Mental health of healthcare workers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands: a longitudinal study

PurposeIn March 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Previous virus outbreaks, such as the SARS outbreak in 2003, appeared to have a great impact on the mental health of healthcare workers. The aim of this study is to examine to what extent mental health of healthcare workers differed from non-healthcare workers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe used data from a large-scale longitudinal online survey conducted by the Corona Behavioral Unit in the Netherlands. Eleven measurement rounds were analyzed, from April 2020 to March 2021 (N = 16,615; number of observations = 64,206). Mental health, as measured by the 5-item Mental Health Inventory, was compared between healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers over time, by performing linear GEE-analyses.ResultsMental health scores were higher among healthcare workers compared to non-healthcare workers during the first year of the pandemic (1.29 on a 0–100 scale, 95%-CI = 0.75–1.84). During peak periods of the pandemic, with over 100 hospital admissions or over 25 ICU admissions per day and subsequently more restrictive measures, mental health scores were observed to be lower in both healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers.ConclusionDuring the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we observed no relevant difference in mental health between healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers in the Netherlands. To be better prepared for another pandemic, future research should investigate which factors hinder and which factors support healthcare workers to maintain a good mental health

Mobile vaccination units to increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake in areas with lower coverage:a within-neighbourhood analysis using national registration data, the Netherlands, September-December 2021

BackgroundVaccine uptake differs between social groups. Mobile vaccination units (MV-units) were deployed in the Netherlands by municipal health services in neighbourhoods with low uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.AimWe aimed to evaluate the impact of MV-units on vaccine uptake in neighbourhoods with low vaccine uptake.MethodsWe used the Dutch national-level registry of COVID-19 vaccinations (CIMS) and MV-unit deployment registrations containing observations in 253 neighbourhoods where MV-units were deployed and 890 contiguous neighbourhoods (total observations: 88,543 neighbourhood-days). A negative binomial regression with neighbourhood-specific temporal effects using splines was used to study the effect.ResultsDuring deployment, the increase in daily vaccination rate in targeted neighbourhoods ranged from a factor 2.0 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.8-2.2) in urbanised neighbourhoods to 14.5 (95% CI: 11.6-18.0) in rural neighbourhoods. The effects were larger in neighbourhoods with more voters for the Dutch conservative Reformed Christian party but smaller in neighbourhoods with a higher proportion of people with non-western migration backgrounds. The absolute increase in uptake over the complete intervention period ranged from 0.22 percentage points (95% CI: 0.18-0.26) in the most urbanised neighbourhoods to 0.33 percentage point (95% CI: 0.28-0.37) in rural neighbourhoods.ConclusionDeployment of MV-units increased daily vaccination rate, particularly in rural neighbourhoods, with longer travel distance to permanent vaccination locations. This public health intervention shows promise to reduce geographic and social health inequalities, but more proactive and long-term deployment is required to identify its potential to substantially contribute to overall vaccination rates at country level.</p

Mental models of the protein shift: Exploring consumers' perceptions of the transition

The protein transition is one of today's major societal challenges to mitigate climate change. To support lasting consumer engagement, it has been suggested to look into consumers' understanding of the protein transition to identify barriers that go beyond the practical issues of changing one's diet. The current study explored consumers' mental models of how the transition unfolds to examine which factors consumers perceive as important drivers of the transition. With a fixed set of factors and actors identified with a questionnaire, Dutch consumers (N = 214) mapped their mental models. The content and structure of the mental models were analyzed with a focus on how consumers perceive their own role. Animal well-being and environmental concerns were most often included as important drivers. The findings showed a lack of consensus about which actor(s) drive the transition (i.e., none of the actors were included by a majority of the participants). This diffusion of responsibility may be a barrier for consumers to act. Moreover, the relative simplicity of the observed mental models suggests that consumers do not yet employ systems thinking. A systems thinking mindset may help consumers understand how the system behind the transition works and how their individual contributions matter. Two avenues to encourage consumer engagement were identified: 1) emphasizing the responsibility of different actors and what consumers can contribute, and 2) encouraging a systems thinking mindset

“Don’t Mind If I Do”: The Role of Behavioral Resistance in Self-Control’s Effects on Behavior

High self-control is known to be related to the performance of behaviors that have long-term benefits, such as healthy eating. Recently, studies have suggested that people with high self-control may perform goal-directed behaviors not by exerting effortful control but rather by employing smart, effortless strategies. The current paper investigates the crucial role of behavioral resistance in the relation between self-control and goal-directed behaviors: we propose that people with high self-control feel less resistance toward goal-directed behaviors compared to people with low self-control, and that this is associated with the increased frequency of performing these behaviors. Three cross-sectional studies were conducted in which participants reported on their level of self-control, behavioral resistance toward behaviors in the sustainability, healthy eating, exercise, and study/work domains, and their behavior in those domains. Findings consistently show that the relation between self-control and various behaviors is indeed partially mediated by behavioral resistance, although the study designs preclude establishing causal relations. It is implied that lower resistance makes it easier for people with higher self-control to perform the goal-directed behaviors, without requiring much effort. This notion yields an interesting, novel perspective on how people with high self-control manage to function so well

Health behavior procrastination : a novel reasoned route toward self-regulatory failure

In this paper, we highlight a novel perspective on health behavior failure by considering reasoned procrastination as a contributing factor. We argue that the failure to enact intentions does not necessarily occur because people are victims of their strong impulses, but that people may also knowingly and willfully postpone their intended actions. While procrastination is acknowledged as a factor associated with intention-behavior gaps in other domains, it has surprisingly received only very little attention in the domain of health behavior. We argue that it is particularly important to recognize the waxing and waning of intentions: rather than being truly abandoned, intentions may sometimes be temporarily put aside. This paper describes how the procrastination account relates to the intention-behavior gap as we know it, what is known about procrastination and health behavior, and what theoretical and practical implications can be derived from the addition of this novel perspective to our understanding of health behavior change

Understanding COVID-19 vaccination willingness among youth: A survey study in the Netherlands.

Vaccination of youth could be key to preventing future outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2. Given the limited direct health benefit for young people, it is important to understand how youth themselves perceive obtaining a vaccination. This survey study in a representative sample of Dutch youth aged 12–18 showed that 73% were willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In regression analyses, vaccination willingness was strongly related to age, perceived personal (protect own health) and societal benefits (to get rid of restrictive policies), and their peers’ and parents’ vaccination uptake. Negative associations with vaccination willingness were perceived side-effects and potential unknown long term consequences. On-going and transparent communication with up-to-date information about safety and risks, delivered by independent and trusted experts (as perceived by the recipients) seems important for addressing questions and concerns. Local information sessions for youth and parents where a vaccination can be obtained without appointment could have merit in addition to mass media communication

Bedtime Procrastination: An Exploration of the ‘Who’, ‘What’ and ‘Why’ > Part 2

In part 2 people keep a diary in which bedtime behaviour is assessed

Understanding COVID-19 vaccination willingness among youth: A survey study in the Netherlands

Vaccination of youth could be key to preventing future outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2. Given the limited direct health benefit for young people, it is important to understand how youth themselves perceive obtaining a vaccination. This survey study in a representative sample of Dutch youth aged 12–18 showed that 73% were willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In regression analyses, vaccination willingness was strongly related to age, perceived personal (protect own health) and societal benefits (to get rid of restrictive policies), and their peers’ and parents’ vaccination uptake. Negative associations with vaccination willingness were perceived side-effects and potential unknown long term consequences. On-going and transparent communication with up-to-date information about safety and risks, delivered by independent and trusted experts (as perceived by the recipients) seems important for addressing questions and concerns. Local information sessions for youth and parents where a vaccination can be obtained without appointment could have merit in addition to mass media communication

Understanding COVID-19 vaccination willingness among youth: A survey study in the Netherlands

Vaccination of youth could be key to preventing future outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2. Given the limited direct health benefit for young people, it is important to understand how youth themselves perceive obtaining a vaccination. This survey study in a representative sample of Dutch youth aged 12–18 showed that 73% were willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In regression analyses, vaccination willingness was strongly related to age, perceived personal (protect own health) and societal benefits (to get rid of restrictive policies), and their peers’ and parents’ vaccination uptake. Negative associations with vaccination willingness were perceived side-effects and potential unknown long term consequences. On-going and transparent communication with up-to-date information about safety and risks, delivered by independent and trusted experts (as perceived by the recipients) seems important for addressing questions and concerns. Local information sessions for youth and parents where a vaccination can be obtained without appointment could have merit in addition to mass media communication