Evolution of Well-Being and Associated Factors during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was a global public health crisis with an unparalleled impact worldwide, presenting a significant challenge for both physical and mental health. The main objective of this study was to analyze the risk of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic and how this was affected by sociodemographic factors, pandemic fatigue, risk perception, trust in institutions, and perceived self-efficacy.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Region of Murcia through two online surveys completed by 1000 people in June 2021 (Round 1) and March 2022 (Round 2).

Lessons from COVID-19 for behavioural and communication interventions to enhance vaccine uptake.

The Covid pandemic has yielded new insights into psychological vaccine acceptance factors. This knowledge serves as a basis for behavioral and communication interventions that can increase vaccination readiness for other diseases.

Meeting statement: Call to action for step-change in health behaviours.

Background: Enabling, supporting and promoting positive health-related behaviours is critical in addressing the major public health challenges of our time, and the multifaceted nature of behaviours requires an evidence-based approach. This statement seeks to suggest how a much-needed enhanced use of behavioural and cultural science and insights for health could be advanced.

Study Design And Methods: and methods: Public health authorities of Europe and Central Asia and international partner organizations in September 2023 met in Copenhagen, Denmark, to discuss the way forward.

Characteristics of adults who reported not having had COVID-19 in Spain after the first two years of the pandemic and associated factors.

Background: There is little evidence regarding the characteristics of adults who self-reported not having had COVID-19 after two years of the pandemic. This study aimed to analyse the characteristics of no-COVID-19 respondents and the associated factors to better understand which may have conditioned not having had the disease as guidance to help in the design of better public health strategies.

Methods: This cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in the Spanish general population in a representative sample of 1051 adults who completed an online survey in September 2022.

Preventing chronic malnutrition in children under 2 years in rural Angola (MuCCUA trial): protocol for the economic evaluation of a three-arm community cluster randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Chronic malnutrition is a serious problem in southern Angola with a prevalence of 49.9% and 37.2% in the provinces of Huila and Cunene, respectively.

Rural-Urban Inequities in Tuberculosis-Related Practices in Equatorial Guinea.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of mortality from a single infectious disease agent. Equatorial Guinea is a country with high estimated TB incidence in 2021 (275 cases per 100,000 population) and low TB case detection (42%). Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are crucial for TB control.

Association Between Pandemic Fatigue and Disease Knowledge, Attitudes, Concerns, and Vaccination Intention at Two Key Moments of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study aimed to describe the change in knowledge, attitudes, concerns, perceptions, preventive practices, and vaccination intention at two key time points of the COVID-19 pandemic and to assess whether these changes varied by level of pandemic fatigue. Data included in this study came from the third and the ninth round of the COSMO-Spain cross-sectional study. A general linear model was used to investigate the interaction terms between rounds and levels of pandemic fatigue.

Tuberculosis Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice in Middle- and Low-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from an infectious agent in the world. Most tuberculosis cases are concentrated in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study is to better understand tuberculosis-related knowledge about TB disease, prevention, treatment and sources of information, attitudes towards TB patients and their stigmatization and prevention, diagnosis and treatment practices in the general population of middle- and low-income countries, with a high tuberculosis burden, and provide evidence for policy development and decision-making.

Diagnostic pathways of Chagas disease in Spain: a qualitative study.

Background: Due to the mobility of the population in recent years and the spread of Chagas disease (CD) to non-endemic regions, early diagnosis and treatment of CD has become increasingly relevant in non-endemic countries. In order for screening to be effective, health system accessibility must be taken into consideration. This study uses Tanahashi's Health Service Coverage model to gain a deeper understanding of the main diagnostic pathways for Chagas disease in a non-endemic country and the barriers and bottlenecks present in each pathway.

Age differences in knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.

This study aims at describing the evolution of Spanish population preventive practices during the COVID-19 pandemic of the between January and June 2021, and differences by age group. Data was drawn from the COSMO-Spain online survey, rounds (R) 4, 5 and 6. Multiple linear regression models with preventive practices as dependent variable were performed.

Measuring COVID-19 health literacy: validation of the COVID-19 HL questionnaire in Spain.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of health literacy to make informed preventive decisions. A specific COVID-19 health literacy questionnaire (CHL-Q) is included in the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring WHO initiative to conduct behavioral insights studies related to COVID-19. The objective was to assess the psychometric properties of a Spanish version of the COVID-19 Health Literacy Questionnaire (CHL-Q).

Trends in COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in Spain, September 2020‒May 2021.

To analyze factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Spain, over time. We used data from a national study that included 5 online surveys carried out every 2 months from September 2020 to May 2021. Each round recruited a sample of 1000 participants aged 18 years or older.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Stigma: The Perceptions of Tuberculosis in Equatorial Guinea.

Tuberculosis remains one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in Equatorial Guinea, with an estimated incidence of 280 per 100,000 inhabitants, an estimated mortality rate of 96 per 100,000 inhabitants, and a treatment non-adherence rate of 21.4%. This study aimed to identify the factors associated to TB-related knowledge, attitudes, and stigma in order to design community intervention strategies that could improve TB diagnostic and treatment adherence in Equatorial Guinea.

Psychometric Properties of the COVID-19 Pandemic Fatigue Scale: Cross-sectional Online Survey Study.

Background: Pandemic fatigue is defined as feelings of demotivation to follow preventive measures against COVID-19, together with decreased trust in government and frequency of information-seeking behaviors.

Objective: This study aims to analyze the psychometric properties of the COVID-19-specific pandemic fatigue scale according to classical test theory (CTT) and Rasch model approaches in the general Spanish population.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in a representative sample of 1018 adults who completed an online survey in November 2020 in the framework of the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring (COSMO)-Spain project.

Comparison of three PCR-based methods to detect Loa loa and Mansonella perstans in long-term frozen storage dried blood spots.

Objectives: Loa loa and Mansonella perstans are two very common filarial species in Africa. Although microscopy is the traditional diagnostic method for human filariasis, several polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods have emerged as an alternative approach for identifying filarial parasites. The aim of this study is to compare three molecular methods and decide which is the most suitable for diagnosing human loiasis and mansonellosis in non-endemic regions using dried blood spot (DBS) as a medium for sample collection and storage.

Colorimetric and Real-Time Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) for Detection of DNA in Human Blood Samples.

Loiasis, caused by the filarial nematode , is endemic in Central and West Africa. has been associated with severe adverse reactions in high -infected individuals receiving ivermectin during mass drug administration programs for the control of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. Diagnosis of loiasis still depends on microscopy in blood samples, but this is not effective for large-scale surveys.

Behavioural insights and the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.

Behavioural sciences have complemented medical and epidemiological sciences in the response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. As vaccination uptake continues to increase across the EU/EEA - including booster vaccinations - behavioural science research remains important for both pandemic policy, planning of services and communication. From a behavioural perspective, the following three areas are key as the pandemic progresses: (i) attaining and maintaining high levels of vaccination including booster doses across all groups in society, including socially vulnerable populations, (ii) informing sustainable pandemic policies and ensuring adherence to basic prevention measures to protect the most vulnerable population, and (iii) facilitating population preparedness and willingness to support and adhere to the reimposition of restrictions locally or regionally whenever outbreaks may occur.

Evaluation of LAMP for the diagnosis of Loa loa infection in dried blood spots compared to PCR-based assays and microscopy.

Background: Loa loa is a filarial species found exclusively in West and Central Africa. Microscopy is the traditional diagnosis method for human loiasis. Several molecular methods have developed as an alternative approach for identification of L.

Mapping health behaviour related to Chagas diagnosis in a non-endemic country: Application of Andersen's Behavioural Model.

Background: Chagas disease has become a challenge for non-endemic countries since population mobility has increased in recent years and it has spread to these regions. In order to prevent vertical transmission and improve the prognosis of the disease, it is important to make an early diagnosis. And to develop strategies that improve access to diagnosis, it is important to know the factors that most influence the decision of the population to know their serological status.

Compliance with the main preventive measures of COVID-19 in Spain: The role of knowledge, attitudes, practices, and risk perception.

In epidemics such as COVID-19, major changes need to be made to the population's behavior to prevent infection and stop disease transmission. The three most recommended preventive measures are wearing a mask, washing hands with soap or hydroalcoholic gel, and watching an interpersonal distance of at least two meters (3W) from other people. This study aimed to assess adherence to these COVID-19-related three preventive measures and its association with knowledge, attitudes, risk perception, and practices in Spain.

The COSMO-Spain Survey: Three First Rounds of the WHO Behavioral Insights Tool.

To describe changes in knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices (KAP), risk perception, and psychological variables of Spanish population toward the COVID-19 pandemic from July to November 2020. Three samples, each of one composed by 1,000+ persons aged 18 years or older, were interviewed online in three rounds, every 2 months, from July to November 2020. The level of knowledge on COVID-19 was high in the three rounds, with percentages above 95% of correct answers related to ways of contagion and correct use of face masks.

How patients with COVID-19 managed the disease at home during the first wave in Spain: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Most patients with mild COVID-19 had to stay at home trying to implement an optimal quarantine. The aim of this study was to describe the COVID-19 cases during the first wave of the pandemic in Spain, how they managed the disease at home, focusing on differences by age, as well as differences in knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices, compared with the uninfected population.

Design: An online survey was used to conduct a cross-sectional study of individuals who were 14 years or older living in Spain during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Key Chagas disease missing knowledge among at-risk population in Spain affecting diagnosis and treatment.

Background: Chagas disease is endemic in Latin America and, over the last few decades, due to population movements, the disease has spread to other continents. Early diagnosis and treatment are critical in terms of improving outcomes for those living with Chagas disease. However, poor knowledge and awareness is one of barriers that affects access to Chagas disease diagnosis and treatment for the population at risk.

Knowledge and practices regarding malaria and the National Treatment Guidelines among public health workers in Equatorial Guinea.

Background: In 2018, an estimated 228 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide. Countries are far from having achieved reasonable levels of national protocol compliance among health workers. Lack of awareness of treatment protocols and treatment resistance by prescribers threatens to undermine progress when it comes to reducing the prevalence of this disease.