Individual Practices Research Articles

Redefining Sustainability: A Review of the Big Names from the FMCG Industry Taking Significant Measures

Human resource is one of the most crucial factors in the organization. Recent years have shown an inclination towards sustainability among organizations. Sustainability calls for a particular set of guidelines to ensure that we are making optimum utilization of resources without causing any harm to the environment. For the past few years, many researchers have been actively working on this issue and summarized their findings in research papers. Past studies reveal that many organizations consider sustainability a critical issue and continually work on improving their strategies. This study aims to discover the factors that gave rise to the concept of Green Human Resource Management, how it evolved with the dynamic market and what contributions have been made by top brands through their Green HRM policies. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to highlight the working patterns of high performing companies from the FMCG industry. The ideology behind the study was to track the steps taken by big brands towards betterment of the society and towards the environment. Theoretical framework: This study aims at highlighting the concerns of today that might severely affect market and the society in the future. Since HRM practices contribute to the implementation and upkeep of an environmental management system (EMS), helping organizations achieve higher environmental performance (EP), it is becoming increasingly clear that the environmental impacts of HRM processes should be taken into account at every stage of the process (Gilal et al., 2019; Yusoff et al., 2020). In reality, GHRM makes sure businesses extend widely and adopt more ecologically responsible practices. GHRM is crucial for business management for a number of reasons, including the advantages to the environment, retaining employees, and boosting a company's appeal. According to earlier HRM literature (Pham et al., 2020; Awan et al., 2022) individual practices, rather than a collection of practices, had a greater impact on a company's success. Design/ Methodology/ Approach: The study is primarily based on past researches and data directly referred from the companies’ sources for utmost authentication of facts added. Findings: Big brands are taking initiatives like reducing the carbon footprint by taking certain actions basis the chain they ae dealing in. The companies are not only making strategies for the same, but also taking a step in creating awareness regarding the hot topic. Research, Practical & Social implications: Sustainability is becoming a need for the hour considering the limit of the resources that we possess today. Major factor while extracting resources is the make sure that we are putting in extra effort to replenish those resources. For instance, paper. If we want two trees for paper, we must plant at least four trees to make up for the damage we are doing today. Thus, if we want to make sure that our future generations would be able to access and use resources as we are doing today, we must follow certain self-made rules for the same.

PSYCHOTHERAPY AND PSYCHOEDUCATION AT WORK WITH PSYCHOTRAUMA IN THE CONDITIONS OF WAR

The article is devoted to an actual problem of our time - the work of psychologists and psychotherapists with psychotraumas during the war. The purpose of the article is to determine the features of psychotherapy and psychoeducation in working with psychotraumas in war conditions. A separate task of the research was the development of a methodical approach to the harmonization of the psychological state of a traumatized person and obtaining criteria for the formation of components of such a state during the war. Useful psychological techniques are proposed and necessary psychological help for psychological trauma during the war is detailed. A complex of scientific and educational cycles of psychoeducational video materials is presented, which change the war frame to a resource one, which is actively introduced into the educational process and implemented in applied professional activities in various fields of psychological science and practice, etc. The article presents a set of practical exercises, methods of neurolinguistic programming, individual practices of working with oneself, key mistakes in war conditions, ways of transitioning from a state of decline to a state of elevation. Ericksonian hypnosis is proposed in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder - a complex mental condition that arises as a result of trauma. The experience of hypnotherapy as a therapy with an artificial lie for the sake of a positive result is presented. Erikson's hypnotherapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that uses a hypnotic trance to help the patient use their own mental associations, memories, and life potential to achieve their therapeutic goals. Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness similar to sleep. This is the fixation of attention on comfortable associations, etc. Thus, the obtained data can be useful in determining the directions of work with psychotraumas during the war and in the future should be considered as targets of social and medical support in the creation of differentiated psychorehabilitation programs.

Reshaping gendered norms in entrepreneurship: Incorporating gender identity and entrepreneurial practice

AbstractThis paper presents a practice theoretical conception of gender in entrepreneurship, emphasizing the potential of reflexivity and collective agency to reshape gendered norms. While the literature recognizes the fluidity of gender and its intersectional nature, it often overlooks how social phenomena are produced and relate to each other. The main aim of this is to show, not just how, gendered norms of entrepreneurial practice inhibit practice (which has been extensively covered) but how identity and the individualized practice of entrepreneurship, can shift gendered norms of entrepreneurial practice. Drawing upon the theories of Pierre Bourdieu and Margaret Archer, this paper proposes a more integrative approach to identity and gendered norms, embedded within a social realist approach. The author highlights the need for structural renegotiation in entrepreneurship through reflexivity. Given how norms self‐naturalize, individual practice of diverse gendered practices in entrepreneurship is not enough to create long‐term sustainable change and support for diverse gendered practices. Instead, this paper proposes an integrative approach to identity and gendered norms, emphasizing the potential of individuals to shift structural norms, through collective action. This study suggests that a more balanced understanding of the interplay between context and identity can assist in the design of support for non‐traditional gendered practices and provide new insights into how gendered norms impact entrepreneurial activity.

A Grounded Theory and Collaborative Design Approach to Disability Storytelling on TikTok

This developing dissertation explores the use of TikTok as a platform for individual and collective storytelling and information creation practices – within a specific online health community of people experiencing painful, invisible, and difficult to diagnose central sensitivity syndromes (CSSs) – to understand and support these embodied, creative, and collective information behaviors. Ongoing data collection indicates that people with CSSs are using TikTok affordances to tell and scaffold complex micro-stories about their expertise and social experiences of disability: by employing iconographic elements to make disability visual; intimate cinematography; audio, visual, and community-specific mimetic options; and platform-specific novel feature use. The research design draws upon critical disabilities studies (CDS) sensitizing concepts. A constructivist grounded theory approach will be employed, by theoretically sampling TikTok micro-videos, their top comments, and, by the time of this presentation, conducting semi-structured interviews with CSS TikTok community members. This poster also discusses these preliminary results, as well as a novel initial sampling approach which addresses both the hashtag and algorithmic logics of the platform, and an implementation of feminist ethics of care in research methods. Then, three codesign workshops with individuals experiencing CSSs will develop creative storytelling materials that can be utilized in various contexts. These workshops promote the inclusion of disabled community members as co-designers and aim to co-design physical and digital storytelling resources such as prompts, templates, and TikTok features.These findings expand storytelling theory into the health domain, introduce and define algorithmically mediated online health communities, and promote critical disability studies perspectives in information science.

От Христа Пантократора к Salvator Mundi: развитие иконографии Спасителя в итальянской станковой живописи XIII-XV вв.

The iconography of Jesus Christ is one of the most relevant and, at the same time, the most difficult subjects to study. The formation of stable iconographic types of the Savior’s image went through a complicated path, going through various transformations, mainly related to the practical or liturgical function of icons. One of the most popular type, Pantokrator, has been realized in the panel painting of the Italian central region from the earliest times in the copies of the main Roman relic - Acheropita (Greek: Αχειροποίητα, the Image of Christ Not Made by Human Hands), which, as believed, had the same miraculous and protective power as an ancient icon. These copies, representing the image of the Savior on the throne (sometimes flanked by the parts of a triptych with the praying Virgin Mary and Saint John depicted) were largely produced for the churches of Rome and Lazio until the end of the 15th century. In the Renaissance, with its focus on individual religious practice, there is an increasing demand for small altars for home prayer, where artists implemented a new type of iconography, Veronica (Latin: Vera Icona, True Face), which (as well as Acheropita) was associated with the legend of the miraculous discovery of a relic and also endowed with a special protective power. Various interpretations of the illustrative images of the True Face in Italy and the artistic solutions found by the painters of Northern Europe finally lead to the formation and wide circulation in the Renaissance art of another iconographic variation - the Savior of the World (Latin: Salvator Mundi). This article discusses the pictorial and textual sources that determined the completion of the main iconographic types of Jesus Christ in Italian panel painting of the 13th – 15th centuries and with many of attracted samples studies the development of Savior’s iconography.

Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior of Beauty Salon Workers Towards AIDS in Songhor

Background & Aims: Iran is one of three countries with two-thirds of new infection AIDS in 2018, reaching 11,000 new infections. Therefore, measuring the awareness and subsequent health behaviors of high-risk groups is essential. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 beauty salon workers (BSWs) in Songhor, Kermanshah were randomly selected to participate in this study. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire in four sections (individual questions, knowledge, attitude and practice). Data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics in SPSS 20. Results: Regarding marital status 80% were married with age distribution of 16-25 (4%), 26-35 (56%) and 36-50 (40%), educational status 48% diploma and 68% of job experience of 1-10 years. Seventy-six percent of BSWs do tattoos for clients, 33% never used disposable razors and 28% disinfected the equipment incorrect. Their knowledge on HIV transmission methods was desirable, however was no significant correlation between knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) (P>0.05). Conclusion: Health centers staff played a major role in the training of hairdressers, and in Iran, television and radio is facing serious restrictions on AIDS training and transmission and prevention methods. There is a need for training programs to improve the health behaviors of this high risk group.

Understanding and Designing Multi-level Preventive Medication Support Against HIV for Men who Have Sex with Men in Taiwan

Sexual health is an important domain that deserves more HCI attention, such as supporting the practices of men who have sex with men (MSM) against HIV risks. One current clinical approach to addressing this issue is to use preventive medicine like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). As medication adherence of PrEP is challenging that involves users' individual knowledge, sex practices, relational status, and community support, technological mediation benefits from a human-centered perspective that goes beyond individual-level support to understand MSM's needs so as to design a holistic technological intervention for them. With an in-depth interview (n = 22) with MSM from two major cities in Taiwan, we drew on the theoretical framework of the social ecological model and identified three levels of influences, including individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural, that shape the enablers, inhibitors, risks and challenges, and support towards MSM's PrEP use. We proposed correspondent technological design implications to support what we found based on the understanding of our participants.

Micro-Entrepreneurs’ Health Strategies During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract The topic of safeguarding against sickness grew in importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. People’s health was more at risk, yet not all had the same capacity and options to deal with it. Therefore, this article focuses on the under-researched topic of choice of strategies and individual practices for safeguarding against one’s sickness among micro-entrepreneurs (with 1–10 employees) before and during the pandemic, namely on the example of Czechia. We analyse 30 qualitative interviews with micro-entrepreneurs to demonstrate how their social location affects the attainability of strategies and individual practices for that purpose. It is primarily their family role (breadwinner vs caregiver) that, along with socioeconomic status, either limits or opens choices of strategies and individual practices or combinations thereof. Although the COVID-19 pandemic posed a high health risk to the entire society, it did not bring the micro-entrepreneurs to revise their often-risky choices in safeguarding against sickness. In contrast, it highlighted some specifics of micro-enterprises, e.g. their unclear organisational structure, which proved a high risk in the context of the health crisis.

Comparative Benchmarking of Optical Genome Mapping and Chromosomal Microarray Reveals High Technological Concordance in CNV Identification and Additional Structural Variant Refinement.

The recommended practice for individuals suspected of a genetic etiology for disorders including unexplained developmental delay/intellectual disability (DD/ID), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and multiple congenital anomalies (MCA) involves a genetic testing workflow including chromosomal microarray (CMA), Fragile-X testing, karyotype analysis, and/or sequencing-based gene panels. Since genomic imbalances are often found to be causative, CMA is recommended as first tier testing for many indications. Optical genome mapping (OGM) is an emerging next generation cytogenomic technique that can detect not only copy number variants (CNVs), triploidy and absence of heterozygosity (AOH) like CMA, but can also define the location of duplications, and detect other structural variants (SVs), including balanced rearrangements and repeat expansions/contractions. This study compares OGM to CMA for clinically reported genomic variants, some of these samples also have structural characterization by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). OGM was performed on IRB approved, de-identified specimens from 55 individuals with genomic abnormalities previously identified by CMA (61 clinically reported abnormalities). SVs identified by OGM were filtered by a control database to remove polymorphic variants and against an established gene list to prioritize clinically relevant findings before comparing with CMA and FISH results. OGM results showed 100% concordance with CMA findings for pathogenic variants and 98% concordant for all pathogenic/likely pathogenic/variants of uncertain significance (VUS), while also providing additional insight into the genomic structure of abnormalities that CMA was unable to provide. OGM demonstrates equivalent performance to CMA for CNV and AOH detection, enhanced by its ability to determine the structure of the genome. This work adds to an increasing body of evidence on the analytical validity and ability to detect clinically relevant abnormalities identified by CMA. Moreover, OGM identifies translocations, structures of duplications and complex CNVs intractable by CMA, yielding additional clinical utility.

Climate action now: How to fuel a social movement

AbstractOur research develops a framework that explores how to fuel the climate movement by accelerating grassroots, community‐based climate action. Drawing on insights from consumer psychology, our framework identifies the psychological mechanisms that encourage and motivate people, both individually and collectively, to take climate action, thereby contributing to our understanding of how to advance social action and propel a social movement. Our climate action framework builds on: (1) individuals we describe as climate upstanders who rise up to take climate action with like‐minded others, and (2) communities of climate upstanders who engage in collective action aimed at addressing the climate crisis. Our framework expands the field of consumer psychology by redefining the role of consumers to include the practice of social action and broadening the study of consumers to include collective, community‐based action. We call on consumer psychologists to research individual and collective consumer practices related to social action and contribute to making social good central to the study of consumer psychology.

Best practices in the treatment of melasma with a focus on patients with skin of color

BackgroundMelasma is a chronic hypermelanosis of the skin that affects roughly one percent of the global population, predominantly affects women, and is more prevalent in skin of color.1,2 Melasma is a common driver for patients with skin of color to seek out a dermatologist for treatment, and ensuring the right approach for these patients is important as some treatments may be associated with adverse side effects.3 Due to the chronicity of the disease and established psychosocial and emotional impacts, there is a large need to ensure care follows the best available evidence on the treatment of patients with melasma.1 ObjectiveHere we summarize current available topical treatments for melasma with considerations dermatologists should have for their patients with skin of color. MethodsSteering committee consensus on clinical best practices. ResultsWe describe a flexible and focused treatment algorithm that reflects both treatment and maintenance periods that is a consensus of our extensive clinical experience. LimitationsUse of real-world evidence; potential for individual practice bias. ConclusionMelasma can be challenging to treat, particularly in patients with skin of color, and our recommendations for best practices for patients in the US is an important step toward standardizing care.

Changing mobility practices. Can meta-ethnography inform transferable and policy-relevant theory?

Social practice theories have attracted attention for their potential insights into how to change transport systems towards “healthier” states. However, most evidence is from small-scale qualitative case studies. We explored whether a synthesis of qualitative evidence on mobility practices in one country, informed by meta-ethnography and a Bourdieusian approach to practice, could produce theory that is of sufficient abstraction to be transferable, yet also capable of informing intervention planning. The synthesis identified three third order constructs: mobility practices result from habitus plus capital in fields; specific configurations of local mobility practices are shaped, but not determined, by material infrastructures and social structures; and changes in practice happen across a number of scales and temporalities. This body of evidence as a whole was then interpreted as an integrative “storyline”: Mobility systems are complex, in that outcomes from interventions are neither unilinear nor necessarily predictable from aggregations of individual practice changes. Infrastructure changes may be a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for change. Moving systems towards “healthier” states requires changing habitus such that “healthier” practices align with fields, and that interventions take sufficient account of the power relations that materially and symbolically constrain or enable attachments to and changes in mobility practices. Meta-ethnography is a useful approach for integrating qualitative evidence for informing policy.

Optimising staff utilisation in companion animal veterinary practice in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Utilisation of all staff in companion animal veterinary practice has long been reported as sub-optimal in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Evidence shows that skill utilisation is poor, and this is likely impacted by the very low ratios of non-veterinarian staff to each veterinarian in a veterinary practice. This participative action research utilised co-design with a range of staff practising in companion animal clinical practice in Aotearoa/New Zealand, who self-selected as having experience with excellent utilisation. Participants were asked to imagine what a future with excellent utilisation in Aotearoa/New Zealand would look like. This research clarifies role definitions of a veterinarian, companion animal registered veterinary nurse and companion animal healthcare assistant, documents examples of task allocation in an interprofessional team, and develops models to show how ratios of 11:2–14:2 of non-veterinarian staff to veterinarians could be operationalised. The outcomes of achieving this model are likely be beneficial to staff, animals, clients and the business profitability. However, a significant number of barriers are present which may prevent implementation of this model. These include lack of trust, poor team culture, perceived or real skill gaps in veterinary nurses, current legal risks associated with task delegation by veterinarians, and insufficient time available to implement change. Whilst overcoming some of these barriers requires industry-led solutions, many can be resolved immediately within individual teams. Therefore, there is no need to wait for industry change to begin creating veterinary teams with excellent utilisation within individual veterinary practices.

Optimising staff utilisation in rural animal veterinary practice in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Utilisation of veterinary professional staff in rural animal veterinary practice has long been anecdotally reported as poor in Aotearoa / New Zealand. Evidence shows that skill utilisation is poor, and this is likely impacted by the low ratios of non-veterinarian staff to each veterinarian in rural animal veterinary practice. This participative action research utilised focus groups with a range of staff practising in rural animal veterinary practice in Aotearoa / New Zealand, who self-selected as having experience with excellent utilisation. Participants were asked to imagine what a future with excellent utilisation in rural animal veterinary practice in Aotearoa / New Zealand would look like. This research clarifies role definitions of a veterinarian, rural animal veterinary technician and rural animal healthcare assistant, and documents examples of task allocation in an interprofessional team. The participants identified that the outcomes of achieving appropriate utilisation are likely to be beneficial to individuals, the team, animals, clients, and the business profitability, however, a significant number of barriers were identified that may prevent implementation of appropriate utilisation. These included a disconnect between the current rural animal veterinary technician qualifications and the requirement from veterinary clinical practice for specific skills, rather than a full qualification; the current veterinary training pathway not setting up veterinarians to be consultants; lack of regulation of allied veterinary professionals; current skills in the team; lack of trust in technicians from veterinarians; perception of client expectations that a vet will attend; willingness of veterinarians to relinquish control; lack of availability of technical staff; the requirement for veterinarians to provide 27/4 after-hours service; and the risk of technicians leaving after being trained up to go out on their own. Whilst overcoming some of these barriers requires industryled solutions, many can be resolved immediately within individual teams. Therefore, there is no need to wait for industry change to begin creating veterinary teams with excellent utilisation within individual rural animal veterinary practices.

Extension event attendance increases adoption of weed management practices by sports field managers

AbstractData from a national survey of 348 U.S. sports field managers were used to examine the effects of participation in Cooperative Extension events on the adoption of turfgrass weed management practices. Of the respondents, 94% had attended at least one event in the previous 3 yr. Of this 94%, 97% reported adopting at least one practice as a result of knowledge gained at an Extension turfgrass event. Half of the respondents had adopted four or more practices; a third adopted five or more practices. Nonchemical, cultural practices were the most-adopted practices (65% of respondents). Multiple regression analysis was used to examine factors explaining practice adoption and Extension event attendance. Compared to attending one event, attending three events increased total adoption by an average of one practice. Attending four or more events increased total adoption by two practices. Attending four or more events (compared to one event) increased the odds of adopting six individual practices by 3- to 6-fold, depending on the practice. This suggests that practice adoption could be enhanced by encouraging repeat attendance among past Extension event attendees. Manager experience was a statistically significant predictor of the number of Extension events attended but a poor direct predictor of practice adoption. Experience does not appear to increase adoption directly, but indirectly, via its impact on Extension event attendance. In addition to questions about weed management generally, the survey asked questions specifically about annual bluegrass management. Respondents were asked to rank seven sources of information for their helpfulness in managing annual bluegrass. There was no single dominant information source, but Extension was ranked more than any other source as the most helpful (by 22% of the respondents) and was ranked among the top three by 53%, closely behind field representative/local distributor sources at 54%.

Ghanaian collegiate music students who play brass instruments’ music education experiences at the pre-tertiary level

In this qualitative study, we share the musical experiences of seven Ghanaian university music students who primarily play a brass instrument in a university band. The purpose of this study is to illuminate these students’ musical experiences during their pre-tertiary years to better understand what those experiences were and how they impacted their current musical abilities and understandings. The research questions for this study are: What were the formal musical experiences of Ghanaian university music majors who play Western-style brass instruments before entering university? What music teaching and learning methods did they experience prior to entering university? Who were the people who taught them music prior to entering university? Findings indicate that musical spaces were mostly outside of the regular school curriculum, including extra-curricular school regimental bands, church brigades, and town bands. Music learning was non-sequential throughout students’ pre-tertiary experiences. Lack of access to instruments outside of rehearsals was a barrier to individual practice. Participants showed a lack of clarity about their music teachers’ credentials, experience, and backgrounds but their answers suggest that professional development and training programs for teachers would be beneficial. It is recommended that Ghanaian brass band music education is restructured in places where it already exists and where pre-tertiary students choose to play, to include more comprehensive and sequential instrumental music education.

Dashboard of Short-Term Postoperative Patient Outcomes for Anesthesiologists: Development and Preliminary Evaluation.

Anesthesiologists require an understanding of their patients' outcomes to evaluate their performance and improve their practice. Traditionally, anesthesiologists had limited information about their surgical outpatients' outcomes due to minimal contact post discharge. Leveraging digital health innovations for analyzing personal and population outcomes may improve perioperative care. BC Children's Hospital's postoperative follow-up registry for outpatient surgeries collects short-term outcomes such as pain, nausea, and vomiting. Yet, these data were previously not available to anesthesiologists. This quality improvement study aimed to visualize postoperative outcome data to allow anesthesiologists to reflect on their care and compare their performance with their peers. The postoperative follow-up registry contains nurse-reported postoperative outcomes, including opioid and antiemetic administration in the postanesthetic care unit (PACU), and family-reported outcomes, including pain, nausea, and vomiting, within 24 hours post discharge. Dashboards were iteratively co-designed with 5 anesthesiologists, and a department-wide usability survey gathered anesthesiologists' feedback on the dashboards, allowing further design improvements. A final dashboard version has been deployed, with data updated weekly. The dashboard contains three sections: (1) 24-hour outcomes, (2) PACU outcomes, and (3) a practice profile containing individual anesthesiologist's case mix, grouped by age groups, sex, and surgical service. At the time of evaluation, the dashboard included 24-hour data from 7877 cases collected from September 2020 to February 2023 and PACU data from 8716 cases collected from April 2021 to February 2023. The co-design process and usability evaluation indicated that anesthesiologists preferred simpler designs for data summaries but also required the ability to explore details of specific outcomes and cases if needed. Anesthesiologists considered security and confidentiality to be key features of the design and most deemed the dashboard information useful and potentially beneficial for their practice. We designed and deployed a dynamic, personalized dashboard for anesthesiologists to review their outpatients' short-term postoperative outcomes. This dashboard facilitates personal reflection on individual practice in the context of peer and departmental performance and, hence, the opportunity to evaluate iterative practice changes. Further work is required to establish their effect on improving individual and department performance and patient outcomes.

Advancing women’s cycling through digital activism: a feminist critical discourse analysis

ABSTRACT Research question Social media in sport management contexts is increasingly used to highlight social issues in sport and to advocate for change, such as expanding the opportunities for women to participate. The purpose of this study is to examine how and why people strategically used various Twitter conventions to advocate for women’s cycling during the 2013 (men’s) Tour de France. We draw on Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis to frame our exploration and analysis of the issue. Research methods We analyzed the text of approximately 6000 tweets to examine the use of Twitter conventions, as discursive practices, in digital activism efforts to advance the women's cycling agenda. Findings and discussion People used links, retweets, hashtags, direct mentions, and influencers’ posts as individual discursive practices and for their collective potential to draw attention to, and advocate for, women’s pro-cycling in the context of the 100th iteration of the men’s Tour de France. We discuss why this was an important process in the context of women’s cycling, and some of the impacts, ten years later, of this Twitter activity. Implications Twitter conventions can be a useful digital activism tool for feminist agendas in sport. We are cautious of overstating this case as each cause will have different contexts, and the ability of trolls and other users to derail activism is ever present.

Knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices of leptospirosis affected populations in South Andaman, India: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Leptospirosis is the most common reoccurring zoonosis worldwide. Climatic conditions in tropical and subtropical regions are optimal for Leptospira survival. The pathogen thrives in flood-prone slum settlements of underprivileged areas where waste, open sewers, and standing water are present. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study using universal sampling methodology was conducted to determine associationsbetween sociodemographic variables and knowledge, attitudes, and practices of leptospirosis-infected individuals compared with a control group from the South Andaman population. Results: Eight hundred and one (388 cases and 413 controls) subjects were included in the study. Overall, 61.5% of the participants were male, while the main occupation of 43.94% of the subjects was farming or agricultural work. Multilogistic regression assessing the likelihood of good knowledge about leptospirosis showed that leptospirosis-positive subjects were more likely to have good knowledge (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 3.5 [95% CI: 2.59–4.97], p < 0.001), better attitude (AOR: 97.30 [95% CI: 41.72–226.9], p < 0.001] than leptospirosis-negative subjects, male population groups were also more likely to have a good attitude (AOR: 3.03 [95% CI: 1.94–4.73], p < 0.001), and those whose main occupation is farming were more likely to have a good attitude (AOR: 3.59 [95% CI: 2.31–5.56], p < 0.001). The leptospirosis seropositive group was more likely to have good practices (AOR: 5.80 [95% CI: 3.58–8.73], p < 0.001), rural residents were 88% less likely to have good practice levels than urban residents (AR: 0.12 [95% CI: 0.07–0.20], p < 0.01). Conclusion: The infected group had better knowledge than the control group. The integration of knowledge and attitudes to maintain good practices, along with the provision of an adequate sanitation system, waste disposal system, and availability of essential personal protective equipment is necessary for disease control in these islands.

The Influence of Asepsis Practices Taught to Nursing Students During Their Education on their Individual Practices During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Hemşirelik eğitiminin bir parçası olarak klinik uygulamalara katılan hemşirelik öğrencilerinin Covid-19’da koruyucu önlemleri, bu önlemlerin doğru olarak uygulanmasını bilmesi son derece önemlidir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, hemşirelik öğrencilerine hemşirelik eğitimi sırasında öğretilen asepsi uygulamalarının Covid-19 pandemi dönemindeki bireysel uygulamalarına (el yıkama, eldiven kullanma, maske takma) etkisini belirlemektir. Araştırmanın örneklemini çalışmaya katılmayı kabul eden 233 öğrenci oluşturdu. Veriler, Ağustos 2020 – Eylül 2020 arasında Google Form aracılığı ile anket formunun linki öğrencilerin WhatsApp gruplarında paylaşılarak toplandı. Anket formunun cevaplanması her bir öğrenci için yaklaşık 10 dakika sürdü. Veriler, Tanıtıcı Özellikler Soru Formu (10 soru) ve Asepsi Uygulamalarını Değerlendirme Formu (13 madde) ile toplandı. Verilerin istatistiksel değerlendirilmesine IBM SPSS 23.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) paket programı kullanıldı. Anlamlılık düzeyi p