Tag Archives: COVID-19

AFTNews, Mental Health, PRNews

Relationship between COVID-19 stressors and health behaviours: results from The Psycorona Study

The pandemic is teaching us key lessons about the relationship between different types of stressors and health outcomes.

Covid-19 Fatigue – Part One: A report by Australia Fitness Today

In a recent study published in Preventive Medicine Reports*, Dr Shian-Ling Keng, Associate Professor from the Department of Psychology at Monash University Malaysia, along with a team of 107 researchers from over 40 countries globally, are charting COVID-19’s deadly sweep across the world by delving into the virus’ often overlooked impact on people’s health behaviours. This study is conducted with Dr Michael Stanton, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health at California State University, East Bay as a co-leading investigator. Other key collaborators of the study include Dr LeeAnn Haskins (University of Georgia, USA), Dr Jeannette Ickovics (Yale University, USA), Dr Antwan Jones (the George Washington University, USA), Dr Diana Grigsby-Toussaint (Brown University, USA), and Dr Carlos Almenara (Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Peru).

Anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and home confinement measures have been found to be associated with adverse health behaviours, such as unhealthy eating, smoking, drinking, and decreased physical activity. These unhealthy behaviours are risk factors for non-communicable diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, which in turn increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 and greater disease severity and may eventually lead to increased mortality. However, to date, most studies have been limited by regional sampling, which precludes the examination of behavioural consequences associated with the pandemic at a global level.

Descriptive Statistics for COVID-19 Stressors and Health Behaviors. | Download Scientific Diagram (researchgate.net) – image via license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Using data from the global PsyCorona project, an international, longitudinal online study of psychological and behavioural correlates of COVID-19, Dr Keng and over 100 behavioural scientists surveyed 7,402 adult participants from 86 countries across three waves of assessment and measured  their perceived infection risk, economic burden, and engagement in health behaviours ranging from physical exercise, unhealthy eating, smoking, to alcohol consumption. By employing a multilevel regression approach in its data analysis, the team tested whether COVID-19 infection risk and economic burden correlate with a decline in healthy behavioural habits. The study found that perceived economic burden was linked with reduced diet quality and sleep quality, as well as increased smoking. There was also an interaction between perceived COVID-19 infection risk and economic burden, such that diet quality and sleep quality were lowest among those reported high levels of COVID-19 infection risk and economic burden. Neither binge drinking nor physical exercise were associated with perceived COVID-19 infection risk, economic burden, or their interaction.  

“The pandemic is teaching us key lessons about the relationship between different types of stressors and health outcomes across different socioeconomic groups. In particular, it highlights the importance of attending to cumulative, negative effects of high infection risk and economic burden on health outcomes”, said Dr Keng. This project began when Dr Keng was a faculty member with the Division of Psychology at Yale-NUS College, Singapore.

Since March 2020, the PsyCorona scientists have conducted ongoing 20-minute interviews with more than 60,000 people in 115 countries. The survey topics range from handwashing and mask-wearing to dissatisfaction with government messaging. The project is jointly funded by the New York University Abu Dhabi, the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III in Madrid, with Dr Pontus Leander (Wayne State University, USA) and Dr Jocelyn Bélanger (NYU Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) as principal investigators. 

“We are asking: If you perceive that you will get infected, and if you think that in the next few months your personal situation will be worse due to the economic consequences of COVID, will you sleep less, and will you eat more and eat unhealthy food?” Dr Stanton explained.

Preliminary findings from the study point to the value of developing interventions to address COVID-related stressors, which have an impact on health behaviours that, in turn, may influence vulnerability to COVID-19 and other health outcomes. Dr Keng noted that the relationships between COVID-19 stressors and health behaviours appear to be consistent across geographical regions — from impoverished nations to more developed European countries and the United States, and the relationships remained after controlling for variations in gender, age and levels of education. As a next step, the team aims to examine psychological mechanisms that may account for the relationships, including negative emotions and use of coping strategies such as problem solving and avoidance.

Dr Jones, Associate Professor from the Department of Sociology at The George Washington University, expressed that pandemics are notorious for inciting short- and long-term economic challenges. “However, there has been less attention on…how socially and economically vulnerable populations will be affected by the changing spatial landscape brought on by the consequences of the pandemic,” he stated.

Another co-author, Dr Grigsby-Toussaint, Associate Professor of Behavioural and Social Sciences and Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health, indicated that supporting and engaging in international collaborative efforts are critical for mitigating the impact of COVID-19. “Although effective interventions targeting COVID-19 have to be tailored to the local context, it is important to have a broader view of stressors and health behaviours that are continuing to drive the pandemic.”

*Articles published on Preventive Medicine Reports are peer-reviewed and made freely available for everyone to read, download, and reuse in line with the user license displayed on the article.

AFT Ed.’s notes:

Republish this:

AustraliaFitnessToday.com provides news releases licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. When publishing, please enable back links and quote source: https://www.australiafitnesstoday.com/2022/04/12/relationship-between-covid-19-stressors-and-health-behaviours-results-from-the-psycorona-study/.

AFTNews, AFTNews, Beauty & Health, Features Indonesian

Bunuhi virus corona di tangan anda…

Bagaimana cara sabun dan hand sanitizer bisa membunuh virus corona di tangan Anda?

Siswa mencuci tangan saat akan masuk area sekolah dalam pembelajaran tatap muka di SMP Negeri Hindu 2 Sukawati, Gianyar, Bali, 23 Maret 2021.
Dian Wuri Astuti, STIKES Guna Bangsa

Hampir satu setengah tahun pandemi COVID-19 belum terkendali baik di level global maupun Indonesia.

Walau baru-baru ini data resmi pemerintah Indonesia menunjukkan ada tren penurunan kasus harian COVID-19, penyebaran virus corona masih tetap mengkhawatirkan.

Menjaga kebersihan, memakai masker, dan menjaga jarak fisik merupakan cara terbaik yang bisa dilakukan tiap orang untuk melindungi diri dan orang di sekitarnya dari serangan virus corona.

Sebuah riset terbaru menyatakan sabun cair yang mengandung asam salisilat dan sabun batangan yang mengandung para-kloro-meta-xylenol dapat membunuh virus corona dalam 1 menit.

Mencuci tangan dengan sabun cair atau padat merupakan salah satu cara terbaik untuk mencegah tangan kita menjadi medium penyebaran virus. Karena ukuran virus sangat kecil dan banyak orang terinfeksi tanpa menunjukkan gejala, kita tidak pernah tahu virus dengan pasti di mana dan kapan virus menyebar.

Satu hal yang pasti bahwa virus bisa menyebar saat orang terinfeksi sedang batuk, bersin, berbicara atau tangannya memegang benda-benda.

Masalahnya, kadang-kadang di tempat umum tidak selalu tersedia sabun dan air sehingga hanya bisa menggunakan hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer berbahan dasar alkohol dan sabun mampu membunuh virus yang menempel di tangan.

Bagaimana cara kerja sabun dan hand sanitizer menaklukkan virus corona?

Cara kerja sabun melawan virus corona

Sabun dan air bekerja menghilangkan semua jenis kuman dari tangan, bahkan dapat membunuhnya.

Sabun merupakan zat yang mengandung dua gugus: gugus hidrofilik (bagian kepala molekul sabun) dan gugus hidrofobik (bagian ekor molekul sabun).

Gugus hidrofilik merupakan bagian yang dapat berinteraksi dengan air. Sedangkan gugus hidrofobik akan berinteraksi dengan lemak (lipid).

Dengan komposisi seperti itu, sabun dapat merusak struktur luar virus yang berupa protein dan lipid (lemak). Mekanisme kerja sabun melawan virus corona dapat dijelaskan sebagai berikut.

Saat kita mencuci tangan dengan sabun dan air, ekor molekul sabun mulai mencari area yang tidak ada air dan mulai mengelilingi partikel virus.

Saat mereka terus bergerak, ekornya dapat menancap di lapisan luar virus, mencoba untuk sampai ke bagian tengah, yang tidak ada air. Efek ini mirip dengan meletuskan balon dengan peniti.

Saat molekul sabun menembus ke dalam lapisan virus, sabun akan membelah virus, melepaskan isinya ke dalam air sabun di sekitarnya. Dampaknya, partikel virus ikut tersapu oleh air.

Proses sabun membunuh virus corona.

Sabun akan efektif melawan virus corona jika kita mencuci tangan dengan benar. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) memberikan panduan yang mudah kita praktikkan:

  1. Basahi tangan dengan air yang mengalir
  2. Oleskan sabun secukupnya untuk menutupi tangan yang basah
  3. Gosok bagian tangan di bagian punggung tangan, sela-sela jari, celah kuku, dan juga telapak tangan selama 20 detik
  4. Bilas dengan air mengalir secara bersih
  5. Keringkan tangan dengan memakai kain bersih atau handuk bersih.

Sabun dan air lebih efektif daripada hand sanitizer dalam menghilangkan jenis kuman tertentu seperti norovirus (virus yang dapat menyebabkan peradangan akut pada lambung dan usus), Cryptosporidium (parasit yang hidup di sistem pencernaan manusia dan hewan), dan Clostridioides difficile (patogen usus penyebab diare), serta bahan kimia.

Penggunaan air dan sabun lebih tepat untuk membersihkan tangan yang kotor atau berminyak seperti setelah makan, berkebun, atau melakukan kegiatan lain.

Mencuci tangan menggunakan sabun dengan air mengalir dapat mengurangi jumlah semua jenis kuman, pestisida, dan logam di tangan.

Penggunaan hand sanitizer

Hand sanitizer bekerja dengan cara membunuh kuman tertentu di tangan.

Namun hand sanitizer tidak selalu dapat menggantikan peran air dan sabun dalam membunuh kuman di tangan. Misalnya, hand sanitizer tidak dapat menghilangkan bahan kimia berbahaya, seperti logam berat dan pestisida.

Organisasi Kesehatan Dunia merekomendasikan penggunaan hand sanitizer untuk menghilangkan virus corona jika tidak ada sabun. Hand sanitizer biasanya mengandung etanol, isopropanol, n-propanol atau kombinasi dari ketiga jenis alkohol.

Semua hand sanitizer efektif melawan virus yang terlapisi lipid seperti virus corona jika kandungan alkoholnya mencapai 62%-96%. Kandungan ini dapat dilihat di label kemasan produknya. Rata-rata produk hand sanitizer di pasaran saat ini mengandung alkohol sebanyak itu.

Dengan kandungan alkohol setinggi ini, hand sanitizer dapat mengubah sifat protein mikroba dan mampu melumpuhkan virus.

Hal yang perlu diwaspadai adalah alkohol pada hand sanitizer bersifat mudah terbakar dan mudah menguap.

Pada awal Mei 2020, American Association of Poison Control Center melaporkan ada 9.504 kasus paparan alkohol-bahan dasar hand sanitizer-pada anak-anak di bawah usia 12 tahun. Dari kasus ini, sejumlah kecil alkohol dapat menyebabkan keracunan alkohol pada anak-anak yang menyebabkan kebingungan, muntah dan kantuk, serta henti napas dan kematian.

Penggunaan hand sanitizer yang tidak tepat dapat menimbulkan bahaya baik pemakaian maupun penyimpanannya.

Hand sanizer berbahaya jika diminum atau terminum. Misalnya, Juni tahun lalu CNN memberitakan tiga orang tewas dan satu orang mengalami kebutaan karena keracunan methanol setelah minum hand sanitizer di New Mexico AS.

Jadi kuncinya adalah mengetahui kapan Anda harus membersihkan tangan dan metode mana yang digunakan. Itulah yang akan memberi Anda kesempatan terbaik untuk mencegah penyakit karena virus.

Dian Wuri Astuti, Lecturer Chemistry, STIKES Guna Bangsa

Artikel ini terbit pertama kali di The Conversation. Baca artikel sumber.

Diet & Nutrition

Boosting your immune system to battle COVID-19

I was compiling research on boosting our immune system, and would like to share that it’s far beyond just taking Vitamin C. It’s all about reducing my intake of carbohydrates and getting some Vitamin D of some sunlight kind. It really is as simple as that!

Increasing our immunity help fight off infections. Our pituitary glands, adrenals and the ovaries, muscles, brain and liver contain the largest stores of Vitamin C. However, being water-soluble, Vitamin C is not stored in large amounts in the body and that means we need to replenish it by eating more foods that have anti odixant properties like brocolli, bell peppers and chillies!

Our immune system

During the movement control order (MCO) lockdown, I’ve been sharing some interesting science-based truths about boosting our immune system. Firstly, lets understand the function of our immune system.

How do we ensure our immune system functions well, just like clock work and why is it so important? A healthy immune system is the defence against any attack by pathogenic organism. Our immune system identifies and eliminates pathogens. Our immune system works just like a car alarm system, identifying an intruder who attempts to break into the car and presents a possible threat to the security of the persons sitting inside the car.

The immune system is complex. Sub-optimal immune systems that occur early (in babies) and late in life (in older people) increase the susceptibility of infection for these category of population. So the big question is – how do we boost our immune system?

While staying at home, I found some great research studies and have compiled them below for your reading:

Vitamin C

I’ve heard about many people taking high dosages of Vitamin C during these unprecedented times. We now know that Vitamin C is water soluble, which means it’s not stored in the body. As one of the body’s main antioxidants, Vitamin C is required for collagen synthesis[1], for protection against oxidative stress [2] and immune function [3]. The changes in the way we work and live in the past 100 years, the added modern stress of having phone calls, car honks and other alerts heighten our fight or flight responses on such a high occurence. Couple that with our modern diet that comprises of treats, sweets and it’s no surprise that obesity rates have gone up to unprecedented levels yet there are far more cases of undernutrition and those are big factors in decreased immune defences.

Source: Human Development and Health Academic Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK |
[1] Citation: Boyera N, Galey I, Bernard BA. Effect of vitamin C and its derivatives on collagen synthesis and cross-linking by normal human fibroblasts. Int J Cosmet Sci. 1998;20(3):151-158. doi:10.1046/j.1467-2494.1998.171747.x
[2] Citation: Padayatty SJ, Katz A, Wang Y, et al. Vitamin C as an antioxidant: evaluation of its role in disease prevention. J Am Coll Nutr. 2003;22(1):18-35. doi:10.1080/07315724.2003.10719272
[3] Citation: Wintergerst ES, Maggini S, Hornig DH. Immune-enhancing role of vitamin C and zinc and effect on clinical conditions. Ann Nutr Metab. 2006;50(2):85-94. doi:10.1159/000090495

Functional foods

Nutrients that have been demonstrated (in either animal or human studies) to be required for the immune system to function efficiently include essential amino acids, the essential fatty acid linoleic acid, vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe) and Selenium (Se). Practically all forms of immunity may be affected by deficiencies in one or more of these nutrients. Animal and human studies have demonstrated that adding the deficient nutrient back to the diet can restore immune function and resistance to infection. Among the nutrients studied most in this regard are vitamin E and Zn. Increasing intakes of some nutrients above habitual and recommended levels can enhance some aspects of immune function. However, excess amounts of some nutrients also impair immune function. There is increasing evidence that probiotic bacteria improve host immune function. The effect of enhancing immune function on host resistance to infection in healthy individuals is not clear.

Citation: Calder PC, Kew S. The immune system: a target for functional foods?. Br J Nutr. 2002;88 Suppl 2:S165‐S177. doi:10.1079/BJN2002682

Nutrition

The immune system plays a key role in the body’s ability to fight infection and reduce the risk of developing tumours, autoimmune and degenerative disease. Nutritional deficiencies and excesses influence various components of the immune system. Early studies investigating the association between nutrition and immunity focused on generalised protein-energy malnutrition, particularly in children in developing countries. The extent of immunological impairment depends not only on the severity of malnutrition but on the presence of infection and on the age of onset of nutritional deprivation, among other factors. In industrialised nations, immune function has been shown to be compromised in many malnourished hospitalised patients, small-for-gestational age infants, and the elderly. Obesity also may adversely influence immune function. 

Deficiencies of protein and some amino acids, as well as vitamins A, E, B6 and folate, are associated with reduced immunocompetence.

Citation: Chandra S, Chandra RK. Nutrition, immune response, and outcome. Prog Food Nutr Sci. 1986;10(1-2):1‐65.

Sunlight

Acute respiratory infections (ARI), including the common cold causes significant morbidity and economical losses globally. Micronutrient deficiency may increase ARI incidence risk and its associated duration and severity among healthy adults, but evidence are inconclusive (

The literature search identified 423 unique studies. Of which, only eight studies were eligible and included in the final review. Only vitamin D deficiency (VDD) was observed among these eight studies.

Citation: Wang MX, Koh J, Pang J. Association between micronutrient deficiency and acute respiratory infections in healthy adults: a systematic review of observational studies. Nutr J. 2019;18(1):80. Published 2019 Nov 30. doi:10.1186/s12937-019-0507-6

Most memorable of all articles I’ve read is this quote from a renowned neurosurgeon and advocate for sunlight, Dr. Jack Kruse:

Vitamin D3 is just the chemical signal made after unpolarised light is captured by our skin and in the pill form, it does not have the power of the sun’s light or photons.  Taking supplemental vitamin D3 is like trying to hire someone else to do your push-ups for you. 

Dr. Jack Kruse

So vitamin D is best direct from the sun. Ready for the great outdoors? I can’t wait… Meanwhile, Stay Safe!

AFTNews, Daily Digest

Apple and Google partner on COVID-19 contact tracing technology

Across the world, governments and health authorities are working together to find solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect people and get society back up and running. Software developers are contributing by crafting technical tools to help combat the virus and save lives. In this spirit of collaboration, Google and Apple are announcing a joint effort to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus, with user privacy and security central to the design.

Since COVID-19 can be transmitted through close proximity to affected individuals, public health officials have identified contact tracing as a valuable tool to help contain its spread. A number of leading public health authorities, universities, and NGOs around the world have been doing important work to develop opt-in contact tracing technology. To further this cause, Apple and Google will be launching a comprehensive solution that includes application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology to assist in enabling contact tracing. Given the urgent need, the plan is to implement this solution in two steps while maintaining strong protections around user privacy.

First, in May, both companies will release APIs that enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices using apps from public health authorities. These official apps will be available for users to download via their respective app stores.

Second, in the coming months, Apple and Google will work to enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform by building this functionality into the underlying platforms. This is a more robust solution than an API and would allow more individuals to participate, if they choose to opt in, as well as enable interaction with a broader ecosystem of apps and government health authorities. Privacy, transparency, and consent are of utmost importance in this effort, and we look forward to building this functionality in consultation with interested stakeholders. We will openly publish information about our work for others to analyze.

All of us at Apple and Google believe there has never been a more important moment to work together to solve one of the world’s most pressing problems. Through close cooperation and collaboration with developers, governments and public health providers, we hope to harness the power of technology to help countries around the world slow the spread of COVID-19 and accelerate the return of everyday life.

Home Gym

Locked in, but not down

I choose love.

I am sitting with my eleven year old nephew on a sunny Sydney day, watching him aim and shoot for the hoop. It made me think about my trip home to Kuala Lumpur as I am going back to 14-days of self isolation in my one bedroom apartment. COVID-19 has definitely crippled the entire world, restricting travels and bringing the global economy to a halt. When I get back, it would seem that I’ll have very limited exercise and social activities, unless I resist and improvise!

Playing basketball at home. Photo credit: NikkiYeo.com

Listening to Australia’s PM Scott Morrison deliver his speech encouraging every Australian to play an essential role in keeping COVID-19 at bay by practicing social distancing, restricting movement and avoiding group gatherings made me think about how people like me in isolation would spend the next 14 days. Just yesterday, Jasmine and I just launched MOVEAID to assist people working in healthcare and the elderly with their household needs. This global pandemic also presents us all with a chance to take stock of life.

How I plan to stay active at home

Your Best Buddy (The Vacuum or The Broom)

Did you know scrubbing, sweeping, mopping & vacuuming are great ways of staying active? You burn more calories while vacuuming, so let’s get fit while cleaning! Besides, here’s what the Huffington Post reports to reinforce the suggestion:

  • Scrubbing the tub for 15 minutes burns more than 90 calories
  • Vacuuming could make a significant dent in your 10,000 recommended steps a day burning off 119 calories per 30 minutes.
  • Sweeping with the broom will burn off 136 calories.

The Disco Dance Floor (Dancing)

Dancing is a great way of exercise. It keeps you fit and it is very easy. Just turn on a YouTube dance tutorial and start dancing! You could also enjoy a playlist of songs we’ve prepared called the Move8 Playlist below:

Flexing Waxing

We take for granted the distance and weather our car go through and great time is now to whip out the car wax and work those biceps. Always remember to engage your core muscles – that’s right in the centre of your tummy, and work in wide strokes so your entire arm feels the muscles working out.

Indoor Aerobic Exercise

Exercise can be achieved indoor with body weight exercise. Use your furniture as your exercise tools. To get a good back exercise simply lie down under a sturdy dining table, extend your arms out to grab the side of the table and pull yourself up. We highly advise speaking to your fitness coach so they can design a good programme for your while at home.

So during this Movement Control Order decreed by the government in order to #flattenthecurve, stay indoors as much as you can, but keep moving in whichever manner you can. Choose love and a positive outlook and may we come through this with much character building realised. Take care now.