Objectives We aimed to assess the characteristics and health status of a study sample using social media WeChat and to identify the association between social media usage and depressive symptoms among people aged 45 and older in China. Methods Data were drawn from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Depressive symptoms were measured by the 10-item form of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10). The propensity score matching method (PSM) was performed to balance the characteristics of WeChat users and non-WeChat users. Multilevel logistic regression was used to test the association between the incidence of depressive symptoms and WeChat usage by introducing covariates step by step. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to estimate the robustness of the primary findings. Results A total of 5415 matching cases out of 11,338 total sample were used in this study to generate the final analysis. A multilevel logistic regression model showed that a significantly lower incidence of depression was related to WeChat usage after adjusting for all possible covariates (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.62–0.94). The most popular WeChat functions used by the study population were watching news (80.4%), posting Moment messages (75.5%), chatting with friends (66.0%), and watching videos (65.2%). The sensitivity analysis yielded similar findings to the primary analyses. Conclusions Using social media WeChat showed an association with lower depressive symptoms among people aged ≥45 and older in our study sample. Further studies need to be explored on the promotion and education of social media WeChat usage, targeting the improvement of mental health-related issues through social network connections.
Oral hygiene is a critical element of patient care, particularly among patients who need ventilator-assisted equipment. The objective of this study was to explore the current status of oral care practices, attitudes, education and knowledge among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses caring for ventilator-assisted patients in 3A hospitals in mainland China. To achieve this aim, an 18-item self-assessment questionnaire was mailed to head ICU nurses in 189 Grade 3A hospitals. Additional data were collected through in-person interviews at 38 ICUs throughout Sichuan, Shanxi, Jiangsu provinces, as well as Chongqing and Beijing. We found that most ICUs conducted oral examinations at patient admission, and that this care was largely provided by nurses. The most common oral care methods were foam swabs and mouth rinse containing antibiotics or disinfectants. Although the majority of ICUs provided continuing training for oral care, and most training was conducted by head nurses, the content and scope of training were not consistent among the hospitals in the study. The most popular sources of oral care knowledge were academic journals, Internet and professional books. Overall, it is clear that an evidence-based oral care standard manual is urgently needed for oral practice in ICUs in mainland China.
Objectives Limited information is known about preventive dental visits (PDVs) before seven years of age among children in China. This study aimed to examine the early PDV rate, identify the impact of PDV on dental caries and untreated dental caries, and explore the factors related to PDV among Chinese sampled children under seven years old. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in five selected primary health care facilities in Chengdu, China, from May to August 2021. Parent–child dyads during regular systematic medical management were recruited to participate. Children's dental caries were identified through dental examinations and documented as decayed, missing and filled teeth index (dmft) by trained primary care physicians. Dental-related information was collected through a questionnaire. Zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression was used to test the effect of early PDV on the dmft value, and logistic regression was used to analyse impact factors on the early PDV. Results A total of 2028 out of 2377 parent–child dyads were qualified for analysis. Half of the children (50.4%) were male, with a mean age of 4.8 years. Among all the children, 12.1% had their first dental visit for preventive purposes, 34.4% had their first dental visit for symptomatic purposes, and more than half had never visited a dentist. The results showed that a lower dmft value (adjusted OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.48–0.84), a higher rate of caries-free (aOR: 6.5, 95% CI: 3.93–10.58), and a lower rate of untreated dental caries (aOR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.21–0.76) were associated with early PDV utilization. Children who had a higher rate of PDV were positively associated with living in a family with better parental behaviours (aOR: 2.30, 95% CI: 1.71–3.08), better parental oral health perception (aOR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.06–1.32), fathers who had no untreated caries (aOR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.47–0.97), families with higher socioeconomic status (aOR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.04–1.16), and dental health advice received from well-child care physicians (aOR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.08–2.00). Conclusions Early PDV was associated with a lower rate of dental caries prevalence and untreated dental caries among sampled children younger than seven in Western China. Underutilization and social inequities existed in PDV utilization. Public health strategies should be developed to increase preventive dental visits and eliminate social disparities that prevent dental care utilization.
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