Fear of COVID-19: the mediation role between the COVID-19 diagnosis and KAP in Spanish university students

Article Subjects > Psychology Europe University of Atlantic > Research > Articles and books Abierto Inglés Background Although health public services recommend prevention strategies for COVID-19 some of these recommendations have not been taken seriously by young people. Understanding why some people comply with these recommendations and others do not seem to be crucial in helping public health services to predict behavior and compliance with rules, especially for young people. Previous studies suggest that knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) are useful to assess compliance with the preventive measures and public health policies. Being afraid has also been found to correlate with more engagement with preventive measures. This study aims to assess the KAP and fear of COVID-19 of Spanish university students and to understand the relation between diagnosis, KAP and the level of fear. Method Participants of this cross-sectional study were 598 college students (69.4% women) from different Spanish Universities. Data were collected for a month using an online questionnaire through Sphinx iQ2. Results Levels of KAP among Spanish students were satisfactory and results suggest the presence of fear among them. More importantly, fear of COVID-19 mediated the impact of the diagnosis on the KAP. Conclusions Feeling fear seems to be the mechanism underlying the relationship between diagnosis and KAP. Diagnosis is associated with KAP when the diagnosis it is accompanied by measures of fear. KAP, diagnosis, or perceived fear of COVID must be taken together in consideration for health interventions and public health campaigns design. metadata Cancela, Ana and González-Noriega, Mar and Visiers, Ana mail UNSPECIFIED, UNSPECIFIED, ana.visiers@uneatlantico.es (2023) Fear of COVID-19: the mediation role between the COVID-19 diagnosis and KAP in Spanish university students. BMC Public Health, 23 (1). ISSN 1471-2458

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Abstract

Background Although health public services recommend prevention strategies for COVID-19 some of these recommendations have not been taken seriously by young people. Understanding why some people comply with these recommendations and others do not seem to be crucial in helping public health services to predict behavior and compliance with rules, especially for young people. Previous studies suggest that knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) are useful to assess compliance with the preventive measures and public health policies. Being afraid has also been found to correlate with more engagement with preventive measures. This study aims to assess the KAP and fear of COVID-19 of Spanish university students and to understand the relation between diagnosis, KAP and the level of fear. Method Participants of this cross-sectional study were 598 college students (69.4% women) from different Spanish Universities. Data were collected for a month using an online questionnaire through Sphinx iQ2. Results Levels of KAP among Spanish students were satisfactory and results suggest the presence of fear among them. More importantly, fear of COVID-19 mediated the impact of the diagnosis on the KAP. Conclusions Feeling fear seems to be the mechanism underlying the relationship between diagnosis and KAP. Diagnosis is associated with KAP when the diagnosis it is accompanied by measures of fear. KAP, diagnosis, or perceived fear of COVID must be taken together in consideration for health interventions and public health campaigns design.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices, Fear of COVID-19, Diagnosis of COVID-19, Spain, University students
Subjects: Subjects > Psychology
Divisions: Europe University of Atlantic > Research > Articles and books
Date Deposited: 16 Oct 2023 23:30
Last Modified: 13 Dec 2023 23:30
URI: https://repositorio.uneatlantico.es/id/eprint/9219

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Effects of a 12-week multicomponent exercise programme on physical function in older adults with cancer: Study protocol for the ONKO-FRAIL randomised controlled trial

Introduction Cancer in older adults is often associated with functional limitations, geriatric syndromes, poor self-rated health, vulnerability, and frailty, and these conditions might worsen treatment-related side effects. Recent guidelines for patients with cancer during and after treatment have documented the beneficial effects of exercise to counteract certain side effects; however, little is known about the role of exercise during cancer treatment in older adults. Materials and Methods This is a multicentre randomised controlled trial in which 200 participants will be allocated to a control group or an intervention group (the sample size has been calculated to detect a clinical difference of 1 point in Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score, assuming an α error of 0.05, a β error of 0.20, and a 10 % loss rate). Patients aged ≥70 years, diagnosed with any type of solid cancer and candidates for systemic treatment are eligible. Subjects in the intervention group are invited to participate in a 12-week supervised multicomponent exercise programme in addition to receiving usual care. Study assessments are conducted at baseline and three months. The primary outcome measure is physical function as assessed by the SPPB. Secondary outcome measures include comprehensive geriatric assessment scores (including social situation, basic and instrumental activities of daily living, cognitive function, depression, nutritional status, polypharmacy, geriatric syndromes, pain, and emotional distress), anthropometric characteristics, frailty status, physical fitness, physical activity, cognitive function, quality of life, fatigue, and nutritional status. Study assessments also include analysis of inflammatory, endocrine, and nutritional mediators in serum and plasma as potential frailty biomarkers at mRNA and protein levels and multiparametric flow cytometric analysis to measure immunosenescence markers on T and NK cells. Discussion This study seeks to extend our knowledge on exercise interventions during systemic anticancer treatment in patients over 70 years of age. Results from this research will guide the management of older adults during systemic treatment in hospitals seeking to enhance the standard of care.

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