BMC Public Health

As a result of the significant disruption that is being caused by the COVID-19 pandemic we are very aware that many researchers will have difficulty in meeting the timelines associated with our peer review process during normal times. Please do let us know if you need additional time. Our systems will continue to remind you of the original timelines but we intend to be highly flexible at this time.

BMC Series Focus Issue

September: Food science and nutrition

For the month of September, the BMC Series is proud to present the monthly focus issue dedicated to food science and nutrition. Browse our biology and medical titles for insight into recent research in the field, including food science, production and safety, food assistance and insecurities, probiotics, the gut, nutrition, diet and their effect on lifestyle and health.

BMC Public Health is recruiting new Editorial Board Members

Click here to learn more about the role and what the requirements are.

Click here to complete the Application Form.

Can mathematical modelling solve the current Covid-19 crisis?

Dr Jasmina Panovska-Griffiths, Associate Editor for BMC Public Health, discusses the Oxford and Imperial mathematical models for COVID-19 in this Editorial.

Featured blog: Integrating Domestic Violence Prevention and Mitigation into Global COVID-19 Preparedness and Relief Efforts

Dr Nafisa Halim, Associate Editor for BMC Public Health discusses the recent increase in domestic violence in light of COVID-19 lockdowns and how prevention is key.

SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19

Find a selection of articles published across Springer Nature, as well as additional commentary and books relevant to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 research.

Supporting equity in academic publishing

New Content Item At BMC, we strive to be inclusive and provide equal opportunities to authors based in low- and middle-income countries who might face challenges in publishing their work. Follow us here for guidance on submitting your research to the BMC Series and get in touch with feedback on what else we can do to help move to a more equitable publishing system.

Vaping epidemic a major threat to public health

Flickr: Sarah Johnson

7th September 2020: Vaping may be more dangerous than ever as early evidence hints that the coronavirus may have an easier time breaking into the bodies of vapers.

Smoking appears to alter the surfaces of certain cells, prompting them to coat themselves with more of a molecule called ACE-2 — the protein the coronavirus uses to break into its targets. However, is biology the only factor at play? Vaping involves hand-to-mouth movement, providing germs an easy path into the airway, which may be exacerbating the effects seen. Evidence also suggests that the coronavirus can affect blood vessels, seeding clots that may suffocate the lungs.

Carrying out research on e-cigarettes or vaping? We would be delighted to consider this. Submit your work here

Want to learn more about vaping? Visit our dedicated page to view research published in BMC Public Health.

Featured article & blog: The challenge of misinformation during disease outbreaks

New Content Item The characterization of Ebola-related tweets from the Ebola communication crisis of 2014 may help to improve communication practices in future outbreaks.

The authors discuss their findings here.

Editor's Picks

Changes in sedentary behavior in European Union adults between 2002 and 2017

Sedentary behavior is on the rise in Europe and particularly in men, with the number of adults spending more than four-and-a-half hours sitting per day having increased by 8% between 2002 and 2017.

Sexual orientation disparities in food insecurity and food assistance use in U.S. adult women

Women disproportionately experience food insecurity, with bisexual women reporting the highest prevalence of food insecurity followed by lesbian women.

Impact of patron saint festivities on cholera in three communes in Haiti

Authors: Kenny Moise, Aude Mélody Achille, Doudou Batumbo, Bertiny Bourdeau, Stanislas Rebaudet, Gérald Lerebours, Jean Hugues Henrys and Christian Raccurt

Content type: Research article

1 October 2020
Reunion Island, a sentinel territory for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria surveillance in the South-Western Indian Ocean: a retrospective survey using hospitalized patient screening, 2015–2017

Authors: Noellie Gay, Nathalie Lugagne, Guillaume Miltgen, Olivier Belmonte and Eric Cardinale

Content type: Research article

1 October 2020
Identifying community physical activity and health resources for treatment of back pain by utilizing members of a physical activity network

Authors: Cara L. Sedney, Treah Haggerty, Samuel Zizzi and Patricia Dekeseredy

Content type: Research article

1 October 2020
Propensity for COVID-19 severe epidemic among the populations of the neighborhoods of Fortaleza, Brazil, in 2020

Authors: Jose Ueleres Braga, Alberto Novaes Ramos Jr, Anderson Fuentes Ferreira, Victor Macêdo Lacerda, Renan Monteiro Carioca Freire and Bruno Vieira Bertoncini

Content type: Research article

1 October 2020
Severe food insecurity associated with mortality among lower-income Canadian adults approaching eligibility for public pensions: a population cohort study

Authors: Fei Men and Valerie Tarasuk

Content type: Research article

1 October 2020

Most recent articles RSS

View all articles

Porn video shows, local brew, and transactional sex: HIV risk among youth in Kisumu, Kenya

Authors: Carolyne Njue, Helene ACM Voeten and Pieter Remes

Content type: Research article

8 August 2011
The weight of nations: an estimation of adult human biomass

Authors: Sarah Catherine Walpole, David Prieto-Merino, Phil Edwards, John Cleland, Gretchen Stevens and Ian Roberts

Content type: Research article

18 June 2012
Health literacy and public health: A systematic review and integration of definitions and models

Authors: Kristine Sørensen, Stephan Van den Broucke, James Fullam, Gerardine Doyle, Jürgen Pelikan, Zofia Slonska and Helmut Brand

Content type: Research article

25 January 2012
Oral and anal sex practices among high school youth in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Authors: Amsale Cherie and Yemane Berhane

Content type: Research article

4 January 2012
Mobile phone use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults - a prospective cohort study

Authors: Sara Thomée, Annika Härenstam and Mats Hagberg

Content type: Research article

31 January 2011

Most accessed articles RSS

View all articles

Aims and scope

BMC Public Health is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on the epidemiology of disease and the understanding of all aspects of public health. The journal has a special focus on the social determinants of health, the environmental, behavioral, and occupational correlates of health and disease, and the impact of health policies, practices and interventions on the community.

The journal welcomes submissions in these broad areas of public health research:

Biostatistics and methods
Chronic disease epidemiology
Dental public health
Digital health
Disaster and emergency preparedness and response
Education and training in public health
Environmental health
Global health and human rights
Health behavior and health promotion
Health communication
Health economics and outcomes research
Health policies, systems and management
Infectious disease epidemiology
Injury and violence prevention
Maternal and child health
Mental health
Nutritional health and epidemiology
Occupational health
Physical activity and health
Public health informatics
Social determinants of health

To read the full scope of the journal, click here.

Press Releases

Take a look at papers published in BMC Public Health that have received national and international press coverage.

Journal Editor

Natalie Pafitis, BMC

Manuscript Editor

Ben Abbott, BMC

Assistant Editors

Megan Barling, BioMed Central

Maxine Dillon, BioMed Central

Featured collection: Ebola research highlights

New Content Item On 17 July 2019, the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. Please click here to find relevant research published in BMC Public Health and other journals.

Call for Papers

Collection open for submissions: Contribution of climate change to the spread of infectious diseases

This cross-journal collection brings together in one place articles outlining diseases (and their vectors) that are likely to spread or are already spreading across borders due to the effects of climate change. The impact of policy implementation or interventions designed to contain the spread of infectious diseases, and studies that could inform future global policy or practical solutions are very much welcome. A full list of participating journals can be found following the link above. Deadline: 31 December 2020.

Collection open for submissions: Environmental justice and policy research

This cross-journal collection calls for papers from a broad range of subject areas that shed light on the contribution that evidence-based research can give to develop better practices and policies towards stronger environmental justice.

Collection open for submissions: Developments in global tobacco and alcohol policy

This cross-journal collection aims to bring together a selection of the latest research and developments surrounding global alcohol and tobacco policy, from a variety of different viewpoints.