27 research outputs found
Development and cross-national investigation of a model explaining participation in WHO-recommended and placebo behaviours to prevent COVID-19 infection
To protect themselves from COVID-19, people follow the recommendations of the authorities, but they also resort to placebos. To stop the virus, it is important to understand the factors underlying both types of preventive behaviour. This study examined whether our model (developed based on the Health Belief Model and the Transactional Model of Stress) can explain participation in WHO-recommended and placebo actions during the pandemic. Model was tested on a sample of 3346 participants from Italy, Japan, Poland, Korea, Sweden, and the US. It was broadly supported: objective risk and cues to action showed both direct and indirect (through perceived threat) associations with preventive behaviours. Moreover, locus of control, decision balance, health anxiety and preventive coping moderated these relationships. Numerous differences were also found between countries. We conclude that beliefs about control over health and perceived benefits of actions are critical to the development of interventions to improve adherence to recommendations
Development and cross‑national investigation of a model explaining participation in WHO‑recommended and placebo behaviours to prevent COVID‑19 infection
To protect themselves from COVID-19, people follow the recommendations of the authorities, but they also resort to placebos. To stop the virus, it is important to understand the factors underlying both types of preventive behaviour. This study examined whether our model (developed based on the Health Belief Model and the Transactional Model of Stress) can explain participation in WHO-recommended and placebo actions during the pandemic. Model was tested on a sample of 3346 participants from Italy, Japan, Poland, Korea, Sweden, and the US. It was broadly supported: objective risk and cues to action showed both direct and indirect (through perceived threat) associations with preventive behaviours. Moreover, locus of control, decision balance, health anxiety and preventive coping moderated these relationships. Numerous differences were also found between countries. We conclude that beliefs about control over health and perceived benefits of actions are critical to the development of interventions to improve adherence to recommendations
Drugs prescribed by general practitioners according to age, gender and socioeconomic status after adjustment for multimorbidity level
Diagnosing skin melanoma: current versus future directions
A new database containing 410 cases of nevi pigmentosi, in four categories: benign nevus, blue nevus, suspicious nevus and melanoma malignant, carefully verified by histopathology, is described. The database is entirely different from the base presented previously, and can be readily used for research based on the so-called constructive induction in machine learning. To achieve this, the database features a different set of thirteen descriptive attributes, with a fourteenth additional attribute computed by applying values of the remaining thirteen attributes. In addition, a new program environment for the validation of computer-assisted diagnosis of melanoma, is briefly discussed. Finally, results are presented on determining optimal coefficients for the well-known ABCD formula, useful for melanoma diagnosis