Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
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Item Is equity meaningfully incorporated into pandemic preparedness and response? A scoping review and critical analysis of Ebola andCOVID-19 outbreak responses in Uganda 2019-2023(Taylor and Francis Group, 2025-12-31) Redondo G; Murray L; Bromhead C; Makumbi ISocietal inequities produce vulnerabilities that infectious disease can exploit. Current approaches to pandemic prevention, detection and response are led by the International Health Regulations IHR and the Global Health Security Agenda. However, to contain the spread of infectious diseases, localised action to address systemic inequities must be considered. The purpose of this scoping review and equity analysis is to 1) Synthesise the available information on Uganda’s Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and COVID-19 preparedness and outbreak responses between 2019 and 2023, and 2) Critique if and how Uganda’s Ministry of Health incorporated concepts of health equity in its EVD and COVID-19 interventions, while building national capacity to identify and prevent public health emergencies. This scoping review and critical analysis was conducted following the five-stage process defined by Levac et al. After identification and screening, the scoping review was based on six preparedness and response plans, three after-action reviews, and 20 grey literature and peer-reviewed articles. The findings revealed that the EVD and COVID-19 preparedness and response plans in Uganda show the country’s commitment and readiness for early detection and response to infectious disease outbreaks. However, further examination of the plans reveals missed opportunities to address systemic inequities. The ongoing mpox outbreak, declared a PHEIC by WHO on July 23, 2022, with significant impacts in African countries including Uganda, further underscores the need for a paradigm shift in managing infectious disease outbreaks. Such a shift may be similar to that experienced by the field of disaster risk reduction, which underwent a significant transformation at the Sendai Conference in 2015 towards a more holistic and proactive approach that addresses underlying systemic issues and focuses on building resilience. The exclusive focus on biomedical strategies to manage infectious diseases fails to address the social aspects of transmission, the local perceptions of illness, and community vulnerabilities often associated with social and historical perspectives. The social determinants of health disparities should be incorporated into pandemic planning and response. This will contribute to fostering equitable health outcomes and resilience in the face of the multifaceted challenges posed by future pandemics and environmental changes.Item Pandemics, tourism and global change: a rapid assessment of COVID-19(Taylor and Francis Group, 2021-01-02) Gössling S; Scott D; Hall CMThe novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is challenging the world. With no vaccine and limited medical capacity to treat the disease, nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPI) are the main strategy to contain the pandemic. Unprecedented global travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders are causing the most severe disruption of the global economy since World War II. With international travel bans affecting over 90% of the world population and wide-spread restrictions on public gatherings and community mobility, tourism largely ceased in March 2020. Early evidence on impacts on air travel, cruises, and accommodations have been devastating. While highly uncertain, early projections from UNWTO for 2020 suggest international arrivals could decline by 20 to 30% relative to 2019. Tourism is especially susceptible to measures to counteract pandemics because of restricted mobility and social distancing. The paper compares the impacts of COVID-19 to previous epidemic/pandemics and other types of global crises and explores how the pandemic may change society, the economy, and tourism. It discusses why COVID-19 is an analogue to the ongoing climate crisis, and why there is a need to question the volume growth tourism model advocated by UNWTO, ICAO, CLIA, WTTC and other tourism organizations.Item Understanding the role of spirituality during COVID-19: A cross-cultural qualitative analysis(Taylor and Francis Group, 2024-08-01) Waila K; Lindsay NThe novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in 2019 brought widespread disruptions to normal daily functioning. The current qualitative phenomenological study explored the role of spirituality during the pandemic across two divergent cultural contexts; India and New Zealand. Inductive thematic analysis of results revealed that spirituality was found to entail a range of convergent health and wellbeing effects that were categorised into four major themes; hope, meaning amidst chaos, strengthened mental fortitude, and inner transformation. Overall, spirituality provided individuals a range of tools to navigate the crisis, building individual resilience and providing courage to face the pandemic’s most difficult challenges. Moreover, the inner-transformative effects of spirituality fostered significant post-traumatic growth above and beyond the immediate impacts of the event, providing evidence for the therapeutic potential inherent within spirituality.Item How did the depression and anxiety levels of older New Zealanders change during the COVID-19 pandemic?(Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group, 2024-10-10) McLean T; Williams M; Stephens CThere has been widespread concern about the mental health impact of the global COVID-19 outbreak. Fears have been raised that depression and anxiety among older people may have increased in the pandemic, and that adverse health behaviours, such as increased alcohol use and decreased physical activity, may have contributed to the mental health decline. This study aimed to examine changes in depression, anxiety, alcohol use and physical activity scores of people aged 55 and older in New Zealand over the initial months of the pandemic. The sample included 3,171 people who responded to wave 7 (August-November 2018) and wave 8 (June-September 2020) of the Health, Work and Retirement Study. Analyses were carried out using paired t tests and multilevel mediation modelling. There was no evidence of significant changes in depression or anxiety. Alcohol use and physical activity were shown to decrease significantly, albeit to a small degree, and there was evidence of an indirect effect of time on depression via physical activity. These findings suggest a general resilience among older people 3 to 6 months into the pandemic. However, increased attention should be paid to promoting physical exercise among older people, as a means of decreasing depression risk.Item Priority Health Needs and Challenges in New Zealand Pacific Communities-A Qualitative Analysis of Healthcare Delivery during the COVID-19 Pandemic.(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2023-08-09) Reddy R; Sluyter J; Kiadarbandsari A; Ofanoa M; Heather M; Fa'alau F; Nosa V; Younis MZBACKGROUND: The Pacific community in New Zealand experienced an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission due to delayed contact tracing, along with a disproportionate prevalence of health challenges. The community is representative of a diverse population who proudly identify with the vibrant Pacific Island nations of Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue, Fiji, etc. Pacific communities in New Zealand face a higher burden of health challenges compared to other groups. These challenges include obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, mental health disorders, respiratory issues, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, disabilities, and chronic conditions. Concerns were raised regarding the oversight of Pacific community views in the initial pandemic response planning. Pacific healthcare professionals expressed concerns about inadequate state support and the need for active involvement in decision making. METHODS: This article reports thematic analyses of text data gained from open-ended questions from a purposive anonymous online survey completed by Pacific healthcare professionals in New Zealand. RESULTS: The participants shared their experiences and opinions, which generated four major themes highlighting priority health needs and challenges. These themes included the necessity for a culturally appropriate healthcare plan, adequate resourcing, addressing discrimination, and emphasising a united and collaborative effort for consistency. The research's limitation is the narrow scope of open-ended questions in the questionnaire survey. However, conducting semi-structured face-to-face interviews can provide more in-depth data and offer further insights beyond the four broad themes identified in the analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The findings can inform the development of future research to provide more in-depth data and offer further insights beyond the four broad themes identified in the analysis. This will help develop future tailored healthcare delivery plans that address specific Pacific community needs.Item Locking down the Impact of New Zealand's COVID-19 Alert Level Changes on Pets.(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-03-10) Esam F; Forrest R; Waran N; Williams JM; Randle H; Marlin DThe influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on human-pet interactions within New Zealand, particularly during lockdown, was investigated via two national surveys. In Survey 1, pet owners (n = 686) responded during the final week of the five-week Alert Level 4 lockdown (highest level of restrictions-April 2020), and survey 2 involved 498 respondents during July 2020 whilst at Alert Level 1 (lowest level of restrictions). During the lockdown, 54.7% of owners felt that their pets' wellbeing was better than usual, while only 7.4% felt that it was worse. Most respondents (84.0%) could list at least one benefit of lockdown for their pets, and they noted pets were engaged with more play (61.7%) and exercise (49.7%) than pre-lockdown. Many respondents (40.3%) expressed that they were concerned about their pet's wellbeing after lockdown, with pets missing company/attention and separation anxiety being major themes. In Survey 2, 27.9% of respondents reported that they continued to engage in increased rates of play with their pets after lockdown, however, the higher levels of pet exercise were not maintained. Just over one-third (35.9%) of owners took steps to prepare their pets to transition out of lockdown. The results indicate that pets may have enjoyed improved welfare during lockdown due to the possibility of increased human-pet interaction. The steps taken by owners to prepare animals for a return to normal life may enhance pet wellbeing long-term if maintained.Item Online learning adoption by Chinese university students during the Covid-19 pandemic(School of Psychology, Massey University, 2022-12-01) Huggins TJ; Tan ML; Kuo Y-L; Prasanna R; Rea DDThe 2019 Novel Coronavirus Pandemic has severely challenged the continuity of post-secondary education around the world. Online learning platforms have been put to the test, in a context where student engagement will not occur as a simple matter of course. To identify the factors supporting online learning under pandemic conditions, a questionnaire based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology was adapted and administered to a sample of 704 Chinese university students. Structural equation modelling was applied to the resulting data, to identify the most relevant theoretical components. Effort expectancy, social influence, and information quality all significantly predicted both students’ performance expectancies and the overall adoption of their university’s Moodle-based system. Performance expectancy mediated the effects of effort expectancy, social influence, and information quality on symbolic adoption. Internet speed and reliability had no clear impact on adoption, and neither did gender. The direct impact of information quality on symbolic adoption represents a particularly robust and relatively novel result; one that is not usually examined by comparable research. As outlined, this is one of three key factors that have predicted online learning engagement, and the viability of educational continuity, during the Coronavirus pandemic. The same factors can be leveraged through user-focused development and implementation, to help ensure tertiary education continuity during a range of crisesItem Virucidal Efficacy of Blue LED and Far-UVC Light Disinfection against Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus as a Model for SARS-CoV-2(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-08) Gardner A; Ghosh S; Dunowska M; Brightwell G; Tannock G; Kim HTransmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) occurs through respiratory droplets passed directly from person to person or indirectly through fomites, such as common use surfaces or objects. The aim of this study was to determine the virucidal efficacy of blue LED (405 nm) and far-UVC (222 nm) light in comparison to standard UVC (254 nm) irradiation for the inactivation of feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) on different matrices as a model for SARS-CoV-2. Wet or dried FIPV on stainless steel, plastic, or paper discs, in the presence or absence of artificial saliva, were exposed to various wavelengths of light for different time periods (1-90 min). Dual activity of blue LED and far-UVC lights were virucidal for most wet and dried FIPV within 4 to 16 min on all matrices. Individual action of blue LED and far-UVC lights were virucidal for wet FIPV but required longer irradiation times (8-90 min) to reach a 4-log reduction. In comparison, LED (265 nm) and germicidal UVC (254 nm) were virucidal on almost all matrices for both wet and dried FIPV within 1 min exposure. UVC was more effective for the disinfection of surfaces as compared to blue LED and far-UVC individually or together. However, dual action of blue LED and far-UVC was virucidal. This combination of lights could be used as a safer alternative to traditional UVC.Item Tracking the international spread of SARS-CoV-2 lineages B.1.1.7 and B.1.351/501Y-V2 with grinch(F1000 Research Limited, 2021-09-17) O'Toole Á; Hill V; Pybus OG; Watts A; Bogoch II; Khan K; Messina JP; COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium; Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA); Brazil-UK CADDE Genomic Network; Tegally H; Lessells RR; Giandhari J; Pillay S; Tumedi KA; Nyepetsi G; Kebabonye M; Matsheka M; Mine M; Tokajian S; Hassan H; Salloum T; Merhi G; Koweyes J; Geoghegan JL; de Ligt J; Ren X; Storey M; Freed NE; Pattabiraman C; Prasad P; Desai AS; Vasanthapuram R; Schulz TF; Steinbrück L; Stadler T; Swiss Viollier Sequencing Consortium; Parisi A; Bianco A; García de Viedma D; Buenestado-Serrano S; Borges V; Isidro J; Duarte S; Gomes JP; Zuckerman NS; Mandelboim M; Mor O; Seemann T; Arnott A; Draper J; Gall M; Rawlinson W; Deveson I; Schlebusch S; McMahon J; Leong L; Lim CK; Chironna M; Loconsole D; Bal A; Josset L; Holmes E; St George K; Lasek-Nesselquist E; Sikkema RS; Oude Munnink B; Koopmans M; Brytting M; Sudha Rani V; Pavani S; Smura T; Heim A; Kurkela S; Umair M; Salman M; Bartolini B; Rueca M; Drosten C; Wolff T; Silander O; Eggink D; Reusken C; Vennema H; Park A; Carrington C; Sahadeo N; Carr M; Gonzalez G; SEARCH Alliance San Diego; National Virus Reference Laboratory; SeqCOVID-Spain; Danish Covid-19 Genome Consortium (DCGC); Communicable Diseases Genomic Network (CDGN); Dutch National SARS-CoV-2 surveillance program; Division of Emerging Infectious Diseases (KDCA); de Oliveira T; Faria N; Rambaut A; Kraemer MUGLate in 2020, two genetically-distinct clusters of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with mutations of biological concern were reported, one in the United Kingdom and one in South Africa. Using a combination of data from routine surveillance, genomic sequencing and international travel we track the international dispersal of lineages B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 (variant 501Y-V2). We account for potential biases in genomic surveillance efforts by including passenger volumes from location of where the lineage was first reported, London and South Africa respectively. Using the software tool grinch (global report investigating novel coronavirus haplotypes), we track the international spread of lineages of concern with automated daily reports, Further, we have built a custom tracking website (cov-lineages.org/global_report.html) which hosts this daily report and will continue to include novel SARS-CoV-2 lineages of concern as they are detected.Item Pandemic or Not, Worker Subjective Wellbeing Pivots About the Living Wage Point: A Replication, Extension, and Policy Challenge in Aotearoa New Zealand(Frontiers Media S.A, 2022-07) Carr SC; Haar J; Hodgetts D; Jones H; Arrowsmith J; Parker J; Young-Hauser A; Alefaio-Tugia SRecent pre-pandemic research suggests that living wages can be pivotal for enhancing employee attitudes and subjective wellbeing. This article explores whether or not the present COVID-19 pandemic is impacting pivotal links between living wages and employee attitudes and subjective wellbeing, with replication indicating robustness. Twin cohorts each of 1,000 low-waged workers across New Zealand (NZ), one pre- (2018), and one present-pandemic (2020) were sample surveyed on hourly wage, job attitudes, and subjective wellbeing as linked to changes in the world of work associated with the pandemic (e.g., job security, stress, anxiety, depression, and holistic wellbeing). Using locally estimated scatter-point smoothing, job attitudes and subjective wellbeing scores tended to pivot upward at the living wage level in NZ. These findings replicate earlier findings and extend these into considering subjective wellbeing in the context of a crisis for employee livelihoods and lives more generally. Convergence across multiple measures, constructs, and contexts, suggests the positive impacts of living wages are durable. We draw inspiration from systems dynamics to argue that the present government policy of raising legal minimum wages (as NZ has done) may not protect subjective wellbeing until wages cross the living wage Rubicon. Future research should address this challenge.
