Search Results (1,334)

The development of religiosity originates in earlier phases of the family and individual life course, yet few studies have investigated how early exposure to parental religiosity persists into mid- and later life. This investigation uses multigenerational data from 385 baby boom children, ages 16–26, and their parents in 1971, following children’s religious orientations into midlife and old age. Guided by intergenerational transmission and path dependency perspectives, we find that parents’ religious intensity in 1971 strengthened their children’s cognitive and behavioral religiosity in later life, mediated by children’s early and midlife religiosity. Results demonstrate intergenerational transmission followed by durability in religious beliefs and practices across decades of temporal stability. These findings suggest that parental influence creates cumulative religious momentum that carries from young adulthood through old age. Full article

Background/Objectives: Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, and exercise-based rehabilitation is recognized as an effective management strategy. However, adherence to exercise remains challenging. Fully immersive virtual reality (VR) exercise interventions may enhance engagement and clinical outcomes. This study aimed to examine the effect of a fully immersive VR exercise game on pain, fear-avoidance beliefs, and disability in individuals with chronic non-specific LBP. Methods: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted, involving 28 participants aged 18–60 years with chronic non-specific LBP. Participants were randomly allocated to either a VR exercise group with standard education (n = 14) or a conventional home exercise group with standard education (n = 14). Both groups performed their assigned intervention once per day for two weeks. Outcomes included the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ), Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ), and functional performance tests (six-minute walk test, repeated sit-to-stand, and trunk flexion). Measures were assessed at baseline and after a 2-week intervention period. Exercise adherence was recorded using a self-reported log. Results: No significant within- or between-group differences were observed for FABQ scores. However, a significant between-group difference was reported for pain reduction in the VR group (p = 0.044). No significant differences were reported for disability or belief-related outcomes, or for physical performance outcomes, including the 6 min walk test, repeated sit-to-stand test, and trunk flexion test. Conclusions: A fully immersive VR exercise intervention resulted in greater short-term pain reduction compared to conventional exercise in individuals with chronic non-specific LBP. However, it had little impact on fear-avoidance beliefs or disability, highlighting the need for multimodal approaches that address broader biopsychosocial factors. Full article

Background/Objectives: Primary health care (PHC) utilization in rural communities may depend not only on service availability but also on residents’ knowledge of available services, beliefs about service providers, and expectations regarding the value of care. This analytical cross-sectional study examined factors associated with PHC utilization among adults in the catchment areas of subdistrict health promoting hospitals (SHPHs) in Roi Et Province, Northeastern Thailand. Methods: Using multistage sampling, 10 districts, 20 subdistricts, and 20 villages were selected, followed by convenience recruitment of eligible adults within the sampled villages. A total of 461 participants completed a structured questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, perception, attitudes, expectations, and PHC utilization. Content validity was supported by Index of Item–Objective Congruence values of 0.67 to 1.00, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from 0.97 to 0.98. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multivariable linear regression. Results: Participants were predominantly female (65.08%), with a mean age of 49.90 years (SD = 15.23). Using predefined equal-width score intervals, perception was classified as moderate (M = 3.59, SD = 0.36), attitudes as positive (M = 3.91, SD = 0.50), expectations as high (M = 4.18, SD = 0.47), and PHC utilization as high (M = 4.13, SD = 0.53). Relatively higher expectation (β = 0.388, p < 0.001), attitude (β = 0.279, p < 0.001), and perception scores (β = 0.149, p < 0.001) were independently associated with greater overall PHC utilization. The adjusted analysis included 446 participants and explained 46.8% of the variance in PHC utilization (R² = 0.468; adjusted R² = 0.453; overall model p < 0.001). Conclusions: These findings identify residents’ service-related knowledge, beliefs, and anticipated value as factors associated with PHC utilization and as potential areas for further evaluation in communication and service-improvement initiatives. However, causal direction cannot be established, and the findings should not be generalized beyond the sampled communities in Roi Et Province without further research. Full article

Background/Objectives: Problematic internet use (PIU) is a growing behavioral health concern among school-aged children. Whether health literacy and health-promoting lifestyle beliefs are associated with PIU among gifted children—a developmentally distinct population—has, to the best of our knowledge, not been investigated. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational design was used with 118 gifted students (M = 13.80, SD = 2.06) attending a Science and Art Center (BİLSEM) in İzmir, Türkiye. Data were collected using the Problematic Internet Use Scale–Adolescent Form (PIUS-A; α = 0.92), the Health Literacy for School-Aged Children Scale (HLSAC; α = 0.87), and the Adolescent Health-Promoting Lifestyle Beliefs Scale (AHPLBS; α = 0.91) in a classroom setting under researcher supervision. A three-step hierarchical multiple linear regression was performed, with age, sex, daily sleep duration, daily screen time, and weekly physical activity entered as covariates in the first step. Results: Covariates explained 24.8% of the variance in PIU (p < 0.001), with daily screen time as the strongest predictor (β = 0.36). Health-promoting lifestyle beliefs added significant incremental variance (ΔR² = 0.063, p = 0.023); health beliefs were the only statistically significant belief predictor (β = −0.24, p = 0.036), with lower health belief scores associated with higher PIU. Health literacy domains did not add statistically significant incremental variance (ΔR² = 0.028, p = 0.495), and no individual domain was a statistically significant predictor. Conclusions: Within the constraints of a cross-sectional design, health beliefs appear to play a more prominent role than health literacy in the covariate-adjusted explanation of PIU among gifted school-aged children. School health nurses may prioritize interventions that strengthen internalized health beliefs alongside information-based education, contributing to more equitable, tailored school health services for this population. Full article

Background/Objectives: Conflict-driven displacement can disrupt food environments, health services, and caregiver practices, increasing the risk of unhealthy feeding behaviors among young children. Evidence from ethnic internally displaced populations (IDPs) in Myanmar remains scarce. This study examined the prevalence and determinants of unhealthy feeding practices among IDP mothers of children aged 6–23 months. Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-method study was conducted among 617 mothers in Karen ethnic IDP camps in Myanmar. Structured interviews were used to assess mother-reported zero vegetable or fruit consumption (ZVF) and unhealthy food consumption (UFC) among children, and multivariable logistic regression identified associated factors. Subsequently, six focus group discussions explored contextual influences on feeding practices and were analyzed via thematic analysis. The findings were integrated using a joint display approach. Results: A total of 29.2% of children experienced ZVF, while 57.5% consumed unhealthy foods. Mothers who attended fewer than the recommended antenatal care (ANC) visits were more likely to report both ZVF (AOR = 1.968, 95% CI: 1.297–2.988) and UFC (AOR = 1.830, 95% CI: 1.265–2.649). Higher maternal decision-making autonomy was also associated with increased odds of ZVF (AOR = 1.757, 95% CI: 1.031–2.995) and UFC (AOR = 1.606, 95% CI: 1.040–2.481). Other associated factors included child age, household income, family structure, paternal employment, and household dietary practices. Qualitative findings identified six themes influencing feeding practices: “familiarity breeds acceptance”, “traditional beliefs and food restrictions”, “constrained local food environments”, “time constraints and convenience feeding”, “preference for sweet foods”, and “disrupted access to health and nutrition services”. Conclusions: Unhealthy feeding practices were common in this displaced population. Greater maternal decision-making autonomy was not necessarily associated with healthier feeding practices, highlighting the importance of nutrition literacy and supportive food environments. Community-based nutrition interventions may help improve complementary feeding practices in conflict-affected settings. Full article

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often follow restrictive diets. Data on dietary habits and beliefs in pediatric IBD are scarce. Our aim was to assess dietary habits, beliefs, and knowledge regarding nutrition and IBD among children with IBD. Method: In this single-center, cross-sectional study, pediatric patients aged 12–18 years with IBD completed a non-scoring, 25-item questionnaire assessing general dietary habits, beliefs about diet’s role in IBD pathogenesis and treatment, food avoidance, and food-related experiences since diagnosis. Results: We included 72 IBD patients (mean age [SD]: 15.2 [2.3] years; 41 (57%) were male, 32 (45%) had Crohn’s disease (CD)). Almost half of the participants did not believe that eating habits contributed to the pathogenesis of IBD. One-third of patients considered diet to be more important than medication. Approximately two-thirds changed their eating habits after diagnosis, regardless of disease type (χ²: 0.70, p = 0.40), or induction therapy (nutritional vs. non-nutritional, χ²: 0.02, p = 0.88). At least one food was avoided by 65% of the participants. Conclusions: Most children have changed their dietary habits and avoided one or more food groups. The type of induction therapy did not relate to the knowledge and dietary beliefs after induction. Our findings suggest that repeated education and dietary counseling should be an integral part of the management of pediatric IBD. Full article

Introduction: Tuberculosis [TB] and diabetes mellitus (DM) remain major public health concerns worldwide. TB negatively affects an individual’s glucose tolerance, increasing the risk of developing DM. Similarly, DM reduces the host’s ability to fight TB infection and increases the likelihood of developing TB and poor response to TB medication. This study analysed stigma and health-seeking behaviour in a sub-district of Accra Metropolis. Methods: We used a mixed-methods research approach involving a cross-sectional survey and in-depth interviews to explore community knowledge, stigma, and health-seeking behaviour related to TB and DM. A total of 437 individuals were selected for a survey using a simple random sampling technique, while 22 participants, including three TB patients, four nurses, one medical doctor, four students from a nursing and midwifery school, five students from a school of hygiene, and five community members, were involved in the study. Healthcare providers and patients were purposively selected, while students and community members were recruited through convenience sampling. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed on the quantitative data using STATA, while the qualitative data were thematically analysed using the MAXQDA software. Results: Participants’ age, sex, and educational levels were significantly associated with their knowledge of TB and DM. Males were 0.600 times as likely as females to be knowledgeable about DM (95% CI: 0.386–0.934, p = 0.024). Social determinants of health, such as poverty, local beliefs, stigma, and negative attitudes from healthcare workers, may influence TB patients’ preference for traditional remedies over biomedical treatment. Conclusion: Therefore, we observed that addressing cultural barriers, stigma, and financial costs related to TB and diabetes care will help increase patients’ willingness for biomedical treatment. Full article

Background: Restrictive dieting is a common behavior among young adults and may be associated with increased vulnerability to disordered eating. University students represent a population potentially exposed to multiple influences affecting eating behaviors, including academic stress, social pressures, and appearance-related standards promoted through digital media. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between restrictive dietary practices, eating behaviors, and indicators of vulnerability to disordered eating among university students in Poland. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 university students aged 19–34 years. Data were collected using an anonymous online questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic questions, the original Restrictive Diet Motivation Questionnaire (RDMQ), and the validated Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-13 (TFEQ-13). Motivational factors were categorized into aesthetic, social, health-related, eating control, and self-discipline, and personal beliefs regarding restrictive dieting. Statistical analyses included the Gamma correlation coefficient, chi-square test, and ordinal logistic regression, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Restrictive dieting was reported by a substantial proportion of participants, with women reporting this behavior more frequently than men. The most prominent motivations were related to appearance, weight control, social influences, and personal beliefs regarding restrictive diets. Participants who followed restrictive diets demonstrated higher levels of cognitive restraint compared with those who did not engage in restrictive dieting. Strong associations were observed between cognitive restraint and aesthetic motivations, personal beliefs regarding restrictive dieting, social motivations, eating control and self-discipline, and health-related motivations. Multivariable analysis confirmed that aesthetic motivation, personal beliefs, previous restrictive dieting, and female sex were independent predictors of higher cognitive restraint. Conclusions: Restrictive dieting among university students is strongly associated with appearance-related motives, dieting-related beliefs, and increased cognitive restraint. In this study, eating disorder risk was inferred from behavioral indicators, particularly cognitive restraint, rather than from clinical diagnostic criteria. These findings highlight the need for preventive strategies promoting evidence-based nutrition knowledge, healthy eating behaviors, and a positive body image among young adults. Full article

Conspiracy beliefs targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals have attracted increasing attention in social and political psychology due to their role in prejudice, social exclusion, and resistance to social change. Despite growing interest in this phenomenon, validated instruments for assessing LGBTQ+-related conspiracy beliefs in Spanish-speaking populations remain limited. The present study aimed to adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Gender Ideology and LGBTQ+ Lobby Conspiracies Scale (GILC) in a Chilean sample. A total of 611 participants completed the instrument. Evidence based on internal structure was examined using parallel analysis, psychometric network analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and measurement invariance testing across sex assigned at birth. Evidence based on relations with external variables was assessed through sociodemographic characteristics, religiosity, political orientation, and generic conspiracy beliefs. Results consistently supported a predominantly unidimensional structure. The CFA showed that the original one-factor model achieved satisfactory fit after incorporating two theoretically meaningful residual correlations. In addition, the scale demonstrated configural, metric, and scalar invariance across sex assigned at birth. GILC scores were positively associated with generic conspiracy beliefs, religiosity, age, and right-wing political orientation. Overall, the findings provide support for the validity of the Spanish version of the GILC and suggest that it constitutes a useful tool for studying LGBTQ+-related conspiracy beliefs in Spanish-speaking contexts. Full article

A set of “stylized facts” about state-backed influence operations now circulates across journalism, policy, and the peer-reviewed literature: that they are monolithic troll armies; that they win by weaponizing moral-emotional language; that they manufacture their own virality; that they learn and optimize against feedback; and that they have become indistinguishable from ordinary users. Most rest on single-campaign studies, uncontrolled comparisons, and large-sample significance reported without baselines or multiple-comparison control, and are rarely re-tested. We assemble complete, government-attributed archives of seven state campaigns (25,076,853 tweets from 9071 accounts) with a matched organic-user baseline for five of them, and re-test all five claims under one protocol: pre-registration, Benjamini–Hochberg false-discovery control, permutation nulls, a future-reception placebo, and a takedown-snapshot decomposition. Scoped to these campaigns, every claim weakens or reverses: the operations are narratively segregated, thinly staffed production desks, not a unified army; an organic moral-contagion law fails to replicate in any of them, and a meaningless placebo predicts engagement as well; internal amplification supplies only $0.10$–$5.31\%$ of top-percentile reach; the remainder is captured from an external audience whose composition—genuine organic uptake versus coordination the archive cannot see—is structurally unobservable in takedown data, a limit we state as part of the finding; behavior is scripted, with rare apparent feedback mean-reverting toward baseline; and, while their per-account language has drifted off the 2016 “troll” fingerprint, they still coordinate 7–$70\times$ more tightly than matched real users—a regularity a frozen re-test reproduces, with the language-drift and segregation patterns, across twelve further country-groups. The five verdicts do not carry equal evidentiary weight: three rest on matched-baseline contrasts, one on a placebo-gated temporal design, and one (the moral-emotional claim) on a placebo-anchored test alone, a hierarchy this paper makes explicit. The corrected picture is coherent: an industrial content factory siloed in production but coordinated in execution, whose reach it does not internally manufacture. The detectable signature has migrated from language to coordination: per-account content fingerprints age out, while cross-account coordination remains the durable, cross-national marker. Because these operations run scripts rather than optimize against feedback, an adversary that genuinely optimized—now feasible with large language models—would look measurably different from the operations studied here: a forward warning, not a present finding. The recurring lesson is methodological: on corpora of confirmed manipulation, baseline-free significance reconstructs the analyst’s expectations, and platform and policy decisions rest on those beliefs. Full article

Background/Objectives: Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a major and growing public health concern, yet awareness of its nature, consequences, and management options remains inadequately studied in the Middle Eastern context. In Saudi Arabia, cochlear implantation is provided free of charge through the public healthcare system; however, adult uptake remains critically low, suggesting that awareness—rather than access—constitutes the primary barrier to timely intervention. In collective healthcare cultures, family members play a central role in healthcare decision-making for older individuals, making family-level awareness a critical determinant of early identification and treatment. This study aimed to assess public awareness, beliefs, and attitudes toward ARHL and its management options among adults in Saudi Arabia, applying the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a theoretical framework. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using a structured questionnaire adapted from a previously validated survey, with cultural modifications for the Saudi context. The questionnaire was distributed electronically to adults aged 18 years and above across Saudi Arabia. A total of 506 consenting responses were included in the final analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Results: The majority of participants correctly identified hearing loss as a reduction in the ability to hear (84.6%), and 95.3% regarded good hearing as personally important. However, significant knowledge gaps were observed, with 53.8% believing hearing loss can be cured and 50.4% believing it can be halted. Notably, 34.2% believed cochlear implants benefit children exclusively. Doctors and the internet were the primary sources of medical information, yet 39.3% reported no preventive healthcare visits and 23.9% did not seek any information about hearing problems. When faced with a hypothetical hearing loss, 75.3% indicated they would consult an ENT specialist. Conclusions: Adults in Saudi Arabia demonstrate good awareness of the signs and consequences of hearing loss but exhibit significant knowledge gaps regarding its clinical course and available management options, most notably the belief that cochlear implantation is exclusively a pediatric intervention. These findings highlight the urgent need for culturally adapted awareness campaigns targeting family members of older adults, and support the development of community-based hearing health promotion strategies in Saudi Arabia and comparable collective healthcare societies. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cervical cancer (CC), mainly caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), is one of the major cancers threatening women’s health in Algeria. However, despite the existence of a cost-effective vaccine, it has not yet been introduced into the national vaccination program. Recent information indicated that its introduction will be imminent. Thus, the current study was conducted to evaluate the level of awareness and knowledge about CC and HPV among the Algerian population as well as its attitudes toward HPV vaccination. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out between 4 November 2022 and 8 May 2023 using a self-administered questionnaire that was diffused through social media platforms. Results: A total of 414 participants were included in our sample, with the dominance of those aged 18 to 30 years old (74.6%), those with university education (75.8%), and those with a medium financial level (77.5%). A high level of awareness was reported (76.3%), especially among healthcare workers (98.4%, OR: 17.099, 95% CI: 2.294–127.476, sig. = 0.06), participants aged more than 30 years (87.6%, OR: 2.78, 95% CI: 1.313–5.883, sig. = 0.008), and females (85.1%, OR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.15–3.548, sig. = 0.014). However, the level of knowledge did not follow, since less than a third (32.1%) of the participants only were aware of HPV, and multiple gaps were reported regarding its epidemiology and its prevention. Moreover, while 30.8% of the participants were willing to get the HPV vaccine, 40.5% were hesitant, and 27.7% were resistant. The causes of rejection/hesitancy included mainly complacency, vaccine refusal, and the lack of confidence in the vaccine. In addition, hesitant and reluctant participants have shown a low level of knowledge and a high score of conspiracy beliefs. Conclusions: These results provide new insights into knowledge and attitudes towards CC and HPV vaccination. It reported that despite the high level of awareness about CC, gaps of knowledge remain and vaccination hesitancy/reluctance is persistent. These results suggest the need for raising awareness particularly about HPV which will consequently help to increase HPV vaccine acceptance. Full article

This article examines heritage language transmission within Chinese migrant families in Italy, focussing on the role of Family Language Policy and the interplay between standard (Putonghua) and non-standard local varieties (fangyan). Drawing on semi-structured interviews with six families and the primary school teachers of their children (aged 6–8), the study adopts a multi-perspective design to explore how reported language practices, beliefs, and attitudes interact across family and school domains. Findings indicate a predominant shift towards Putonghua as the primary heritage language, often at the expense of fangyan, which tends to be marginalised by parents or reported as being retained only as passive competence among children. This shift reflects practical considerations and evaluative orientations related to prestige, usefulness, and standardisation. Variation across families shows that alternative orientations persist, with one family valuing fangyan for intergenerational continuity. Teachers’ perspectives further suggest a limited awareness of internal linguistic diversity within the student population. The convergence of family-driven shifts and school-based perceptions may contribute to processes of increasing standardisation in the representation and transmission of heritage varieties. This article contributes to research on heritage language maintenance by offering contextually situated insights into how the interplay between social actors and contextual factors may shape linguistic diversity within diasporic communities. Full article

Background: Recovery between repeated high-intensity efforts is essential to limit fatigue and performance decline in soccer. This study examined the effects of cold water immersion (CWI), foam rolling (FR), and passive recovery during a 15 min interval between two 5 m shuttle run tests (5mSRTs) on physical performance, perceptual responses, and biochemical markers of muscle damage and inflammation. Methods: Fifteen soccer players (age: 22.6 ± 2.03 years) completed passive recovery, FR, and lower-body CWI at 15 °C in a randomized crossover design. Creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), aspartate transaminase (AST), delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and belief questionnaire scores were assessed before the first 5mSRT and immediately after, and then 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after the second 5mSRT. Results: Between the first and the second 5mSRT, TD remained unchanged following CWI (p = 0.21), whereas significant decreases were observed following passive recovery (p = 0.025) and FR (p = 0.028). Also, BD decreased after passive recovery (p = 0.03). At 48 h, CWI elicited lower CK (p = 0.01) and LDH (p = 0.003) than passive recovery, whereas FR resulted in lower AST concentrations (p = 0.01). Participants reported higher belief scores following CWI and FR than passive recovery throughout the recovery period (p < 0.05). No between-condition differences were observed for FI, PD, RPE, DOMS, or CRP (all p > 0.05). Conclusions: CWI may help preserve repeated-running performance and attenuate selected markers of muscle damage following repeated high-intensity intermittent exercise in soccer players, whereas FR demonstrated only limited physiological effects. Full article

Critically using generative AI (genAI) tools, such as comparing their outputs with other sources or the literature, is vital for students to avoid risks of reduced cognitive processing and inaccurate results. We propose two potential protective factors against these risks: knowledge about genAI and the disposition to engage in critical thinking encompassing epistemic orientation (i.e., a tendency to move away from more absolutist beliefs toward more evaluativist beliefs) and intellectual values (i.e., viewing intellectual engagement as worthwhile). Our correlational study with 67 undergraduate psychology students (59 female; mean age = 22.58) aimed to investigate how these factors predict students’ critical use of genAI. Regression and correlation analyses revealed that both knowledge about genAI and the disposition to engage in critical thinking predicted the critical use of genAI. Exploratory analyses revealed that students’ knowledge about genAI partly comprises misconceptions (i.e., incorrect knowledge with high confidence) and their critical genAI use correlates with need for cognition (NFC). These findings suggest that higher education institutions should implement interventions targeting conceptual misconceptions as well as epistemic orientation and intellectual values. Consequently, future research should experimentally evaluate such interventions to foster responsible AI engagement in higher education. Full article