While Twitter has grown popular among political leaders as a means of computer-mediated mass media communication alternative, the COVID-19 pandemic required new strategies for socio-political communication to handle such a crisis. Using the case of India, which was one of the worst-hit countries and is also the world’s largest democracy, this research explicates how political leaders responded to the COVID-19 crisis on Twitter during the first wave as it was the first time such a crisis occurred. Theoretical frameworks of discursive leadership and situational crisis communication theory have been used to analyze interactions based on the usage patterns, the content of communication, the extent of usage in relation to the severity of the crisis, and the possible role of leaders’ position along with the status of their political party. The sample consisted of tweets posted by six prominent political leaders in India across the four consecutive lockdown periods from 25th March to 31st May 2020. A total of 4,158 tweets were scrapped and after filtering for retweets, the final dataset consisted of 2,809 original tweets. Exploratory data analysis, sentiment analysis, and content analysis were conducted. It was found that the tweets had an overall positive sentiment, an important crisis management strategy. Four main themes emerged: crisis management information, strengthening followers’ resilience and trust, reputation management, and leaders’ proactiveness. By focusing on such discursive aspects of crisis management, the study comprehensively highlights how political interactions on twitter integrated with politics and governance to handle COVID-19 in India. The study has implications for the fields of digital media interaction, political communication, public relations, and crisis leadership.

Applying a positive outlier lens is one effective approach for generating evidence to inform global health policy, program, and funding decisions. Exemplars in Global Health (EGH) is a program that studies positive outlier countries that have made extraordinary progress in health outcomes (despite limited resources) and disseminates their successes through multiple types of outputs. To date, EGH has studied, or is studying, 14 global health topics in 28 countries. This paper aims to identify findings, summarized as themes and sub-themes, that appear among all completed EGH studies. We developed a conceptual framework and used a content analysis approach to identify the top thematic areas that appear as drivers for programmatic success across EGH studies that were completed between June 2020-May 2023. The EGH studies (N = 31) spanned six topics including under-five child mortality (n = 6), childhood stunting (n = 5), community health workers (CHW) (n = 4), vaccine delivery (n = 3), COVID-19 response (n = 6), and newborn and maternal mortality reduction (n = 7) across 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South and Central Asia, and the Caribbean regions. Top drivers of success were defined as those critical or catalytic in achieving the intended outcome. Eight key drivers were identified: (1) efficient data collection and use for decision-making, (2) strong political commitment and health leadership, (3) effective stakeholder coordination, (4) a local, connected, and capacitated workforce, (5) intentional women’s empowerment and engagement, (6) effective adoption and implementation of national policies, (7) effective and sustainable financing, and (8) equitable, efficient outreach and targeting. These cross-cutting drivers span a broad range of development outcomes, sectors, and populations, and indicate a need to effectively integrate people, systems, and sectors to improve global health outcomes. Findings from this study aim to support peer learning among countries and support evidence-based decision-making for funders, policymakers, and other key stakeholders.

In 2024, around **** percent of South Korean citizens used e-government services, up from about **** percent in the previous year. The usage rate has nearly doubled over the last decade, with almost all citizens making use of this service. World e-government leader South Korea E-government (or electronic government) refers to the use of information and communications technology (ICT) for government services. South Korea is one of the leading countries in e-government development, ranking first in 2010, 2012, and 2014 and third in 2022 in the United Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI). Due to the government's efforts to make its online services user-friendly, the satisfaction level has risen accordingly. E-government and COVID-19 Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the South Korean government has launched various new online services to respond effectively to the situation. For example, the online contact tracing service provided information on locations visited by people who tested positive for COVID-19 or the type of transportation used by these individuals. Many citizens also used public online services to apply for and receive COVID-19 relief funds.

In 2021, ** percent of employees from a global survey want flexible remote work options to stay post-pandemic. As businesses around the world sent their employees into home office and remote work setups during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, both employees and employers have become accustomed to this new work situation. As a result, they appreciate the positive aspects and would like to retain them in the future.

BackgroundUntil the COVID-19 pandemic, it had not been possible to examine the effect of rapid policy changes surrounding telemental health on patient-reported mental health care access, costs, symptoms, and functioning. Sizable variation in telemental health use by patient race-ethnicity, age, and rurality, and in its adoption across healthcare settings, underscores the need to study equitable dissemination and implementation of high-quality telemental health services in the real world. This protocol describes an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study that aims to examine the effects of state telemental health policy expansion on patient-reported mental health outcomes, as well as the policy-to-practice pathway from the perspectives of state leaders, clinicians, and staff who care for underserved patients.MethodsThis study uses legal mapping research methods to characterize the effective dates and specific provisions of telemental health policies (e.g., Medicaid reimbursement, private payer laws, professional licensure requirements) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. Then, we will examine state factors (e.g., COVID-19 cases, broadband internet access) explaining these telemental health policies using discrete-time hazard models. The primary quantitative analysis employs a difference-in-difference approach to predict effects on outcome measures using a nationally representative survey of individuals. Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we will examine policy effects on (a) access to, use of, and expenditures related to mental health care and (b) mental health outcomes, functioning, and employment. Finally, qualitative methods will be used to obtain feedback from state leaders, administrators, clinicians, and clinic staff members on how state telemental health policy expansion influenced mental health services delivery during the pandemic, with a focus on improving safety-net care. We will use a positive deviance approach to select key partners from 6 “high” and 6 “low” telehealth expansion states for interviews and focus groups.DiscussionThe overall study goal is to better understand the effect of pandemic-related state policy changes around telehealth on patient-reported mental health care access, costs, symptoms, and functioning. By characterizing variations in telehealth policies and their downstream effects, this mixed-methods study aims to inform equitable dissemination, implementation, and sustainment of high-quality telemental health services.

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Orthodox Christians globally reacted to the possibility of contagion and risk in dialogue with theological positions about materials, their own long history which includes surviving previous pandemics and plagues, governmental and civil expectations and edicts, and pious – but often unofficial – understandings about protection and the sacrality of religious artefacts and the space of the temple. This dataset aggregates primary ethnographic research amongst Orthodox Christians in the UK, Serbia, Greece and Russia to highlight commonalities and divergences in Orthodox Christian responses to the pandemic. Examining both the theological basis, and socio-political differences, this dataset focuses on how the Orthodox theology of apophaticism and relationality impacts wider discourses of contagion (both positive and negative), and consequently compliance with public health initiatives. Comparison across diverse Orthodox settings highlights Orthodox Christian concern with the neighbour – both in terms of who may be watching (and reporting) them, and who may fall sick because of them.

Aims: This project asks 'What role does the material ecology play in shaping the sociopolitics of Global Orthodoxy?' as a case study for global political discourse and the role of material in the social dynamics of religion. Impact: Orthodox Christianity is a tradition based on discourse, but there has been very little research looking at the specifics of how it works. Focusing on discourse also tends to over emphasise words and belief. But what if, like Max Muller, we insist that religion must start with what is perceived, not with concepts like 'belief in the supernatural'? This means we situate discursive traditions like Orthodoxy not in concepts but in the material culture of local and global religious groups. This reframes how we understand religion, and forefronts the impact that religious practice has upon material aspects of our experience like health, the environment and geopolitics. Context: Much social scientific interest in religion looks at the variation in the lived religion from one place to another. However, there are moments - such as in April 2018 when the President of Ukraine asked the Greek Patriarch to intervene into the Russian Church in the Ukraine - when religion can not be studied only in the local lived expression. Situations such as the conflict in Ukraine are complicated by historic tension between local Orthodox Churches. Disagreements in the interpretation of the theology of the body, person, and environment foment political tension within the Churches, between the Churches and external bodies, and between nations. The materiality of discourse must be seen as central to the form and practice of the tradition. Research: Framed in terms of three research domains, this project focuses on the material conditions of Global Orthodox sociopolitics, conducting research amongst Orthodox Christians and religious institutions. The project investigates how the properties and affordances of the material ecology (including the body, the built environment and wider 'natural' order) shape and are marshalled within the discourse of the Orthodox Churches. The three domains are the Body, Person, and Environment. The Body domain addresses issues such as medical interventions, like IVF and organ donation, which are, across Global Orthodoxy, contentious to varying degrees. The material body becomes a place for negotiating ethical goods (eg extending life, fertility, honouring God). The Person domain examines the variance in permission different churches grant concerning family and marriage practices (eg divorce, family planning). There is also a mounting discourse around identity politics, with some voices pushing for an open approach to homosexuality and women clergy. The material of the body, person, and Church are marshalled as the grounding for historically contingent, philosophically premised, and scientifically inflected arguments for or against 'progressive' movements. Finally, the Environment domain examines the relationship between humans, specific locations, and the earth as a whole. Orthodox theologians highlight an emphasis on 'stewardship of the earth' and call for active engagement in ecological conservation. Issues such as Global Warming take an explicitly religious imperative, as scientific data points to human failure to fulfil their God-given role as caretakers. The control of land (including places like Crimea and Jerusalem) also becomes a religious duty with geopolitical impact. Output: This project will produce one academic book on the material aspects of the sociopolitics of Orthodox Christianity, a book written for a general audience looking at key case studies around contemporary issues in Orthodoxy, six academic articles, white papers and policy advice on various issues relating to the health and wellbeing of Orthodox Christians and their homelands, and pamphlets written with stakeholder community leaders to help address social issues within the community settings.

BackgroundSelf-leadership has proven to adjust individual psychological states and promote active behaviors to mitigate stress perception and negative lifestyle. This study aims to investigate the relationship between self-leadership, epidemic risk perception, and quality of life among the general public in post-pandemic mainland of China.MethodsTwo online self-reported questionnaire surveys were carried out with 3,098 and 469 people in the Chinese mainland in February 2021 and December 2022, respectively. The univariate analysis, structural equation modeling, and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis were used to analyze the data which was collected by Revised Self-Leadership Questionnaire, Perceived Risk of COVID-19 Pandemic Scale and World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Scale.ResultsThe Self-leadership was directly, moderately, and positively correlated with quality of life (Standardized path coefficients: 0.383 and 0.491, respectively; p

BackgroundUntil the COVID-19 pandemic, it had not been possible to examine the effect of rapid policy changes surrounding telemental health on patient-reported mental health care access, costs, symptoms, and functioning. Sizable variation in telemental health use by patient race-ethnicity, age, and rurality, and in its adoption across healthcare settings, underscores the need to study equitable dissemination and implementation of high-quality telemental health services in the real world. This protocol describes an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study that aims to examine the effects of state telemental health policy expansion on patient-reported mental health outcomes, as well as the policy-to-practice pathway from the perspectives of state leaders, clinicians, and staff who care for underserved patients.MethodsThis study uses legal mapping research methods to characterize the effective dates and specific provisions of telemental health policies (e.g., Medicaid reimbursement, private payer laws, professional licensure requirements) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. Then, we will examine state factors (e.g., COVID-19 cases, broadband internet access) explaining these telemental health policies using discrete-time hazard models. The primary quantitative analysis employs a difference-in-difference approach to predict effects on outcome measures using a nationally representative survey of individuals. Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we will examine policy effects on (a) access to, use of, and expenditures related to mental health care and (b) mental health outcomes, functioning, and employment. Finally, qualitative methods will be used to obtain feedback from state leaders, administrators, clinicians, and clinic staff members on how state telemental health policy expansion influenced mental health services delivery during the pandemic, with a focus on improving safety-net care. We will use a positive deviance approach to select key partners from 6 “high” and 6 “low” telehealth expansion states for interviews and focus groups.DiscussionThe overall study goal is to better understand the effect of pandemic-related state policy changes around telehealth on patient-reported mental health care access, costs, symptoms, and functioning. By characterizing variations in telehealth policies and their downstream effects, this mixed-methods study aims to inform equitable dissemination, implementation, and sustainment of high-quality telemental health services.

Exemplars in global health topic research partners.

How well have populist leaders responded to the COVID-19 pandemic? There is a growing literature dedicated to populism and health outcomes. However, the ongoing pandemic provides us with a unique opportunity to study whether populist leaders fared better or worse than their non-populist counterparts by using a much larger sample size. While there has been a fruitful debate over whether populism is responsible for worse health outcomes, much of the focus has centered around the overall effect of having populist parties in power, without testing for different explanatory mechanisms. We argue that populist leaders fuel mass political polarization, which increases the overall level of hostility among the population and reduces their willingness to comply with anti-COVID measures and, more generally, contribute to public good. We test this theory using the expert-coded V-Party Dataset which contains variables for the ideological characteristics for parties around the world, as well as weekly excess mortality from the World Mortality Dataset. In addition to the OLS regression analysis, we employ a causal mediation framework to account for the order of succession of populism and political polarization. Our empirical results corroborate our main hypothesis that populism fuels political polarization, which is, in turn, associated with higher excess mortality during the ongoing pandemic. Our results are robust to alternative model specifications.

COVID-19 has had significant effects on the field of veterinary medicine. Adaptation to pandemic-related and post-pandemic challenges requires engagement from all levels of the professional pipeline, including veterinary college students. Insights gained from this group may inform curriculum design, help the veterinary profession innovate, maximize opportunities for positive change, and avoid negative outcomes. The current study aimed to understand the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on veterinary medicine, as foreseen by second-year veterinary students in an online discussion during a public health course in the spring of 2020. Twenty-one percent of the 113 students agreed to participate in this qualitative research study. We used an inductive coding process and distilled the student responses into descriptive themes to capture diverse perspectives and understand possible post-pandemic pathways for the veterinary profession. Four themes emerged from the student discussion posts, describing how veterinarians might be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) economic and social impacts, (2) adapting to challenges, (3) collaborations to improve public health, and (4) disparities and diversity. These themes are a starting point for discussion and innovation as veterinarians plan for the post-pandemic world; further investigation will provide additional guidance for veterinary leaders.

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, children faced a disproportionate burden of malnutrition and poor health outcomes. Nurturing care interventions (NCIs) including actions toward good health, adequate nutrition, responsive care, opportunities for early learning, and security and safety are critical for promoting equity. Due to the need for evidence-based responses and preparedness, we analyzed adaptations in NCIs’ implementation strategies during COVID-19 according to the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications to Evidence-based Implementation Strategies (FRAME-IS).MethodWe conducted a global scoping review including peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed literature. The databases searched were PubMed, Embase, Scopus, BVS, Scielo, and Web of Science. This search was complemented by an extensive examination of relevant websites and an additional internet search via Google Scholar. We extracted and analyzed the data following the seven modules of the FRAME-IS.ResultsOut of 20 records, 27 NCI were identified across Africa (n = 3), Asia (n = 7), Europe (n = 3), North America (n = 11), Oceania (n = 1), and South America (n = 2). NCIs adapted their content (e.g., adding elements), evaluation (e.g., conducting needs assessment), training (e.g., using experts), and context (e.g., setting—shifting from in-person to remote, and population—expanding interventions’ reach). Adaptation goals were to increase acceptability (n = 9, 32.1%), adoption (n = 5, 17.8%), appropriateness (n = 10, 35.7%), feasibility (n = 25, 89.3%), penetration (n = 15, 53.6%), sustainability (n = 23, 82.1%), and fidelity (n = 1, 3.7%). The rationale to adapt varied from sociopolitical (n = 6, 21.4%), organizational (n = 13, 46.4%), implementer (n = 11, 39.3%), practitioner (n = 15, 53.6%), and recipient (n = 11, 39.3%). A quarter were reactive planned adaptations and 75.0% were unplanned modifications. Decisions were led by program leaders (n = 21, 75.0%), funders (n = 9, 32.1%), partners (n = 3, 10.7%), researchers (n = 1, 3.6%), and practitioners (n = 3, 10.7%). Adaptations were widespread from unit (e.g., hospital) (n = 1, 3.6%), organization (n = 4, 14.3%), and community system (e.g., countrywide) (n = 14, 50.0%).ConclusionThe results from our global scoping review show that it is possible for NCIs to continue and even improve their delivery despite the global crisis, suggesting that remote delivery is feasible and can work as an alternative when in lockdown. Strategic planning taking advantage of existing structures and partnerships may have allowed NCI adaptations to be sustainable as well as facilitated replication within the organization network system.