Malaria is still one of the biggest global health problems, especially in parts of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa, which remains most heavily affected. Despite significant advancements in testing, treatment, and prevention, malaria continues to seriously impact millions, primarily young children and populations in rural and impoverished areas. This paper looks at how the malaria parasite works inside the body, how it avoids the immune system, and how it becomes resistant to current drugs. Thanks to new advances in genetic and biochemical research, scientists are discovering new weak points in the parasite that could lead to better treatments. New vaccines, like RTS, S and R21, along with antibody-based therapies, offer renewed hope; however, extending the duration of the immunity they induce and ensuring effectiveness across diverse parasite strains remain significant challenges. Solving the malaria crisis will require more than science—it also necessitates equitable and timely access to treatments, robust health systems, and international collaboration. Continued research and global cooperation bring the world closer to ending malaria for good.

Background: Screen time (ST) drastically increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is little research on the specific type of ST use, degree of change from before COVID-19, and possible associations with other factors. Young adults are a particular interest since previous studies have shown the detriment ST has on a young person’s health. With the combination of a life-changing pandemic, there are unreached depths regarding ST and young adults. This study aims to provide insight into these unknowns. Objective: This study aims to assess ST in 3 domains (entertainment, social media [SM], and educational/professional) in young adults early in the COVID-19 pandemic; identify trends; and identify any correlations with demographics, mental health, substance abuse, and overall wellness. Methods: An online, cross-sectional observational study was performed from September 2020 to January 2021 with 183 eligible respondents. Data were collected on ST, trauma from COVID-19, anxiety, depression, substance use, BMI, and sleep. Results: The average total ST during COVID-19 was 23.26 hours/week, entertainment ST was 7.98 hours/week, SM ST was 6.79 hours/week, and ST for educational or professional purposes was 8.49 hours/week. For all categories, the average ST during COVID-19 was higher than before COVID-19 (P<.001). We found ST differences between genders, student status, and continent of location. Increased well-being scores during COVID-19 were correlated with greater change in total ST (P=.01). Poorer sleep quality (P=.01) and longer sleep duration (P=.03) were associated with a greater change in entertainment ST (P=.01). More severe depression and more severe anxiety was associated with the amount of entertainment ST (P=.047, P=.03, respectively) and greater percent change in SM (P=.007, P=.002, respectively). Greater stress from COVID-19 was associated with the amount of ST for educational/professional purposes (P=.05), change in total ST (P=.006), change in entertainment ST (P=.01), and change in ST for educational/professional purposes (P=.02). Higher Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) tobacco scores were associated with greater change in total ST (P=.004), and higher pack-years were associated with greater change in SM ST (P=.003). Higher alcohol scores (P=.004) and servings of alcohol per week (P=.003) were associated with greater change in entertainment ST. Quarantining did not negatively impact these variables. Conclusions: There is no doubt ST and worsening mental health increased during COVID-19 in young adults. However, these findings indicate there are many significant associations between ST use and mental health. These associations are more complex than originally thought, especially since we found quarantining is not associated with mental health. Although other factors need to be further investigated, this study emphasizes different types of ST and degree of change in ST affect various groups of people in discrete ways. Acknowledging these findings can help young adults optimize their mental health during pandemics.

Sanyaolu A, et al. Clin Exp Vaccine Res. 2022 Jan;11(1):104-115. https://doi.org/10.7774/cevr.2022.11.1.104

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted global mental health, especially in young adults. Objective: This study assessed the psychological impact COVID-19 had on mental health (i.e., PTSD, anxiety, fear) in young adults ages 18 to 28 and demographic differences in this population. Methods: Data were collected between September 2020 and January 2021 through an online survey. The survey used various questionnaires to collect information that included demographics, COVID-19-related questions (quarantine status, hospitalization history, diagnosis), depression (the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)), anxiety (the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7)), stress from the pandemic (Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R)), and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). 183 responses were validated by inclusion/exclusion criteria. All statistical analyses were set at alpha=0.05. Results: Over 70% of participants (n=129) had at least mild anxiety, nearly 80% of participants (n=136) had at least mild depression, almost 40% (n=61) met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the pandemic, and nearly 50% (n=88) had a high level of fear of COVID-19. Females had higher anxiety scores (t(173)=-3.352, p<.001), depression (t(166)=-3.310, p=.001), and trauma from COVID-19 ((t(151)=-2.004, p=.047) compared to males. Those who identified Hispanic/Latino/a/x had higher depression (F(2,156)=7.761, p<.001) and IES-R scores (F(2,143)=3.999, p=.020). We found that age in 2020 was associated with IES-R total scores F(1,154)=4.230, p=0.041, R2=0.027, adjusted R2=0.2. Those who were mandated a quarantine had lower anxiety (F(2,175)=3.442, p=.034) and depression (F(2,170)=3.092, p=.048) scores than those not mandated. Those who had someone close to them mandated a quarantine had lower anxiety (t(162.184)=2.705, p=.008) and IES-R scores (t(149)=2.169; p=.032) than those not mandated. Those who had someone close to them hospitalized due to a COVID-19 infection had lower anxiety scores (t(127)=2.855, p=.005), depression scores (t(123)=3.111, p=.002), and IES-R scores (t(152)=-1.975, p=.050) than those who did not have someone close to them hospitalized. Conclusions: Overall, we found significant mental health findings with various demographic differences that need further investigation and consideration. Furthermore, we found evidence suggesting the impact of an individual’s social circle on a person’s health during the pandemic. We recommend continued efforts to identify risk factors in vulnerable populations from the pandemic, especially in mental health, and significant public health measures to protect these populations in the future.

BACKGROUND Little research exists on specified screen time (ST) use during the COVID-19 pandemic despite increasing evidence suggesting mental health is declining in people around the world. Since we know that ST has been tied to various wellness factors pre-pandemic, this study assesses ST for entertainment, social media (SM), and educational/professional in people ages 18-28 during COVID-19. OBJECTIVE To gain more insight into how much and what type of ST is correlated with various wellness measures during COVID-19 in young adults worldwide. METHODS An online, cross-sectional observational study was performed from September 2020-January 2021 with 183 eligible respondents. Data was collected on ST, trauma, anxiety, depression, substance use, BMI, and sleep. RESULTS The average total ST during COVID-19 was 23.26 hours/week (sd=16.19, n=179), entertainment was 7.98 hours (sd=6.45, n=180), SM was 6.79 hours (sd=6.41, n=180), and educational/professional purposes was 8.49 hours (sd=7.05, n=179). For all categories, the average ST during COVID-19 was statistically significant compared to before, p<0.001. There was a difference between gender for both the percent change COVID-19 in ST for entertainment (X2(2, n=167)=8.462, p=0.015) and SM (X2(2, n=172)=6.694, p=0.035). There was a difference between students and non-students for total ST (X2(6, n=178)=10.770, p=0.002), entertainment (X2(1, n=179)=5.958, p=0.015), change in total ST (t(176)=-2.774, p=0.006), change in entertainment (t(177)=-3.960, p<0.001), change in SM (t(177)=-2.594, p=0.010), percent change in total ST (t(175)=-2.031,p=0.044), percent change for SM(t(172)=-2.833, p=0.005), and percent change for education/profession uses (t(141)=-2.019, p=0.045). There was also a difference between continents for percent change of education/professional purposes(F(4,139)=[3.634], p=0.008). Increased WHO-5 scores during COVID-19 was correlated with greater change of total ST use (r(175)=0.191, p=0.011). Higher PSQI scores were associated with greater change in entertainment ST (r(99)=0.256, p=0.011). Longer sleep duration was also associated with greater change in entertainment ST (r(180)=0.164, p=0.028). Higher PHQ-9 scores were associated with amount of entertainment ST (F(1,166)=3.987, p=0.047) and greater percent change in SM (r(163)=0.212, p=0.007). Higher GAD-7 scores were associated with greater change in entertainment ST (r(175)=0.169, p=0.026) and greater percent change in SM (r(170)=0.235, p=0.002). Greater IES-R total scores were associated with amount of ST for educational/professional uses (F(1,150)=3.918, p=0.05), change in total ST (r(152)=0.221, p=0.006), change in entertainment ST (r(153)=0.204, p=0.011), and change for educational/professional uses (r(152)=0.185, p=0.023). Higher ASSIST tobacco scores were associated with greater change of total ST (r(32)=0.387, p=0.028) and higher pack years were associated with greater change in ST for SM (r(33)=0.460, p=0.007). Lastly, higher ASSIST alcohol scores (r(114)=0.264, p=0.004) and servings of alcohol per week (r(117)=0.269, p=0.003) were associated with greater change in entertainment ST. CONCLUSIONS ST has indefinite and varying effects, especially psychologically, on people during COVID-19, and it depends upon the type of ST and group of people.

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted global mental health, especially in young adults. OBJECTIVE This study assessed the psychological impact COVID-19 had on mental health (i.e., PTSD, anxiety, fear) in young adults ages 18 to 28 and demographic differences in this population. METHODS Data were collected between September 2020 and January 2021 through an online survey. The survey used various questionnaires to collect information that included demographics, COVID-19-related questions (quarantine status, hospitalization history, diagnosis), depression (the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)), anxiety (the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7)), stress from the pandemic (Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R)), and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). 183 responses were validated by inclusion/exclusion criteria. All statistical analyses were set at alpha=0.05. RESULTS Over 70% of participants (n=129) had at least mild anxiety, nearly 80% of participants (n=136) had at least mild depression, almost 40% (n=61) met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the pandemic, and nearly 50% (n=88) had a high level of fear of COVID-19. Females had higher anxiety scores (t(173)=-3.352, p<.001), depression (t(166)=-3.310, p=.001), and trauma from COVID-19 ((t(151)=-2.004, p=.047) compared to males. Those who identified Hispanic/Latino/a/x had higher depression (F(2,156)=7.761, p<.001) and IES-R scores (F(2,143)=3.999, p=.020). We found that age in 2020 was associated with IES-R total scores F(1,154)=4.230, p=0.041, R2=0.027, adjusted R2=0.2. Those who were mandated a quarantine had lower anxiety (F(2,175)=3.442, p=.034) and depression (F(2,170)=3.092, p=.048) scores than those not mandated. Those who had someone close to them mandated a quarantine had lower anxiety (t(162.184)=2.705, p=.008) and IES-R scores (t(149)=2.169; p=.032) than those not mandated. Those who had someone close to them hospitalized due to a COVID-19 infection had lower anxiety scores (t(127)=2.855, p=.005), depression scores (t(123)=3.111, p=.002), and IES-R scores (t(152)=-1.975, p=.050) than those who did not have someone close to them hospitalized. CONCLUSIONS Overall, we found significant mental health findings with various demographic differences that need further investigation and consideration. Furthermore, we found evidence suggesting the impact of an individual’s social circle on a person’s health during the pandemic. We recommend continued efforts to identify risk factors in vulnerable populations from the pandemic, especially in mental health, and significant public health measures to protect these populations in the future.