Articles

An NIH investment in health equity - the economic impact of the Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions

Health disparities are pervasive and are linked to economic losses in the United States of up to $135 billion per year. The Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions (FCHES) is a Transdisciplinary Collaborative...

Authors: Cristian I. Meghea, Barrett Wallace Montgomery, Roni Ellington, Ling Wang, Clara Barajas, E. Yvonne Lewis, Sheridan T. Yeary, Laurie A. Van Egeren and Debra Furr-Holden

Modeling mortality risk effects of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco: results from the National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality File Data

Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (SLT) products are among a wide range of tobacco products that are addictive and pose a significant health risk. In this study, we estimated smoking- and SLT use-related mortal...

Authors: Esther Salazar, Chunfeng Ren, Brian L. Rostron and Ghideon Solomon

Effectiveness of sexual health influencers identified by an ensemble machine learning model in promoting secondary distribution of HIV self-testing among men who have sex with men in China: study protocol for a quasi-experimental trial

HIV self-testing (HIVST), especially the secondary distribution of HIVST (SD-HIVST) initiated by sexual health influencers (SHIs), has been recognized as an effective strategy in promoting HIV testing, especia...

Authors: Ying Lu, Yuxin Ni, Qianyun Wang, Fengshi Jing, Yi Zhou, Xi He, Shanzi Huang, Wencan Dai, Dan Wu, Joseph D. Tucker, Hongbo Jiang, Liqun Huang and Weiming Tang

Global socioeconomic inequality in the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases and injuries: an analysis on global burden of disease study 2019

Examining the distribution of the burden of different communicable and non-communicable diseases and injuries worldwide can present proper evidence to global policymakers to deal with health inequality. The pr...

Authors: Mehrnoosh Emadi, Sajad Delavari and Mohsen Bayati

Associations of physical activity and sedentary behaviors with child mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in public health and policy measures to reduce in-person contact and the transmission of the virus. These measures impacted daily life and mental well-being (MWB). The aims of th...

Authors: Amanda S. Gilbert, Laurel Schmidt, Alan Beck, Maura M. Kepper, Stephanie Mazzucca and Amy Eyler

Patients at high risk for a severe clinical course of COVID-19 — small-area data in support of vaccination and other population-based interventions in Germany

Research has shown that the risk for a severe course of COVID-19 is increased in the elderly population and among patients with chronic conditions. The aim of this study was to provide estimates of the size of...

Authors: Jakob Holstiege, Manas K. Akmatov, Claudia Kohring, Lotte Dammertz, Frank Ng, Thomas Czihal, Dominik von Stillfried and Jörg Bätzing

Integrating health literacy into a theory-based drug-use prevention program: a quasi-experimental study among junior high students in Taiwan

In Taiwan, illegal drug use is a critical health problem during adolescence. Schools playa vital role in preventing students’ illegal drug use. Accordingly, we developed and evaluated a school-based, drug-use ...

Authors: Li-Chen Lin, Chiu-Mieh Huang, Hsiao-Pei Hsu, Jung-Yu Liao, Cheng-Yu Lin and Jong-Long Guo

Food environment in and around schools and colleges of Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) in India

Food policies and environment (availability, accessibility, affordability, marketing) in and around educational institutes can influence food choices and behaviours of children and adolescents.

Authors: Shalini Bassi, Deepika Bahl, Monika Arora, Fikru Tesfaye Tullu, Sakshi Dudeja and Rachita Gupta

Correction to: Prevalence and factors associated with PTSD among female urban slum dwellers in Ibadan, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

Authors: Olutoyin Sekoni, Sumaya Mall and Nicola Christofides

Spatial spillover and COVID-19 spread in the U.S.

This research estimates the effects of vulnerability on the spread of COVID-19 cases across U.S. counties. Vulnerability factors (Socioeconomic Status, Minority Status & Language, Housing type, Transportation,...

Authors: John Ulimwengu and Aziza Kibonge

Seasonal patterns of malaria, genital infection, nutritional and iron status in non-pregnant and pregnant adolescents in Burkina Faso: a secondary analysis of trial data

Adolescents are considered at high risk of developing iron deficiency. Studies in children indicate that the prevalence of iron deficiency increased with malaria transmission, suggesting malaria seasonally may...

Authors: Stephen A. Roberts, Loretta Brabin, Halidou Tinto, Sabine Gies, Salou Diallo and Bernard Brabin

Cancer survivors’ views on digital support for smoking cessation and alcohol moderation: a survey and qualitative study

Digital interventions may provide low-threshold support for smoking cessation (SC) and alcohol moderation (AM) to the growing population of cancer survivors. The objective was to explore preconditions of succe...

Authors: Ajla Mujcic, Matthijs Blankers, Dilara Yildirim, Brigitte Boon and Rutger Engels

Modeling the effect of age on quantiles of the incubation period distribution of COVID-19

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19) has caused serious consequences on many aspects of social life throughout the world since the first case of pneumonia with unknown etiology...

Authors: Xiaohui Liu, Lei Wang, Xiansi Ma, Jiewen Wang and Liwen Wu

Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) participant’s profile regarding self-rated health: a multiple correspondence analysis

Self-rated health (SRH) - one of the most common health indicators used to verify health conditions - can be influenced by several types of socioeconomic conditions, thereby reflecting health inequalities. Thi...

Authors: Thaís Lopes de Oliveira, Raquel Vasconcellos Carvalhaes de Oliveira, Rosane Harter Griep, Arlinda B. Moreno, Maria da Conceição Chagas de Almeida, Ylva Brännström Almquist and Maria de Jesus Mendes da Fonseca

The water incident database (WAID) 2012 to 2019: a systematic evaluation of the documenting of UK drownings

Death by drowning is a leading cause of accidental death in the United Kingdom (UK) and worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that effective documentation of drowning is required to describe dr...

Authors: Samuel P. Hills, Matthew Hobbs, Michael J. Tipton and Martin J. Barwood

Population preferences and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination: a cross-sectional study from Pakistan

While vaccine development is itself a challenge; ensuring optimal vaccine uptake at population level can present an even more significant challenge. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the Pakistani populati...

Authors: Muhammad Junaid Tahir, Muhammad Saqlain, Waleed Tariq, Summaiya Waheed, Steven H. S. Tan, Sarim Irhas Nasir, Irfan Ullah and Ali Ahmed

Factors associated with duration of breastfeeding in Bangladesh: evidence from Bangladesh demographic and health survey 2014

Breastfeeding for optimum duration is one of the most effective ways to reduce infant morbidity and mortality and confirms expected growth and development of children. The aim of this study was to determine th...

Authors: Ummay Ayesha, A. S. M. A. Mamun, Md. Abu Sayem and Md. Golam Hossain

Study protocol for Healthy Conversations @ Playgroup: a multi-site cluster randomized controlled trial of an intervention to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours in young children attending community playgroups

Early childhood is a critical window for preventing obesity and chronic disease. Yet, 1 in 4 Australian children aged 5 years and under are affected by overweight or obesity; and significant proportions of chi...

Authors: Stewart G. Trost, Rebecca Byrne, Kate E. Williams, Brittany J. Johnson, Anna Bird, Kate Simon, Li Kheng Chai, Caroline O. Terranova, Hayley E. Christian and Rebecca K. Golley

Prevention of sick leave at the workplace: design of a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a problem-solving intervention among employees with common mental disorders

Common mental disorders are highly prevalent in the working population, affecting about 1 in 5 persons in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. About 30% of those affected have ...

Authors: E. Björk Brämberg, B. Arapovic-Johansson, U. Bültmann, P. Svedberg and G. Bergström

Association of Environmental tobacco smoke exposure with depression among non-smoking adults

Depression is a psychological dysfunction that impairs health and quality of life. However, whether environmental tobacco smoke exposure (ETSE) is associated with depression is poorly understood. This study wa...

Authors: Akinkunmi Paul Okekunle, Jeffery Osahon Asowata, Jung Eun Lee and Onoja Matthew Akpa

Is there a difference in body size dissatisfaction between the patients with obesity seeking and not seeking treatment for obesity?

Various factors motivate people to undertake treatment for obesity. Among others they include health benefits, willingness to please others, and dissatisfaction with one’s appearance. The present study aimed t...

Authors: Wojciech Gruszka, Aleksander J. Owczarek, Mateusz Glinianowicz, Monika Bąk-Sosnowska, Jerzy Chudek and Magdalena Olszanecka-Glinianowicz

Factors Associated with Health Check-up and Cancer Screening Participation among Family Caregivers of Patients with Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Providing care for patients with dementia can negatively influence the physical health and health behaviours of family caregivers. A better understanding of the factors associated with health check-up and canc...

Authors: Bomgyeol Kim, Yejin Lee, Jin-Won Noh and Tae Hyun Kim

Tolerability of MenACWY-TT vaccination in adolescents in the Netherlands; a cross-sectional study

In 2018, meningococcal ACWY-TT vaccine (MenACWY-TT) was offered to adolescents in the Netherlands within the National Immunization Programme at 14 years of age. A questionnaire study assessed the tolerability ...

Authors: J. M. Kemmeren, L. van Balveren, A. Kant and H. de Melker

The role of weight- and appearance-related discrimination on eating disorder symptoms among adolescents and emerging adults

Eating disorder symptoms (EDs) have been discussed as a prominent problem among late adolescent girls with serious health risks and long-term consequences. However, there is a lack of population-based evidence...

Authors: Caroline Cohrdes, Claudia Santos-Hövener, Katja Kajikhina and Heike Hölling

Comparison of influenza surveillance systems in Australia, China, Malaysia and expert recommendations for influenza control

The Western Pacific Region (WPR) is exposed each year to seasonal influenza and is often the source of new influenza virus variants and novel pathogen emergence. National influenza surveillance systems play a ...

Authors: Clotilde El Guerche-Séblain, Thierry Rigoine De Fougerolles, Kim Sampson, Lance Jennings, Paul Van Buynder, Yuelong Shu, Zamberi Sekawi, Leo Yee-Sin, Tony Walls, Olivier Vitoux, J. Kevin Yin, Ada Wong, Francois Schellevis and Philippe Vanhems

Evaluating the use of a recommender system for selecting optimal messages for smoking cessation: patterns and effects of user-system engagement

Motivational messaging is a frequently used digital intervention to promote positive health behavior changes, including smoking cessation. Typically, motivational messaging systems have not actively sought fee...

Authors: Jinying Chen, Thomas K. Houston, Jamie M. Faro, Catherine S. Nagawa, Elizabeth A. Orvek, Amanda C. Blok, Jeroan J. Allison, Sharina D. Person, Bridget M. Smith and Rajani S. Sadasivam

Effectiveness of self-care interventions for integrated morbidity management of skin neglected tropical diseases in Anambra State, Nigeria

Lymphatic filariasis (LF), Buruli ulcer (BU) and leprosy are neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) of the skin co-endemic in some communities in Nigeria. Not enough is known about the effectiveness of integrated ...

Authors: Chinwe C. Eze, Ngozi Ekeke, Chukwuka Alphonsus, Linda Lehman, Joseph N. Chukwu, Charles C. Nwafor, Eileen Stillwaggon, Anthony O. Meka, Larry Sawers, Joy Ikebudu, Moses C. Anyim and Kingsley N. Ukwaja

Performance of existing and novel surveillance case definitions for COVID-19 in household contacts of PCR-confirmed COVID-19

Optimized symptom-based COVID-19 case definitions that guide public health surveillance and individual patient management in the community may assist pandemic control.

Authors: Hannah E. Reses, Mark Fajans, Scott H. Lee, Charles M. Heilig, Victoria T. Chu, Natalie J. Thornburg, Kim Christensen, Sanjib Bhattacharyya, Alicia Fry, Aron J. Hall, Jacqueline E. Tate, Hannah L. Kirking and Scott A. Nabity

Design and evaluation of psychometric properties of cigarette smoking tendency questionnaire for female adolescents (CTQFA)

The tendency of women to smoke has increased in recent years and the prevalence of smoking among women is increasing. The purpose of this study was to design and evaluation the psychometric properties of the s...

Authors: Alireza Jafari, Nooshin Peyman, Mahdi Gholian-Aval, Mehrsadat Mahdizadeh and Hadi Tehrani

The effect of hand hygiene promotion programs during epidemics and pandemics of respiratory droplet-transmissible infections on health outcomes: a rapid systematic review

Public health strategies in the context of respiratory droplet-transmissible diseases (such as influenza or COVID-19) include intensified hand hygiene promotion, but a review on the effectiveness of different ...

Authors: Koen Veys, Kim Dockx, Hans Van Remoortel, Philippe Vandekerckhove and Emmy De Buck

Prostate Cancer awareness in the Lebanese population: a cross sectional national survey

Prostate cancer (Pca) is the second most common cause of cancer among Lebanese men. Screening is an effective method to reduce prostate cancer mortality. This study assessed the knowledge, awareness, and scree...

Authors: Johnny Boustany, Maher Abdessater, Halim Akl, Anthony Kanbar, Joey El Khoury, Serge Assaf, Charbel Dabal, Charbel El Hachem, Antoine Kassis, Rodrigue Saad, Rami Halabi and Raghid El Khoury

Identify and measure the degree of over-prevention behaviors in the post-COVID-19 era in China

With the spread of vaccines, more and more countries have controlled the outbreak of the COVID-19. In this post-epidemic era, these countries began to revive their economy. However, pollution remains in the en...

Authors: Rongyang Ma, Hong Wu and Zhaohua Deng

How might the ‘Icelandic model’ for preventing substance use among young people be developed and adapted for use in Scotland? Utilising the consolidated framework for implementation research in a qualitative exploratory study

Substance use among young people is a significant public health concern, particularly in Scotland. Primary prevention activities are essential in delaying young people’s substance use and reducing the harms as...

Authors: Hannah Carver, Peter McCulloch and Tessa Parkes

Electronic data collection, management and analysis tools used for outbreak response in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and stakeholder survey

Use of electronic data collection, management and analysis tools to support outbreak response is limited, especially in low income countries. This can hamper timely decision-making during outbreak response. Id...

Authors: Patrick Keating, Jillian Murray, Karl Schenkel, Laura Merson and Anna Seale

Childhood vaccination uptake and associated factors among children 12–23 months in rural settings of the Gambia: a community-based cross-sectional study

Globally, immunization prevents 2–3 million deaths annually from vaccine-preventable diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza, and measles. In developing countries, several immunization progr...

Authors: Ebrima Touray, Amadou Barrow, Bakary Kinteh, Mansour Badjie, Musa Nget, Jainaba Touray, Sambou L. S. Kinteh, Solomon P. S. Jatta and Lamin Ceesay

Men’s comfort in distributing or receiving HIV self-test kits from close male social network members in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania: baseline results from the STEP project

A variety of strategies have been used to reach men with HIV self-testing services, including social network-based HIV self-test kits distribution. However, few studies have assessed men’s comfort to distribut...

Authors: Joseph K. B. Matovu, Gaspar Mbita, Akeen Hamilton, Frank Mhando, Wynton M. Sims, Noah Thompson, Albert N. Komba, Jackson Lija, Jiajia Zhang, Thomas van den Akker, Dustin T. Duncan, Augustine T. Choko and Donaldson F. Conserve

A community-engaged approach to understanding environmental health concerns and solutions in urban and rural communities

Focus groups and workshops can be used to gain insights into the persistence of and potential solutions for environmental health priorities in underserved areas. The objective of this study was to characterize...

Authors: Suwei Wang, Molly B. Richardson, Mary B. Evans, Ethel Johnson, Sheryl Threadgill-Matthews, Sheila Tyson, Katherine L. White and Julia M. Gohlke

Test@work: evaluation of workplace HIV testing for construction workers using the RE-AIM framework

Community testing for HIV can reach previously untested populations but is rarely offered in workplaces. Targeting the construction sector could reach workers from high risk populations.

Authors: Wendy Jones, Sarah Somerset, Catrin Evans, Katharine Whittingham, Matthew Middleton and Holly Blake

Social media use and social connectedness among adolescents in the United Kingdom: a qualitative exploration of displacement and stimulation

Connectedness to family and peers is a key determinant of adolescent mental health. Existing research examining associations between social media use and social connectedness has been largely quantitative and ...

Authors: Lizzy Winstone, Becky Mars, Claire M. A. Haworth and Judi Kidger

A cluster-randomized trial study on effectiveness of health education based intervention (HEBI) in improving flood disaster preparedness among community in Selangor, Malaysia: a study protocol

Flood disaster preparedness among the community seldom received attention. Necessary intervention must be taken to prevent the problem. Health Education Based Intervention (HEBI) was developed following the He...

Authors: M. N. Mohd Tariq, Hayati Kadir Shahar, Mohd Rafee Baharudin, Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail, Rosliza Abdul Manaf, Md Said Salmiah, Jamilah Ahmad and Sri Ganesh Muthiah

Influenza vaccine uptake among at-risk adults (aged 16–64 years) in the UK: a retrospective database analysis

In the UK, annual influenza vaccination is currently recommended for adults aged 16–64 years who are in a clinical at-risk group. Despite recommendations, rates of vaccine uptake in the UK have historically be...

Authors: Simon Oakley, Julien Bouchet, Paul Costello and James Parker

Validity of the ACTS intimate partner violence screen in antenatal care: a cross sectional study

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem with harmful consequences. In Australia, there is no national standard screening tool and screening practice is variable across states. The obje...

Authors: K. Hegarty, J. Spangaro, M. Kyei-Onanjiri, J. Valpied, J. Walsh, J. Chapman and J. Koziol-McLain

Physical fighting among adolescents in eastern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Physical fights have been a common health problem among adolescents, and approximately a million adolescents’ lives are lost due to violence-related incidents worldwide. There is a lack of information on the b...

Authors: Agumasie Semahegn, Yadeta Dessie, Nega Assefa, Chelsey R. Canavan, Yemane Berhane and Wafaie W. Fawzi

Evaluation of the impact of childhood 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction on adult pneumonia in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: study protocol for an observational study

Community-acquired pneumonia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in adults. Approximately one-third of pneumonia cases can be attributed to the pneumococcus. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs)...

Authors: Claire von Mollendorf, Mukhchuluun Ulziibayar, Bradford D. Gessner, Lien Anh Ha Do, Cattram D. Nguyen, Rohini Beavon, Bujinlkham Suuri, Dashtseren Luvsantseren, Dorj Narangerel, Adam Jenney, Eileen M. Dunne, Catherine Satzke, Badarchiin Darmaa, Tuya Mungun and E. Kim Mulholland

Cumulative effect of risk and protective factors on unintentional injury for Chinese rural children: a nested case-control study

Childhood unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for children. Despite the risk factors that lead to the occurrence of injuries have been identified, the relationship between cumu...

Authors: Hui Zhang, Fengxin Bai, Hongling Song, Jun Yang, Xinlong Wang, Qingfang Ye and Yuqiu Zhou

Raising employment and quality of life among people with disadvantages – results of a Hungarian project

People with disadvantages are a high-risk group of unemployment or underemployment. Disadvantages include disability, under-education, or being a member of a minority, etc. Effective labor market programs coul...

Authors: Noémi Meisznerné Kuklek, Máté Cséplő, Eszter Pozsonyi and Henriette Pusztafalvi

Caught in the middle: a thematic analysis of the experiences of Korean-Canadian caregiver-employees in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area

The objective of this study was to investigate the experiences of caregiver-employees (CEs) from the Korean-Canadian community in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Authors: Joonsoo S. Lyeo and Allison Williams

Frequency and determinants of domestic violence against Iranian women during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national cross-sectional survey

Domestic violence (social, legal, and health violence) is the most common type of violence against women. Due to factors such as the current quarantine, this type of violence has increased during the COVID-19 ...

Authors: Arezoo Yari, Hosein Zahednezhad, Reza Ghanei Gheshlagh and Amanj Kurdi

Perceived social support and diet quality among ethnic minority groups in Yunnan Province, Southwestern China: a cross-sectional study

Social support is an important health determinant and may affect dietary behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the relations between perceived social support and the Chinese Diet Balance Index-16...

Authors: Qiang Zhang, Yuan Ruan, Wenmin Hu, Juanjuan Li, Jiang Zhao, Min Peng, Rong Wan, Xiangdong Min, Shaomei He and Zhitao Liu

Hospitalisation rates differed by city district and ethnicity during the first wave of COVID-19 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

It is important to gain insight into the burden of COVID-19 at city district level to develop targeted prevention strategies. We examined COVID-19 related hospitalisations by city district and migration backgr...

Authors: Liza Coyer, Elke Wynberg, Marcel Buster, Camiel Wijffels, Maria Prins, Anja Schreijer, Yvonne T. H. P. van Duijnhoven, Alje P. van Dam, Mariken van der Lubben and Tjalling Leenstra