A Mental Models Approach to Assessing Public Understanding of Zika Virus, Guatemala.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Southwell BG
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5938769 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:PURPOSE OF REVIEW:Zika virus' impact on pregnancy became widely known in 2015 with a dramatic increase in the number of babies born with microcephaly in Recife, Brazil. A mosquito-borne virus resulting in congenital anomalies is unique, and Zika's ability to cause neurological defects on a large scale was a grim reminder of the Rubella epidemic in the 1950s. Over the past 2 years, studies have provided insight on how Zika virus (ZIKV) infects cells and causes disease, but much remains unknown about the long-term risks of Zika exposure on infant growth and development. RECENT FINDINGS:The impact of ZIKV on pregnancy extends beyond microcephaly and may only first be identified in infancy. The virus has a long latency in semen and can be transmitted sexually. Transplacental passage occurs through infection of Hofbauer cells in the trophoblast. A major difficulty in management of ZIKV disease is that most infections are asymptomatic and the diagnostic methods are not ideal, making both diagnosis and ascertainment of timing of infection problematic. Several different types of vaccines are in development. Large studies are ongoing to determine the risk and total spectrum of anomalies based on the timing of infection and other environmental exposures. SUMMARY:This review will summarize the epidemic, what we have learned, what we hope to learn, and current recommendations for care and management.
| S-EPMC6010228 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Zika virus, which is transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and through sexual transmission, disproportionally affects the human fetus. Guatemala experienced a surge of Zika cases beginning in 2016. We conducted a qualitative study of community perceptions of the seriousness of Zika, as well as the effectiveness, feasibility, and collective efficacy of Zika prevention actions. Free listing elicited the preventive actions salient for 68 participants comprising pregnant women, men with a pregnant partner, and women likely to become pregnant; 12 focus group discussions in a highland and a lowland town explored other concepts through rank orderings of prevention practices depicted on cards. Participants' initial concern about Zika, based on recent experience with chikungunya and high media coverage, diminished because of its mild symptoms and reduced media coverage. Participants identified more than 32 salient preventive actions, many of which are considered effective by programs. Participants ranked water storage container cleaning and regular unspecified cleaning of the house and its surroundings as highly effective, feasible, and of high collective efficacy; however, the actions lacked the specificity needed to effectively destroy mosquito eggs. Community-level removal of tires and discarded containers had lower collective efficacy than household-level implementation because of the municipal and community cooperation needed. Condom use, although salient for Zika prevention, was hindered by gender roles. The findings indicate space for increasing self-efficacy for condom use among fathers-to-be, abandoning nonspecific terms such as "cleaning" and "standing water," increasing people's skills in using bleach as an ovicide, and promoting antenatal care and family planning counseling.
| S-EPMC7204582 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC4918164 | biostudies-literature
Project description:First discovered in 1947, Zika virus (ZIKV) infection remained a little-known tropical disease until 2015, when its apparent association with a considerable increase in the incidence of microcephaly in Brazil raised alarms worldwide. There is limited information on the key factors that determine the extent of the global threat from ZIKV infection and resulting complications. Here, we review what is known about the epidemiology, natural history, and public health effects of ZIKV infection, the empirical basis for this knowledge, and the critical knowledge gaps that need to be filled.
| S-EPMC5467639 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has received empirical support as a viable treatment alternative for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. Nevertheless, patients and the public-at-large may be hesitant to adopt rTMS. In three studies, we sought to (1) assess and (2) improve public perceptions of rTMS as a treatment for depression.MethodsIn Study 1 (N = 107), we administered questionnaires on Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to individuals from the US and Canada in a cross-sectional design to assess perceptions of rTMS compared to psychopharmacology, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and talk therapy. In Study 2 (N = 106), we again used an MTurk sample and a cross-sectional design to assess perceptions of rTMS after providing participants with a relatively long description of rTMS. In Study 3 (N = 308), we conducted an experiment in undergraduate students. Participants were randomized to one of four experimental conditions manipulating participants' understanding of the causal mechanisms of depression prior to assessing their perceptions of rTMS.ResultsPublic perceptions of rTMS were more negative than pharmacotherapy and talk therapy but not ECT (Study 1). rTMS perceptions were notably better when participants were given thorough information about rTMS procedures, pain, and side-effects (Study 2), compared to the previous study when they were given a very brief description of rTMS. Finally, perceptions of rTMS were significantly better when participants were given a brain circuitry-based causal explanation of depression compared to when they were given a psychological explanation of the causes of depression (Study 3).ConclusionsPublic perceptions of rTMS are relatively poor. To improve rTMS acceptability, practitioners should carefully consider patients' prior attitudes and beliefs when explaining rTMS as a treatment alternative. Given that beliefs can have powerful effects on treatment outcome (e.g., placebo, nocebo), future research should explore whether rTMS effects on depression can be improved by facilitating less negative perceptions of rTMS.
| S-EPMC8991954 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundGastroscopy to investigate dyspepsia without alarm symptoms rarely results in clinically actionable findings or sustained health-related quality-of-life improvements among patients aged 18-60 years and is, therefore, not recommended. Despite this, referrals for and performance of gastroscopy among this patient population remain high. The purpose of this study was to understand family physicians' and gastroenterologists' mental models of dyspepsia and the drivers behind referring or performing gastroscopy.MethodsCognitive task analysis routine critical decision method interviews with family physicians (n = 8) and gastroenterologists (n = 4).ResultsFamily physicians and gastroenterologists hold rich mental models of dyspepsia that rely on sensemaking; however, gaps in information continuity affect their ability to plan and coordinate patient care. Drivers behind decisions to refer or perform gastroscopy were: eliminating risk for serious pathology, providing reassurance, perceived preference by patients to receive information and reassurance from gastroenterologists, maintaining relationships with patients, and saving costs to the health system.ConclusionsFamily physicians refer for dyspepsia when they are seeking support from gastroenterologists, they believe that alternative factors may be impacting the patient's health or view it as a cost-saving measure. Likewise, gastroenterologists perform gastroscopy for dyspepsia when they perceive it as a cost-saving measure, they want to support their primary care colleagues and provide their colleagues and patients with reassurance. An improved degree of communication between speciality and primary care could allow for continuity in the transfer of information about patients and reduce referrals for dyspepsia.
| S-EPMC10723936 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged suddenly in the Americas in 2015 and was associated with a widespread outbreak of microcephaly and other severe congenital abnormalities in infants born to mothers infected during pregnancy. Vertical transmission of ZIKV in humans was confirmed when viral RNA was detected in fetal and placental tissues, and this outcome has been recapitulated experimentally in animals. Unlike other flaviviruses, ZIKV is both arthropod- and sexually-transmitted, and has a broad tissue tropism in humans, including multiple tissues of the reproductive tract. The threats posed by ZIKV have prompted the development of multiple in vivo models to better understand the pathogenesis of ZIKV, particularly during pregnancy. Here, we review the progress on animal models of ZIKV infection during pregnancy. These studies have generated a foundation of insights into the biology of ZIKV, and provide a means for evaluating vaccines and therapeutics.
| S-EPMC6266710 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A recent major earthquake (M7.8), coupled with appropriate climatic conditions, led to significant destruction in Ecuador. Temperature variations, which may be induced by anthropogenic climate change, are often associated with changes in rainfall, humidity and pressure. Temperature and humidity are associated with ecological modifications that may favour mosquito breeding. We hypothesized that the disruptive ecological changes triggered by the earthquake, in the context of appropriate climatic conditions, led to an upsurge in Zika virus (ZIKV) infections. Here we show that, after controlling for climatic and socioeconomic conditions, earthquake severity was associated with incident ZIKV cases. Pre-earthquake mean maximum monthly temperature and post-earthquake mean monthly pressure were negatively associated with ZIKV incidence rates. These results demonstrate the dynamics of post-disaster vector-borne disease transmission, in the context of conducive/favourable climatic conditions, which are relevant in a climate change-affected world where disasters may occur in largely populated areas.
| S-EPMC5684400 | biostudies-other
Project description:A prominent explanation of widespread popular support for referendums is dissatisfaction with the functioning of representative democracy. In this article, the aim is to gain a better understanding of how dissatisfaction affects support for referendums. Drawing on previous research, it is argued here that citizens follow a problem-based approach in their support for referendums, in that referendums are considered a suitable solution to address some specific problems in a political system but not all. Survey data from the 2012 European Social Survey (29 countries; N = 37,070) is used to show that citizens' expectations towards and evaluations of representatives relate to support for referendums. In particular, dissatisfaction with the ability of governments to listen to their citizens is associated with higher support for referendums. In contrast, citizens dissatisfied with the government's ability to lead are less supportive of referendums. Furthermore, the relationship between dissatisfaction with governments' ability to listen varies across countries depending on the level of experience with decision making via referendum. In countries where referendums are used more often, the expectation of referendums being able to solve the problem of unresponsive government is weaker. This study offers important insights into the different ways in which preferences and evaluations of representative practices relate to popular support for referendums.
| S-EPMC7508180 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging mosquito-transmitted flavivirus that now causes epidemics affecting millions of people on multiple continents. The virus has received global attention because of some of its unusual epidemiological and clinical features, including persistent infection in the male reproductive tract and sexual transmission, an ability to cross the placenta during pregnancy and infect the developing fetus to cause congenital malformations, and its association with Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults. This past year has witnessed an intensive effort by the global scientific community to understand the biology of ZIKV and to develop pathogenesis models for the rapid testing of possible countermeasures. Here, we review the recent advances in and utility and limitations of newly developed mouse and nonhuman primate models of ZIKV infection and pathogenesis.
| S-EPMC5375682 | biostudies-literature