Objectives: We sought to determine how the Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs relate to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) screening decisions among international students and which of the HBM constructs was most relevant in those screening decisions. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional pilot study using an online survey of international students at Western Illinois University in the United States. Participants signed electronic informed consent. The online survey comprised of questions that assessed their sociodemographic characteristics, acceptance of HIV screening, and perceived knowledge of HIV. The survey also determined the role of perceived benefits, perceived threat, and cues to action in making HIV screening decisions among the study population. Results: Four hundred and ninety students were invited to participate in the survey out of which 185 responses were obtained. In all, 107(57.8%) were males, and 78(42.8%) were females. Most of the respondents were from Asia (64.9%) and Africa (24.9%). The prevalence of acceptance of HIV screening among international students was found to be 73.5%. About 90% of the participants perceived HIV screening to be beneficial to their health, and 76% of them would accept the screening because they were offered. The majority (83%) of participants who said that they would not accept HIV screening, were also not sexually active, and they did not think they could be susceptible to HIV. Conclusion and Implications for Translation: Perceived benefits and cues to action were found to be the significant factors that informed the decision of people who accepted to be screened for HIV. Perceived susceptibility informed the decision of those that rejected the screening. Caution is warranted in generalizing the findings from this study because of the limited sample size; however, we are confident that our findings are reproducible in a larger population context. Key words: • HIV • HIV screening • Decision • Acceptance • Perceived benefit • Perceived threat • Perceived susceptibility • Health belief model • International students   Copyright © 2020 Ayosanmi et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Objective: To identify relevant factors influencing the practice of self-care measures for prevention of the ongoing COVID-19 preventions based on prior evidence-based experiences. Method: We conducted a literature review of empirical studies conducted between the years 2000 and 2020 focusing on self-care measures in a pandemic situation. Result: Of the 250 studies identified, 19 studies met inclusion criteria. Sixty-three percent of the eligible studies reported handwashing, 21% reported social distancing, facemask wearing, 11% reported social avoidance and information-seeking behaviour. The identified factors motivating these practices include risk perception, health education and social trust. Conclusion: We found that public health agencies commonly recommend self-care measures during pandemics. The adherence to them depends on individuals' perception of risk, knowledge about the situation, trust in the government agencies providing the recommendations and empathy that can motivate adherence. Practice Implication: The public, researchers, and policymakers could learn from the past and present situation to understand what measures are proven relevant and what factors could motivate adherence. More emphasis could be placed on the role of individuals in health promotion and disease prevention as they have been proven to be helpful.

Background: The critical role of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in mitigating antimicrobial resistance cannot be overemphasized, especially during COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to understand the perception of physicians about AMS as it relates to their training and practice experience. Method: A phenomenological qualitative study design was employed, and data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire-based interview of a purposive sample of practicing physicians in the federal capital territory of Nigeria. Eighteen physicians completed the interview and responded based on their perceptions and practice experience. Thematic analysis and coding of the data were performed through an iterative process. Results: 56% of the respondents were female physicians, 67% worked in a private hospital/clinic, and 44% have been practicing for 11 – 15 years. 83% of the respondents think auditing clinicians would promote antibiotics stewardship. 44% of the respondents were unaware of clinical guidelines for an empirical antibiotics prescription. 56% felt doctors were not provided thorough training on AMS. The participants suggest that AMS in Nigeria could be promoted through training of personnel, establishing antibiotics policy and protocol, cessation of over-the-counter sales of antibiotics, creating awareness, access to prompt laboratory investigation and inter-professional collaboration between physicians and pharmacists. They also believed inter-professional collaboration is necessary to achieve AMS. Conclusion: Physicians perceived a knowledge gap in AMS as a result of inadequate training and lack of clinical guidelines on antimicrobial stewardship in the healthcare system of Nigeria. Intensive education of healthcare providers and inter-professional collaboration are plausible approaches to improving antibiotic stewardship.

Background and Objectives: HIV transmission from persons unaware of their HIV status occurs more commonly than those who are aware of their status. Knowledge of one’s HIV status may encourage preventive behaviors. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many international students may be willing to accept HIV screening, but empirical evidence to support this claim is lacking. We sought to determine the willingness of international students in the United States (US) to accept HIV screening, if offered. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online survey of international students at Western Illinois University, USA. The independent variable was the sociodemographic data of our participants; the dependent variable was the acceptance of HIV screening. The covariates were knowledge about HIV and the factors associated with the acceptance of the screening. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis were conducted. Results: A total of 185 respondents out of 491 students participated in the online survey. Of these, 107 (57.8%) were males, and 78 (42.8%) were females. Most of the respondents were from Asian countries (64.9%) and African countries (24.9%). The prevalence of acceptance of HIV screening was 74%. Among participants willing to accept screening, if offered, 90% perceived screening would be beneficial to their health. Meanwhile, 83% of those who would refuse the screening were not sexually active. Conclusion and Global Health Implications: Many international students may be interested in getting HIV screening if offered. Awareness of the benefits of HIV screening may influence the decision to screen. Findings may inform further studies that will lead to policy formulations for the health of international students in the US. Key words: • HIV Screening • HIV Acceptability • International Students • College Students   Copyright © 2020 Ayosanmi et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) which permits unre-stricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in this journal, is properly cited.