Sero−Epidemiological Survey On The Impact Of Smoking On Sars−Cov−2 Infection And Covid−19 Outcomes − The Troina Study Protocol (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Polosa ◽  
Venera Tomaselli ◽  
Pietro Ferrara ◽  
Alba C. Romeo ◽  
Sonja Rust ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Epidemiological Survey ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Serum Cotinine ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

UNSTRUCTURED After the global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), research has highlighted several aspects of the pandemic, focusing on clinical features and risk factors associated with infection and disease severity. However, emerging results on the role of smoking in SARS-CoV-2 infection susceptibility or Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes are conflicting, and their robustness remains uncertain. In this context, this study aims at quantifying the proportion of SARS-CoV-S antibody seroprevalence, studying the changes in antibody levels over time, and analyzing the association between the biochemically verified smoking status and SARS-CoV-2 infection. The research design involves a 6-month prospective cohort study with serial sampling of the same individuals. Each participant will be surveyed about their demographics and COVID-19-related information, and blood sampling will be collected upon recruitment and at specified follow-up time points (namely, after 8 and 24 weeks). Blood samples will be screened for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies and serum cotinine, being the latter the principal metabolite of nicotine, which will be used to assess participants’ smoking status. Discussion: Overall, we expect to find a higher prevalence of antibodies in individuals at high-risk for viral exposure (i.e., healthcare personnel or other essential workers), according to previous literature, and to refine current estimates on the association between smoking status and SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. The added value of this research is that the current smoking status of the population to be studied will be biochemically verified, in order to avoid the bias associated with self-reported smoking status. As such, the results from this survey may provide actionable metric to study the role of smoking in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 outcomes, and therefore implement the most appropriate public health measures to control the pandemic. Results may also serve as a reference for future clinical research and the methodology could be exploited in public health sectors and policies.

scholarly journals POPULATION−BASED SERO−EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY PROTOCOL FOR THE IMPACT OF SMOKING ON SARS−COV−2 INFECTION AND COVID−19 OUTCOMES − THE TROINA STUDY

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Polosa ◽  
V. Tomaselli ◽  
P. Ferrara ◽  
A. C. Romeo ◽  
S. Rust ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Serum Cotinine ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Seroprevalence Data ◽  
Antibody Levels ◽  
The Impact

After the global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS−CoV−2), research has highlighted several aspects of the pandemic, focusing on clinical features and risk factors associated with infection and disease severity. However, emerging results on the role of smoking in SARS−CoV−2 infection susceptibility or COVID−19 outcomes are conflicting, and their robustness remains uncertain. In this context, this project aims at quantifying the proportion of SARS−CoV−S antibody seroprevalence, studying the changes in antibody levels over time, and analyzing the association between smoking status and infection using seroprevalence data. The added value of this research is that the current smoking status of the population to be studied will be biochemically verified, in order to avoid the bias associated with self−reported smoking status. As such, the results from this survey may provide actionable metric to study the role of smoking in SARS−CoV−2 spread, and therefore implement the most appropriate public health measures to control the pandemic. The research design involves a 6-month prospective cohort study with serial sampling of the same individuals. Each participant will be surveyed about their demographics and COVID−19−related information, and blood sampling will be collected upon recruitment and at specified follow−up time points (namely, after 8 and 24 weeks). Blood samples will be screened for the presence of SARS−CoV−2 specific antibodies and serum cotinine. Overall, we expect to find a higher prevalence of antibodies in individuals at high−risk for viral exposure (i.e., healthcare or other essential workers), according to previous literature, and to refine current estimates on the association between smoking status and SARS−CoV−2/COVID−19. Our results may serve as a reference for future clinical research and the methodology could be exploited in public health sectors and policies.

scholarly journals 26.A. Workshop: Assessing the role of policies and actions to address childhood obesity

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Childhood Obesity ◽  
Stakeholder Engagement ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Policy Options ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Relevant Evidence ◽  
Multi Stakeholder ◽  
The Impact

Abstract   Childhood obesity has grown to become one of the most dramatic features of the global obesity epidemic, with long-term consequences. The spread of obesity has been fueled by changes in social norms and living environments that have shaped individual behaviours making them conducive to excessive and imbalanced nutrition, sedentary lifestyles, and ultimately obesity and associated diseases. The STOP project will aim to generate scientifically sound, novel and policy-relevant evidence on the factors that have contributed to the spread of childhood obesity in European countries and on the effects of alternative technological and organisational solutions and policy options available to address the problem. STOP will translate the evidence gathered and generated into indicators and measurements, policy briefs and toolkits and multi-stakeholder frameworks. A special focus of STOP is understanding the stakeholders' networks and drivers of stakeholders' action. STOP will establish new ways for policy-relevant evidence to be generated, made available and used in the design and implementation of effective and sustainable solutions for childhood obesity at the EU, national and local levels. Each of the policy work packages will: Produce evidence syntheses and impact simulations for different policy approaches;Assess selected policy approaches and actions in children cohorts and other relevant settings;Devise policy toolkits and policy guidance to support the adoption and implementation of specific actions by relevant actors;Establish a country-based European accountability and monitoring framework in each policy area. The workshop aims to: Showcase the impact of different policy options evaluated throughout the STOP project;Increase participants' understanding and awareness of the opportunities and challenges associated with the implementation of selected policies;Increase awareness of public health professionals of the importance of overcoming siloes in identifying and implementing public health policies;Increase the understanding of multi-stakeholder engagement. The discussion will explore the role of stakeholders across different policy areas. We will explore the different definitions of “stakeholders” and “multi-stakeholders” engagement. This will also be an opportunity to explore some of the benefits, risks and challenges around stakeholder engagement, and explore what are the different types of stakeholders involved in these policies as well as their roles. The workshop will offer an opportunity to: Inform participants about existing physical activity, regulatory and fiscal policies to address childhood obesity;Inform participants about new, innovative EU-level projects that aim to address childhood obesity;Outline preliminary findings of the STOP project with regards to the effectiveness of the evaluated policies;Identify some of the gaps and limitations of existing policies and discuss some of the steps to ensure successful policy implementation. Key messages Present new evidence on what policy approaches work in addressing key determinants of childhood obesity. Showcase findings on the attitudes of different stakeholders towards obesity policies, and debate the benefits, risks and challenges of multi-stakeholder engagement.

scholarly journals Harnessing testing strategies and public health measures to avert COVID-19 outbreaks during ocean cruises

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Chowell ◽  
Sushma Dahal ◽  
Raquel Bono ◽  
Kenji Mizumoto
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Contact Network ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Testing Strategies ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

AbstractTo ensure the safe operation of schools, workplaces, nursing homes, and other businesses during COVID-19 pandemic there is an urgent need to develop cost-effective public health strategies. Here we focus on the cruise industry which was hit early by the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 40 cruise ships reporting COVID-19 infections. We apply mathematical modeling to assess the impact of testing strategies together with social distancing protocols on the spread of the novel coronavirus during ocean cruises using an individual-level stochastic model of the transmission dynamics of COVID-19. We model the contact network, the potential importation of cases arising during shore excursions, the temporal course of infectivity at the individual level, the effects of social distancing strategies, different testing scenarios characterized by the test’s sensitivity profile, and testing frequency. Our findings indicate that PCR testing at embarkation and daily testing of all individuals aboard, together with increased social distancing and other public health measures, should allow for rapid detection and isolation of COVID-19 infections and dramatically reducing the probability of onboard COVID-19 community spread. In contrast, relying only on PCR testing at embarkation would not be sufficient to avert outbreaks, even when implementing substantial levels of social distancing measures.

Erasmus Skills

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Development ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Council Of Europe ◽  
New Host ◽  
International Context ◽  
Host Culture ◽  
Sources Of Support ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Sources

Students participating in mobility experiences need to constantly adapt to new circumstances, not only during the experience itself, but also before leaving and after returning to their home country. They change their lifestyle, get acquainted with other cultural forms and, in some cases, they even change habits and attitudes to adapt to the new host culture. In this scenario, the different sources of support for students are of great added-value, e.g. family, friends, classmates, as well as the receiving institution – higher education institutions (HEIs) in our case. The supporting role of HEIs in the process of sending students abroad could go beyond the administrative dimension of it. A way of doing that is by offering a provision of support services on the acknowledgment and maximisation of their learning process and acquired competences (understood as a combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes – see Boyatzis, 1982; or Council of Europe, 2018) gained during their adaptation to a new international context. In this way, HEIs could increase the impact of such mobility experiences on students’ professional and personal development.

scholarly journals Television and Fertility

2010 ◽  
pp. 67-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Basten
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Media Presentation ◽  
Sliding Scale ◽  
The Media ◽  
Television Plays ◽  
The Impact

Much research has been conducted in the field of utilising the media - television and radio in particular - to promote particular public health messages. However, a burgeoning canon has examined how mass media can play a role in affecting change in fertility preferences and outcomes. In this paper we review these researches which have primarily focussed upon higher fertility settings. The impact of mass media presentation of families and children in low fertility settings has not yet been subject to rigorous sociological investigation so its impact can not be accurately inferred. However, given the pervasive nature of mass media and celebrity culture, we suggest that this is an important avenue for future research. We conclude that television plays a multi-faceted role in shaping individuals decision-making procedures concerning both demographic events and public health interactions. To illustrate this, we present a model which demonstrates a sliding scale of intent - but not impact - of various genres in order to understand the actual role of the media in shaping attitudes towards family size - either explicitly in terms of edutainment or implicitly as a forms of normalization.

scholarly journals COVID-19 as an “Infodemic” in Public Health: Critical Role of the Social Media

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debanjan Banerjee ◽  
K. S. Meena
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
The Impact

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has emerged as a significant and global public health crisis. Besides the rising number of cases and fatalities, the outbreak has also affected economies, employment and policies alike. As billions are being isolated at their homes to contain the infection, the uncertainty gives rise to mass hysteria and panic. Amidst this, there has been a hidden epidemic of “information” that makes COVID-19 stand out as a “digital infodemic” from the earlier outbreaks. Repeated and detailed content about the virus, geographical statistics, and multiple sources of information can all lead to chronic stress and confusion at times of crisis. Added to this is the plethora of misinformation, rumor and conspiracy theories circulating every day. With increased digitalization, media penetration has increased with a more significant number of people aiding in the “information pollution.” In this article, we glance at the unique evolution of COVID-19 as an “infodemic” in the hands of social media and the impact it had on its spread and public reaction. We then look at the ways forward in which the role of social media (as well as other digital platforms) can be integrated into social and public health, for a better symbiosis, “digital balance” and pandemic preparedness for the ongoing crisis and the future.

scholarly journals The Impact of Covid-19 Public Health Policies on Persons with Disability and their Caregivers in Malta

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-37
Author(s):  
Andrew Camilleri ◽  
Samantha Pace Gasan ◽  
Andrew Azzopardi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Essential Services ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Restrictive Measures ◽  
The Impact

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global health pandemic, due to the spread of a novel coronavirus, later named “Covid-19”. The spread of Covid-19 led to social isolation, distancing and a number of restrictive measures in Malta.  The aim of this paper is to analyse the impact of Covid-19 and the subsequent restrictive measures on persons with disability and their caregivers and families in Malta. Using thematic analysis, the study found that a variety of impacts ranging from a sense of isolation, lack of essential services being provided, additional difficulties encountered at the place of work and education and measures that were not sufficiently tailored for persons with disability issued by public health authorities. Underlying the additional difficulties brought about by Covid-19, structural difficulties to access essential services as well as ignorance from policy makers and politicians and the added “vulnerable-ization” of persons with disabilities were found to be highly impacting factors that pervade the experience of persons with disabilities and their caregivers.

Exploring the Role of Enforcement in Promoting Adherence with Protective Behaviours During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Freya Mills ◽  
Charles Symons ◽  
Holly Carter
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Specific Barriers ◽  
Protective Behaviours

Purpose: To explore the conditions under which enforcement likely is, or is not, an effective strategy to increase adherence to recommended protective behaviours during COVID-19. Design/Methodology/Approach: Relevant search terms were entered into three key databases (Google Scholar, medXriv, psyArXiv) to identify both peer-reviewed and pre-publication articles that reported empirical data relating to the impact of enforcement on adherence with recommended public health behaviours. Findings: Enforcement is less effective when: it is applied inconsistently; rules are ambiguous; behaviours are unobservable. Providing food and financial support, creating social norms and increasing trust are more effective in addressing specific barriers and fostering voluntary adherence. Where enforcement forms part of the strategy for policing COVID-19 regulations, rules must be clear and local responders must be given time and opportunity to plan their response as new rules are implemented. Research limitations/implications: This narrative review was limited to papers published in English and available either via the databases searched, or via reference searching; some relevant studies may therefore not have been identified. Practical implications: Findings inform an understanding of the impact of enforcement on adherence and facilitate the development of recommendations for increasing adherence to protective behaviours during COVID-19. Given the importance of public adherence, these recommendations are not only useful in the context of COVID-19 but also for future public health emergencies. Originality/value: This narrative review is the first to explore the circumstances under which enforcement can increase or reduce adherence with COVID-19 guidelines, generating recommendations for improved public adherence.

Management of Neurological Emergencies in Children: An Updated Overview

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Mastrangelo ◽  
Valentina Baglioni
Keyword(s):  
Motor Impairment ◽  
Febrile Seizures ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Emergency Setting ◽  
Neurological Emergencies ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
A Minor ◽  
The Impact

AbstractNeurological emergencies account for about one-third of the highest severity codes attributed in emergency pediatric departments. About 75% of children with acute neurological symptoms presents with seizures, headache, or other paroxysmal events. Life-threatening conditions involve a minor proportion of patients (e.g., less than 15% of children with headache and less than 5% of children with febrile seizures). This review highlights updated insights about clinical features, diagnostic workup, and therapeutic management of pediatric neurological emergencies. Particularly, details will be provided about the most recent insights about headache, febrile seizures, status epilepticus, altered levels of consciousness, acute motor impairment, acute movement disorders, and functional disorders, as well as the role of diagnostic tools (e.g., neuroimaging, lumbar puncture, and electroencephalography), in the emergency setting. Moreover, the impact of the current novel coronavirus disease2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the evaluation of pediatric neurologic emergencies will also be analyzed.

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