Social Distancing Measures Research Articles

Effect of perceived crowding on risk perception in leisure sports: an analysis based on Edward T Hall’s concept of ‘proxemics’

This study investigates the social distancing measures necessary for participants to safely engage in leisure sports activities and comply with social distancing requirements during epidemics. Based on crowding and risk perception in public spaces in this context of an epidemic, this investigation was conducted in terms of distance in Edward T. Hall’s concept of ‘proxemics’. The participants were males aged 20–65 who used spaces for leisure sports during COVID-19 in South Korea. An online survey was conducted from September 20 to October 20, 2021, and data from 391 participants were used for the final analysis. Measures of perceived crowding, risk perception, and Hall’s proxemics were used as tools after they were modified and validated. The results show that perceived crowding according to space for leisure sports activities during COVID-19 affected individual risk perception in indoor leisure sports and social risk perception in outdoor leisure activities. Perceived crowding, according to proxemics, influenced (1) personal, social, and public distances in individual risk perception and (2) public and social distances in social risk perception. Therefore, it is necessary to re-examine the scope of social distance in developing risk perception and reducing the perceived crowding of participants in leisure sports to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Moreover, individuals must make efforts to maintain a minimum distance from one another. Further, media education and warning messages must be disseminated to reduce crowding and prevent infection spread.

Challenges in the post-covid-19 world

The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed profound social and economic effects, leaving an indelible mark on societies worldwide. Socially, the crisis has exacerbated existing inequalities, disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities and widening the gap between socio-economic strata. Lockdowns, social distancing measures, and the shift to remote work have altered the fabric of daily life, prompting reflections on issues ranging from mental health strains to the digital divide. Economically, the pandemic has triggered widespread job losses, business closures, and disruptions to global supply chains, resulting in economic recessions and financial hardship for individuals and businesses alike. The challenges in the COVID-19 context extend beyond immediate concerns, encompassing the daunting tasks of rebuilding economies, addressing structural weaknesses, and fostering resilience in the face of ongoing uncertainties. In this context, evidence that shows the impact of the pandemic and the effects in the subsequent period is relevant to guide policies and new economic and social relations.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Access: Insights from First-Person Accounts in a Safety-Net Health Care System

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected populations that were already facing socioeconomic disadvantages and limited access to health care services. The livelihood of millions was further compromised when strict shelter-in-place measures forced them out of their jobs. The way that individuals accessed food during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed as a result of declines in household income, food chain supply disruptions, and social distance measures. This qualitative study examined the food access experiences of participants enrolled in a safety-net health care system-based, free, monthly fruit and vegetable market in the Metro Boston area during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings offer rich qualitative information to understand the financial repercussions of the pandemic on food access.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical activity environment in English primary schools: a multi-perspective qualitative analysis.

The COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing measures, including school closures, had a major impact on children's physical activity in England, with data showing an initial reduction in activity in the short-term post-lockdown phase of the pandemic followed by a recovery on average in the medium-term post-lockdown period. The school environment is an important context for child physical activity. The purpose of this study is to understand the changes that took place to school physical activity environments once schools reopened after lockdowns. This information will improve understanding of why changes to children's physical activity have occurred over the course of the pandemic and the implications for future promotion of physical activity in schools. Interviews with parents (n = 43), school staff (n = 18) and focus groups with 10- to 11-year-old children (participant n = 92) were conducted at two time points: between September-December 2021 and February-July 2022. Interview and focus group guides covered the impact of the pandemic on child physical activity and changes to this over time. The framework method was used for analysis. Three themes and three subthemes were generated: (1) the return to school; (2) over-pressured staff and environment and (3) the uneven impact of the pandemic. Theme 3 consists of three subthemes: (a) retained pandemic policies, (b) impact on physical activity culture and (c) different children need different things. Conducting this research in schools during ongoing COVID-19 disruptions was a challenge and may have limited school and participant participation, particularly school staff. The parent interview sample is predominantly female, active and of higher socioeconomic status, so the experiences of male, less active and lower socioeconomic parents are limited. This study suggests that the impact of COVID-19 on child physical activity is uneven, affecting some children more than others. Future work is therefore needed to explore the details of this potential diverging experience. The COVID-19 pandemic, school closures and post-lockdown school policies have impacted upon primary school physical activity environments. The post-lockdown school environment is highly pressured, impacting the extent to which schools can support and encourage child physical activity. Future research is needed to further explore the impact of post-lockdown changes on physical activity environments in schools, particularly over the longer term, as schools continue to adapt post lockdowns. Strategies required to support school physical activity environments must be context specific and sensitive to these changes, pressures and needs. This article presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme as award number NIHR131847.

The COVID-19 pandemic and Google Search Trends

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the association of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths with mental health, unemployment and financial markets-related search terms for the USA, the UK, India and worldwide using Google Trends.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients to assess the relationship between relative search volumes (RSVs) and mental health, unemployment and financial markets-related search terms, with the total confirmed COVID-19 cases as well as deaths in the USA, UK, India and worldwide. The sample period starts from the day 100 cases were reported for the first time, which is 7 March 2020, 13 March 2020, 23 March 2020 and 28 January 2020 for the US, the UK, India and worldwide, respectively, and ends on 25 June 2020.FindingsThe results indicate a significant increase in anxiety, depression and stress leading to sleeping disorders or insomnia, further deteriorating mental health. The RSVs of employment are negatively significant, implying that people are hesitant to search for new jobs due to being susceptible to exposure, imposed lockdown and social distancing measures and changing employment patterns. The RSVs for financial terms exhibit the varying associations of COVID-19 cases and deaths with the stock market, loans, rent, etc.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has implications for the policymakers, health experts and the government. The state governments must provide proper medical facilities and holistic care to the affected population. It may be noted that the findings of this study only lead us to conclude about the relationship between COVID-19 cases and deaths and Google Trends searches, and do not as such indicate the effect on actual behaviour.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to investigate the relationship between the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the USA, UK and India and at the global level and RSVs for mental health-related, job-related and financial keywords.

Advancing Msmes Through Global Integration and Cross-Border Connectivity: Opportunities for Qris-Based Payment Code Development

Indonesia's rapid economic development in the digital era has witnessed a significant shift from traditional cash-based public payments to digital systems. Digital payments offer enhanced convenience, efficiency, security, and user-friendliness. Among these digital payment methods, QR Codes have emerged as a crucial solution, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a slump in the Indonesian economy due to social distancing measures. The adoption of the Quick Response Indonesian Standard (QRIS) as a cashless payment method by most Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia presents a promising solution due to its numerous advantages, including instant payment, enhanced security, easy setup, high reliability, and absence of associated charges. However, QRIS payments face limitations as they are inaccessible to foreigners without bank accounts or connections to Indonesian payment operators. To address this challenge, the Indonesian government has collaborated with four ASEAN countries to integrate the QRIS system with their respective user bases. Nevertheless, the global utilization of QRIS remains a problem that this study aims to address. One approach to promoting cross-border QR payment cooperation is to bolster the economic progress of MSMEs in each country. The objective of this study is to highlight the significant opportunities for developing integrated connectivity and cross-border QR payment codes in Indonesia. Further research is necessary to advance the development of prototypes, designs, and the implementation of integrated connectivity and cross-border QR payment code linkage on a global scale.

EXAMINATION OF THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OF THE ELDERLY DURING THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC

Physical activity can be used for any movement/exercise involving energy expenditure. Scientific research discusses the issue of older adults' physical activity. It is a common principle that an active lifestyle positively impacts older adults' quality of life and life expectancy. During the period of the coronavirus, it was revealed in many countries that the time spent on physical activity decreased significantly due to social distancing measures. Due to the pandemic, there have been significant changes in the society's sports consumption habits. Our research aims to examine and present the changes in the physical activity of the age group above 60 before the coronavirus and during the period of restrictions and quarantines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the analysis, we used data examining the first three waves of the COVID-19 epidemic collected by the Physical Activity Research Group of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Pécs. In the examined periods, a "U"-"-shaped trend can be observed in the development of the physical activity of the 60-69 years age group. In the pre-coronavirus period, the level and intensity of the weekly physical activity of older adults began to decrease after the introduction of the lockdowns. Then, they continued to increase during the successive epidemic waves. The average duration of physical activity (minutes/week) at the second wave and the intensity of physical activity (METs) exceeded the pre-pandemic state significantly by the time of the third wave. As physical activity started to increase in the 60-69 age group during the second and third wave of the coronavirus, it would be essential to maintain an active lifestyle in the later period as well. Physical activity benefits people of all ages and can reduce the burden on the healthcare system.

Social distancing, water demand changes, and quality of drinking water during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic changed daily routines for people around the globe due to the adoption of social distancing measures, such as working from home and restricted travel. Changes in daily routines created new water demand patterns, and the spatial redistribution of water demands in urban water distribution systems affected water quality. A range of factors can influence individual decisions to social distance, including demographics, risk perceptions, and prior experience with infectious disease. This research develops an agent-based modeling framework to simulate decisions to social distance, the effect of social distancing on water demands, and effects on the performance of water infrastructure and the quality of delivered drinking water. This framework couples a hydraulic model, a COVID-19 transmission model, and Bayesian belief network (BBN) driven decision-making models within an agent-based modeling framework. The model is applied for a virtual city, Micropolis, to explore the effects of social distancing decisions on water age. Results demonstrate an increase in average water age and changes to the expected flow directions in pipes under scenarios of increasing social distancing. Nodes near industrial areas experience higher degradation of water quality. This research provides a new framework to develop and evaluate water infrastructure management strategies during pandemics.

Relationship between urban form and COVID-19 severity: impact of compactness during the lockdown and post-lockdown periods

ABSTRACT This research paper examines the relationships between urban form and COVID-19 outcomes in U.S. metropolitan counties. Using multivariate regression analysis, the study investigates the impact of demographic characteristics, social distancing measures, healthcare capacity, and urban form indicators (density, land use mix, street accessibility, street centering), on COVID-19 infection and death rates. The analysis has been implemented during the lockdown (March 1 to June 30) and post-lockdown (Sept 1 to Dec 31) in 2020. The results reveal significant associations between several variables and COVID-19 rates. The compactness index showed mixed results, with a positive relationship observed during the lockdown phase and a negative relationship during the post-lockdown period. Demographic factors including a higher percentage of the black population, older age, and lower educational attainment are positively correlated with case and death rates. These findings suggest that the influence of urban form on COVID-19 outcomes varies across different stages of the pandemic. The research highlights the importance of considering both demographic and urban form factors when analyzing the impact of COVID-19, contributing to the growing body of literature on the complex interplay between urban environment and public health.

ACCEPTANCE OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS DURING COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to adopt social distancing measures, which have had a significant impact on the teaching-learning model. To ensure effective use of technology in the teaching-learning process, it is crucial to understand the contexts in which these technologies are applied and how they are perceived by teachers and students. This study aims to analyze the perception of students and teachers from federal and private Brazilian HEIs regarding the usefulness and ease of use of the main Information System used in remote teaching/learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative approach with hypothetic-deductive logic was adopted, and 806 valid responses were collected. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, clustering, correlation, analysis of variance, and regression. The study found that the attitude toward IS use during the pandemic period was influenced by Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use, but the influence was different for students and teachers. The modality of teaching before the pandemic did not impact the perception of usefulness or ease of use of the IS, regardless of whether the HEI was public or private. However, this observation varied for students.

Preliminary psychometric properties of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the emotional outburst questionnaire

This study focuses on the cross-cultural adaptation of the Emotional Outburst Questionnaire (EOQ) to Brazilian Portuguese and preliminarily assesses its predictive validity. The EOQ evaluates aspects of emotional outbursts (EO), including frequency, duration, intensity, types, associated behaviours, recovery time, triggers, and effectiveness of calming strategies. Two independent translators performed the translation, with subsequent synthesis and analysis revealing that only 33 items (24.81%) required revision. Among these, one item needed partial modification, and two needed total modification. The study demonstrated strong content validity and adaptation in terms of conceptual, idiomatic, and semantic aspects. The EOQ's predictive validity was assessed by analysing the interruption of mental health services in Brazil due to Covid-19 (T1) compared to when services resumed after social distancing measures were lifted (T2). Parents of 25 individuals with developmental disabilities (ASD, DS and ID), with a mean of 11 y/o, mostly male (76%), completed the EOQ. Service interruption during T1 led to increased frequency and duration of severe emotional outbursts reported by caregivers compared to T2 (frequency: p < .001; duration: p = 0.05). This suggests that the EOQ exhibits predictive validity and sensitivity to changes influenced by individual contexts. These findings highlight the EOQ's potential as an outcome measure for intervention development.

Impact of Covid-19 on Private Bank Based on SVB

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on private banks such as Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). This summary explores the impact of the pandemic on private banking operations, financial performance, and strategic initiatives. The rapid shift to digital banking, driven by lockdowns and social distancing measures, highlights the importance of strong technical infrastructure and cybersecurity measures. Private banks have had to deal with increasing credit risk and market volatility and have therefore had to adapt their lending practices and risk management frameworks. However, private banks focused on sectors such as technology and healthcare have experienced growth opportunities. Effective communication and personalized support are critical to keeping customers engaged during a crisis. It not only describes the causes of the collapse of Silicon Valley banks but also describes what changes government departments, banks, and individuals should make after these social changes, how to avoid these risks, and how to lead the company to a better path of development.

Artificial Intelligence and Digital Pathology: A Narrative Review on Advancements and Opportunities for Improved Diagnosis and Treatment

Recent advancements in Digital Pathology (DP) have empowered pathologists to provide more accurate diagnosis through digital means. Whole-slide Imaging (WSI) technology has enabled the digital scanning, representation, and preservation of numerous tissue slides, while Artificial Intelligence (AI), image analysis, and Machine Learning (ML) have enhanced disease diagnosis accuracy. There is a growing acceptance of the transition from traditional glass slide histopathological diagnosis to AI-assisted diagnosis using digital slides, driven by the substantial data accumulation that demands computer-aided analysis. Maximising the potential of AI breakthroughs in DP is critical, offering significant research opportunities across related fields. DP offers significant potential for telepathology, second opinions, and educational purposes. Additionally, it presents substantial research opportunities in image computing due to its vast reservoir of data. Pathologists have discerned characteristics beyond the naked eye’s perception by analysing “sub-visual” images using DP. The flexibility of workflow provided by DP will be the main reason for its widespread adaptation and acceptance. DP also has the potential to be an essential tool to maintain operations of the pathology department in case of public health emergencies, which will streamline, fast-track, and improve patient care. Given the expanding accessibility and prevalence of the internet, it is crucial to develop innovations like DP. This technology catalyses enhancing patient care, opening avenues for further advancements in healthcare delivery. The purpose of present review was to bring to light the great potential that DP encompasses to improve diagnosis and treatment planning, which will ultimately lead to better patient care. However, integrating DP systems necessitates collaboration from various stakeholders beyond the Pathology Department. Despite evident advantages, several challenges must be addressed for the successful implementation and mass acceptance. Therefore, this narrative review aimed to illuminate the substantial potential inherent in DP for enhancing both diagnosis and treatment planning processes, consequently fostering improvements in patient care and also understanding DP, highlighting its challenges and opportunities. It also delves into the role of AI, image analysis, and ML in aiding disease diagnosis and reporting. With social distancing measures in place during the Coronavirus Disease -2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, pathologists were able to remotely access and analyse DP images, further cementing the importance of DP in current scenarios.

Effects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Prevalence of Acute Respiratory Viruses: Changes during the Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have influenced the prevalence and seasonality of acute respiratory viral infections. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of all viruses causing acute viral respiratory infections before and after social distancing measures were lifted. Cross-sectional study where outpatients and inpatients at Kyunghee University Hospital were examined. From January 2021 to December 2022, respiratory samples were analyzed using multiplex reverse transcriptase real-time polymerase chain reaction. Of 3953 samples obtained, 412 (10.42%) were positive for acute respiratory viral infection, and 502 viruses were detected. The number of viral infections increased from 184 in 2021 to 318 in 2022. Human metapneumovirus was detected from August to November 2022. Human bocavirus (HBoV) was frequently detected from April to June 2021; however, in 2022, HBoV was frequently detected from July to October. Human parainfluenza virus 3 was rarely detected after its initial frequent detection from October to December 2021 but was continuously observed after frequent detection in September 2022. Co-infection occurred in 78 (18.9%) cases. The most common combination of simultaneous infections was human rhinovirus-HBoV (n = 30, 38.5%). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of acute respiratory viral infection decreased significantly but increased in 2022 when measures were lifted. The prevalence and seasonality of respiratory viral infections have changed since the pandemic. Our findings contribute to the prediction of an effective response to changes in the prevalence of respiratory viruses.

Night Screen Time is Associated with Cognitive Function in Healthy Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

In recent years, a significant shift toward remote work, virtual education, and social distancing measures was witnessed, thereby leading people to increasingly depend on digital devices for communication, work, and entertainment. This increased exposure to screens has raised concerns regarding its potential impact on cognitive function. This study investigated the relationship between screen time and cognitive function among healthy young adults. One hundred forty-five healthy individuals (mean age 21.55 ± 2.84 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. Sociodemographic information including age, sex, height, weight, and level of education were obtained. Participants reported screen time using a screen time questionnaire. Cognitive function tests including, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) were conducted. Multilinear regression analyses were used to examine the associations between age, sex, level of education, screen time, and cognitive function. One hundred thirty-nine participants (76 women) completed the study. Increased night screen time, bachelor's educational level, and women were associated with lower PASAT scores (R2=0.258; p≤0.047). Moreover, increased night screen time was associated with lower MoCA scores (R2=0.029; p=0.035). However, no associations were found between night screen time and SDMT scores. Participants who had higher night screen exposure had lower cognitive scores in the information speed processing, working memory, calculation, and attention domains. Considering these findings, this study emphasizes on the importance of setting a future recommended screen time guidelines for young adults as well as to promote healthy cognitive habits in order to preserve cognitive function and reduce the risk of developing neurodegenerative disease in the future. Future prospective cohort studies involving a more diverse age range is needed.

Influences of public health emergency and social isolation on older adults' wellbeing: evidence from a longitudinal study.

Previous research has identified social isolation as a significant detriment to the wellbeing of older adults. However, studies that consider endogenous issues are scarce. The present paper examines the impact of the recent exogenous shock, the COVID-19 pandemic on the wellbeing of the older adult population using a longitudinal dataset from China for the period 2016-2020. The results of this study indicate that the life satisfaction of Chinese older adults was negatively affected, e particularly in regions where social distancing measures were more strictly enforced. Declines in physical and mental health were found to be attributable to declines in life satisfaction. Those who experienced greater exposure to the pandemic were more likely to suffer from chronic disease, illness, and insomnia, and many found it challenging to complete tasks during the lockdown. Furthermore, heterogeneity estimation shows that these effects are stronger among the rural older adult, females, those without a spouse, and those with less education.

COVID-19’s Impact on the Travel &amp; Leisure Indices: Volatility Spillover Analysis

The travel and leisure sector is extremely sensitive to fluctuations in economic circumstances, consumer demand, and market volatility. This sector has been greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic due to both travel restrictions and social distancing measures that have limited demand. This study aims to examine the impact of Covid-19 on the volatility spillovers of travel and leisure indices in nine significant markets. It examines the differences in spillover effects pre- and during-Covid-19, employing comparative analysis. The results show that the pandemic has led to an increase in volatility spillover between travel and leisure indices. Moreover, significant changes are evident in the spillover effects between periods, reflecting the dynamic nature of volatility transmission. The results show that changes in consumer spending and restrictions on international travel, in the travel and leisure industry have a bigger impact on volatility spillovers in this sector than on stock exchange indices. These outcomes hold significant implications for sector participants, underscoring the need for resilient strategies to mitigate the impact of global crises on market volatility spillovers.

Examining Emotional Reactions to the COVID‐19 Crisis Through Twitter Data Analysis: A Comparative Study of Classification Techniques

COVID‐19 has significantly impacted peoples’ mental health because of isolation and social distancing measures. It practically impacts every segment of people’s daily lives and causes a medical problem that spreads throughout the entire world. This pandemic has caused an increased emotional distress. Since everyone has been affected by the epidemic physically, emotionally, and financially, it is crucial to examine and comprehend emotional reactions as the crisis affects mental health. This study uses Twitter data to understand what people feel during the pandemic. We collected Twitter data about COVID‐19 and isolation, preprocessed the text, and then classified the tweets into various emotion classes. The data are collected using the twarc library and the Twitter academic researcher account and labeled using a Vader analyzer after preprocessing. We trained five machine learning models, namely, support vector machine (SVM), Naïve Bayes, KNN, decision tree, and logistic regression to find patterns and trends in emotions. The emotional reactions of individuals to the COVID‐19 crisis are then analyzed. We applied precision, recall, F1‐score, and accuracy as the evaluation metrics, which shows that SVM has performed best among other models. Our results show that isolated people felt various emotions, out of which, fear, sadness, and surprise were the most common. This study gives insights into the emotional impact of the pandemic and shows the power of Twitter data in understanding mental health outcomes. Our findings can be used to develop targeted interventions and support strategies to address the emotional toll of the pandemic.

Computer use for work and job security during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from Korea

ABSTRACT We present empirical evidence that computer use for work was associated with lower risks of job insecurity during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic, using survey data from South Korea. The South Korean setting is different from any other advanced country, in that the country never had a lockdown, and the social-distancing measures were much milder. This implies that computer use for work in South Korea during the pandemic is not a mere proxy for remote working, unlike in the existing studies of countries that had a lockdown. We also find evidence that this relation is nonlinear, in the sense that its magnitude is larger for those who use computers most intensively.

PANDEMIA, MATERNIDADE E CIÊNCIA: EXPERIÊNCIAS E REFLEXÕES DE CIENTISTAS MÃES DA UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO PAMPA

ABSTRACT: The pandemic context has transformed the social reality and interpersonal relationships, mainly through the measures of isolation and social distancing, necessary for the containment of the virus. With remote work and the intensification of family life, the gender inequalities related to the sexual division of labor have been accentuated, which over-loads women due to the unequal responsibility for the care of private life. The present article, of an exploratory qualitative nature, aims, through the use of questionnaires, to investigate how the pandemic has impacted the careers of scientist mothers, professors at the Federal University of the Pampa, analyzing how these researchers reconcile remote teaching and other demands of a scientific career with motherhood. We noticed, through the research, that the pandemic impacted not only the career but also the mental and physical health of the participants, as it overloaded them beyond professional demands, as well as with the demands of the private sphere, such as domestic care and of the daughters, assumed mostly by them. We noticed, through the research, that the pandemic has impacted in some way the careers of the participants, starting with the lack of time for the fulfillment of professional activities, domestic and childcare, thus intensifying the work overload and the impacts on the mental health of some of the participants of the study.