The COVID-19 pandemic as a source of negative emotions and misconceptions - a theoretical analysis of the situation

There has been a need to organize the information on COVID-19 that has accumulated in the few months since the emergence of this new disease entity. There are already thousands of scientific publications on COVID-19. On top of that, there are also tens of thousands of press releases, and millions of pieces of information on social media. Being attacked with such an overabundance of information, often contradictory, has confused the public and thus made them susceptible to irrational, false theories about the COVID-19 epidemic. This is a major setback in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, which, to be successful, must be conducted in a rational manner. In view of this, the purpose of this article is to gather theoretical knowledge about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the development of negative emotions and frustration in society. The article considers three spheres of consideration: information noise, conspiracy theories, and social risk

The role of stress and its impact on the formation of occupational burnout

The term "stress" is customarily used in connection with environmental pressures and adaptation to changing environmental conditions, but also in reference to the body's psychological and physiological response to them. In the understanding presented, adaptive demands are called stressors, their effects are called stress or stressful situations, and methods and techniques aimed at reducing these effects are called ways of coping with stress. Stress can also be understood as a "product" of inappropriate coping with the challenges of everyday life. The differentiation between stress as a process and stressor as a factor makes it easier to understand the issue and its impact on life and the development of mental illnesses

Social determinants of employee selection and interviewing

The problem of effective personnel planning was and is an indispensable part of the management of any enterprise. Every owner makes every effort to ensure that the people employed achieve the established goals and strategies of the organization, thereby contributing to the growth of prestige and expansion of capital. A significant capital of any organization is personnel, or human capital, which is why the proper selection of employees is such an important element. For some time now, organizations have been making every effort to ensure that employees are not only properly educated and trained, but are well aligned with the company's mission. Large corporations, want to have an employee as if "on their own," so the goals of both the employer and the employee are important. People for whom professional success is not the most important thing would not be able to find their way in a large international organization. The recruitment and selection process is therefore a key element to check whether a candidate is the right person and in the right place

Review of available diagnostic options for Orthorexia Nervosa

Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) is one of the disorders with a psychological basis. The word ‘orthorexia’ comes from Greek, where ‘orthos’ means proper ‘orexia’ appetite. The disorder is characterized by an obsession with healthy eating, and as the disease worsens, significant food exclusions occur. In extreme cases of ON, the affected person forgoes eating any food, explaining it as a health concern. The degree of prevalence of ON in society is still highly questionable. Numerous studies indicate the prevalence of this problem, but there is no consistent data on the degree of severity of ON. The degree of severity of ON in the general population ranges from 6% to as high as 90%, such significant variation may be due to cultural reasons or a defect in the measurement tool. To date, a useful tool for diagnosing ON has not been developed, little that ON is still not treated as a separate disease or disorder. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present diagnostic possibilities in the form of psychometric tools that can be used in conducting scientific research and in psychological and dietetic practice

Food neophobia - natural developmental stage or feeding difficulty? A study of children's behavior and parents' knowledge about children’s neophobic behaviors

Background: An increasing number of parents report problems with feeding their children to dieticians. Failure to expand the diet or sudden discontinuation of a variety of foods makes them increasingly worried about their child's monotonous diet and mealtime behavior The aim of this study was to assess parents' awareness of food neophobia and the attitudes and behaviors associated with it. Material and method: The study was carried out using a questionnaire-based indirect survey technique using a web form (CAWI). A total of 224 adults (parents of preschool children) participated in the study. The research tool was an anonymous survey questionnaire consisting of three parts. In the last part, a scale concerning neophobic behavior was used. The study group consisted mainly of mothers - 78.3% (n=159); fathers - 21.7% (n= 44). Results: In the study group, no child scored several points indicating a very high probability of neophobia. A high probability is possible in 28 children (13.79%), a possible predisposition to the occurrence of food neophobia exists in 66 children (32.51%), while 109 children (53.69%) do not present a predisposition to food neophobia. Conclusions: The study did not show children's behaviors reported by parents that could indicate a very high probability of food neophobia in their children. Moreover, the results of the questionnaire of neophobia scale indicate that this problem in the studied population concerns about 10% of the examined children

Electronic forms of entertainment in the context of physical activity and addiction risk – a knowledge review

A new way of spending leisure time browsing the Internet, using social networking sites, and playing games has created a new health problem: cell phone addiction. So-called phonoholism or netholism is most thriving among young people, who prioritize entertainment in the real world, which most often necessitates physical activity, over entertainment in the virtual world, which requires a more static approach. However, some companies have gone against the traditional use of phone games by creating multimedia city games that require a dynamic-movement approach. The aim of this review is to gather current theoretical knowledge about electronic forms of entertainment in the context of their influence on users' physical activity, creation of health potential and formation of risk of addiction to such forms of entertainment

Physical activity promotion at the local government level among the local community

Physical inactivity is a major public health issue. For the prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, and a number of malignancies, regular physical activity is a critical protective factor. Along with helping to maintain a healthy weight and overall wellbeing, physical activity has positive effects on mental health, including the avoidance of cognitive decline and the symptoms of despair and anxiety. Local governments all across the world have responded to this problem by launching population-level projects that give locals access to exercise opportunities. Local governments, through the implementation of their own tasks of health promotion and protection, carry out public health tasks as defined by the Law of 11 September 2015 on Public Health. These tasks include activities in the area of physical activity.           The aim of the article was to show the role of local government in promoting physical activity among the local community. The article discusses such issues as WHO recommendations for physical activity as well as activities undertaken by local governments in the area of health promotion in the form of health policy programs and activities carried out in cooperation with NGOs

Implications for limiting visits to patients residing in hospital wards during the COVID-19 pandemic

The impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare system has been devastating, as the system has had to undergo major changes, including the postponement of scheduled surgeries, the admission of patients in a state of emergency, and the use of teleportation. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic caused restrictions on visits to hospitalized patients by relatives, despite recommendations for family visits to patients in hospitals, as an important component of quality care provided. Material and methods: The study included 198 relatives of hospitalized patients in the period from March 2020 to March 2022 in the Silesian province. To achieve the research objective, a questionnaire developed entirely by the Authors, consisting of 9 questions, was used. The questionnaire concerned the assessment of restrictions on visits to hospitalized patients by relatives during the pandemic. The survey was conducted between November 2021 and March 2022. Results: The majority of relatives (91%) indicated that they were able to contact (including by phone) the patient every day during their hospital stay. At the same time, the largest number of respondents marked the answer that visiting patients during their stay in the hospital ward was prohibited (97%). In addition, 39% of respondents answered that it was "rather bad" to restrict visits to a loved one staying in the hospital during the pandemic. Conclusions: Undoubtedly, when considering the implementation of rules restricting patient visitation during the COVID-19 pandemic, relevant authorities should carefully look at and compare the potential harm of the issued decision to restrict visitation by relatives along with the risk of virus transmission. Currently, there are insufficient studies formally assessing the effects of restrictions on patient visits by relatives. However, it is clear from the authors' survey that the majority of relatives are rather negative about the implemented restrictions on patient visits

The role of academic sport in health promotion - the example of the Academic Sports Association in Poland

Academic sports are physical activities in which members of the academic community participate: students, doctoral students, research, teaching or administrative staff of higher education institutions. The academic community is extremely diverse, but as a rule, it is rarely associated directly with physical activity, but rather with the advancement of knowledge and the development of science. All the more reason why the promotion of physical activity in this community is extremely important for maintaining the psychophysical well-being of members of this group. The AZS is the most numerous academic organization in Poland, with nearly 33,000 members. The Association's Academic Championships of Poland and community leagues are the primary system of rivalry between universities in the country. Among the objectives of AZS are those relating directly or indirectly to the promotion of health, including: the dissemination of physical culture and tourism, raising physical fitness and improving health among the academic community, working for the rehabilitation of the disabled or counteracting social pathologies, particularly addictions that threaten the environment of young students. These goals are pursued through various types of programs and projects, including sports activation of the academic community within the framework of sports sections, especially within the framework of general sports, organized sports competitions both at the university, regional, national or international level. Academic sports are also often the only available opportunity for physical activity during college, where physical education classes usually last no more than a year in the five-year cycle of study

The role of local government units in increasing access to therapeutic rehabilitation services for patients with musculoskeletal diseases

Chronic diseases of the osteoarticular and muscular system belong to a group of health problems that lead to a limitation of the organism's efficiency, making it difficult or impossible for individuals to function normally. Of the forms of treatment used for chronic diseases of the osteoarticular system, rehabilitation is by far the most common. These activities are mainly financed by the National Health Fund, as well as by social insurance. A complementary role is played by local governments that finance medical rehabilitation for their residents in the form of health policy programmes, implemented as public health tasks. An important argument in favour of rehabilitation at the self-governmental level is the long waiting time for medical rehabilitation services financed by the National Health Fund.           The aim of the paper was to show the role of local government in increasing access to therapeutic rehabilitation services for patients with musculoskeletal diseases. The paper discusses such issues as the importance of musculoskeletal diseases for the efficiency of individuals, organization and financing of guaranteed services in curative rehabilitation, as well as increasing access to these services at the local government level