Health-related Beliefs Research Articles

On the relationship between conspiracy theory beliefs, misinformation, and vaccine hesitancy.

At the time of writing, nearly one hundred published studies demonstrate that beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and misinformation are negatively associated with COVID-19 preventive behaviors. These correlational findings are often interpreted as evidence that beliefs in conspiracy theories and misinformation are exogenous factors that shape human behavior, such as forgoing vaccination. This interpretation has motivated researchers to develop methods for “prebunking,” “debunking,” or otherwise limiting the spread of conspiracy theories and misinformation online. However, the robust literatures on conspiracy theory beliefs, health behaviors, and media effects lead us to question whether beliefs in conspiracy theories and misinformation should be treated as exogenous to vaccine hesitancy and refusal. Employing U.S. survey data (n = 2,065) from July 2021, we show that beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and misinformation are not only related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and refusal, but also strongly associated with the same psychological, social, and political motivations theorized to drive COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and refusal. These findings suggest that beliefs in conspiracy theories and misinformation might not always be an exogenous cause, but rather a manifestation of the same factors that lead to vaccine hesitancy and refusal. We conclude by encouraging researchers to carefully consider modeling choices and imploring practitioners to refocus on the worldviews, personality traits, and political orientations that underlie both health-related behaviors and beliefs in conspiracy theories and misinformation.

Nursing students' knowledge, health beliefs, anxiety, and preventive health behaviors on COVID-19: A cross-sectional study

Purpose: This study aimed to describe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related knowledge, health beliefs, anxiety levels, and preventive behaviors among nursing students and to identify factors that influence their preventive behaviors.Methods: A descriptive survey was conducted, targeting a total of 192 nursing students from March 4, 2021 to March 25, 2021. A structured questionnaire was used to identify nursing students' knowledge, health beliefs, anxiety, and preventive health behavior regarding COVID-19. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and multiple regression.Results: The nursing students’ knowledge level was 15.08±1.70 out of 5, and their health belief level was 3.72±0.32 out of 5. These scores were considered high. Their anxiety score was 3.29±3.84 and considered very low. COVID-19 preventive behaviors had a positive correlation with benefits (r=.29, <i>p</i><.001) and cues to action (r=.28, <i>p</i><.001). Factors influencing COVID-19 preventive behaviors by multiple regression were identified as health beliefs and living arrangements (F=8.95, <i>p</i><.001, Adjusted R<sup>2</sup>=14.3%).Conclusion: The findings suggest that health beliefs and living arrangements could be important factors affecting preventive health behavior in nursing college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study highlights the need for appropriate education and widespread awareness campaigns aimed at potential health care professionals about the prevention of new emerging diseases.

Factors Associated with Quit Intentions among Adult Smokers in South Korea: Findings from the 2020 ITC Korea Survey.

Background: South Korea has made substantial progress on tobacco control, but cigarette smoking prevalence is still high. Previous studies were conducted before the use of nicotine vaping products (NVPs) or heated tobacco products (HTPs) became popular. Thus, whether the concurrent use of NVPs or HTPs affects quit intentions among Korean smokers remains a question that needs to be explored. This study aims to identify predictors of quit intentions among cigarette-only smokers and concurrent users of cigarettes and NVPs or HTPs. Methods: Data were from the 2020 International Tobacco Control Korea Survey. Included in the analysis were 3778 adult cigarette smokers: 1900 at-least-weekly exclusive smokers and 1878 at-least-weekly concurrent smokers and HTP or NVP users. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: Quit intentions were reported by 66.4% of respondents. Factors significantly associated with quit intentions included younger age, having a spouse/partner, lower nicotine dependence, reporting a past quit attempt, regretting starting smoking, believing that smoking had damaged health, worrying that smoking will damage future health, and perceiving health benefits of quitting. Current use of NVPs or HTPs was not significantly associated with quit intentions. Conclusions: This study contributes the following to current literature: intrinsic health-related beliefs were more important than societal norms in shaping quit intentions. These findings should be considered in shaping future smoking cessation policies, such as reinforcing education programs that emphasize the benefits of quitting for personal health reasons, lowering nicotine dependence, and encouraging multiple quit attempts and successful quitting.

Association of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs With Consumer Health-Related Intentions and Beliefs Among Individuals at Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Consumers in the US are exposed to unprecedented high levels of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs, yet there is limited evidence regarding their effect on health-related intentions and beliefs. To provide evidence on the association of DTCA for prescription drugs with consumer health-related intentions and beliefs. This cross-sectional study recruited participants from a nationally representative sample of individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Participants were randomly assigned into 1 of 3 study arms: (1) exposure to DTCA for heart disease medications (treatment 1 [n = 926]), (2) exposure to DTCA for heart disease medications with price disclosure (treatment 2 [n = 921]), (3) and exposure to nonpharmaceutical advertising (control group [n = 902]). Each study arm viewed five 1-minute video advertisements, totaling 5 minutes of advertising exposure. The 2 treatment arms viewed pharmaceutical advertising videos for 4 heart disease medications, and the control arm viewed nonpharmaceutical advertising videos. Participants then completed a survey questionnaire to measure medication- and lifestyle-related intentions and health-related beliefs and perceptions. Direct-to-consumer advertising for heart disease medications (treatment 1), DTCA for heart disease medications with price disclosure (treatment 2), and nonpharmaceutical advertising (control group). The primary outcomes included ordinal measures of medication- and lifestyle-related intentions, health-related beliefs, and brand perceptions. Among the 2874 included participants (mean [SD] age, 53.8 [7.1] years; 1549 [54%] male) χ2 tests confirmed that there were no statistically significant differences in baseline demographic characteristics across study arms. There was a positive association between DTCA and medication-related behavioral intentions, including intention to switch medication (marginal effect [ME] = 0.004; P = .002) and engage in information-seeking behaviors (ME = 0.02; P = .01). There was no evidence that pharmaceutical DTCA discouraged use of nonpharmacological lifestyle interventions that can help manage heart disease (eg, diet and exercise), and DTCA exposure also had a positive association with consumers' favorable perceptions of pharmaceutical manufacturers (competence: ME = 0.03; P = .01; innovative: ME = 0.03; P = .008). There was no evidence for differential associations of price disclosures in DTCA. In this cross-sectional study, results showed that brief exposure to pharmaceutical DTCA had a large and positive association with medication-related demand intentions with no offsetting negative spillovers on lifestyle-related intentions. Lack of associations with price disclosure in DTCA suggests that policy makers should consider alternative strategies to promote value-based decision-making for prescription drugs.

It’s Just the Fact It’s Against Us: The Role of Social Determinants of Health in Young Children’s Caregivers’ Preventive Health Behaviors

Persistent racial-, ethnic-, and income-related disparities in health outcomes for children suggest that there is still much to do to develop interventions that are responsive to communities’ needs. Cultural health capital, the health-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors needed to engage in a healthy lifestyle, is acquired throughout childhood and informs adult preventive health behaviors (PHBs). However, primary caregivers’ social determinants of health (SDH) dictate the opportunities they have for building children’s cultural health capital. Given that targeted, responsive interventions and policies to promote PHB in young children are needed, the purpose of this study was to explore how caregivers with varying SDH define preventive health and what affects their engagement in PHBs for themselves and their children. Six focus groups with primary caregivers of young children ( N = 37, 89% female, mean age = ∼37.9 years old, ∼36% White) were conducted at community organizations. Data were analyzed using a deductive approach, and emergent themes were categorized by types of SDH (downstream, upstream, or both) within each focus group. Focus groups were categorized into three clusters based on participants’ SDH and access to resources: high-resource, low-income/moderate-resource, and low-income/low-resource. Caregivers’ definitions of preventive health were rooted in upstream and downstream determinants and differed by cluster. All clusters identified money and access to resources as barriers to engaging in PHBs and acknowledged that structural inequity impacted access to resources. Policies, programs, and structural change to address systemic barriers and mistrust in systems are vital to reduce disparities in health outcomes for children.

P046 Perceptions of Risk and Prevention of COVID-19 Among College Students

BackgroundCOVID-19 has become a worldwide pandemic, causing immense physical, social & emotional repercussions. Unbalanced nutrition and social isolation can lead to compromised immune systems, which can increase vulnerability to this viral infection. There is limited research addressing college students’ beliefs of COVID-19 related to nutrient intake.ObjectiveThe purpose of this qualitative study is to ascertain health-related beliefs related to COVID-19 risk and prevention among undergraduate students enrolled in a New Jersey university.Study Design, Setting, ParticipantsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five undergraduate, full-time students (18 females, 7 males) between the ages of 18 to 25. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted virtually on Zoom and audio-recorded for transcription.Measurable Outcome/AnalysisAn interview protocol consisted of seven open-ended questions related to COVID-19 using tenets of Health Belief Model. Perceived susceptibility and severity to the virus were ascertained along with perceived benefits of adopting diet-related behaviors. Questions pertaining to perceived barriers and self-efficacy were queried. All interviews were transcribed verbatim with qualitative analyses performed by two independent researchers who coded the transcripts to achieve inter-rater reliability. Codes were merged into broad themes to derive an original theoretical framework addressing participants' risk and prevention of COVID-19.ResultsPerceptions of susceptibility varied among the respondents based on their age, public exposure, and preexisting health conditions. Fear of social isolation was identified as a major consequence of testing positive for COVID-19. Dietary measures identified to boost the immune system included taking vitamin C supplements and including more fruits and vegetables. Barriers in adopting healthy diet included financial constraints, plethora of junk foods, and lack of time in food prepping. Social media platforms provide a means for young adults to gain nutrition knowledge and culinary skills.ConclusionsHealth practitioners and educators need to ascertain young adults’ perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 and address their intentions to adopt healthy diets. Providing sound nutrition knowledge while creating positive social and emotional support systems are critical measures to navigate through the global pandemic.FundingNone

Metacognitions About Health in Relation to Coronavirus Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Attentional Syndrome and Distress Tolerance.

The current study aimed to investigate the mediating role of cognitive attentional syndrome (CAS) and distress tolerance in the relationship between health-related metacognitions and coronavirus anxiety. The sample of this study consisted of 462 participants (381 female). Participants voluntarily completed self-report questionnaires on each of the variables mentioned above. The results of the structural modeling analysis showed that health-related metacognitions have a significant effect on the mediator variable of distress tolerance and CAS. Also, health-related metacognitions had a direct effect on coronavirus anxiety. Also, based on the results of the bootstrap test, it can be argued that health-related metacognitive beliefs, apart from their direct effect, play an important role in coronavirus anxiety, with CAS acting as a mediator. This study provides insights into the relationships among metacognitive beliefs, coronavirus anxiety, CAS, and distress tolerance. In particular, dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs, including an individual's beliefs about the uncontrollability of disease-related thoughts, are risk factors that could negatively affect mental health, leading to coronavirus anxiety. In addition, the association of dysfunctional beliefs with maladaptive behaviors resulting from the cognitive attentional syndrome is also involved in predicting and causing coronavirus anxiety. Given the insignificant role of emotional distress tolerance in the psychopathology of COVID-19 anxiety, the findings emphasize the importance of cognitive factors in this context.

Predictors of COVID-19 actual vaccine uptake in Hong Kong: A longitudinal population-based survey

Purpose of the researchIdentifying predictors of COVID-19 vaccine uptake decisions is central to the development of evidence-based strategies for promoting vaccination. This longitudinal study investigated the link between previous willingness to vaccinate and vaccine uptake decision, and examined potential predictors of vaccine uptake in Hong Kong. MethodsA longitudinal telephone survey study was conducted using a population-based sample of Chinese adult residents (≥18 years) in Hong Kong. Data were collected at two time points: T1 (December 2020–January 2021) and T2 (June–July 2021). Primary outcome was vaccine uptake status; whilst independent variables and covariates included socio-demographic factors, COVID-19 related experiences, health beliefs, and perception, as well as vaccine related perceptions. ResultsAmong the 1,003 participants, 23.7% had received a COVID-19 vaccine. Previous willingness to vaccinate did not predict vaccine uptake at later stage. Vaccine uptake by known others (aOR = 8.00), trust in authorities (aOR = 1.53), acceptability of non-pharmaceutical preventive measures (aOR = 2.96), and first-hand experience of COVID-19 (aOR = 1.32) were significant predictors of vaccine uptake after adjusting for confounding factors. ConclusionsFuture strategies to promote vaccination may focus on building public trust in government and healthcare professional, and encouraging vaccinated individuals to share their vaccine uptake status via social networking.

A Critical Overview of Mental Health-Related Beliefs, Services and Systems in Uganda and Recent Activist and Legal Challenges.

As is true throughout the world, Ugandans with lived experience of mental illness, including survivors and those still in treatment or care, have been historically disregarded and mistreated. In Uganda specifically, the treatment and perception of those with mental illness has been historically interwoven with cultural beliefs about witchcraft and spirit possession, as well as the introduction and implementation of Western psychiatric practices (and institutions) during Uganda's colonial period. Both have contributed to punitive practices, stigma and social rejection. Ugandan laws and human rights policies have also largely failed to ensure the rights and community inclusion of persons with psychosocial disabilities. Moving toward the present, a growing movement of human rights advocates have attempted to challenge practices that continue to promote exclusion and coercion. This brief overview of the history of mental health services in Uganda seeks to provide deeper context for current reform efforts.

Testing the effectiveness of an SCT-based training program in enhancing health self-efficacy and outcome expectations among college peer educators.

Peer health education (PHE) is a widely implemented prevention approach among college populations. While social cognitive theory (SCT; Bandura, 2004) has been assumed to account for the underlying mechanisms of PHE, no studies have tested the utility of an SCT-based training program in improving health-related outcomes among peer educators. The present study developed, implemented, and tested the effectiveness of a 15-week, SCT-based wellness coaching training program in enhancing health self-efficacy (HSE) and outcome expectations (HOE) among undergraduate peer educators. The quasi-experimental design included an SCT training group (n = 39), alternative training group (n = 46), and no-treatment control group (n = 46) and gathered data from participants at pretest, posttest, and 6-week follow-up. Results of a split-plot multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant interaction effect for group and time when considering HSE and HOE together. Follow-up analyses indicated that the interaction was significant for HOE, but not for HSE. The SCT group reported significantly lower HOE than the control group at pretest but showed no differences in HOE scores compared to the other two groups at posttest or follow-up. Findings also revealed significant improvements in the SCT group's HSE scores over time. The findings provide initial empirical support for the effectiveness of SCT-based training programs in promoting positive health-related beliefs and attitudes among peer educators. Further, this study demonstrates that the process of training peer educators may be utilized as a health promotion strategy in and of itself. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychological Impact of Predictive Genetic Testing for Inherited Alzheimer Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia: The IT-DIAfN Protocol.

Aim:Our aim was to evaluate the psychological impact of predictive genetic testing in individuals at-risk for inherited dementia who underwent a structured counseling and testing protocol.Methods:Participants were healthy at-risk relatives from families with at least one affected patient, in whom a disease-associated genetic variant had been ascertained. A comprehensive psychological assessment (personality, anxiety and depression, quality of life, coping strategies, resilience and health-related beliefs) was administered at baseline, at 6 months and 12 months follow-up.Results:Twenty-four participants from 13 families were included. Sixteen participants underwent blood sampling and genetic analysis; 6 resulted to be carriers of pathogenic variants (1 in PSEN1, 1 in PSEN2, 4 in GRN). Carriers showed higher score on the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) – social competence, and on Multidimensional Health Locus of Control – internal, than noncarriers (P=0.03 for both). Ten at-risk relatives who completed the follow-up showed improvement in RSA – planned future (P=0.01) with respect to baseline.Discussion:Our case series showed that at-risk individuals undergoing predictive testing showed benefit on personal life and no detrimental impact on a broad range of psychological outcomes. Higher social skills and lower internal health locus of control in carriers may be an early psychological correlate of preclinical dementia.

Machine Learning Models for Predicting, Understanding, and Influencing Health Perception

Lay perceptions of medical conditions and treatments determine people’s health behaviors, guide biomedical research funding, and have important consequences for both individual and societal well-being. Yet it has been nearly impossible to quantitatively predict lay health perceptions for hundreds of everyday diseases due to the myriad psychological forces governing health-related attitudes and beliefs. Here we present a data-driven approach that uses text explanations on healthcare websites, combined with large-scale survey data, to train a machine learning model capable of predicting lay health perception. We use our model to analyze how language influences health perceptions, interpret the psychological underpinnings of health judgment, and quantify differences between different descriptions of disease states. Our model is accurate, cost-effective, and scalable and offers researchers and practitioners a new tool for studying health-related attitudes and beliefs.

Illness Perception and Quality of Life in Patients with Breast Cancer.

Simple SummaryThe declining average age of cancer patients may become a serious problem for health care systems and societies in general in the near future. For this reason, there is a need to fully understand the factors determining health-related quality of life in breast cancer patients, beyond clinical characteristics and sociodemographic factors. In our study, we aimed to demonstrate the relationship between illness perception and quality of life in breast cancer patients. The results of our study confirm the beneficial effect of positive illness perception on the intensity of symptoms related to cancer and treatment, as well as functional domains of EORTC QLQ-C30.Introduction. In 2020, breast cancer was the most frequently diagnosed malignancy worldwide. The QoL level plays a role in assessing the effectiveness of the diagnosis and therapy and is a significant prognostic factor. The subject that is relatively less often addressed in the literature is the impact of psycho-social factors and health-related beliefs on QoL in breast cancer patients. The aim of the study was to assess the association of illness perception, the sense of coherence, and illness acceptance with QoL in breast cancer patients. Methods. The study included 202 women (mean age 53.0 ± 10.3) treated surgically for breast cancer at the Lower Silesian Oncology Centre. The following standardized questionnaires were used: Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), Mental Adjustment to Cancer (Mini-MAC), Quality of Life Questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23), The Multidimensional Essence of Disease and Illness Scale (MEDIS), and Life Orientation Test (LOT-R). Results. There is a statistically significant association between illness acceptance and QoL. There is a statistically significant association between the sense of coherence (life optimism—LOT-R) and QoL among breast cancer patients. There is a statistically significant association between illness perception and QoL. There was a statistically significant correlation between the increasing importance of illness as a dysfunction, decreasing QoL, and increasing intensity of symptoms and complaints. Conclusions. Patients with a high level of illness acceptance, with an optimistic disposition, and with a positive illness perception have better QoL within all the functional domains and experience lower intensity of cancer- and treatment-related symptoms as compared to those with low level of illness acceptance, with moderate optimism or a pessimistic disposition, and with neutral or negative illness perception.

Socio-Psychological Factors Associated with Young Australian Adults' Consumption of Energy Dense and Nutrient Poor (EDNP) Foods.

Young Australian adults’ exhibit high consumption of Energy Dense and Nutrient Poor (EDNP) foods; however, there is limited research concerning the factors influencing their consumption. This study aimed to explore socio-psychological factors associated with young Australian adults’ (18–30 years) consumption of EDNP foods with consideration of the Food Related Lifestyle Model (FRLM) as a potential framework. Through qualitative descriptive research methodology, 38 young adults were interviewed. Data were thematically analyzed. Participants were classified into three groups based on their living arrangements namely, parental, shared and independent households. Five themes emerged, (1) psychological factors (2) intrinsic qualities of EDNP foods, (3) social factors, (4) accessibility and affordability and (5) health related beliefs. The FRLM takes into consideration some of the factors reported in this study as influencers of EDNP food intakes. However, the FRLM omits important psychological factors (motivation, restraint, cravings, coping strategies and habits) identified by participants as influencers over their EDNP food intakes. The FRLM may need to be extended in its application to EDNP food intakes of young Australian adults. Social marketing campaigns highlighting health risks, addressing social and environmental factors are suggested. The social desirability of healthier alternatives in social gatherings of young adults could be increased.

Peer-led theoretically Desinged HIV/AIDS prevention intervention among students: a case of health belief model

Background & aimHIV/AIDS is one of the most dangerous viruses known in the world. In addition, considering its fatality rate and high cost of care, it is a serious threat to the health and economy of social communities. Adolescents are one of the high-risk groups. One of the most effective ways to prevent this disease is to promote healthcare, raise awareness, and change health-related beliefs and attitudes. This study aims at determining the effect of peer education, based on the health belief model, on the preventative measures against AIDS adopted by girls.Methods & materialsIn this empirical-interventionist study two schools were randomly selected, one of which was considered as the intervention group and the other as the control group. The classes were also randomly selected and 80 students from each school took part in the project following the entry criterion. A questionnaire with acceptable validity and reliability was used to collect data. In this study a few bright students were chosen as peer educators after being trained. The intervention group (N = 80) received 4 sessions of 60-min education through training, lectures, question and answer, and group discussion, But the control group received no instruction. The posttest was administered two months after the treatment. The data was fed into the SPSS 16. Finally, T-test, Chi-Square, and ANCOVA were employed to analyze the data.ResultsThe average scores obtained from the intervention group and the control group were not significantly different in terms of awareness level, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy, behavioral intention, and behavior in baseline (P>0.05). Two months after the intervention there was a significant increase in the average scores of all the variables in the experimental group (P > 0.05). However, there was no significant change in the scores of the control group (P > 0.05).ConclusionFollowing a health belief model focusing on peer eduaction among high school girls, the intervention eduaction can affect awareness level, susceptibility, severity, benefits, perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy, behavioral intention, and finally avoidance of high-risk behavior.

Exploring Ethno-Cultural Variations in Self-Ratings and Determinants of Healthy Aging among Canadians: A Population-Based Study Using Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Data

Individuals from various ethno-cultural backgrounds have different health-related practices, beliefs, lifestyles, and levels of social engagement, which may promote or impede healthy aging. We examined ethno-cultural variations in self-ratings of healthy aging and its determinants among Canadians.

The role of non–COVID-specific and COVID-specific factors in predicting a shift in willingness to vaccinate: A panel study

Although declines in intent to vaccinate had been identified in international surveys conducted between June and October 2020, including in the United States, some individuals in the United States who previously expressed reluctance said, in spring 2021, that they were willing to vaccinate. That change raised the following questions: What factors predicted an increased willingness to inoculate against COVID-19? And, to what extent was the change driven by COVID-specific factors, such as personal worry about the disease and COVID-specific misinformation, and to what extent by background (non-COVID-specific) factors, such as trust in medical authorities, accurate/inaccurate information about vaccination, vaccination history, and patterns of media reliance? This panel study of more than 8,000 individuals found that trust in health authorities anchored acceptance of vaccination and that knowledge about vaccination, flu vaccination history, and patterns of media reliance played a more prominent role in shifting individuals from vaccination hesitance to acceptance than COVID-specific factors. COVID-specific conspiracy beliefs did play a role, although a lesser one. These findings underscore the need to reinforce trust in health experts, facilitate community engagement with them, and preemptively communicate the benefits and safety record of authorized vaccines. The findings suggest, as well, the need to identify and deploy messaging able to undercut health-related conspiracy beliefs when they begin circulating.

Challenging German physical education teacher educators' health-related beliefs through Cooperative Planning.

Physical education teacher educators’ health-related beliefs can impact public health. An interactive knowledge-to-action approach, such as Cooperative Planning, might challenge the health-related beliefs of physical education teacher educators, thus contributing to innovation in teacher education. We investigated what health-related beliefs physical education teacher educators had before a Cooperative Planning intervention, how these developed throughout the intervention and how teacher educators’ perceptions of Cooperative Planning can explain the identified changes and continuities. We established two Cooperative Planning groups that included physical education teacher educators (university lecturers and teacher trainers), researchers, study course coordinators and prospective teachers. The data of 13 teacher educators were collected before (t0) and after (t1) the Cooperative Planning using two methods: observations of teaching practice and interviews. The data analysis was based on the following categories: (i) epistemic beliefs about health (e.g. salutogenic understanding), (ii) beliefs about the health topic in physical education (e.g. health-related knowledge and understanding), (iii) beliefs about the health topic in physical education teacher education (e.g. health-related pedagogical content knowledge) and (iv) process-related beliefs about Cooperative Planning. The findings revealed that teacher educators’ health-related beliefs were rather stable but could be challenged through a Cooperative Planning intervention. Epistemic beliefs about health remained, whereas more practice-related beliefs about the health topic in physical education and physical education teacher education changed in individual ways. Here, a change in beliefs was more likely when the participants were open to change and when Cooperative Planning offered opportunities to engage in concrete lesson planning.

Diabetic Foot - related Knowledge, Health Beliefs and Practices among Diabetic Elderly

Background: Diabetes mellitus has become one of the majors, and rising diseases affecting population all around the world. The most common complications that rise from the diabetes is diabetic foot. The increasing rate in diabetic foot among elderly has become a challenge that continues to rise and worsen. Aim: the study aimed to assess diabetic foot- related knowledge, health beliefs and practices among diabetic elderly. Study design: descriptive design was utilized in this study. Setting: this study was conducted at the diabetes and endocrine outpatient clinic at Beni-suef university hospital. Subject: non-probability purposive sample of 70 diabetic elderly, admitted to the previously mentioned setting were recruited for conducting this study. Data collection tools: First tool: Structured interviewing questionnaire, it was composed of four parts, part one: Socio-demographic data, part two: Medical history of the elderly, part three: Elderly' knowledge regarding diabetes, and diabetic foot, part four: Health belief model constructs. Second tool: Foot self-care observational checklist. Results: Regarding elderly' knowledge, the current study shows that, nearly three quarters (74.3%) of the elderly had unsatisfactory knowledge and only 25.7% had satisfactory knowledge. As regards health beliefs the current study depicts that, more than two- thirds (67.1%) of the elderly had negative health beliefs, while 32.9% had positive health beliefs. The present study also shows that, three fifths (60%) of the elderly had poor level of foot self-care practices. The current study represents that, there was a positive highly statistically significant correlation (P=0.00) between total elderly knowledge, total health beliefs, and total foot self-care practices. Conclusion: Diabetic elderly in the current study lacked appropriate knowledge and health beliefs regarding diabetes disease in general and diabetic foot in specific and foot self-care practices were mostly unsatisfactory. Recommendations: Conducting and disseminating educational programs at various settings to reach all targeted diabetic elderly to increase their positive behaviors towards diabetic care in general and foot care in specific, provide specialist educator nurse in the diabetes clinic to assess the elderly' health needs and provide them with necessary information. Further researches in the area of diabetic foot as well as diabetes prevention and care should be encouraged.

An investigation of healthcare professionals' health beliefs about sportive recreational activities.

In this study, healthcare professionals' beliefs about sportive recreational activities were examined. This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 940 volunteer healthcare professionals. The Sociodemographic Information Form prepared by the authors and the Health-Belief Scale on Sportive Recreational Activities (HBSSRA) determined on the basis of their literature review were used to collect data. Although it was concluded that 72% of the healthcare professionals did not have enough free time, the participation rate in sportive recreational activities reached 71.4%. The study revealed that 44.9% of the participants preferred to engage in sportive recreational activities individually, while 55.1% wanted to do such activities in a group. It was found that 72.9% of the participants took part in sports activities for health-related reasons. The mean health-belief score of the healthcare professionals regarding recreational activities was found to be 80.38 (SD = 10.32). As this score is very close to the maximum value (105.00), it can be stated that their health beliefs are high. It is understood that participation in sportive recreational activities has positive effects on individuals' physical and mental health; however, there are also some factors that prevent individuals' participation in such activities. The income level, the marital status, the spouse's employment status, having children, and time spent at the place of residence are important factors preventing participation in sportive recreational activities. This study is expected to help individuals gain a perspective about participation in sportive recreational activities, and to provide more evidence in raising the awareness about the protection of individual health. In addition, it is expected to help shape the behaviors aimed at being healthy by improving one's own health-related beliefs. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2022;35(2):217-33.