Articles

The effect of HIV educational interventions on HIV-related knowledge, condom use, and HIV incidence in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

As high stigmatization of HIV and relatively low knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention measures persist in Sub-Saharan Africa, the improvement of HIV-related knowledge, and the evaluation of which types...

Authors: Lena Faust and Sanni Yaya

Cardiovascular risk factors with an emphasis on hypertension in the Mura Indians from Amazonia

The Brazilian indigenous population is currently undergoing a process of epidemiological transition regarding the occurrence of communicable diseases, malnutrition and non-communicable chronic diseases. Chroni...

Authors: Zilmar Augusto de Souza Filho, Alaidistânia Aparecida Ferreira, Juliano dos Santos, Karina Cardoso Meira and Angela Maria Geraldo Pierin

Cost-effectiveness of a complex intervention to reduce children’s exposure to second-hand smoke in the home

Second-hand smoke (SHS) causes numerous health problems in children such as asthma, respiratory tract infections and sudden infant death syndrome. The home is the main source of exposure to SHS for children, p...

Authors: Charlotte Renwick, Qi Wu, Magdalena Opazo Breton, Rebecca Thorley, John Britton, Sarah Lewis, Elena Ratschen and Steve Parrott

Letter to editor: careful literature search and exact data extraction are milestones of a meta-analysis: the case of dairy consumption and hip fracture

In a recent issue of the BMC Public Health journal, Bian et al. described the results of an interesting meta-analysis on the association between dairy products consumption and risk of hip fracture. Although th...

Authors: Hanieh Malmir and Ahmad Esmaillzadeh

Design and implementation of RESCUR in Sweden for promoting resilience in children: a study protocol

This research program aims to investigate the implementation and effects of a theoretically promising prevention method. It is being developed in a European research collaboration within a Comenius project (20...

Authors: Charli Eriksson, Birgitta Kimber and Therése Skoog

Impact of maternal ART on mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV at six weeks postpartum in Rwanda

In 2010, Rwanda adopted ART for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV from pregnant women living with HIV during pregnancy and breasfeeding period. This study examines rates of mother-to-child-tran...

Authors: Placidie Mugwaneza, Alexandre Lyambabaje, Aline Umubyeyi, James Humuza, Landry Tsague, Fabian Mwanyumba, Vincent Mutabazi, Sabin Nsanzimana, Muhayimpundu Ribakare, Ange Irakoze, Emmanuel Mutaganzwa, Carl Lombard and Debra Jackson

Short-term changes in nightlife attendance and patron intoxication following alcohol restrictions in Queensland, Australia

This study aims to explore short-term changes following the introduction of alcohol restrictions (most notably 2 am to 3 am last drinks). We examined patterns of nightlife attendance, intoxication, and alcohol...

Authors: Kerri Coomber, Renee Zahnow, Jason Ferris, Nicolas Droste, Richelle Mayshak, Ashlee Curtis, Kypros Kypri, Dominique de Andrade, Kristy Grant, Tanya Chikritzhs, Robin Room, Heng Jiang, Nicholas Taylor, Jake Najman and Peter Miller

Diabetes and TelecommunicationS (DATES) study to support self-management for people with type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial

The increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes and suboptimal glycaemic control in Kuwait requires novel, wide-reaching, low-cost interventions to motivate and mobilise individuals towards more effective self-ma...

Authors: Ebaa Al-Ozairi, Katie Ridge, Etab Taghadom, Nicole de Zoysa, Clare Tucker, Kurtis Stewart, Daniel Stahl and Khalida Ismail

Impaired growth in rural Gambian infants exposed to aflatoxin: a prospective cohort study

Exposure to aflatoxin, a mycotoxin produced by fungi that commonly contaminates cereal crops across sub-Saharan Africa, has been associated with impaired child growth. We investigated the impact of aflatoxin e...

Authors: Sinead Watson, Sophie E. Moore, Momodou K. Darboe, Gaoyun Chen, Yu-Kang Tu, Yi-Ting Huang, Kamilla G. Eriksen, Robin M. Bernstein, Andrew M. Prentice, Christopher P. Wild, Ya Xu, Michael N. Routledge and Yun Yun Gong

Unhealthy dietary patterns among healthcare professionals and students in Mexico

While dietary patterns (DPs) enable the combination of foods that make up a person’s habitual diet to be known, little is known about the DPs of health sector professionals. The objective of this study was to ...

Authors: Alejandra Betancourt-Nuñez, Fabiola Márquez-Sandoval, Laura I. González-Zapata, Nancy Babio and Barbara Vizmanos

Sex and sexual orientation in relation to tobacco use among young adult college students in the US: a cross-sectional study

Sexual minority young adults represent a high-risk population for tobacco use. This study examined cigarette and alternative tobacco product (ATP) use prevalence across sexual orientation (heterosexual, gay/le...

Authors: Jingjing Li, Regine Haardörfer, Milkie Vu, Michael Windle and Carla J. Berg

Protocol for evaluating the impact of a national school policy on physical activity levels in Danish children and adolescents: the PHASAR study - a natural experiment

In 2014 the Danish Government introduced a wide-ranging school reform that applies to all public schools in Denmark. The reform involves changes in several aspects of the school structure and content. In a phy...

Authors: Natascha Holbæk Pedersen, Sofie Koch, Kristian Traberg Larsen, Peter Lund Kristensen, Jens Troelsen, Niels Christian Møller, Jan Christian Brønd, Jacob von Bornemann Hjelmborg, Søren Brage and Anders Grøntved

Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension and their determinants: results from a national survey in Kenya

Hypertension is the most important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and the leading cause of death worldwide. Despite growing evidence that the prevalence of hypertension is rising in sub-Saharan Africa...

Authors: Shukri F. Mohamed, Martin K. Mutua, Richard Wamai, Frederick Wekesah, Tilahun Haregu, Pamela Juma, Loise Nyanjau, Catherine Kyobutungi and Elijah Ogola

Tobacco use and its determinants in the 2015 Kenya WHO STEPS survey

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2015, over 1.1 billion people smoked tobacco, which represents around 15% of the global population. In Africa, around one in five adults smoke tobacco. The ...

Authors: Christine Ngaruiya, Hussein Abubakar, Dorcas Kiptui, Ann Kendagor, Melau W Ntakuka, Philip Nyakundi and Gladwell Gathecha

Prevalence and predictors of injuries in Kenya: findings from the national STEPs survey

Injuries are becoming an increasingly important public health challenge globally, and are responsible for 9% of deaths. Beyond their impact on health and well-being, fatal and non-fatal injuries also affect so...

Authors: Gladwell Koku Gathecha, Christine Ngaruiya, Wilfred Mwai, Ann Kendagor, Scholastica Owondo, Loise Nyanjau, Duncan Kibogong, Wilson Odero and Joseph Kibachio

Individual and household level factors associated with presence of multiple non-communicable disease risk factors in Kenyan adults

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), are increasing globally, causing about 60% of disability-adjusted life years and 39.8 million deaths in 2015. Risk factors often cluster and interact multiplicatively in an in...

Authors: Frederick M Wekesah, Loise Nyanjau, Joseph Kibachio, Martin K Mutua, Shukri F Mohamed, Diederick E Grobbee, Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch, Christine Ngaruiya, Tilahun N Haregu, Gershim Asiki and Catherine K Kyobutungi

Pilot field testing of the chronic pain classification for ICD-11: the results of ecological coding

A task force of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) has developed a classification of chronic pain for the ICD-11 consisting of seven major categories. The objective was to test whether ...

Authors: Antonia Barke, Beatrice Korwisi, Hans-Raimund Casser, Egil A. Fors, Christian Geber, Stephan A. Schug, Audun Stubhaug, Takahiro Ushida, Thomas Wetterling, Winfried Rief and Rolf-Detlef Treede

Non-communicable diseases surveillance: overview of magnitude and determinants in Kenya from STEPwise approach survey of 2015

Authors: Richard G Wamai, Andre Pascal Kengne and Naomi Levitt

Trends in the ease of cigarette purchase among Korean adolescents: evidence from the Korea youth risk behavior web-based survey 2005–2016

According to the Juvenile Protection Act in Korea, no one is allowed to sell, rent, or distribute tobacco products to adolescents. Furthermore, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 16 prohibits ...

Authors: Seo Young Kang, Jung Ah. Lee and Hong-Jun Cho

Prevalence and determinants of heavy episodic drinking among adults in Kenya: analysis of the STEPwise survey, 2015

Globally, alcohol consumption contributes to 3.3 million deaths and 5.1% of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), and its use is linked with more than 200 disease and injury conditions. Our study assessed th...

Authors: Anne Kendagor, Gladwell Gathecha, Melau W Ntakuka, Philip Nyakundi, Samuel Gathere, Dorcas Kiptui, Hussein Abubakar, Oren Ombiro, Pamela Juma and Christine Ngaruiya

Socioeconomic, demographic and lifestyle-related factors associated with unhealthy diet: a cross-sectional study of university students

Food habits are important to promote and maintain good health throughout life, and unhealthy diet is a modifiable and preventable risk factor. University students are a key group of adults among whom to promot...

Authors: Roberto Martinez-Lacoba, Isabel Pardo-Garcia, Elisa Amo-Saus and Francisco Escribano-Sotos

Prevalence and factors associated with pre-diabetes and diabetes mellitus in Kenya: results from a national survey

Diabetes Mellitus is one of the four major non-communicable diseases causing about 4 million deaths in 2017. By 2040, low income countries are projected to experience 92% increase in mortality due to diabetes....

Authors: Shukri F Mohamed, Martin Mwangi, Martin K Mutua, Joseph Kibachio, Abubakar Hussein, Zachary Ndegwa, Scholastica Owondo, Gershim Asiki and Catherine Kyobutungi

Predictors of cervical cancer screening among Kenyan women: results of a nested case-control study in a nationally representative survey

Cervical cancer is a major public health concern in Kenya. It is the leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality among women. Although screening is an effective prevention method, uptake is low among eligi...

Authors: Anne Ng’ang’a, Mary Nyangasi, Nancy G Nkonge, Eunice Gathitu, Joseph Kibachio, Peter Gichangi, Richard G Wamai and Catherine Kyobutungi

Patterns of non-communicable disease and injury risk factors in Kenyan adult population: a cluster analysis

Non-communicable diseases and unintentional injuries are emerging public health problems in sub-Saharan Africa. These threats have multiple risk factors with complex interactions. Though some studies have expl...

Authors: Tilahun Nigatu Haregu, Frederick M Wekesah, Shukri F Mohamed, Martin K Mutua, Gershim Asiki and Catherine Kyobutungi

Prevalence and correlates of exposure to second hand smoke (SHS) among 14 to 15 year old schoolchildren in a medical officer of health area in Sri Lanka

Despite reports that Southeast Asia has one of the highest prevalence for childhood exposure to second hand smoke (SHS), there are limited data on SHS exposure among schoolchildren in individual countries in t...

Authors: A. M. A. A. P. Alagiyawanna, Esther Queenie Veerasingam and Nick Townsend

Dietary risk factors for non-communicable diseases in Kenya: findings of the STEPS survey, 2015

Burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD) is increasing worldwide. Risk factor surveillance informs public health interventions in NCD control. This study describes the dietary risk factors for NCD found in th...

Authors: Valerian Mwenda, Martin Mwangi, Loise Nyanjau, Muthoni Gichu, Catherine Kyobutungi and Joseph Kibachio

Prevalence and predictors of physical inactivity levels among Kenyan adults (18–69 years): an analysis of STEPS survey 2015

Physical inactivity accounts for more than 3 million deaths worldwide, and is implicated in causing 6% of coronary heart diseases, 7% of diabetes, and 10% of colon or breast cancer. Globally, research has show...

Authors: Muthoni Gichu, Gershim Asiki, Pamela Juma, Joseph Kibachio, Catherine Kyobutungi and Elijah Ogola

Correction to: Factors associated with late presentation of cervical cancer cases at a district hospital: a retrospective study

It has been highlighted, that the original article [1] contained errors in Fig. 1. On the 3rd level, the first box should read “Records with any required information = 157” and the second box should read “Reco...

Authors: Priscilla Dunyo, Kofi Effah and Emilia Asuquo Udofia

The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of community-based lay distribution of HIV self-tests in increasing uptake of HIV testing among adults in rural Malawi and rural and peri-urban Zambia: protocol for STAR (self-testing for Africa) cluster randomized evaluations

Knowledge of HIV status remains below target in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among men and adolescents. HIV self-testing (HIVST) is a novel approach that enables unique distribution strategies, with potentia...

Authors: Melissa Neuman, Pitchaya Indravudh, Richard Chilongosi, Marc d’Elbée, Nicola Desmond, Katherine Fielding, Bernadette Hensen, Cheryl Johnson, Phillip Mkandawire, Alwyn Mwinga, Mutinta Nalubamba, Gertrude Ncube, Lot Nyirenda, Rose Nyrienda, Eveline Otte im Kampe, Miriam Taegtmeyer…

Trajectories of work disability and unemployment among young adults with common mental disorders

Labour-market marginalisation (LMM) and common mental disorders (CMDs) are serious societal problems. The aims were to describe trajectories of LMM (both work disability and unemployment) among young adults wi...

Authors: Magnus Helgesson, Petter Tinghög, Mo Wang, Syed Rahman, Fredrik Saboonchi and Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz

Stated and revealed preferences for HIV testing: can oral self-testing help to increase uptake amongst truck drivers in Kenya?

Long-distance truck drivers in Africa are particularly at risk of HIV acquisition and offering self-testing could help increase testing coverage in this hard-to-reach population. The aims of this study are two...

Authors: Michael Strauss, Gavin George, Joanne E. Mantell, Matthew L. Romo, Eva Mwai, Eston N. Nyaga, Jacob O. Odhiambo, Kaymarlin Govender and Elizabeth A. Kelvin

Measures that increase social equality are effective in improving life satisfaction in times of economic crisis

The financial crisis of 2008/2009, for some also in 2011, was accompanied by increasing social inequality and unemployment, which strained the welfare generosity systems in many countries. Welfare generosity r...

Authors: Jocelyne Clench-Aas and Arne Holte

A qualitative insight into informal childcare and childhood obesity in children aged 0–5 years in the UK

Previous studies in various countries have found that informal childcare (provided by relatives, friends etc.) was associated with an increased risk of obesity in children aged 0–5 years. However, no qualitati...

Authors: Eleanor Diana Lidgate, Bai Li and Antje Lindenmeyer

White blood cell count and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the Guangzhou biobank cohort study

Several studies have shown positive associations between higher WBC count and deaths from all-causes, CHD, stroke and cancer among occidental populations or developed countries of Asia. No study on the associa...

Authors: Tao Wang, Chao Qiang Jiang, Lin Xu, Wei Sen Zhang, Feng Zhu, Ya Li Jin, G. Neil Thomas, Kar Keung Cheng and Tai Hing Lam

Promoting influenza prevention for elderly people in Hong Kong using health action process approach: study protocol

People 65 years or older are at greater risk of serious complications from the seasonal influenza compared with young. To promote elderly people’s behavioral compliance toward influenza prevention, the aim of ...

Authors: Chun-Qing Zhang, Ru Zhang, Pak-Kwong Chung, Yanping Duan, Joseph Tak fai Lau, Derwin King Chung Chan and Martin S. Hagger

Exploring service providers’ perspectives on the prevention and management of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in South Africa: a qualitative study

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is among the leading causes of developmental and intellectual disabilities in individuals. Although efforts are being made toward the prevention and management of FASD in...

Authors: Babatope O. Adebiyi, Ferdinand C. Mukumbang, Lizahn G. Cloete and Anna-Marie Beytell

Organized screening programmes for breast and cervical cancer in 17 EU countries: trajectories of attendance rates

The aim was to analyse participation trajectories in organised breast and cervical cancer screening programmes and the association between socioeconomic variables and participation.

Authors: Maria Michela Gianino, Jacopo Lenzi, Marco Bonaudo, Maria Pia Fantini, Roberta Siliquini, Walter Ricciardi and Gianfranco Damiani

Effect of timing of mother’s death on child survival in a rural HIV hyper-endemic South African population

Maternal mortality remains a tragedy and a key determinant for child survival. There is increasing evidence that the hazard ratio of demising for young children escalates after the death of their mothers, but ...

Authors: Boikhutso Tlou, Benn Sartorius and Frank Tanser

A health communication intervention to integrate partner testing with antiretroviral therapy service among men who have sex with men in China: an observational cohort study

In China, antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinics focus on treating people living with HIV and are not required to undertake testing of high-risk populations. To improve partner testing among MSM, we implemented ...

Authors: Yuting Lian, Yan Zhao, Joyce Wang, Cynthia Shi, Kerong Wang, Xia Wang, Guohui Wu, Hongxia Wei, Xiaoli Wei, Yan Luo, Min Zhao and Zunyou Wu

A randomised controlled trial examining the efficacy of smoking-related response inhibition training in smokers: a study protocol

Smoking is one of the leading preventable causes of illness and premature death worldwide. Despite a variety of effective treatments, relapse rates remain high, and novel, innovative interventions are needed i...

Authors: Petra K. Staiger, Melissa J. Hayden, Karen Guo, Laura K. Hughes, Jason Bos and Natalia S. Lawrence

A systematic review of prevention interventions to reduce prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in indigenous communities

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a preventable, lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD negatively impacts individual Indigenous communities around the world. Al...

Authors: Martyn Symons, Rebecca Anne Pedruzzi, Kaashifah Bruce and Elizabeth Milne

Determinants of participation in voluntary work: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies

Participation in voluntary work may be associated with individual and societal benefits. Because of these benefits and as a result of challenges faced by governments related to population ageing, voluntary wor...

Authors: Jacobien Niebuur, Lidy van Lente, Aart C. Liefbroer, Nardi Steverink and Nynke Smidt

Protocol for the IDEAL-2 longitudinal study: following the experiences of people with dementia and their primary carers to understand what contributes to living well with dementia and enhances active life

There is a major need for longitudinal research examining the experiences of people with dementia and their primary carers, as relatively little is known about how the factors associated with capability to ‘li...

Authors: Barbora Silarova, Sharon M. Nelis, Rosalie M. Ashworth, Clive Ballard, Marta Bieńkiewicz, Catherine Henderson, Alexandra Hillman, John V. Hindle, Julian C. Hughes, Ruth A. Lamont, Rachael Litherland, Ian R. Jones, Roy W. Jones, Martin Knapp, Piers Kotting, Anthony Martyr…

Why are the public so positive about colorectal cancer screening?

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is widely recommended. Earlier research showed that the general public are positive about CRC screening, as too the eligible CRC screening population. Among the eligible CRC s...

Authors: Linda N. Douma, Ellen Uiters and Danielle R. M. Timmermans

Early maternal perceived stress and children’s BMI: longitudinal impact and influencing factors

Maternal perceived stress has been discussed to contribute to the development of childhood overweight. Our aim was to investigate the longitudinal relationship of early maternal perceived stress and BMI z-scor...

Authors: Beate Leppert, Kristin M. Junge, Stefan Röder, Michael Borte, Gabriele I. Stangl, Rosalind J. Wright, Anja Hilbert, Irina Lehmann and Saskia Trump

Work-related musculoskeletal problems related to laboratory training in university medical science students: a cross sectional survey

Work-related musculoskeletal problems impact everyday function, working ability, and quality of life. Unaddressed musculoskeletal problems can lead to major injury and loss of function, contributing to partici...

Authors: Stefania Penkala, Hannan El-Debal and Kristy Coxon

Household chaos and screen media use among preschool-aged children: a cross-sectional study

Excess screen media use is a robust predictor of childhood obesity. Understanding how household factors may affect children’s screen use is needed to tailor effective intervention efforts. The preschool years ...

Authors: Jennifer A. Emond, Lucy K. Tantum, Diane Gilbert-Diamond, Sunny Jung Kim, Reina K. Lansigan and Sara Benjamin Neelon

Prices, peers, and perceptions (P3): study protocol for improved biomass cookstove project in northern Ghana

Despite their potential health and social benefits, adoption and use of improved cookstoves has been low throughout much of the world. Explanations for low adoption rates of these technologies include prices that...

Authors: Katherine L. Dickinson, Maxwell Dalaba, Zachary S. Brown, Rex Alirigia, Evan R. Coffey, Elise Mesenbring, Manies Achazanaga, Desmond Agao, Moro Ali, Ernest Kanyomse, Julius Awaregya, Clifford Amoah Adagenera, John Bosco A. Aburiya, Bernard Gubilla, Abraham Rexford Oduro and Michael P. Hannigan

Maternal grand multiparity and intention to use modern contraceptives in Nigeria

Grand multiparity and low contraceptive prevalence are dominant among Nigerian women. These elevate the risk of unintended pregnancies, high-risk fertility and adverse maternal and child health outcomes among ...

Authors: Bola Lukman Solanke, Olufunmilola Olufunmilayo Banjo, Bosede Odunola Oyinloye and Soladoye Sunday Asa

The association between fetal-stage exposure to the China famine and risk of diabetes mellitus in adulthood: results from the China health and retirement longitudinal study

The associations of famine exposure with diabetes risk in adulthood are still unclear. This study aimed to explore the association between famine exposure in early life and risk of diabetes in adulthood.

Authors: Zhenghe Wang, Zhiyong Zou, Zhongping Yang, Yanhui Dong, Jieyun Song, Bin Dong, Jun Ma and Luke Arnold