The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the functionality of health systems and world affairs. We assessed knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 23 referral hospitals located in three towns of the DRC (Lubumbashi, Kamina, Mbuji-Mayi). In total, 613 HCWs were surveyed using the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) “Exposure Risk Assessment in the Context of COVID-19” questionnaire. Participants included medical doctors (27.2%) and other categories of HCWs (72.8%). The mean age was 40.3 ± 11.7 years. Over 80% (range: 83–96%) of respondents had sufficient knowledge on each of the three domains: COVID-19 symptoms, disease transmission, and patient care approach. However, attitudes and practices scores were relatively low. Only 27.7% of HCWs were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine when it is available, whereas 55% of HCWs complied with good practices; 49.4% wore masks consistently and, surprisingly, only 54.9% used personal protective equipment (PPE) consistently at work and during contact with patients. Knowledge level was positively associated with the use of social media as a primary source of COVID-19-related information and the category of residence, with HCWs from towns already affected by the COVID-19 epidemic being more likely to have positive attitudes (adjusted OR, 1.64; 95%CI, 1.32–2.20) and comply with good practices (aOR, 2.79; 95%CI, 1.93-4.06). This study showed that most Congolese HCWs had sufficient knowledge on COVID-19, whereas the majority did not comply with consistent PPE use. The government of the DRC should urgently take major steps in capacity building for HCWs in outbreak preparedness and supplying hospitals with PPE.

BackgroundSlow-motion training, an exercise marked by extremely slow movements, yields a training effect like that of a highly intense training, even when the applied load is small. This study evaluated the effects of low-intensity bodyweight training with slow movement on motor function in frail, elderly patients.MethodsNinety-seven elderly men and women aged 65 years or older, whose level of nursing care was classified as either support required (1 and 2) or long-term care required (care level 1 and 2), volunteered to participate. Two facilities were used. Participants in the first facility used low-intensity bodyweight training with slow movement (the LST group, n = 65), and participants in another facility used machine training (the control group, n = 31). Exercises were conducted for 3 months, once or twice a week, depending on the required level of nursing care. Changes in motor function were examined.ResultsPost-exercise measurements showed significant improvements from the pre-exercise levels after 3 months, based on the results of the Timed Up and Go test (p = 0.0263) and chair-stand test (p = 0.0016) in the low-intensity exercise with slow movement and tonic force generation (LST) group. Although the ability to stand on one leg with eyes open tended to improve, no significant change was found (p = 0.0964).ConclusionsWe confirmed that carrying out LST bodyweight training for 3 months led to improvements in ambulatory function and lower-limb muscle strength. In this way, it is possible that LST training performed by holding a bar or by staying seated on a chair contributes to improved motor function in elderly patients within a short time.Trial registrationUMIN000030853. Registered 17 January 2018. (retrospectively registered).

We analyzed the temporal trends and significant changes in apparent food consumption or availabilityin Bangladesh from 1961 to 2013. Due to the lack of a long-term national dietary intake dataset, this study used data derived from the FAO’s food balance sheets. We used joinpoint regression analysis to identify significant changes in the temporal trends. The annual percent change (APC) was computed for each segment of the trends. Apparent intake of starchy roots, eggs, fish, vegetables, milk, and vegetable oils significantly has increased (p < 0.05) in the Bangladeshi diet since 1961; whereas cereals changed by merely 4.65%. Bangladesh has been experiencing three structural changes in their dietary history after the Liberation War, though the intake level has been grossly inadequate. Initially, since the late-1970s, apparent vegetable oils intake increased at a market rate (APC = 7.53). Subsequently, since the early-1990s, the real force behind the structural change in the diet has been the increasing trends in the apparent intake of fish (APC = 5.05), eggs (APC = 4.65), and meat (APC = 1.54). Lastly, since the early 2000s, apparent intakes of fruits (APC = 20.44), vegetables (APC = 10.58), and milk (APC = 3.55) increased significantly (p <0.05). This study result reveals and quantifies the significant secular changes in the dietary history of Bangladesh from 1961 to 2013. Bangladesh has experienced inadequate but significant structural changes in the diet in the late-1970s, early-1990s, and early-2000s. Overabundance of cereals and inadequate structural changes in the diet may have caused the increasing prevalence of overweightness and emergence of diet-related, non-communicable diseases in Bangladesh.

We analyzed the temporal trends and significant changes in apparent energy and macronutrient intakes in the Bangladeshi diet from 1961 to 2017. Due to the lack of a long-running national dietary intake dataset, this study used the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s old and new food balance sheet dataset. We used the joinpoint regression model and jump model to analyze the temporal trends in apparent energy and macronutrient intakes. The annual percentage change (APC) was computed for each segment of the trends. Bangladesh has experienced a late energy revolution in their dietary history. During the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Bangladesh was suffering from substantive calorie deficits, where in apparent energy intake was less than 2200 kcal/day/person. Since the late 1990s, Bangladesh has made significant progress in raising the apparent energy consumption in the diet. Since the late 1970s, apparent fat intake started to increase significantly at a marked rate (APC = 2.16), whereas since the early 1990s, protein intake increased significantly by 1.33% per year. Plant sources have mostly governed the protein and fat intake trends in the Bangladeshi diet since 1960, whereas animal sources began to contribute significantly in protein intake since 1990 (APC = 3.43) and in fat intake since 2000 (APC = 2.88). Bangladesh overcame the substantive calorie deficit condition in the diet from the late 1990s. Excessive carbohydrate intake along with imbalanced and low-quality protein and fat intakes have been the central features in the diet in Bangladesh.

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