Abstract

In highway construction projects, labor-oriented work is an integral part of the management process, requiring analysis of factors affecting labor productivity during the Covid-19 pandemic. This research identified 53 influential factors affecting construction labor productivity at selected cities and towns in Cagayan Valley Region, Philippines. Due to the pandemic, the construction industries incurred substantial profit losses. More so, the construction workers are too much affected because of the Enhance Community Quarantine (ECQ) imposed by the local government. Results indicated there was laxity on the Covid-19 protocols. No health worker in the project site ranked the highest in the health & safety factor group with an RII of 0.97 and ranked 1st among 53 factors on the different groups. Besides, no safety engineer was assigned to the projects and ranked 2nd with an RII of 0.93. Among the 7 groups of factors, the health and safety group ranked 1st with 0.81, followed by the schedule compression group with an RII of 0.78. Hence, these two groups of factors have a strong relationship, as evidenced by the number of workers reduced. It was learned that the contractors’ strategy was to increase the number of working days to cope with their schedules. Hypothesis testing supported that there are various significant factors influencing labor productivity loss during the Covid-19 pandemic, as suggested by more than 50% of the respondents.

Abstract

This research aims to identify and analyze the various factors affecting construction labor productivity covering the period from December 9, 2020, to January 31, 2021, a year after it was declared Covid-19 a pandemic. Due to the pandemic effect, the local government units in four selected study areas imposed intermittent Enhance Community Quarantine on all places to control the Coronavirus spread in compliance with the health department protocol. Fifty-five questionnaires returned out of 63 distributed are tabulated according to each group-related factor. The correlation analysis resulted in the highest coefficient value of 0.89 between the CTDEO and contractor groups. Meaning, most respondents have the same perception of the factors affecting construction's low labor productivity. Besides, results depicted that the absence of health workers on the construction site ranked 1st in the health & safety provision factor group with an RII of 0.97, followed by no safety engineers on the construction project sites with an RII of 0.93. From all the seven groups of factors, the health and safety group-related factors ranked 1st with an RII of 0.81, next, the schedule compression group with an RII of 0.78. Hypothesis testing asserted that working six days per week was one of the significant factors affecting labor productivity on the contractor's side, suggested by more than 50% of the respondents. The workforce group-related factors with an RII of 0.77 demonstrated a slight difference with the schedule compression group-related factors. Thus, the Covid-19 pandemic has a significant effect on the essential factors affecting construction's low labor productivity.

Abstract

The scientific report presents a study conducted by the Research Center of Socio-Political Monitoring of the School of Public Policy and Management at RANEPA Institute for Social Sciences. The relevance of the study: Preserving and strengthening the health of the population is a priority task for the Russian state. Currently, this problem is acquiring special significance in the context of changes in the social reality associated with a challenging COVID-19 pandemic situation. The purpose of the study is to analyze the behavioral strategies of the population related to maintaining and improving their health. The objectives of the study are related to assessing the degree of influence of the main behavioral factors on the health and social well-being of the citizens, with an assessment of the measures taken by the state to form behavioral strategies of the population aimed at protecting and strengthening their health. The subject of the study is the prevalence of various types of behavioral strategies and their impact on the health status and social well-being of representatives of different socio-demographic groups and strata. Methods: The main source of empirical information was the all-Russian sociological survey of the population, conducted on April 8-19, 2021 using the method of formalized personal interviews at the respondents’ place of residence. 1,500 people aged 18 and over were interviewed in 30 regions of the Russian Federation. Results: The study records an increase in the people’s positive self-perception of their health over the past two decades; at the same time, the respondents are susceptible to a wide range of diseases. There is an increase in demand for qualified medical care in case of illness; however, self-medication remains widespread, which can negatively affect people's health. The people’s actual behavior often does not correspond to their ideas about a healthy lifestyle. Russians do not have a well-developed culture of healthy lifestyles; they lack the habit of daily positive activities to maintain and strengthen their health. In general, the results of the study show insufficiency of the measures taken by the state to create conditions for strengthening the public health. Conclusions. The problems identified show the need to increase the availability of medical care, improve health awareness of the public, expand incentives for self-preservation and health promotion. Scientific novelty. The value of this study lies in obtaining up-to-date information on the priorities of the Russian citizens, their self-preservation behavior in a force majeure situation of an epidemiological crisis and its consequences, which can contribute to promoting managerial decisions in healthcare and social development that are adequate to the needs of the population.  

Abstract

Developing and successfully implementing effective vaccination programs requires understanding the peculiarities of the people’s attitude towards vaccination. The prevalence of indecision regarding vaccination (understood as refusing or postponing vaccination despite the availability of vaccines) among the population can undermine the formation of collective immunity and compromise the effectiveness of vaccination programs. The goal of this work is to analyze the key factors influencing the people’s behavior and attitude towards vaccination. For this purpose, the authors review domestic and foreign studies devoted of the public behavior and attitude towards vaccination. As a result, three large groups of factors of population behavior in relation to vaccination are described: individual, organizational, and contextual. The most important socio-demographic predictors of readiness to be vaccinated are age and level of education. Such psychological features as the presence of cognitive distortions, intuitive thinking style, highly reactive temperament type contribute to indecision regarding vaccination. Other significant determinants of the readiness for vaccination are a high level of trust in the government, political actors, science and health authorities, social and interpersonal trust. In the context of the pandemic, concerns about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and unknown long-term side effects have become the main reasons for hesitation regarding vaccination. At the same time, awareness about the vaccines and the diseases they prevent, the availability of reliable and transparent information is positively associated with the willingness to get vaccinated. The intention to get vaccinated will be higher if the perceived probability of COVID-19 infection is high and the expected consequences for one's own and others’ health and well-being are assessed as serious. Previous vaccination experience, the presence of those vaccinated against COVID-19 and/or those who have contracted the disease in one’s social environment can act as the incentives for vaccination. The most important organizational factors contributing to a positive attitude and desire to get vaccinated are the availability of vaccination services, high awareness of the vaccines and a positive attitude towards them on the part of medical professionals. At the same time, the short development time of the new vaccines, the novelty of some platforms carrying the COVID-19 vaccine antigen, contribute to indecision regarding vaccination. Contextual factors include historical, political, and socio-cultural factors, as well as the state of the communication and information environment.

Abstract

The goal of this work is a dynamic and numerical study of a compartmental mathematical model in order to know the evolution of state variables of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 on red spotlights in México. The model include 7 compartments and the results were compared with the classic SIR model, resulting that our predictions adjusted better the official data. A parameter sensitivity analysis is included.

Abstract

La pandemia por el virus SARS-CoV-2 mostró la necesidad de realizar estudios multidisciplinarios que ayudaran a entender el riesgo de mortalidad por COVID-19. En este trabajo se buscó determinar la influencia de los factores socioeconómicos que existían dentro de la población mexicana mediante la aplicación del modelo de regresión lineal múltiple, para esto el análisis se hizo a nivel municipal en las 3 primeras olas de la pandemia, definiendo grupos poblacionales homogéneos para identificar cuáles son los factores socioeconómicos que tienen mayor influencia y nos ayudan a describir el riesgo de fallecer por COVID-19 en México.