Onset Of COVID-19 Pandemic Research Articles

Counts and child protection reports of diagnosed child maltreatment before and after the COVID-19 pandemic onset

BackgroundMechanisms for reporting child maltreatment (CM) were affected by changes in service provision immediately following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. ObjectiveTo examine changes in counts and CPS reporting of CM medical encounters before and after the onset of COVID-19. Participants and settingAll emergency department and inpatient medical encounters with at least one CM diagnosis during the study period at Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, the largest pediatric hospital in California between 2016 and November 2021. MethodsUsing linked medical record and CPS administrative data, interrupted time series models tested for changes in monthly counts and percentages of CM medical encounters reported to CPS with the onset of COVID-19. Logistic regression tested for the likelihood of a CPS report being associated with a CM encounter. ResultsCM medical encounters totaled 2528, including 793 after the onset of COVID-19. Interrupted time series models indicated with the onset of the pandemic, the counts of CM encounters increased 18 % (RR: 1.18, 95 % CI 1.03–1.34) and the percentages reported to CPS increased 10 % (RR: 1.10, 95 % CI: 1.05–1.17). CM encounters that occurred after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had increased odds of a CPS report (fully adjusted model: OR: 1.08; 95 % CI: 1.05–1.12). ConclusionsThis study found increases in monthly counts and a higher percentage of CM medical encounters with CPS reports after the pandemic onset.

Adolescent psychological adjustment and social supports during pandemic-onset remote learning: A national multi-wave daily-diary study.

In spring 2020, U.S. schools universally transitioned to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic's onset, thus creating a natural experiment for examining adolescents' risk and resilience during an ongoing school crisis response. This longitudinal study used a daily-diary approach to investigate the role of social support in the link between remote learning and psychological well-being across 64 days among a national sample of adolescents (n = 744; 42% Black, 36% White, 22% Other ethnicity/race; 41% boys; 72% eligible for free/reduced-priced lunch; Mage=14.60, SDage=1.71, age-range = 12-17 years). On days when youth attended remote learning, they reported lower daily positive affect, more daily stress, and higher parent social support. There were no significant differences in the effect of remote learning on affect or stress by race or economic status. On days when youth experienced more parent support, they reported lower daily stress and negative affect and higher daily positive affect. On days when youth experienced more peer support, they reported higher daily positive affect. Overall, the study highlights the impact of pandemic-onset remote learning on adolescents' psychological well-being and emphasizes the need for future research on school crisis contingency planning to address these challenges.

Decline In Maximal And Submaximal Pediatric Exercise Capacity Following Covid-19 Pandemic Onset

Decline In Maximal And Submaximal Pediatric Exercise Capacity Following Covid-19 Pandemic Onset

Multi-institutional Analysis of Endoscopic Sellar Surgical Volumes During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We sought to quantify trends in operative volumes and complications of endoscopic sellar surgery before and after the COVID-19 pandemic onset. We performed a retrospective analysis. TriNetX database analysis. All adults undergoing neuroendoscopy for resection of pituitary tumor (Current Procedural Terminology code 62165) with diagnosis of benign/malignant neoplasm of pituitary gland (D35.2/C75.1) or benign/malignant neoplasm of craniopharyngeal duct (D35.3/C75.2) were included using the TriNetX database for 2 years before (pre-COVID group) and 2 years after (post-COVID group) February 17, 2020. A total of 1238 patients in the pre-COVID group and 1186 patients in the post-COVID group were compared. Age, gender, and race were statistically similar between the groups (P > .05). Surgical volume decreased by 6% in the post-COVID group. In 2020 Q2, operative volume decreased by 19%, and in 2021 Q4 (peak COVID-19 caseload in the United States), operative volumes decreased by 29% compared to 2 years prior. Postoperative complications including meningitis (P = .49), cerebrospinal fluid leak (P = .36), visual field deficits (P = .07), postoperative pneumonia or respiratory failure (P = .42), and 30-day readmission rates (P = .89) were similar between the 2 groups. Overall, endoscopic sellar surgery may continue to fluctuate with increased COVID-19 outbreaks. Patient outcomes do not appear to be worsened by decreased operative volumes or delays in nonurgent surgeries.

Cardiac catheterization, coronary intervention, and wait times for transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Prolonged wait times for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The incidence and predictors of short TAVR wait times (STWT: defined as ≤ 30 days from referral to TAVR procedure) have not been defined. This study examined the impact of clinical characteristics, demographics, and pre-TAVR cardiac catheterization on wait times for TAVR. This was a retrospective observational analysis of 831 patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVR from 2019 to mid-2022 at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Demographics, timing of treatment [stratified by COVID-19 onset (1 March 2020)], TAVR center travel distance, baseline clinical factors, and process-related variables were analyzed to determine univariate STWT predictors (P < 0.10). Multivariable analysis was performed to determine independent STWT predictors. Approximately 50% of TAVR patients in this study achieved a STWT. The proportion of patients with STWT was higher (54.7% vs. 45.2%; P = 0.008) after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic. STWT was not related to travel distance (P = 0.61). Patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) > 60% were less likely to achieve STWT compared to patients with LVEF < 40% (OR 0.45, P = 0.003). Patients who required catheterization or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) before TAVR were significantly less likely to achieve STWT (OR 0.65, P = 0.01). TAVR wait times were not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic or single rural TAVR center travel distance. Sicker patients were more likely to achieve STWT while catheterization/PCI before TAVR was associated with longer wait times.

The Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic Made People Feel Threatened, but Had a Limited Impact on Political Attitudes in the United States.

We investigated if the COVID-19 pandemic's onset caused changes in political attitudes. Influential theories predict that the pandemic's onset will cause people to adopt more conservative attitudes, more culturally conservative attitudes, or more extreme attitudes. We comprehensively tested the external validity of these predictions by estimating the causal effect of the pandemic's onset on 84 political attitudes and eight perceived threats using fine-grained repeated cross-sectional data (Study 1, N = 232,684) and panel data (Study 2, N = 552) collected in the United States. Although the pandemic's onset caused feelings of threat, the onset only caused limited attitude change (six conservative shifts, four extremity shifts, 12 liberal shifts, 62 no change). Prominent theories of threat and politics did not make accurate predictions for this major societal threat. Our results highlight the necessity of testing psychological theories' predictive powers in real-life circumstances.

Trends in Delirium and New Antipsychotic and Benzodiazepine Use Among Hospitalized Older Adults Before and After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic caused large disruptions to health care for hospitalized older adults. The incidence and management of delirium may have been affected by high rates of COVID-19 infection, staffing shortages, overwhelmed hospital capacity, and changes to visitor policies. To measure changes in rates of delirium and related medication prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic among hospitalized older adults. This population-based, repeated cross-sectional study used linked databases to measure rates of delirium and related medication prescriptions among adults aged 66 years or older hospitalized before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (January 1, 2017, to March 31, 2022) in Ontario, Canada. The first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1, 2020, to March 31, 2022). The main outcomes were weekly rates of delirium per 1000 admitted population and monthly rates of new antipsychotic and benzodiazepine prescriptions per 1000 discharged population. Observed rates were compared with projected rates based on modeling from 3 years before pandemic onset. Among 2 128 411 hospitalizations of older adults over the 5-year study period (50.7% female; mean [SD] age, 78.9 [8.3] years), absolute rates of delirium increased from 35.9 per 1000 admitted population during the prepandemic period to 41.5 per 1000 admitted population throughout the pandemic. The adjusted rate ratio (ARR) of delirium during the pandemic compared with the projected rate was 1.15 (95% CI, 1.11-1.19). Monthly rates of new antipsychotic prescriptions increased from 6.9 to 8.8 per 1000 discharged population and new benzodiazepine prescriptions from 4.4 to 6.0 per 1000 discharged population and were significantly higher during the pandemic compared with projected rates (antipsychotics: ARR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.19-1.38; benzodiazepines: ARR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.20-1.57). Rates were highest during pandemic waves 1 (March to June 2020), 3 (March to June 2021), and 5 (December 2021 to February 2022) and remained elevated above projected levels throughout the first 2 years of the pandemic. In this repeated cross-sectional study of hospitalized older adults, there was a temporal association between COVID-19 pandemic onset and significant increases in rates of delirium in the hospital and new antipsychotic and benzodiazepine prescriptions after hospital discharge. Rates remained elevated over 2 years. Pandemic-related changes such as visitor restrictions, staff shortages, isolation practices, and reduced staff time at the bedside may have contributed to these trends.

Trends in Opioid Use Disorder Outpatient Treatment and Telehealth Utilization Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The authors examined trends in opioid use disorder treatment and in-person and telehealth modalities before and after COVID-19 pandemic onset among patients who had received treatment prepandemic. The sample included 13,113 adults with commercial insurance or Medicare Advantage and receiving opioid use disorder treatment between March 2018 and February 2019. Trends in opioid use disorder outpatient treatment, treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and in-person and telehealth modalities were examined 1 year before pandemic onset and 2 years after (March 2019-February 2022). From March 2019 to February 2022, the proportion of patients with opioid use disorder outpatient and MOUD visits declined by 2.8 and 0.3 percentage points, respectively. Prepandemic, 98.6% of outpatient visits were in person; after pandemic onset, at least 34.9% of patients received outpatient care via telehealth. Disruptions in opioid use disorder outpatient and MOUD treatments were marginal during the pandemic, possibly because of increased telehealth utilization.

Factors causing delays in the UAE construction industry amid the Covid-19 pandemic

PurposeThis paper aims to measure the severity, frequency and importance of the factors causing delays in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) construction industry following the Covid-19 pandemic onset. The study also measures the likelihood of the effects caused by these delays.Design/methodology/approachA mixed approach of both qualitative and quantitative. Literature review was conducted to extract 40 factors of delays and 10 effects of delays. A survey was then administered to construction professionals in the UAE to collect the perceptions on the severity and frequency of factors of the causes of delays using a Likert Scale of 1–5 where 1 represented very low and 5 represented very high. Similarly, the respondents were also asked to rate the likelihood of the occurrence of the effects of the delays based on a Likert scale of 1–5 as well. Furthermore, Spearman’s rank correlation was also conducted to compute the level of agreement between the different parties; owner, consultants and contractors.FindingsThe results revealed that the top five factors of delays include: award the project for the lowest bidder, delay in progress payment, change orders by the owner, poor subcontractor performance and inadequate planning and scheduling by the contractor. The findings of this study emphasize the financial challenges and economic crisis brought upon the construction industry due to the pandemic. Furthermore, the pandemic also shifted the perceptions of construction professionals, who are now more aware of the delays caused by awarding the project to the lowest bidder who would not have the required qualifications to conduct efficient planning and scheduling that are relevant in the case of extraordinary events such as Covid-19. Moreover, a high level of agreement between the consultants and contractors was observed, with a Spearman’s rank correlation of 0.804. Additionally, the most likely effects of delays concluded from this study were time overrun/extension and poor quality of work.Originality/valueLiterature review is very rich in the field of construction projects delays. However, there is very limited research on the impact of Covid-19 in the context of construction projects delays, and insights from construction professionals regarding this matter are particularly lacking in literature. Therefore, this paper bridges the gap in literature by providing perceptions of construction professionals on the impact of Covid-19 on the factors causing delays in the UAE construction industry. The findings of this research are expected to be an invaluable resource for future to help the construction industry heal faster when encountering similar epidemics or extraordinary events.

Declines in Adolescent Substance Use After the COVID-19 Pandemic Onset: The Role of Initiation in Grades 7 and 9

PurposeTo examine if the record declines in adolescent substance use after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted from reduced levels of initiation, defined as any lifetime use. MethodsWe analyzed data from the nationally representative, cross-sectional, annual Monitoring the Future surveys of eighth, 10th, and 12th grade students from 2019 to 2022. Measures included past 12-month use of cannabis, nicotine vaping, and alcohol as well as self-reported grade of initiation of each substance. Analyses are based on randomly selected subsamples of students who received questions on both prevalence and grade of first use, resulting in a total sample size of 96,990 students. ResultsLevels of the past 12-month substance use were markedly lower after the onset of the pandemic, in 2021 and 2022. In eighth and 10th grade, levels were at least one-third lower for cannabis and nicotine vaping and 13%–31% lower for alcohol. In 12th grade, the decreases ranged from 9% to 23%. Lower levels of initiation in seventh grade in 2020-2021 accounted for half or more of the overall prevalence decreases in eighth grade in 2021- 2022. Lower levels of initiation in ninth grade in 2020-2021 accounted for 45% or more of the overall prevalence decreases in 10th grade in 2021-2022. Declines in 12th grade substance use prevalence were not consistently linked to lower initiation in earlier grades. DiscussionMuch of the declines in overall prevalence of adolescent substance use after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic trace back specifically to declines in substance use initiation in seventh and ninth grades.

Use of telehealth for psychosocial oncology: A mixed methods study about barriers to and opportunities with Latino patients from Latin America, Spain, and the United States.

Telehealth for mental healthcare expanded rapidly with the COVID-19 pandemic's onset; however, global access disparities emerged. Telehealth challenges and opportunities for Latino cancer patients from different geographical regions must be explored. A cross-sectional online survey (March-July 2021) of mental health providers, serving Latino cancer patients in Latin America, United States, and Spain, contained close-ended questions related to the use of telehealth during the pandemic and open-ended questions on recommending/not recommending telehealth. In a sample of 148 providers from 21 countries, 60.5% reported that at least some of their patients had difficulties with Internet speed and connectivity and lacked knowledge about using electronic devices (43.2%) or the Internet (45.4%). Lacking privacy at home (66.0%) and childcare (26.0%) were reported patient challenges. Internet connectivity or speed were issues for providers (43.2%) themselves. Improving patient reach was a reported telehealth benefit (64.2%). Geographical access (43.2%) and physical limitations (35.8%) were considerations in offering telehealth. Considerations for not recommending telehealth were patient age (24.3%) and lacking technological knowledge (29.1%). Telehealth for mental healthcare may improve patient access issues caused by geographical and transportation conditions and patient functionality. Findings provide insight into telehealth benefits and challenges in Latino patient populations. Future studies should examine patient access and use by region.

Quantifying the Digital Divide: Associations of Broadband Internet with Tele-mental Health Access Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine quickly expanded. Broadband speeds may impact equitable access to video-based mental health (MH) services.ObjectiveTo identify access disparities in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) MH services based on broadband speed availability.DesignInstrumental variable difference-in-differences study using administrative data to identify MH visits prior to (October 1, 2015–February 28, 2020) and after COVID-19 pandemic onset (March 1, 2020–December 31, 2021) among 1176 VHA MH clinics. The exposure is broadband download and upload speeds categorized as inadequate (download ≤25 Megabits per second - Mbps; upload ≤3 Mbps), adequate (download ≥25 Mbps and <100 Mbps; upload ≥5 Mbps and <100 Mbps), or optimal (download and upload ≥100/100 Mbps) based on data reported to the Federal Communications Commission at the census block and spatially merged to each veteran’s residential address.ParticipantsAll veterans receiving VHA MH services during study period.Main MeasuresMH visits were categorized as in-person or virtual (i.e., telephone or video). By patient, MH visits were counted quarterly by broadband category. Poisson models with Huber-White robust errors clustered at the census block estimated the association between a patient’s broadband speed category and quarterly MH visit count by visit type, adjusted for patient demographics, residential rurality, and area deprivation index.Key ResultsOver the 6-year study period, 3,659,699 unique veterans were seen. Adjusted regression analyses estimated the change after pandemic onset versus pre-pandemic in patients’ quarterly MH visit count; patients living in census blocks with optimal versus inadequate broadband increased video visit use (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.45–1.59; P < 0.001) and decreased in-person visits (IRR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.90–0.94; P < 0.001).ConclusionsThis study found patients with optimal versus inadequate broadband availability had more video-based and fewer in-person MH visits after pandemic onset, suggesting broadband availability is an important determinant of access-to-care during public health emergencies requiring remote care.

Grit and uncertainty: Grit predicts performance and West Point graduation during pandemic conditions

ABSTRACT Grit, or the passionate pursuit of long-term goals, is an important predictor of performance and success across various domains, including within some military contexts. Whether grit predicts such outcomes at a military service academy during a multi-year period of prolonged uncertainty, however, is unknown. Using institutional data collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic onset, we assessed how well grit, physical fitness test scores, and entrance examination scores predicted performance in academic, military, and physical domains, as well as on-time graduation for 817 cadets from the West Point Class of 2022. This cohort spent more than 2 years of their time at West Point functioning under the uncertainty of pandemic-related conditions. Multiple regression results showed that grit, fitness test, and entrance examination scores were all significant predictors of performance outcomes in the academic, military, and physical domains. Results from binary logistic regression showed that, in addition to physical fitness, grit scores significantly predicted graduation from West Point and accounted for unique variance. Consistent with results from pre-pandemic studies, grit was an important predictor of performance and success for West Point cadets even under pandemic conditions.

#3281 SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF VIRTUAL OUTPATIENT NEPHROLOGY CONSULTATION IN THE NORTHERN ALBERTA RENAL PROGRAM

Abstract Background and Aims There is a growing awareness among Canadian health care providers of the need to incorporate virtual consultations safely and effectively post pandemic. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, outpatient consultation in Northern Alberta Renal Program (NARP) was rapidly transitioned to virtual delivery (telephone or videoconferencing) in place of face-to-face visits. To scale up and sustain virtual consultation in kidney care programs, its safety and effectiveness in improving processes of care (reduced wait time and access to care) and patient-related outcomes must be established. Data establishing safety and effectiveness of virtual consultation in kidney care has been limited. We therefore aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of virtual consultation in patients with advanced CKD or peritoneal dialysis (PD) being cared for in NARP. Method The study was conducted in NARP (one of the largest kidney care programs in Canada). The study populations comprised two categories of patients with kidney disease: 1) CKD (non-dialytic) being followed in the ambulatory care clinics and 2) chronic PD patients being followed up in a dedicated home dialysis clinic at 3-monthly intervals. Data were collected over two-time points, pre and post implementation of virtual kidney following the COVID-19 pandemic: March 2019-February 2020 (pre-implementation), and March 2020- February 2021 (post implementation). We were only allowed to collate data on the processes of care outcomes for CKD (clinic cancellations or no-shows, wait times to see a nephrologist from the point of referral and number of visits), and adverse clinical outcomes (peritonitis rates, all-cause hospitalizations, technique failure, defined as PD failure with transition to hemodialysis) for the patients on PD. Summary statistics and tests of associations applied as appropriate. Interrupted time series analyses were used to evaluate trends. All analyses were conducted using (STATA 15 software (Stata Corporation, 2017). The study was approved by the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board. Results In patients on PD, the studied outcome measures were not significantly impacted (no changes in the trend) pre and post virtual care implementation (Figs 1a-c). The absolute number of clinic visits in patients on PD did not change (data not shown). In the patients with CKD, there were significant reductions in the rate of clinic cancellations/no-show rates (Fig. 2a), and a reduction in wait time (by a median of two weeks) following virtual care implementation (Fig. 2b). The rates of clinic visits pre and post implementation did not change (Fig. 2c) Conclusion The implementation of virtual consultation with the onset of COVID-19 pandemic (and the attendant reduction in face-to-face contacts with patients) did not negatively impact the care of patients on PD regarding risk for adverse clinical outcomes (peritonitis rates, all-cause hospitalizations, and technique failure). In patients with CKD, implementation of virtual care has led to significant improvements in the processes of care (reduction in wait times and enhanced access to care). These findings have implications in the design of sustainable virtual care programs for delivery of specialized kidney care in both dialysis and non-dialytic CKD in Canada and beyond.

#2955 THE IMPACT OF SARS-COV-2 INFECTION ON LONG-TERM RENAL FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH GLOMERULAR DISEASES

Abstract Background and Aims We sought to evaluate the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on renal function in patients with glomerular diseases. Method A total of 451 patients with biopsy-proven glomerular disease and at least 12 months of follow-up after COVID-19 pandemic onset were included in the study. A SARS-CoV-2 infection was diagnosed based on a positive RT-PCR and/or antigen test. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to identify the independent predictors of a composite endpoint (≥30% decline in eGFR, ESRD). In addition, a multivariate linear regression analysis was developed to identify the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on eGFR decline at 12 months after pandemic onset. Results Since 26th February 2020, when the first case of SARS-CoV-2 infection was diagnosed in Romania, 23.1% of patients had a SARS-CoV-2 infection during a follow-up period of 2.5 y (0.8-2.6). The most frequent glomerular disease was IgA nephropathy (22.6%), followed by lupus nephritis (11.5%) and membranous nephropathy (9.5%). 71.8% of the study cohort received various regimens of immunosuppression. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were younger and more likely to have received immunosuppressive therapy compared to patients without infection, but the renal function at baseline was similar between the study groups (eGFR, 52±31.2 vs 52.1±29.3 ml/min, respectively; p = 0.78). 17.6% of patients reached the composite endpoint, while 12.3% progressed to ESRD. Those with SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to reach the composite endpoint compared to those without infection [prevalence of composite endpoint, 26.7% vs. 14.8%, p = 0.006; OR, 2.1 (95%CI, 1.23-3.58), p = 0.006) (Figure 1). Similarly, there was a significant decline of eGFR in the first year of follow-up between the two study groups [-2.24 (-24.8; 20.9) vs. +2.31 (-16.8; 27.5) ml/min, respectively, p = 0.004]. In multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, the independent predictors of the composite endpoint were baseline eGFR (HR, 0.94; 95%CI, 0.92-0.95, p&amp;lt;0.001), the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (HR, 1.91; 1.16-3.12, p = 0.01) and male gender (HR, 1.64; 95%CI, 1.01-2.66, p = 0.04). When taking into account the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection, a severe infection was the most important predictor of the composite endpoint (HR, 2.1; 95%CI, 1.02-4.29, p = 0.04) (Figure 2). The results remained consistent when restricting the analysis to ESRD as an endpoint. When taking into account the eGFR slope at 12 months after COVID-19 pandemic onset as the outcome variable in multivariate linear regression analysis, the SARS-CoV-2 infection occurrence independently determined a reduction of eGFR by 4.62 ml/min/1.73m2 (β coefficient, -4.62; 95%CI, -7.74 to -1.5, p = 0.004). Conclusion There is a significant impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on long-term renal function in patients with glomerular diseases, while those with severe infection had a greater decline of eGFR and a worse renal survival.

Impact of Covid on the Trend of Domestic Violence in Indian Households

Since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, a rising trend of domestic violence in India is reported by literature using either call/complaints data or newspaper reports. However, the complaints data could not provide an adequate measure of the effect of the pandemic on the occurrence of domestic violence, if a substantial number of cases remain unreported. Till now, national level data to capture the changes in household dynamics during pandemic time is rare. The novelty of this study comes from the use of a national level survey, National Family Health Survey data of the Fifth round (2019-21) on India, which was not specifically designed for identifying the impact of COVID, but includes many attributes of women’s life regarding demographic characteristics, health and childbirth, subjective and objective information on domestic violence among many others. The data has been collected from 2019 to 2021, with a halt due to COVID restrictions from April to September 2020. Using this break in the data this study examines whether and how the pattern of domestic violence has changed during the pandemic time. The impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the trend and nature of domestic violence and also on the patterns of the influence of the predictors of domestic violence are measured using probit regression analysis. The findings imply that violence may decrease if women provide financial security to the family amid uncertainties during pandemic, but violence can increase if women increase the burden of the family.

Effects of Gender, Marital Status, Living Status, Personality and Value Orientation on Attitude and Emotions during Covid-19 Lockdown

The present study was carried during lockdown at the onset of covid-19 pandemic in May 2020. The fear of spread of pandemic had led to precautionary lockdown to curb the spread of virus in Delhi. As this was a new and unpredictable experience for most of the people in India, the study intended to understand the stress experienced by different categories of people and the coping strategies they used to overcome the stress. The study was carried out by an online semi-structured questionnaire, which was filled by 300 individuals. The questions probed about their demographic details (age, gender, living status, marital status, occupational status), the structuring of their time and schedule, the intensity of the COVID-19 problem (perceived severity), the experience of lockdown, their assessment of probability of getting infected by Covid (perceived susceptibility), dealing with fear and coping with stress of lockdown. The analysis was done and findings had resulted in interesting insights about relationship between gender, marital status, family type and experience and coping with stress.

National Trends in Physical Activity Among Adults in South Korea Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2009-2021

There is a lack of comprehensive data on the association of the COVID-19 pandemic with the prevalence of physical activity in large-scale data sets. To investigate long-term trends in physical activity using information from a nationally representative survey covering 2009 to 2021. This general population-based and repeated cross-sectional study was conducted from 2009 to 2021 using the Korea Community Health Survey, a nationally representative survey in South Korea. Data from 2009 to 2021 for 2 748 585 Korean adults were obtained through a nationwide, large-scale, serial study. Data were analyzed from December 2022 through January 2023. COVID-19 pandemic onset. The trend of sufficient aerobic physical activity was measured by prevalence and mean metabolic equivalent of task (MET) score based on World Health Organization physical activity guidelines and defined as 600 MET-min/wk or greater. The cross-sectional survey included age, sex, body mass index (BMI), region of residence, education level, income level, smoking status, alcohol consumption level, stress status, physical activity level, and history of diabetes, hypertension, and depression. Among 2 748 585 Korean adults (738 934 aged 50-64 years [29.1%] and 657 560 aged ≥65 years [25.9%]; 1 178 869 males [46.4%]), the prevalence of sufficient physical activity did not change significantly during the prepandemic period (β difference, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.4). During the pandemic, the prevalence of sufficient physical activity decreased significantly, from 36.0% (95% CI, 35.9% to 36.1%) in 2017 to 2019 to 30.0% (95% CI, 29.8% to 30.2%) in 2020 and 29.7% (95% CI, 29.5% to 29.9%) in 2021. Trends showed decreases in the prevalence of sufficient physical activity among older adults (ages ≥65 years; β difference, -16.4; 95% CI, -17.5 to -15.3) and younger adults (ages 19 to 29 years; β difference, -16.6; 95% CI, -18.1 to -15.0) during the pandemic. In particular, the trend of sufficient physical activity declined during the pandemic in females (β difference, -16.8; 95% CI, -17.6 to -16.0), individuals in urban residences (β difference, -21.2; 95% CI, -22.2 to -20.2), healthy participants (eg, those with normal BMI, 18.5 to 22.9: β difference,-12.5; 95% CI, -13.4 to -11.7), and individuals at increased risk of stress (eg, history of a depressive episode; β difference, -13.7; 95% CI, -19.1 to -8.4). Prevalence trends in mean MET score were similar to those in the main results; total mean MET score decreased from the 2017 to 2019 period (1579.1 MET-min/wk; 95% CI, 1567.5 to 1590.7 MET-min/wk) to the 2020 to 2021 period (1191.9 MET-min/wk; 95% CI, 1182.4 to 1201.4 MET-min/wk. This cross-sectional study found that the national prevalence of physical activity was stable or consistent before the pandemic period, with a marked decrease during the pandemic, particularly among healthy individuals and subgroups at increased risk of negative outcomes, including older adults, females, urban residents, and those with depressive episodes. Future studies may be needed to evaluate the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in physical activity.

A surge in respiratory syncytial virus infection-related hospitalizations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic: An observational study at pediatric emergency referral hospitals in Tokushima Prefecture.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) resulted in implementation of social distancing and other public health measures to control the spread of infection and improve prevention, resulting in a decrease in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and pediatric respiratory tract infection rates. However, there was a rapid and large re-emergence of RSV infection in Japan. Notably, we were faced with a difficult situation wherein there was a shortage of hospital beds. This study aimed to examine the epidemiological patterns of RSV-related hospitalizations among children before and after the COVID-19 pandemic onset at two pediatric emergency referral hospitals covering the entire Tokushima Prefecture. Data were extracted from electronic medical records of children hospitalized with RSV infection between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2021. All patients meeting the eligibility criteria were included in this study. The rates of study outcomes were documented annually during 2018-2021 and compared between the 2018-2020 and 2021 periods. In 2020, there was no RSV infection outbreak. Hospitalizations at the peak week in 2021 were 2.2- and 2.8-fold higher than those in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Hospitalizations in 2021 were concentrated within a short period. In addition, there was a significant increase in hospitalizations among children aged 3-5 months and those older than 24 months. The high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) use rate nearly doubled in 2021. A new pandemic in the future may cause an outbreak of RSV infection that can result in an intensive increase in the number of hospitalizations of pediatric patients requiring respiratory support, especially in infants aged <6 months. There is an urgent need to improve the preparedness of medical systems, particularly in terms of the number of inpatient beds and the immediate availability of HFNC.

Compassion, collaboration, and community: Strategies for staff well-being.

Compassion, collaboration, and community: Strategies for staff well-being.