of protective behaviors; and (3) as the perceived risk related to Covid-19 increased, the effect of fatigue on protective behaviors decreased. The findings of the current study may provide indications for public health policy on how to increase compliance with the recommended behaviors to be adopted in order to decrease the spread of the SARS-CoV-2.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the economy, society, and the military. Defense diplomacy supports efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia in 2019–2022 by involving the TNI in logistics, public health regulations, and restrictions on movement and large gatherings. This research uses a qualitative method, which is based on the philosophy of postpositivism or interpretivism, to research natural object conditions. The researcher is the key instrument; data collection is done by triangulation (observation, interview, and documentation); data analysis is inductive or qualitative; and research results are more understanding. This research resulted in several findings: 1) Defense Diplomacy provided TNI combat equipment and health services during the COVID-19 pandemic response period in Indonesia in 2019–2022. The health diplomacy strategy emphasizes the creativity of health diplomacy as a bureaucratic institution to communicate more inclusively, effectively, and efficiently. 2) Health diplomacy is less well implemented in bilateral relations with other countries. 3) The obstacles faced have hampered health diplomacy, so to strengthen international relations, health diplomacy must be utilized properly. TNI and Ministry of Health personnel should improve health diplomacy by: 1) To increase the supply of vaccinations from abroad, health diplomacy should be enhanced with possible partners. 2) To legally import vaccinations from abroad, the TNI, the Ministry of Health, and the private sector should form a Joint Secretariat for Health Diplomacy.

Public Health Regulation: The Impact of Intersections between Trade &amp; Investment Treaties in Asia

Geographies of COVID‐19

The COVID-9 pandemic has created a heightened state of anxiety and fear in many communities (Usher, Durkin, &amp; Bhullar, 2020), particularly within vulnerable populations (such as the elderly, people with disability and people with mental illness; prisoners and asylum seekers). These vulnerable populations are already sensitive to the use of restrictive practices, namely, the use of interventions that restrict the rights or freedom of movement of patients via restraint (chemical, mechanical, social or physical) and seclusion. These concerns are exacerbated in a time of pandemic (World Health Organization, 2020). The laws in all Australian jurisdictions require consideration of the principle that the freedom of people in care is restricted as little as possible. It is therefore essential that restrictive practices are undertaken lawfully and with careful consideration (Chandler, White, &amp; Wilmott, 2016). Two recent decisions of tribunals illustrate these concerns (See Box 1).

Ground waters of plutonic acid rock bodies tend to have a high radon content. Using radon-high domestic and medicinal waters could be a factor in contaminating the indoor air and increasing the background radiation levels. Effective radon therapy therefore requires an accurate assessment of radon content. Determining the correct doses of radon can only be based on a detailed study of the mechanisms of its accumulation in the groundwater, its chemical composition, pressure, temperature, hydrogeological regime, depth of water supply points, transportation time etc. Groundwater samples were taken from 5 deep wells. To make an accurate assessment of the radon content in the Khmilnyk groundwater, we conducted a series of comprehensive chemical and radiological laboratory tests, which included emanation measurements with the help of the РРА-01М-03 instrument (30% accuracy) and a series of gamma-spectrometric analyses. There were obtained data on mass content of radium-226, volume content of radon ranging from 15 to 44 MBq/m3, and the content of radon formed by dissolved and sorbed radium. Analysis of radon components showed that its accumulation in groundwater is mainly "emanational-diffusive" in nature and is hardly dependent on the chemical composition of water. No obvious correlation has been found between radon concentration and the chemical composition of the groundwater except such components as carbon dioxide, manganese, SO4 2- and Cl-. These are likely to have effect on the physics and chemistry of radium sorption. The projected dosage produced by the Khmilnyk groundwater radon was calculated from the annual equivalent doses for every water point. The results showed that a 100-hour exposure with maximum levels of radon dissolved in groundwater is likely to result in significant radiation doses (from 0.005 to 0.025 mSv per year) used in radon therapy. Groundwater from points having the highest radon levels (Well 8 and Well 12) used in radon therapy (over 100 hours per year) may result in radiation doses of 0.3-0.4 mSv per year, which is in compliance with the public health regulations. The suggested approach to identifying the physical and chemical mechanisms of groundwater radon accumulation provides an insight into its spatial and temporal variability. The research results can be used in radiological monitoring in order to ensure the safety of radon therapy and compliance with the public health regulations.

Recent challenges to public health regulation such as Indonesia’s challenge to the USA’s tobacco flavouring ban in the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the WTO and investment treaty challenges to Australia’s plain tobacco packaging scheme, have raised common problems of evidence in the international trade and investment law regimes. Responding states are faced with high expectations in justifying their public health measures with empirical evidence connecting the measure with its purported health outcomes. This article compares approaches to evidence in international trade and investment law and seeks to derive lessons for policymakers in developing public health regulation with potential trade and investment treaty challenges in mind. The article reflects on the kinds of evidence needed to successfully defend such challenges and the appropriate approach to assessing such evidence in disputes in these two fora.

A broader liberty: J.S. Mill, paternalism and the public's health

Since 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has had the authority to allow access to unapproved medical products via the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) pathway during times of emergency. It was rarely used until the COVID-19 pandemic, when concerns arose regarding the role of political pressure in the FDA's issuance of some EUAs, such as for hydroxychloroquine. Although US government officials should be responsive to the public, democratic accountability must be balanced against the need for thoughtful science-based decision-making. Inadequate agency independence can diminish public confidence in government leaders and the FDA. To consider whether reform of the EUA process might be appropriate, we considered three possible sources of inspiration for balancing independence and accountability in government scientific decision-making: models in other countries, models in other US agencies, and models within the FDA itself. Strategies used in these settings include: (1) expanding the role of advisory committees, (2) increasing transparency of the agency's decision-making process and supporting rationale, and (3) improving management of internal agency disagreement. Such reforms could improve public trust in public health regulation both related to and separate from future emergencies.