• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.478-492
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• 2020

The COVID-19 global health crisis has affected the mental and psychological health and well-being of the people around the world. However, little is known about the impact of COVID-19 among Filipino teachers. This study was conducted to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life (QoL) of professional teachers in the Philippines. A descriptive cross-sectional study was used involving 139 licensed professional teachers. The COVID-19 Impact on Quality of Life (COV19-QoL) was the primary measure used in this study. Descriptive statistics, t-test, and one-way ANOVA were the statistical tools employed to analyze the data. Results indicated a moderate COVID-19 impact on the QoL of the teachers. There was a significant difference in the impact of COVID-19 on QoL by degree program. However, the impact of COVID-19 on QoL did not significantly differ by age, sex, marital status, employment status, monthly salary, presence of a COVID-19 case near their residence, personal knowledge of someone who was infected or died of COVID-19, presence of a medical condition, and perceived threat. The psychological well-being and QoL of teachers must be recognized and teachers must be provided with support as they continue to adapt to the impact brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study contributes to the growing literature on the impact of the pandemic.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.123-132
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify factors related to hand washing practice among adolescents before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study was conducted using data from the 15th~16th (2019~2020) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, and the subjects of the study were 57,303 and 54,948 people who participated in the 2019 and 2020 study, respectively. The data were analyzed with frequency test, rao-scott 𝑥² test and multiple logistic regression analysis using SPSS 27.0. Results: Changes in the hand washing practice rate were observed before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in all five behaviors; before eating in school, after using the toilet in school, before eating at home, after using the toilet at home, and after returning home. The study found that the hand washing practice rate increased by 1.21-2.43 times after the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, as a result of logistic regression analysis, the hand washing practice rate before and after the COVID-19 pandemic was related to gender, region, school grade, school type, economic status, health status, and personal hygiene education experience. Conclusion: This study confirmed the importance of hand washing education to improve the hand washing practice rate in adolescents. It is necessary to develop and apply an effective youth hand washing education program in consideration of various variables that appeared as significant factors influencing the hand washing practice rate before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

• International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.27-41
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• 2023

The outbreak of the corona virus diseases (COVID-19) in the late 2019 has affected all facets of educational system including library and information services. Reference services, an important aspect of library services are not exempted from this impact. This study therefore, investigated the impact of COVI\D-19 pandemic on the use of reference services and sources by postgraduate students using Kenneth Dike Library (KDL), University of Ibadan, as a case study. Using descriptive survey of correlational type, the study adopted the use of structured questionnaire to randomly select three hundred (300) postgraduate users of reference sources and services in KDL using online survey monkey. Of the three hundred (300) copies, two hundred and twenty three (223) copies, repre- senting 74.3% were retrieved and used for analysis. Findings revealed that, in spite of COVID-19 pandemic, most postgraduate students used Current Awareness Services (203, 91.0%, mean = 3.19), Reference Sources (202, 90.5%, mean = 3.18) and On-line Public Access Catalogue (195, 87.4%, mean = 3.13); low frequency of bibliotherapy (mean=2.22), Reader's Advisory services (mean=2.30) and inter-library loan (mean=2.13) and that COVID-19 pandemic had high impact on post- graduate students' use of reference services in Kenneth Dike Library, University of Ibadan. Based on the findings, recommendations were made that library management should consider the adoption of virtual reference services (VRS) in addition to the conventional mode of refer- ence services to enhance patronage in the COVID-19 era. The library users should also be trained on how to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to learn new skills in the digital space that will eventually optimize the usage of the library remotely.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.212-220
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• 2023

Objectives: This study compared the epidemiological and clinical manifestations of patients hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic at a tertiary care hospital in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. Methods: This retrospective observational study utilized data from all cases of laboratory-confirmed RSV infection at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital from January 2016 to December 2021. Differences in the clinical presentation of RSV infection before (2016 to 2019) and during (2020 to 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed and compared. Results: In total, 358 patients hospitalized with RSV infections were reported from January 2016 to December 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, only 74 cases of hospitalized RSV infection were reported. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the clinical presentations of RSV infection showed statistically significant decreases in fever on admission (p=0.004), productive cough (p=0.004), sputum (p=0.003), nausea (p=0.03), cyanosis (p=0.004), pallor (p<0.001), diarrhea (p<0.001), and chest pain (p<0.001). Furthermore, vigilant measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including lockdowns, also interrupted the RSV season in Thailand from 2020 to 2021. Conclusions: The incidence of RSV infection was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, which also changed the clinical presentation and seasonal pattern of RSV infection in children.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.242-249
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• 2023

Objectives: Following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, adolescents have experienced decreased physical activity and a decline in mental health. This study analyzed the association between changes in depressed mood after the COVID-19 pandemic and physical activity among adolescents. Methods: The analysis was based on the results of the 17th Youth Health Behavior Online Survey conducted in 2021, which included 54848 middle and high school students in South Korea. Information on physical activity included low-intensity physical activity lasting >60 min/day, high-intensity physical activity, and strength training exercises. A logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between physical activity and changes in depression after the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and previous depression, adolescents who performed strength training exercises more than once per week had a 0.95-fold lower risk (odds ratio [OR]=0.948, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.905-0.994, p=0.027) of increasing depression after the COVID-19 pandemic, while the risk of decreasing depression increased by 1.22-fold (OR=1.215, 95% CI=1.131-1.305, p<0.001). The results were not significant for low-intensity physical activity for >60 min/day and high-intensity physical activity. Conclusion: Strength-training exercises are significantly associated with the prevention of depression among adolescents following the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.120-127
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• 2024

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to increased mortality rates. To assess this impact, this ecological study aimed to estimate the excess death counts in southern Iran. Methods: The study obtained weekly death counts by linking the National Death Registry and Medical Care Monitoring Center repositories. The P-score was initially estimated using a simple method that involved calculating the difference between the observed and expected death counts. The interrupted time series analysis was then used to calculate the mean relative risk (RR) of death during the first year of the pandemic. Results: Our study found that there were 5571 excess deaths from all causes (P-score=33.29%) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 48.03% of these deaths directly related to COVID-19. The pandemic was found to increase the risk of death from all causes (RR, 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19 to 1.33), as well as in specific age groups such as those aged 35-49 (RR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.32), 50-64 (RR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.28 to 1.49), and ≥65 (RR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.32) years old. Furthermore, there was an increased risk of death from cardiovascular diseases (RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.22). Conclusions: There was a 26% increase in the death count in southern Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of these excess deaths were not directly related to COVID-19, but rather other causes, with cardiovascular diseases being a major contributor.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.264-272
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• 2022

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly disrupted cancer screening services worldwide. We aimed to measure the impact of COVID-19 on gastric cancer screening rates based on age, sex, household income, and residential area. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data from the Korean National Cancer Screening Survey from 2017 to 2021 for adults aged 40-74 years. We evaluated the gastric cancer screening rate within two years in accordance with the National Cancer Screening Program protocol recommendations and that within the previous year. We compared the trends in the pre- and post-COVID-19 outbreak periods. Results: Before the COVID-19 outbreak, there was little change in the gastric cancer screening rates until 2019. After the COVID-19 outbreak, the screening rate as per recommendation decreased from 70.8% in 2019 to 68.9% in 2020 and that for one year decreased from 32.7% in 2019 to 27.2% in 2020. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued after 2020, both gastric cancer screening rates as per recommendations and for one year rebounded. Although a similar trend was observed for the upper endoscopy screening rate, the upper gastrointestinal series screening rate decreased from 7.8% in 2020 to 3.1% in 2021. During the pandemic, the screening rate decreased among younger adults (40-49), those residing in metropolitan regions, and those with high incomes. Conclusions: Despite a decline in gastric cancer screening rate during the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate surged in 2021. Further studies are needed to estimate the impact of cancer screening delays on future cancer-related mortalities.

• Asian Journal of Business Environment
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.15-19
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• 2020

Purpose: This research aims to explore the level of air pollution in Jakarta, the epicenter of COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia and its surrounding provinces during the first month of the Pandemic. Research design, data and methodology: This study uses data, which have been obtained real time from API (Application Programming Interfaces) of air quality website. The measurements of Air Quality Index (AQI), temperature, humidity, and other factors from several cities and regencies in Indonesia were obtained eight times a day. The data collected have been analyzed using descriptive statistics and mapped using QGIS. Results: The finding of this study indicates that The Greater Jakarta Area experienced a decrease in pollutant levels, especially in the Bogor area. Nevertheless, some areas, such as the north Jakarta, have exhibited slow reduction. Furthermore, the regions with high COVID-19 confirmed cases have experienced a decline in AQI. Conclusions: The study concludes that the air quality of three provinces, Jakarta, Banten, and West Java, especially in cities located in the Jakarta Metropolitan Area during COVID-19 pandemic and large-scale social restrictions, is getting better. However, in some regions, the reduction of pollutant concentrations requires a longer time, as it was very high before the pandemic.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.923-930
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• 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic weakened the small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. The decline in turnover is one that is felt by the batik industry in East Java, and the decline in turnover in the batik industry is very drastic. This research was conducted to prove the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on SMEs in the batik industry. One model is proposed to prove the existence of an increase in the performance of the batik industry's SMEs by implementing a customer relationship management strategy, business strategy, and market orientation. The study population was the batik industry entrepreneurs in East Java, Indonesia, using SEM analysis based on Amos, purposive sampling method, and a sample of 180 respondents. The results showed that the model was accepted. The results also show that customer relationship management and business strategy contributed to the performance of SMEs, while market orientation did not contribute to the performance of SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic. To be able to maintain the sustainability of the company, the steps taken by the company are to lay off some of the employees, and during the production period the production stops, and focus on selling goods that have been previously produced.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.213-223
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• 2021

The objectives of this study are (1) to describe the changes in the tourism industry that have occurred due to COVID-19; (2) explain the adaptation strategies of tourism industry stakeholders to maintain the resilience of Tanjung Puting tourism destination during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (3) explain the government's strategy in supporting tourism industry stakeholders to maintain the sustainability of Tanjung Puting tourism destinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is qualitative research; data was collected through in-depth interviews and the collection of published documents or information related to the Tanjung Puting tourism destination. The data analysis technique used in this study was interactive analysis. The results of the study found that the COVID-19 pandemic caused the tourism industry to experience dormancy, tourism stakeholders who lost income, switched to other sectors and looked for other alternative jobs. Tourism workers are currently doing jobs outside the tourism sector to survive, but when tourism is running normally, will return to their main jobs. The strategy undertaken by the government is to build resilience at the meso level, focusing on tourism destinations. The findings of this study suggest that tourism industry players are required to be creative and innovative in facing this pandemic.