Gap in protective behaviors between Han and minority ethnicities during COVID-19 pandemic in rural western China: A decomposition analysis
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ye R
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10873723 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:ObjectivesTo estimate the relationship between sleep quality and depression, among Han and Manchu ethnicities, in a rural Chinese population.MethodsA sample of 8,888 adults was selected using a multistage cluster and random sampling method. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Depressive symptoms were assessed via the Center for Epidemiological Survey, Depression Scale (CES-D). Logistic regression was conducted to assess associations between sleep quality and depression.ResultsThe prevalence of poor sleep quality and depression in the Manchus (20.74% and 22.65%) was significantly lower than that in the Hans (29.57% and 26.25%), respectively. Depressive participants had higher odds ratios of global and all sub PSQI elements than non-depressive participants, both among the Hans and the Manchus. Additive interactions were identified between depressive symptoms and ethnicity with global and four sub-PSQI elements, including subjective sleep quality, sleep disturbance, use of sleep medication and daytime dysfunction.ConclusionsThe findings revealed that the prevalence of poor sleep quality and depression among the Hans was greater than among the Manchus. Depression was associated with higher odds of poor sleep quality.
| S-EPMC6922383 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSelf-protective behaviors, such as handwashing and mask-wearing, are effective to reduce the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but few studies have focused on women living in rural areas who bear the brunt of the impacts of the pandemic due to their economic and social vulnerabilities. This study explores what prompted the adoption of self-protective behaviors in response to COVID-19 among women living in rural areas of western China.MethodsThe study sample consisted of 1,524 women from 116 townships across 10 counties in rural western China. We collected data in May and August 2020 on women's socioeconomic characteristics, exposure to COVID-19-related information, psychological response to COVID-19, and adoption of self-protective behaviors. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were conducted to analyze the relations among the variables.ResultsDuring the lockdown, 1,221 (80.12%) of the 1,524 women in the study sample reported wearing a mask every time when they went outside and 1,021 (66.99%) reported handwashing with soap every time after they came home. Perceived efficacy had the strongest association with self-protective behaviors (β = 0.38; p < 0.001). Receiving public health guidance (β = 0.18; p < 0.001) was indirectly associated with more self-protective behaviors via greater perceived efficacy. Higher socioeconomic status was also directly associated with increased adoption of self-protective behaviors (β = 0.24; p < 0.001). Other variables, such as receiving surveillance and risk information, communication channels, perceived risks, and fear, were indirectly associated with the adoption of self-protective behaviors with smaller effect sizes (all β were lower than 0.10).ConclusionsNot all women were able to adopt self-protective behaviors, such as mask-wearing and handwashing, during the COVID-19 pandemic in western China. To further encourage behavioral changes in response to public health crises, the government should develop clear and actionable guidelines and adopt targeted health communication strategies to reach the most disadvantaged groups of society. These findings may inform tailored responses to COVID-19 in other low- and middle-income countries.
| S-EPMC8831835 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The gut microbiome in humans is associated with geography, diet, lifestyles and so on, but its relationship with some isolated populations is not clear. We used the 16sRNA technique to sequence the fecal microbiome in the Chinese isolated Yao population and compared it with the major minority Zhuang and the major ethnic Han populations living in the same rural area. Information about diet frequency and health status and routine serum measurements were collected. The unweighted UniFrac principal coordinates analysis showed significant structural differences in fecal microbiota among the three ethnic groups. Statistically significant differences were observed in the community richness estimator (chaos) and the diversity estimator (Shannon) among the three groups. At the genus level, the fecal samples of the isolated Yao population presented the lowest relative abundance of the Megamonas genus, which was potentially related to the high frequency of bean consumption in the diet. Two enterotypes were identified in the overall fecal microbiota in the three populations. In the isolated Yao population, a higher Bacteroides abundance was observed, but the Prevotella abundance decreased with increased alcohol consumption.
| S-EPMC5773753 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundHealth risk communication plays a key role in promoting self-protective measures, which are critical in suppressing COVID-19 contagion. Relatively little is known about the communication channels used by rural poor populations to learn novel measures and their effectiveness in promoting self-protective behaviors. Behavioral change can be shaped by people's trust in government institutions which may be differentiated by social identity, including indigeneity.MethodsDuring an early phase of the pandemic, we conducted two telephone surveys with over 460 communities - both Indigenous and mestizo - without road access and limited communication access in the Peruvian Amazon. This is the first report on the association of information sources about self-protective measures against COVID-19 with the adoption of self-protective behaviors in remote rural areas in developing countries.ResultsPeople mainly relied on mass media (radio, television, newspapers) and interpersonal sources (local authorities, health workers, neighbors/relatives) for information and adopted handwashing, mask-wearing, social distancing, and social restrictions to varying degrees. Overall, self-protective behaviors were largely positively and negatively associated with mass media and interpersonal sources, respectively, depending on the source-measure combination. Mistrust of the government seems to have shaped how Indigenous and mestizo peoples distinctively responded to interpersonal information sources and relied on mass media.ConclusionsOur findings call for improved media access to better manage pandemics in rural areas, especially among remote Indigenous communities.
| S-EPMC9299405 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAdolescent health risk behaviors are a public health priority given their prevalence and their associations with chronic diseases and life quality in adulthood. This study examined the heterogeneity of adolescent health risk behaviors and the associations between demographic characteristics and subgroup membership in rural western China.MethodsIn fall 2015, 2805 students from rural middle schools in Sichuan Province were surveyed using the Health-Related Behavior Questionnaire for Adolescents. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify subgroups of adolescents with distinct patterns of health risk behaviors. Differences in class membership related to selected demographic characteristics were examined using multinomial logistic regression analysis.ResultsA four-class model emerged: (1) high-risk group (n = 108, 4.0%), (2) high-physical-inactivity and suicide-risk group (n = 340, 12.1%), (3) moderate-risk group (n = 897, 32.0%), and (4) low-risk group (n = 1460, 52.1%). The multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that boys and adolescents with poor parental relationships and high allowances (spending money) were significantly more likely to be in the high-risk group than the low-risk group.ConclusionsAdolescents in rural western China are a heterogeneous population requiring different tailored and effective interventions.
| S-EPMC6019255 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background and objectivesSocial distancing, while effective in slowing the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), can increase social isolation. The current preregistered study examined purpose in life as a psychological resource that may buffer against loneliness and increase intentions to engage in health-protective behaviors.Research design and methodsDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, 517 adults (mean = 37.71, SD = 11.30; range = 19-73) reported their levels of purpose in life, current and prepandemic levels of loneliness, and degrees to which they intended to engage in behaviors known to prevent the spread of COVID-19.ResultsAcross age, having a stronger sense of purpose in life was associated with lower loneliness, as well as greater intentions to engage in COVID-protective behaviors. Higher loneliness was associated with lower intentions to maintain social distance and engage in additional health promotion behaviors such as handwashing. However, this link was not present at higher levels of purpose in life. Older age was also associated with less loneliness, but not for individuals with lower levels of purpose in life.Discussion and implicationsResults suggest that psychological resources such as purpose in life are associated with increased protective health behaviors. Furthermore, purpose in life may reduce loneliness and counteract the negative effects of stressors that diminish the willingness to engage in health-protective behaviors. Our data also highlight resilience among older individuals in times of isolation during a global pandemic.
| S-EPMC8344583 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in women with a non-Western ethnic minority background in Nordic countries is high. The aim of this study was to assess vitamin D knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in women with a non-Western ethic minority background living in Denmark. A validated vitamin D knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors' questionnaire was translated into Danish, piloted, and distributed via relevant Facebook groups. The responses were analyzed using parametric and non-parametric tests for descriptive and bivariate analyses. In total, 254 women who considered themselves having a non-Western ethnic minority background responded to the questionnaire. The median age (IQR) was 25 (23-33) years old; 32% had a professional bachelor's, 28% had high school, and 22% had a master's or higher university education. Participants scored higher on vitamin D general knowledge (scores above 80 on the scale 0-100) compared to vitamin D nutrition knowledge or vitamin D attitudes and behaviors (scores around 60 on the scale 0-100). In conclusion, the vitamin D knowledge among study participants-i.e., young well-educated non-Western ethnic minority women in Denmark-was pretty good. The further examination of vitamin D knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors should explore specifics related to nationality and religion and focus on less-educated non-Western ethnic minority women in Denmark and other Nordic countries.
| S-EPMC7662621 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Short tandem repeats (STRs) with features of high polymorphism and abundant evolution information play a significant role in genetic applications such as human forensics, anthropology and population genetics. The Huaxia Platinum System was specifically exploited to allow coamplification of all markers in the expanded Combined DNA Index System and the Chinese National Database. Herein, in continuation of our previous studies, 493 unrelated individuals were firstly genotyped to investigate the efficacy of this novel system in three minority ethnicities of China (Hui, Tibetan and Uygur). Additionally, genetic relationships among our three investigated populations and other previously published populations were analyzed using pairwise genetic distances, multidimensional scaling (MDS), principal component analysis (PCA), cladogram and STRUCTURE. The combined match probabilities (CMP) for the Hui, Tibetan and Uygur groups were 1.6894 × 10-27, 6.1666 × 10-27 and 5.0655 × 10-27, respectively, and the combined powers of exclusion (CPE) were 0.999999999646627, 0.999999999304935 and 0.999999999433994. Population comparison analysis manifested that the Hui and Tibetan populations had genetic affinities with the Han, Yi and Korean populations, while the Uygur group had a close relationship with the Kazakh population. The aforementioned results suggested that the Huaxia Platinum System is a polymorphic and effective tool that is appropriate for personal identification and population genetics.
| S-EPMC6399324 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeDisparities in cancer care persist between patients living in rural versus urban areas. The COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted concerns related to care and personal health differently in rural cancer patients. Using survey data collected from cancer patients in western Pennsylvania, we examined pandemic-related distress, concerns related to cancer care, impact on personal health, and the extent to which these differed by urban-rural residence.MethodsPatients filled out an initial survey in August-December 2020; a second survey was completed in March 2021. The following patient concerns related to the pandemic were evaluated: threat of COVID-19 to their health, pandemic-related distress, perceptions of cancer care, and vaccine hesitancy. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine relationships between these outcomes and urban-rural residence as well as patient-related factors, including anxiety symptoms and social support.ResultsThe study sample included 1,980 patients, 17% resided in rural areas. COVID-19 represented a major or catastrophic threat to personal health for 39.7% of rural and 49.0% of urban patients (p = 0.0017). Patients with high general anxiety were 10-times more likely to experience pandemic-related distress (p < 0.001). In the follow-up survey (n = 983), vaccine hesitancy was twice as prevalent among rural patients compared to urban (p = 0.012).ConclusionsThe extent to which perceptions of the threat of COVD-19 to personal health and vaccine hesitancy exacerbates rural-urban disparities in cancer care and prognosis warrants further study. Cancer patients may be vulnerable to heightened anxiety and distress triggered by the pandemic.
| S-EPMC10153039 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC8548995 | biostudies-literature