International journal of environmental research and public health
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Nov 2020
How Neoliberalism Shapes Indigenous Oral Health Inequalities Globally: Examples from Five Countries.
Evidence suggests that countries with neoliberal political and economic philosophical underpinnings have greater health inequalities compared to less neoliberal countries. But few studies examine how neoliberalism specifically impacts health inequalities involving highly vulnerable populations, such as Indigenous groups. ⋯ From a lens of indigenous groups in five countries (the United States, Canada, Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand and Norway), this commentary provides critical insights of how neoliberalism, in domains including colonialism, racism, inter-generational trauma and health service provision, shapes oral health inequalities among Indigenous societies at a global level. We posit that all socially marginalised groups are disadvantaged under neoliberalism agendas, but that this is amplified among Indigenous groups because of ongoing legacies of colonialism, institutional racism and intergenerational trauma.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Nov 2020
Importance of Personality for Objective and Subjective-Physical Health in Older Men and Women.
Objective and subjective health generally have a positive relationship, although their association may be moderated by factors such as gender and personality. We aimed to analyze the association between personality and objective (metabolic syndrome (MetS)) and subjective-physical health in older men and women. For this purpose, in 138 participants (53.6% women, Mage = 66.85), neuroticism, conscientiousness, extraversion, openness, and agreeableness (NEO Five Factor Inventory), subjective-physical health (Short Form Health Survey, SF-36), and MetS (employing waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glycated hemoglobin) were assessed. ⋯ Regarding gender differences, only in women, higher extraversion was related to a decreased likelihood of MetS, and MetS was related to lower subjective-physical health. In conclusion, higher neuroticism is the main vulnerability health factor, whereas to a lesser extent extraversion and conscientiousness are protective factors. Furthermore, the association between objective and subjective health is not direct, but it may vary depending on personality and gender.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Nov 2020
Multicenter StudySARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Impact on Pediatric Emergency Rooms: A Multicenter Study.
From 9 March to 3 May 2020, lockdown was declared in Italy due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Our aim was to evaluate how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and related preventive strategies affected pediatric emergency rooms (ERs) during this period. We performed a retrospective cohort multicenter study, comparing the lockdown period to the corresponding period in 2019. ⋯ Considering the triage category, red codes remained similar (1% vs. 1%), yellow codes increased (11.2% vs. 22.3%), and green codes decreased (80.3% vs. 69.5%). We can speculate that social distancing and simple hygiene measures drastically reduced the spread of air communicable diseases. The increase in yellow codes may have been related to a delay in primary care and, consequently, in ER admissions.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Nov 2020
Examining the Associations between Psychological Flexibility, Mindfulness, Psychosomatic Functioning, and Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Path Analysis.
Social distancing plays a leading role in controlling the spread of coronavirus. However, prolonged lockdown can lead to negative consequences in terms of mental health. The goal of the research is to examine the relationship between anxiety and general psychosomatic functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of psychological flexibility and mindfulness is also considered. ⋯ Path analysis revealed that mindfulness had a direct negative impact on and decreased the level of state anxiety (b = -0.22, p = 0.002), whereas psychological flexibility influenced the variable indirectly (b = 0.23, p = 0.002) by enhancing psychosomatic functioning (b = -0.64, p < 0.001). Psychological flexibility and mindfulness may mediate the development of mental disorders and facilitate achieving overall wellbeing. The study points to the usefulness of mindfulness practice as a form of self-help with anxiety symptoms; this is crucial during the pandemic because contact with clients is restricted.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Nov 2020
Causes of Needlestick and Sharps Injuries When Using Devices with and without Safety Features.
Safety-engineered devices (SEDs) have been developed to protect healthcare personnel (HCP) from needlestick and sharps injuries (NSIs). The aim of this study was to analyze NSIs associated with SEDs and non-SEDs among HCP in hospitals, medical offices and care facilities. Records from online questionnaires on NSIs were used. ⋯ Frequent reasons for SED-associated NSIs were technical problems, unexpected patient movement and problems during disposal. Our analysis shows that many NSIs are associated with SEDs. Continuous training is necessary in the handling and disposal of SEDs.