Major Public Health Emergency Research Articles

Factors Influencing Public Donation Intention during Major Public Health Emergencies and Their Interactions: Evidence from China.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a major public health emergency that has caused significant global devastation. However, it has also fostered unprecedented worldwide solidarity. During this crisis, we have witnessed large-scale donations and assistance both domestically and internationally. In the face of such extensive public engagement, understanding the driving factors behind public donations is crucial in responding to future global shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic. This study proposes an analytical framework and examines the factors influencing public donation intention during major public health emergencies and their interactions. Based on the online and telephone survey data of 11,682 responses collected in China during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, this study employs multiple logistic regression and moderation effect models to analyze these influencing factors and their interactions on public donation intention. The findings reveal a remarkably high level of public engagement, with 79% of respondents expressing donation intention. Further analysis indicates that the hardship level caused by the pandemic, degree of risk perception, community material support, and evaluation of the pandemic response all have a significant and positive impact on public donation intention. Moreover, the evaluation of the pandemic response and community material support significantly and positively moderate the impact of the hardship level caused by the pandemic and degree of risk perception on public donation intention, respectively. This study provides valuable guidance for governments and organizations worldwide. It is helpful for enriching crisis management theory and improving crisis response mechanisms.

Burden of childhood diarrhea and cholera outbreaks in the Lake Tana Basin (Ethiopia): Review

Objectives: Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality, while cholera outbreaks are a major public health emergency insub-Saharan African countries. This study was aimed at investigating the link between climate changes and cholera outbreaks, and the burden of childhood diarrhoea in the Lake Tana Basin (Ethiopia). Methods: Research articles published in English were searched from Google scholar, PubMed, and Web of science and these were supplemented by a four-year secondary data of childhood diarrhoea and cholera outbreaks extracted from health management information system (HMIS) in 61 districts. Results: The mean prevalence of diarrhoea per 1000 children was 420 (95% CI:311.7; 528.6). The prevalence of childhood diarrhoea showed spatial and temporal variation hereby 16.4% (10/61) districts exhibited high prevalence (>201/1000 children). The prevalence of diarrhoea was significantly higher in boys compared to girls (p = 0.001), while the incidence of cholera was significantly higher in females compared to males (p < 0.001). Heavy precipitation and El-Niño events were linked to the episodes of cholera outbreaks. Conclusions: Health interventions should consider spatial and temporal variations of diarrhoea. The cholera outbreak preparedness needs to be aware during the events of climate changes in the hotspot areas. Keywords: Cholera; diarrhoea; climate change; Lake Tana Basin; Ethiopia.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Community Resilience during the (COVID)-19 Pandemic: A Case Study from China

Objectives: In this study, we explore the factors affecting community resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We adopted an extensive case study methodology and employed snowball sampling to select 10 typical interviewees for semi-structured interviews. Data collected were analyzed through reading, coding, thematic analysis, and classification to extract the key variables influencing community resilience implementation. Results: Organizational systems, volunteer engagements, and technological innovations play indispensable roles in enhancing urban community resilience. The organizational system emerges as the foundational framework underpinning the realization of community resilience. Proactive involvement in emergency volunteer services constitutes the actionable cornerstone for community resilience, effectively mitigating personnel shortages in community operations. Digital technologies emerge as pivotal enablers of technological prerequisites for community resilience, fostering seamless information dissemination among diverse stakeholders within the community. Conclusion: This study offers a compelling case study of a Chinese community's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation reveals that 3 pivotal mechanisms – organizational systems, volunteer engagements, and technological innovations –assume indispensable roles in bolstering urban community resilience. The experiential insights gleaned from China's response to major public health emergencies offer invaluable lessons for the advancement of community resilience initiatives worldwide.

Trends in hospital capacity and utilization in Puerto Rico by health regions, 2010–2020

Like many under resourced, island communities, most of the municipalities in Puerto Rico are medically underserved. However, there is limited information about changes in hospital capacity and any regional disparities in availability of hospital services in Puerto Rico, especially given the multiple public health emergencies the island has faced in recent years (e.g. hurricanes, earthquakes, and COVID-19). This study described the trends in hospital capacity and utilization for the Island of Puerto Rico and by health regions from 2010 to 2020. We analyzed the 2021–22 Area Health Resource File (AHRF) and aggregated the data by seven health regions, which are groupings of municipalities defined by the Puerto Rico Department of Health. Ten-year estimates for hospital utilization were adjusted for population size by health region. During the more recent five-year period, there were decreases in hospitals, hospital beds, and surgeries, which represent a shift from the earlier five-year period. Over the 10 years of the study period, there was an overall decrease in population-adjusted measures of hospital utilization on the island of Puerto Rico—despite multiple disasters that would, theoretically, increase need for health care services. We also found variation in hospital capacity and utilization by health regions indicating the rate of change was not uniform across Puerto Rico. The capacity of Puerto Rico’s hospital system has shrunk over the past decade which may pose a challenge when responding to recurrent major public health emergencies, especially within specific health regions.

The utility of obesity polygenic risk scores from research to clinical practice: A review.

Obesity represents a major public health emergency worldwide, and its etiology is shaped by a complex interplay of environmental and genetic factors. Over the last decade, polygenic risk scores (PRS) have emerged as a promising tool to quantify an individual's genetic risk of obesity. The field of PRS in obesity genetics is rapidly evolving, shedding new lights on obesity mechanisms and holding promise for contributing to personalized prevention and treatment. Challenges persist in terms of its clinical integration, including the need for further validation in large-scale prospective cohorts, ethical considerations, and implications for health disparities. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of PRS for studying the genetics of obesity, spanning from methodological nuances to clinical applications and challenges. We summarize the latest developments in the generation and refinement of PRS for obesity, including advances in methodologies for aggregating genome-wide association study data and improving PRS predictive accuracy, and discuss limitations that need to be overcome to fully realize its potential benefits of PRS in both medicine and public health.

Medical Resource Management in Emergency Hierarchical Diagnosis and Treatment Systems: A Research Framework.

The occurrence of major public health crises, like the COVID-19 epidemic, present significant challenges to healthcare systems and the management of emergency medical resources worldwide. This study, by examining the practices of emergency medical resource management in select countries during the COVID-19 epidemic, and reviewing the relevant literature, finds that emergency hierarchical diagnosis and treatment systems (EHDTSs) play a crucial role in managing emergency resources effectively. To address key issues of emergency resource management in EHDTSs, we examine the features of EHDTSs and develop a research framework for emergency resource management in EHDTSs, especially focusing on the management of emergency medical personnel and medical supplies during evolving epidemics. The research framework identifies key issues of emergency medical resource management in EHDTSs, including the sharing and scheduling of emergency medical supplies, the establishment and sharing of emergency medical supply warehouses, and the integrated dispatch of emergency medical personnel. The proposed framework not only offers insights for future research but also can facilitate better emergency medical resource management in EHDTSs during major public health emergencies.

The Relationship Between Perceived Social Support and Post-Traumatic Growth Among Medical Staff Three Weeks After the Policy Opening of COVID-19 Pandemic in China: Deliberate Rumination as Mediator

In the context of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, medical staff have experienced traumatic stress events. Research on post-traumatic growth (PTG) was limited. We aimed to assess the relationship between perceived social support and PTG among medical staff 3 weeks after the policy opening of COVID-19 pandemic in Nanjing, China and explore the mediating roles of deliberate rumination. A multicenter study including a total of 842 medical staff was conducted at two general hospitals from December 10, 2022, to December 25, 2022, in Nanjing, China. SPSS was used for statistical description and univariate analysis, and AMOS was used for structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the medicating effect of deliberate social support on PTG. In the SEM, the total effect of perceived social support on PTG was significant (β = .332, 95% CI [0.259, 0.408], p < .001). In addition, deliberate rumination played a mediating role between perceived social support and PTG, and the indirect effect of deliberate rumination between perceived social support and PTG was −.036 (95 % CI [−0.059, −0.018], p < .001). Perceived social support has significant direct and indirect effects on PTG. In the context of major public health emergencies, providing medical staff with more social support and guiding them to reflect positively could help medical staff achieve PTG after experiencing a traumatic event.

The role of veterinary diagnostic laboratories during COVID-19 response in the United States.

Robust testing capacity was necessary for public health agencies to respond to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. As the nation faced the need for robust testing capacity, it became necessary to use all possible resources. In many cases, veterinary diagnostic laboratories rose to meet this demand because these facilities routinely perform high throughput diagnostic testing of large animal populations and are typically familiar with pathogens of high pandemic concern. In this study, we evaluated the impact of veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the United States on SARS-CoV-2 testing. Results of surveys, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of publicly available information showed that veterinary diagnostic laboratories had a substantial impact on human health through population-level testing in the COVID-19 response, supporting timely and informed public health interventions. This success was not without significant hurdles, as many participating veterinary diagnostic laboratories experienced restriction in their response due to difficulties obtaining the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification required to conduct human diagnostic testing. Our results point out the importance of reducing hurdles before the next major public health emergency to enhance access to testing resources overall and to ultimately improve population health.

Research on the Forecast of Emergency Supplies for Major Public Health Emergencies - An Empirical Study Based on the Distribution of Donated Facial Masks by the Wuhan COVID-19 Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters

Research on the Forecast of Emergency Supplies for Major Public Health Emergencies - An Empirical Study Based on the Distribution of Donated Facial Masks by the Wuhan COVID-19 Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters

Discussion and Countermeasures on the Application of Health Code in the Routine Prevention and Control of COVID-19

From the previous SARS to the current novel coronavirus, major public health emergencies have occurred in China one after another. With the development of The Times and the progress of society and science and technology, people are more and more aware of the importance of effective prevention and control of such incidents, and what means to adopt effective prevention and control has gradually attracted global attention. In the context of the new coronavirus epidemic, the health code, an innovative young measure, can be said to have opened up a precedent and played an irreplaceable role in China's epidemic prevention and control. In the three years since the outbreak of COVID-19 from the beginning of 2020 to the end of 2022, health codes have been widely used and become an important means of epidemic prevention, but some problems have inevitably been exposed, especially in the period of normal epidemic prevention and control, such as: The problems of digital divide, information island, and abnormal color of health code have impacted the effective prevention and control of the epidemic in this period. After fully considering and demonstrating the application scenarios and promotion conditions of health code, combine and utilize existing technologies, such as: Bluetooth or GPS positioning, digital contact tracking technology, automatic identification technology, remote technology, etc., put forward the innovative concept of "health code chip", which can not only solve such problems, improve the technical level and practical application range of health code, so that health code has become an important tool and effective means to deal with major public health emergencies. Moreover, it can provide valuable reference opinions and experience for the handling of major public health emergencies in the world.

Can major public health emergencies increase the participation of commercial insurance? Evidence from China

BackgroundPublic health emergencies have a lasting impact on a country's economic and social development. However, commercial insurance can disperse these negative consequences and reduce risk losses.MethodBased on the Chinese Household Tracking Survey and Peking University Digital Inclusive Finance Index, this study employed a difference-in-differences model to test the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on commercial insurance participation and the impact mechanism.ResultsThe analysis showed that the outbreak of COVID-19 improved residents' risk perception, risk preference and digital finance and promoted their participation in commercial insurance, commercial endowment insurance, and commercial medical insurance.ConclusionMajor public health emergencies can increase commercial insurance participation, but the promotional effect of commercial insurance on rural and low-income individuals is relatively limited. To tap into potential customers, financial institutions should focus on vulnerable societal groups. This study supplements the relevant literature on the impact of major public health emergencies on commercial insurance participation.

Effects of internal migrants' health on economic resilience in China's Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration: moderating effects of basic public health services.

Internal migrants constitute a significant generality in the socioeconomic development of developing countries. With the frequent occurrence of major public health emergencies, obstacles to labor supply due to health issues among internal migrants not only affect their livelihood stability but also urban economic resilience. Moreover, the design of basic public health service systems tends to favor local residents over internal migrants, further exacerbating the health and employment risks of internal migrants. As a result, urban economic resilience faces significant challenges. The objective of this study was to deconstruct economic resilience into economic resistance and recovery abilities, investigate the net effect and its heterogeneity of internal migrants' health on economic resilience in China's Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration (CYRD), and the mediating effect from labor participation rate and labor time supply, as well as the moderating effect of basic public health services. Based on the China Migrants Dynamic Survey data (CMDS), the study empirically estimated the effects of internal migrants' health on economic resilience in CYRD through microeconometric analysis methods, mediating and moderating effect model. Our findings indicate that internal migrants' health has a positive effect on economic resilience in CYRD. For each unit increase in migrants' health, it will drive up the average economic resistance ability by 0.0186 and the average recovery ability by 0.0039. Secondly, the net effects of migrants' health on economic resilience show significant structural differences, industry and city heterogeneity. The effect of migrants' health on economic resistance ability is significantly higher than that on economic recovery ability; The effect of migrants' health on economic resilience of the secondary industry is higher than that of the tertiary industry; The cities with high economic resistance and recovery abilities have more prominent positive effect from migrants' health. Thirdly, migrants' health not only has a direct effect on the economic resistance and recovery abilities, but also has a mediating effect on which through labor participation rate and labor time supply. Enhancing the accessibility and quality of basic public health services is beneficial for enhancing the positive effects of internal migrants' health on economic resilience.

How COVID-19 Information Fear of Missing out Increases the Risk of Depression and Anxiety: Roles of Resilience and Personality Types.

During major health emergencies (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic) people often fear missing relevant information. COVID-19 information fear of missing out (FOMO) is a phenomenon where people feel anxiety about losing control of COVID-19-related information. The present study aimed to examine how COVID-19 information FOMO relates to mental health (e.g., depression and anxiety), the mediating role of resilience, and the moderating role of personality types during the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed 1442 Chinese undergraduates (Mage = 21.68 ± 2.35 years) on the relevant variables. The results showed that COVID-19 information FOMO was positively associated with depression and anxiety, and resilience mediated these associations. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified three personality types (undercontrolled, adaptive, and overcontrolled). Personality types moderated the mediation models, in which the indirect effects were only significant in the participants classified in the undercontrolled group rather than the participants classified in the other two groups. This study told us that undergraduates' mental health, particularly that of the undercontrollers, should be paid attention to when responding to a major public health emergency (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic).

Pulmonary tuberculosis epidemiology and genetics in Kazakhstan.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health emergency in many countries, including Kazakhstan. Despite the decline in the incidence rate and having one of the highest treatment effectiveness in the world, the incidence rate of TB remains high in Kazakhstan. Social and environmental factors along with host genetics contribute to pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) incidence. Due to the high incidence rate of TB in Kazakhstan, our research aimed to study the epidemiology and genetics of PTB in Kazakhstan. 1,555 participants were recruited to the case-control study. The epidemiology data was taken during an interview. Polymorphisms of selected genes were determined by real-time PCR using pre-designed TaqMan probes. Epidemiological risk factors like diabetes (χ2 = 57.71, p < 0.001), unemployment (χ2 = 81.1, p < 0.001), and underweight-ranged BMI (<18.49, χ2 = 206.39, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with PTB. VDR FokI (rs2228570) and VDR BsmI (rs1544410) polymorphisms were associated with an increased risk of PTB. A/A genotype of the TLR8 gene (rs3764880) showed a significant association with an increased risk of PTB in Asians and Asian males. The G allele of the rs2278589 polymorphism of the MARCO gene increases PTB susceptibility in Asians and Asian females. VDR BsmI (rs1544410) polymorphism was significantly associated with PTB in Asian females. A significant association between VDR ApaI polymorphism and PTB susceptibility in the Caucasian population of Kazakhstan was found. This is the first study that evaluated the epidemiology and genetics of PTB in Kazakhstan on a relatively large cohort. Social and environmental risk factors play a crucial role in TB incidence in Kazakhstan. Underweight BMI (<18.49 kg/m2), diabetes, and unemployment showed a statistically significant association with PTB in our study group. FokI (rs2228570) and BsmI (rs1544410) polymorphisms of the VDR gene can be used as possible biomarkers of PTB in Asian males. rs2278589 polymorphism of the MARCO gene may act as a potential biomarker of PTB in Kazakhs. BsmI polymorphism of the VDR gene and rs2278589 polymorphism of the MARCO gene can be used as possible biomarkers of PTB risk in Asian females as well as VDR ApaI polymorphism in Caucasians.

Evolutionary game analysis of multiple subjects in the management of major public health emergencies

The frequent occurrence of major public health emergencies (MPHEs) significantly challenges national security, economic stability, social operation and the safety of people's lives and property worldwide. Consequently, enhancing the emergency management of MPHEs is critically urgent. This paper constructs a game model involving local government, social organisations, and the public for MPHE management, exploring strategy combinations and influencing factors across various scenarios. Several results were obtained. (1) Local government, social organisations, and the public each have positive and negative strategy choices based on cost–benefit analysis, leading to eight different strategy combinations. Furthermore, all three take positive strategies as the optimal way to achieve the game equilibrium. (2) The transformation of strategy combinations is primarily influenced by the cost-benefit gap and the strategic decisions of local government. (3) Altering a subject's initial strategy value doesn't change its final choice but impacts the time to achieve a stable strategy equilibrium. The severity of local government punishments on social organisations influences their strategic choices and the time to optimal strategy, whereas rewards to the public or social organisations only affect the time to achieve this strategy. The findings of this study can not only help improve the collaborative governance system of MPHEs but also provide scientific guidance on how governments can manage MPHEs.

Optimization of Emergency Epidemic Prevention Material Reserve and Supply System of Shanxi Province in China: Based on Anylogic Simulation

Due to the randomness and uncertainty of epidemic occurrence, there are insufficient emergency supplies and low efficiency of transportation equipment in Shanxi Province. In order to meet the needs of materials in Shanxi Province, it is urgently necessary to establish a reserve and supply system with perfect facilities and equipment. According to the geographical location of 11 prefecture-level cities in Shanxi Province and the actual situation of transportation equipment, this paper simulates the location of warehouse construction in each city. Through simulation modeling, the emergency epidemic prevention materials reserve and supply system of prefecture-level cities in Shanxi Province was simulated under the epidemic situation. The research idea of "simulation-analysis-optimization-summary" was defined, and the AnyLogic software was used to simulate and analyze the emergency epidemic prevention materials reserve and supply system of the whole Shanxi Province. Through the simulation of different scenarios, the optimization direction of transportation equipment is obtained. Based on the optimization effect of each plan of transportation equipment loading on the emergency epidemic prevention materials reserve and supply system in Shanxi Province, the best optimization plan was obtained. The results show that the efficiency of transportation equipment allocation is improved and the loading capacity of transportation equipment is reasonable and effective. After optimization, the order backlog of each prefecture-level city storage warehouse is reduced, and the order processing time is reduced. The optimization ideas proposed in this paper provide the optimization direction for the emergency epidemic prevention materials reserve and supply system in Shanxi Province, and also have certain guiding significance for how to deal with major public health emergencies.

Dynamic analysis of major public health emergency transmission considering the dual-layer coupling of community–resident complex networks

Abstract We construct a dual-layer coupled complex network of communities and residents to represent the interconnected risk transmission network between communities and the disease transmission network among residents. It characterizes the process of infectious disease transmission among residents between communities through the SE2IHR model considering two types of infectors. By depicting a more fine-grained social structure and combining further simulation experiments, the study validates the crucial role of various prevention and control measures implemented by communities as primary executors in controlling the epidemic. Research shows that the geographical boundaries of communities and the social interaction patterns of residents have a significant impact on the spread of the epidemic, where early detection, isolation and treatment strategies at community level are essential for controlling the spread of the epidemic. In addition, the study explores the collaborative governance model and institutional advantages of communities and residents in epidemic prevention and control.

How are you affected? The public’s online information behaviour patterns during the COVID-19 infodemic

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 infodemic on the public’s online information behaviour, offering insights critical for shaping effective informational responses in future public health emergencies.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a structured online survey with 27 targeted questions using a five-point Likert scale to measure eight variables. Data analysis is conducted through structural equation modelling on 307 valid responses to rigorously test the research hypotheses.FindingsThis paper indicates that information quality significantly impacts the public’s capacity to select, share and use online information. Additionally, the comprehensibility of information plays a crucial role in shaping the public’s behaviours in terms of online information exchange and usage. The credibility of information sources emerges as a key determinant influencing the public’s online information selection, exchange and utilization behaviour. Moreover, social influence exerts a substantial effect on the public’s online information selection, acquisition, exchange and utilization behaviour. These findings highlight the presence of universality and sociality, mediation and guidance, as well as the purposefulness and selectivity performed by the public’s online information behaviour during an infodemic.Originality/valueThis paper introduces a novel research model for assessing the influence and identifies the patterns of the public’s online information behaviour during the COVID-19 infodemic. The findings have significant implications for developing strategies to tackle information dissemination challenges in future major public health emergencies.

Role cognition of assigned nurses supporting Hubei Province in the fight against COVID-19 in China: a hermeneutic phenomenological study.

During the COVID-19 epidemic, nurses played a crucial role in clinical treatment. As a special group, front-line nurses, especially those assigned to support Hubei Province in the fight against COVID-19 between February and April 2020, brought diverse experiences from different provinces in China in taking care of COVID-19 patients and role cognition. Therefore, our purpose is to explore the real coping experience and role cognition of front-line nurses during the novel coronavirus outbreak to provide relevant experience references for society and managers in the face of such major public health emergencies in the future. This qualitative study was performed using the phenomenological hermeneutics method. This is a qualitative phenomenological study. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to collect data. The interviewees were 53 front-line nurses who assisted and supported the fight against COVID-19 in Hubei Province during the COVID-19 epidemic. Data were collected through individual online and telephone interviews using a semi-structured interview during March 2020. The COREQ guidance was used to report this study. The findings revealed that front-line nurses assisting in the fight against COVID-19 developed a context-specific role cognition of their work and contribution to society. The qualitative analysis of the data revealed 15 sub-categories and 5 main categories. These five themes represented the different roles identified by nurses. The roles included expectations, conflicts, adaptation, emotions, and flow of blessing. Belief in getting better, a sense of honor, and training could help them to reduce feelings of conflict in this role and adapt more quickly. This article discusses the real coping experience and role cognition of front-line nurses during the novel coronavirus epidemic. It provides relevant experience references for society and managers to face similar major public health emergencies in the future. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature because it demonstrates how non-local nurses sent to Hubei to work perceived their roles as part of a larger narrative of patriotism, duty, solidarity, and hope.

Analysis of carbon emissions from social water cycle in the Pearl River Delta of COVID-19: Perspectives from water-energy-carbon nexus

Carbon emissions from various sectors during COVID-19 pandemic have become a hot research topic. However, the impact of COVID-19 on carbon emissions from social water cycle (SWC) processes is unclear. This study uses the Pearl River Delta (PRD) urban agglomeration as the research object and considers the water system carbon emissions in the study region pre- (2018, 2019) and post-COVID-19 (2020, 2021). First, the findings indicate that carbon emissions from SWC systems in PRD cities increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guangzhou had the most significant growth of 2.868 Mt, and Zhongshan had the highest annual growth rate of approximately 9%. Second, carbon emission intensity of each subsystem in 2021 is higher than that in other years, with the water use system emitting much more carbon than the other systems. Finally, the amount of water in the SWC showed a significant positive relationship with carbon emissions and average carbon emission intensity. Guangzhou and Shenzhen released more carbon emissions than other cities, and Zhaoqing and Huizhou had a lower average carbon intensity. This study's conclusion differs from other research findings that, indicate a declining carbon emission trend during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is the first to analyze the changing patterns of carbon emissions from SWC systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results can provide carbon recommendations for SWC system development in response to major public health emergencies.