Confronting Challenges
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
To Vaccinate or not to Vaccinate?: The People’s Preparedness and Readiness for Covid-19 Vaccination as a Health Behavior Demand Post-Pandemic View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mohd Taufik Mohammad
Covid-19 is one of the most devastating pandemics humans have ever experienced. As a result, individuals around the world are encouraged to take up health behaviors such as to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Taking up the Covid-19 vaccination is especially encouraged as it enhances community-level health, by which one’s health beliefs and sense of moral responsibility might play a role in the decision making. In our mixed-design study, we explored how individuals’ health beliefs (as conceptualized by Health Belief Model) and moral responsibility interplay to influence their status of Covid-19 vaccination. We surveyed 443 Malaysians regarding their beliefs related to Covid-19, the vaccination, and their sense of moral responsibility to see if it predicts their vaccination status. Our findings showed a perplexing relationship between the respondents’ health beliefs and their vaccination status, where the low level of perceived threat of Covid-19 as a disease predicts a positive vaccination status. In addition, we found that moral responsibility does not significantly predict vaccination status of the respondents. Our qualitative data seem to point to the possibility of the disparate properties between the views towards the Covid-19 as a disease and the vaccination itself.
Climate Crisis, Colonialism, and Indigenous Food Security: The Case of Canada View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Francis Adu-Febiri, Jacqueline M. Quinless
The lasting impacts of colonization and climate change have contributed to the lack of affordability, accessibility, and availability of healthy, land-based foods for Indigenous peoples, which has become increasingly urgent as global warming is experienced differently among Indigenous peoples than non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Historical and ongoing encroachment of colonial entities onto Indigenous lands and waterways have severely impacted food systems and sustainable practices. In this paper, we discuss the lingering impacts of colonialism, such as the finding that Indigenous women often experience higher rates of food insecurity than men, using gender-based intersectional analysis (GBA+). Overall, we situate climate change using gender-based analysis for different Indigenous peoples situated in Canada in relation to settler colonialism food security and community well-being.
Children’s Experiences of Post-lockdown Cities: Exploring the Role of COVID-19 Policies on Urban Children’s Happiness View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session María Jesús Alfaro-Simmonds
This paper explores the ways in which urban and social policies concerning COVID-19 restrictions have affected and transformed children's access, use, and perceptions of the urban space. Thus, it seeks to understand how COVID-19 had reshaped the everyday experiences of happiness for young urban dwellers. The study draws on data from a social survey applied between the months of May and June 2022, in two Mexican cities. Participants included children aged 8-11, sampled from different socio-economic groups and geographical areas of each city. Analysis of the data demonstrates that despite restrictions being lifted, children remain restricted from navigating the city due to parental fear of the virus. The study also reveals that a high number of children are personally still afraid of going out due to fear of getting COVID-19. The most missed places for children in Mexico are parks, sport areas, public squares fast-food restaurants and cinemas and theatres. Findings from this study highlight the lack of consideration of children as urban citizens when developing social and urban policies that affect urban everyday life. Thus, it calls for consideration of a more child-friendly approach to urban and social policy. Consequently, it places a valuable opportunity to incorporate children’s views and voices into policy, planning, and management of post-COVID-19 cities.
