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Background: Protection motivation to practice preventive behaviors is necessary for sustained mitigation during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, limited research exists on the ecological sources of influence for COVID-19 protection motivation. Aim: To explore sources of influence (family health, media consumption, and loss of work hours) on COVID-19 protection motivation. Method: An online quantitative survey of U.S. adults (N = 501) aged 18 years or older was administered using Qualtrics with participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Data were collected on constructs related to the protection motivation theory and theory of planned behavior as well as sources of influence and intention to socially distance and socially isolate during COVID-19. Constructs were further defined through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Structural equation modeling was used to determine relationships between constructs. Results: A two-factor model was identified with threat appraisal as one factor and subjective norms appraisal, coping appraisal, and behavioral intention loading as another factor. Higher news media consumption and loss of work hours due to COVID-19 were both significant predictors of increased threat appraisal. Family healthy lifestyle and family health resources were significantly related to increases in the subjective norms, coping appraisal, and behavioral intention appraisal factor. Conclusions: Family health, news media consumption, and loss of work hours are associated with COVID-19 protection motivation. COVID-19 protection motivation might be enhanced through policies and messaging that can affect ecological sources of influence.

Background: The objective of the study was to examine the association of COVID-19 with family well-being and adult mental health 1 month into the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Prior pandemics have had long-term effects on mental health. COVID-19 and its related stressors, such as loss of work and social distancing requirements, may have a profound impact on short-term and long-term mental health. Family stress theory indicates that subjective family meaning making and family resources affect how stressors lead to outcomes. Method: Participants, adults ages 18 years and older (N = 416), completed a cross-sectional online survey measuring depressive and anxiety symptoms, family health, subjective family meaning making, and loss of work resulting from COVID-19. Data were analyzed using a structural equation modeling framework. Results: Results indicated that subjective negative family meaning and effects were associated with more depression and anxiety. Higher family health resources were associated with less depression and anxiety. Family health resources mediated the relationships between COVID-19 loss of work with depression and anxiety. Conclusion: COVID-19 associated stressors 1 month into the pandemic had modest effects on family meaning making and family health resources. Individuals from families whose health resources were negatively impacted by COVID-19 reported more anxiety and depressive symptoms. Health care and public health systems should consider family health resources to help reduce the negative effects of COVID-19 on mental health. Longitudinal research is needed to examine the accumulation of stressors over time and the directionality of relationships. Keywords: anxiety, depression, family health, structural equation modeling, COVID-19 Supplemental materials: https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000633.supp, An estimated 29% of the U.S. population is experiencing some form of mental illness (Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 2020), and times of crisis and stress can exacerbate symptoms [...]

Objective: Previous research suggests that both adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), positive childhood experiences (PCEs), and current life experiences are associated with emotional wellbeing and mental health. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of these life experience and coping processes on college student emotional and mental health. Participants: College students (N = 555) were recruited from a large western university. Methods: Participants completed an online cross-sectional survey measuring early and current life experiences, cognitive and emotional coping efforts, and emotional and mental health outcomes. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: There was an indirect effect of PCEs on emotional and mental health through cognitive and emotional coping efforts. No association was observed between ACEs and mental health. Conclusions: Increases in PCEs are protective, enhance coping efforts, and strengthen emotional and mental health outcomes among college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unvented biomass cookstoves present a recognized respiratory health risk in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to characterize fine particle indoor air pollution (IAP) concentrations in dwellings using traditional cookstoves in a rural community in India. It also aimed to understand if a culturally acceptable clean cookstove intervention was needed to reduce the risk of respiratory illnesses from exposure to combustion products from traditional cookstoves. We took [PM.sub.2.5] concentrations and [less than or equal to] 0.5 [micro]m particle counts inside a sample of dwellings during the use of traditional cookstoves. The data were analyzed to indicate the magnitude of IAP. In households with traditional cookstoves, average [PM.sub.2.5] concentrations were 172.8 [micro]g/[m.sup.3], and the particle counts [less than or equal to] 0.5 [micro]m averaged 346,150. The [PM.sub.2.5] concentrations from the traditional cookstoves were shown as unhealthy per the PM25 air quality index (AQI) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Partnering with local community members, an improved prototype metal cookstove was designed to be fuel-efficient and vent the smoke out of the dwellings. We found [PM.sub.2.5] concentrations and [less than or equal to] 0.5 [micro]m particle counts for the new stove averaged 21.5 [micro]g/[m.sup.3] and 60,812, respectively. The [PM.sub.2.5] concentrations from the new stove are at an acceptable level per the AQI., Introduction Around the world there are different types of fuels that are used for cooking and heating. While people in the developed world are accustomed to electricity or gas for [...]

The article provides an overview of efforts to improve public health and health education training and on the potential use of Critical Component Elements (CCEs) for undergraduate health education programs toward more consistent quality assurance across programs. Considered in the context of the Galway Consensus Conference, the authors discuss the need for consistency in health education and public health quality assurance and curricular development. They discuss emerging quality assurance trends in relation to newly approved CCEs by the Association of Schools of Public Health after being developed by the Framing the Future Task Force: The Second 100 Years for Public Health. The CCE development process is discussed including its consideration as a tool program, which can be used to develop or refine undergraduate health education professional preparation programs. The authors suggest that CCEs should be "cross-walked" against existing health education undergraduate-level competencies. The authors conclude that CCEs may serve the long-term health education goal of accreditation for undergraduate health education and promote the tradition of strong undergraduate health education within a broader framework of public health and health promotion.

The purpose of the study was to compare 30-day prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among twelfth-grade students in Montana across a rural-urban continuum during 2000, 2002, and 2004. The methods include an analysis of the Montana Prevention Needs Assessment (N = 15,372) using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for risk factors, protective factors, and demographics variables. Findings revealed that adolescent substance use varies across the rural-urban continuum. Risk of cigarette, smokeless tobacco, and alcohol use increased in more rural counties while risk of marijuana, LSD, and any drug decreased in more rural counties. The specificity provided through use of such a classification scheme has important implications for designing effective drug-prevention programs across diverse settings. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

Objective: To assess the extent of knowledge about symptoms relating to respiratory illnesses and home environments among a random sample of 200 urban Jordanian women. Method: This customized, validated, cross-sectional questionnaire evaluated the knowledge of these women about the association between the indoor environment and health, the presence or absence of indoor discomforts, symptoms of respiratory illnesses, and behaviors related to the home environment such as cleaning practices. Results: Results showed an alarming rate of smoking in the homes; the extent of knowledge was moderate but higher among those exhibiting symptoms and those with children. Cleaning practices associated with healthy home environments were reported at a high rate but seemed to be based on cultural influences. Conclusions: This type of information is crucial to the formation of health education programs and policy recommendations for pollutant source and exposure reductions in homes in the Middle East and other developing countries. (Contains 6 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Coronavirus (COVID‐19)‐related stressors and family health on adult anxiety and depressive symptoms 1 year into the pandemic. The sample consisted of 442 adults living in the United States who were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Results indicated that compared to a sample 1 month into the pandemic, participants in the current sample reported worse family health and increases in both positive and negative perceptions of the pandemic on family life and routines. COVID‐19 stressors and perceived negative effects of the pandemic on family life increased the odds for moderate‐to‐severe depression and anxiety while having more family health resources decreased the odds for depression and anxiety symptoms. Participants reported lower odds for worse depression and anxiety since the beginning of the pandemic when they reported more positive family meaning due to the pandemic. The results suggest a need to consider the impact of family life on mental health in pandemics and other disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzed the effect of several health behaviors and health-related variables on college freshmen's grade point averages (GPAs). Survey data indicated that sleep habits, particularly wake-up time, accounted for the most variance in GPAs. Higher GPAs related to strength training and study of spiritually oriented material. Lower GPAs related to number of paid or volunteer hours worked. (SM)

Investigated how health educators currently used computers and how they expected to use them in the future. Surveys of practicing health educators at many types of sites indicated that important current abilities included Internet, word processing, and electronic presentation skills. Important future tasks and skills included developing computer presentations, creating web pages, creating pamphlets, and calculating statistics. (SM)

Generalizability theory is described as a way to provide a unified framework for examining the dependability of measurements in the health sciences. Generalizability theory is appropriate whether the measurement is norm- or criterion-referenced, an individual or aggregate-level variable, and it is useful when there are single or multiple sources of error. (SLD)

BackgroundThe use of social media by health care organizations is growing and provides Web-based tools to connect patients, caregivers, and providers. ObjectiveThe aim was to determine the use and factors predicting the use of social media for health care–related purposes among medically underserved primary care patients. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was administered to 444 patients of a federally qualified community health center. ResultsCommunity health center patients preferred that their providers use email, cell phones for texting, and Facebook and cell phone apps for sharing health information. Significantly more Hispanic than white patients believed their providers should use Facebook (P=.001), YouTube (P=.01), and Twitter (P=.04) for sharing health information. Use and intentions to use social media for health-related purposes were significantly higher for those patients with higher subjective norm scores. ConclusionsUnderstanding use and factors predicting use can increase adoption and utilization of social media for health care–related purposes among underserved patients in community health centers.

BackgroundAdderall is the most commonly abused prescription stimulant among college students. Social media provides a real-time avenue for monitoring public health, specifically for this population. ObjectiveThis study explores discussion of Adderall on Twitter to identify variations in volume around college exam periods, differences across sets of colleges and universities, and commonly mentioned side effects and co-ingested substances. MethodsPublic-facing Twitter status messages containing the term “Adderall” were monitored from November 2011 to May 2012. Tweets were examined for mention of side effects and other commonly abused substances. Tweets from likely students containing GPS data were identified with clusters of nearby colleges and universities for regional comparison. Results213,633 tweets from 132,099 unique user accounts mentioned “Adderall.” The number of Adderall tweets peaked during traditional college and university final exam periods. Rates of Adderall tweeters were highest among college and university clusters in the northeast and south regions of the United States. 27,473 (12.9%) mentioned an alternative motive (eg, study aid) in the same tweet. The most common substances mentioned with Adderall were alcohol (4.8%) and stimulants (4.7%), and the most common side effects were sleep deprivation (5.0%) and loss of appetite (2.6%). ConclusionsTwitter posts confirm the use of Adderall as a study aid among college students. Adderall discussions through social media such as Twitter may contribute to normative behavior regarding its abuse.

BackgroundTwitter provides various types of location data, including exact Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, which could be used for infoveillance and infodemiology (ie, the study and monitoring of online health information), health communication, and interventions. Despite its potential, Twitter location information is not well understood or well documented, limiting its public health utility. ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to document and describe the various types of location information available in Twitter. The different types of location data that can be ascertained from Twitter users are described. This information is key to informing future research on the availability, usability, and limitations of such location data. MethodsLocation data was gathered directly from Twitter using its application programming interface (API). The maximum tweets allowed by Twitter were gathered (1% of the total tweets) over 2 separate weeks in October and November 2011. The final dataset consisted of 23.8 million tweets from 9.5 million unique users. Frequencies for each of the location options were calculated to determine the prevalence of the various location data options by region of the world, time zone, and state within the United States. Data from the US Census Bureau were also compiled to determine population proportions in each state, and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to compare each state’s population with the number of Twitter users who enable the GPS location option. ResultsThe GPS location data could be ascertained for 2.02% of tweets and 2.70% of unique users. Using a simple text-matching approach, 17.13% of user profiles in the 4 continental US time zones were able to be used to determine the user’s city and state. Agreement between GPS data and data from the text-matching approach was high (87.69%). Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between the number of Twitter users per state and the 2010 US Census state populations (r ≥ 0.97, P

Media agenda setting refers to the deliberate coverage of topics or events with the goal of influencing public opinion and public policy. We conducted a quantitative content analysis of 4 prominent newspapers to examine how the media gathered and distributed news to shape public policy priorities during Hurricane Katrina. The media framed most Hurricane Katrina stories by emphasizing government response and less often addressing individuals' and communities' level of preparedness or responsibility. Hence, more articles covered response and recovery than mitigation and preparation. The newspapers studied focused significantly more on government response than on key public health roles in disaster management. We discuss specific implications for public health professionals, policymakers, and mass media so that, in the future, coordination can be enhanced among these entities before, during, and after disasters occur. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.112235

BackgroundThe introduction of Apple’s iPhone provided a platform for developers to design third-party apps, which greatly expanded the functionality and utility of mobile devices for public health. ObjectiveThis study provides an overview of the developers’ written descriptions of health and fitness apps and appraises each app’s potential for influencing behavior change. MethodsData for this study came from a content analysis of health and fitness app descriptions available on iTunes during February 2011. The Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT) and the Precede-Proceed Model (PPM) were used as frameworks to guide the coding of 3336 paid apps. ResultsCompared to apps with a cost less than US $0.99, apps exceeding US $0.99 were more likely to be scored as intending to promote health or prevent disease (92.55%, 1925/3336 vs 83.59%, 1411/3336; P

Isolated europium-doped metal-oxide nanoparticles were probed by size-correlated high-numericalaperture (far-field) imaging techniques. A modified Digital Instruments Bioscope atomic force microscope mounted upon a Nikon TE300 inverted microscope was used to interrogate (dry) particles ranging in size from 2 to 150 nm on the surface of a glass or quartz coverslip. These experiments revealed several interesting features of doped-nanoparticle luminescence such as Poissonian occupation statistics, size-dependent luminescence efficiency enhancement for particle sizes of

Issues concerning the refractive index effects and domain-size effects of nanometer-sized guest inclusions on diffraction patterns which are two-dimensional are reported.