Articles

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

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

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

Longitudinal trends in malaria testing rates in the face of elimination in eastern Myanmar: a 7-year observational study

Providing at-risk communities with uninterrupted access to early diagnosis and treatment is a key component in reducing malaria transmission and achieving elimination. As programmes approach malaria eliminatio...

Authors: Jade D. Rae, Jordi Landier, Julie A. Simpson, Stéphane Proux, Angela Devine, Richard J. Maude, Aung Myint Thu, Jacher Wiladphaingern, Ladda Kajeechiwa, May Myo Thwin, Saw Win Tun and François H. Nosten

Childhood immunisation timeliness and vaccine confidence by health information source, maternal, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics in Albania

Albania is facing decreasing childhood immunisation coverage and delay in timeliness of vaccination despite a growing economy and universal health insurance. Our aim is to estimate childhood immunisation timel...

Authors: Daniela Mayerová and Kaja Abbas

Financial, institutional, environmental, technical, and social (FIETS) aspects of water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions in indigenous - rural Indonesia

There is increasing recognition of the complexity underlying WASH conditions in developing countries. This article explores the complexity by assessing the vulnerability of a specific area to poor WASH conditi...

Authors: D. Daniel, Dennis Djohan, Ilias Machairas, Saket Pande, Arifin Arifin, Trimo Pamudji Al Djono and Luuk Rietveld

The level and trend of road traffic injuries attributable mortality rate in Iran, 1990–2015: a story of successful regulations and a roadmap to design future policies

Road-Traffic-Injuries (RTIs) are predicted to rise up to the fifth leading cause of worldwide death by 2030 and Iran has the third highest RTIs mortality among higher-middle income countries. Although the high...

Authors: Mehran Shams, Farnam Mohebi, Kimiya Gohari, Masoud Masinaei, Bahram Mohajer, Nazila Rezaei, Ali Sheidaei, Sara Khademioureh, Moein Yoosefi, Milad Hasan, Bahman Damerchilu, Ayyoob Jafari and Farshad Farzadfar

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

The effect of price on cigarette consumption, distribution, and sale in Tehran: a qualitative study

Appropriate increases in tobacco taxes and prices are an essential component of comprehensive tobacco control strategies. This study investigates factors related to the use, sale, and distribution of cigarette...

Authors: Younes Panahi Golestan, Mohammad Ebrahimi Kalan, Ziyad Ben Taleb, Kenneth D. Ward, Mehdi Fazlzadeh, Raed Bahelah, Mohammad Reza Masjedi, Abdurrahman Charkazi, Nasir Dehghan and Shirin Shahbazi Sighaldeh

Diagnosis patterns of sickle cell disease in Ghana: a secondary analysis

Despite having the highest prevalence of sickle cell disease (SCD) in the world, no country in Sub-Saharan Africa has a universal screening program for the disease. We sought to capture the diagnosis patterns ...

Authors: Alexandra M. Sims, Kwaku Osei Bonsu, Rebekah Urbonya, Fatimah Farooq, Fitz Tavernier, Marianna Yamamoto, Sheri VanOmen, Brittne Halford, Polina Gorodinsky, Rachel Issaka, Tulana Kpadenou, Rhonda Douglas, Samuel Wilson, Clementine Fu, Danielle Canter, Duña Martin…

Use of methamphetamine and alcohol among people with opioid use disorder and HIV in Vietnam: a qualitative study

Heroin use continues to drive HIV transmission in Vietnam, but methamphetamine and alcohol use are growing rapidly and, as in other countries, polysubstance use is widespread. The objective of this study was t...

Authors: Andrew Edsall, Kim A. Hoffman, Dinh Thanh Thuy, Pham Phuong Mai, Nguyen Thu Hang, Tong Thi Khuyen, Nguyen Thu Trang, Lynn E. Kunkel, Le Minh Giang and P. Todd Korthuis

Analyzing disparities in COVID-19 testing trends according to risk for COVID-19 severity across New York City

Given the interplay between race and comorbidities on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, it is vital that testing be performed in areas of greatest need, where more severe cases are expected. The goal of this a...

Authors: Wil Lieberman-Cribbin, Naomi Alpert, Raja Flores and Emanuela Taioli

Relating outdoor play to sedentary behavior and physical activity in youth - results from a cohort study

Outdoor play, sedentary behavior (SB), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) are related to youth’s health, however, there are research gaps regarding 1) associations between outdoor play, SB, and ...

Authors: Carina Nigg, Claudia Niessner, Claudio R. Nigg, Doris Oriwol, Steffen C. E. Schmidt and Alexander Woll

Geographical variability and factors associated with caesarean section delivery in India: a comparative assessment of Bihar and Tamil Nadu

Caesarean section delivery is a major life-saving obstetric surgical intervention for mothers and babies from pregnancy and childbirth related complications. This paper attempts to investigate the geographical...

Authors: Avijit Roy, Pintu Paul, Pradip Chouhan, Margubur Rahaman and Nanigopal Kapasia

Correction to: Building on existing tools to improve chronic disease prevention and screening in public health: a cluster randomized trial

Authors: A. K. Lofters, M. A. O’Brien, R. Sutradhar, A. D. Pinto, N. N. Baxter, P. Donnelly, R. Elliott, R. H. Glazier, J. Huizinga, R. Kyle, D. Manca, M. A. Pietrusiak, L. Rabeneck, B. Riordan, P. Selby, K. Sivayoganathan…

Exploring the relationships between wasting and stunting among a cohort of children under two years of age in Niger

Wasting and stunting, physical growth manifestations of child undernutrition, have historically been considered separately with distinct interventions at the program, policy, and financing levels despite simil...

Authors: Kristin Kohlmann, Christopher R. Sudfeld, Souna Garba, Ousmane Guindo, Rebecca F. Grais and Sheila Isanaka

COVID-19, body mass index and cholesterol: an ecological study using global data

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now globally considered a serious economic, social and health threat. A wide range of health related factors including Body Mass Index (BMI) is reported to be associated ...

Authors: Mohammad Sarmadi, S. Mohammad Ahmadi-Soleimani, Mohammad Fararouei and Mostafa Dianatinasab

Local government responses for COVID-19 management in the Philippines

Responses of subnational government units are crucial in the containment of the spread of pathogens in a country. To mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine national government through its...

Authors: Dylan Antonio S. Talabis, Ariel L. Babierra, Christian Alvin H. Buhat, Destiny S. Lutero, Kemuel M. Quindala III and Jomar F. Rabajante

Patterns of engagement in HIV care during pregnancy and breastfeeding: findings from a cohort study in North-Eastern South Africa

Eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) in sub-Saharan Africa is hindered by limited understanding of HIV-testing and HIV-care engagement among pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Authors: David Etoori, Brian Rice, Georges Reniers, Francesc Xavier Gomez-Olive, Jenny Renju, Chodziwadziwa Whiteson Kabudula and Alison Wringe

Older patients’ perspectives on factors contributing to frequent visits to the emergency department: a qualitative interview study

Older patients are at high risk of unplanned revisits to the emergency department (ED) because of their medical complexity. To reduce the number of ED visits, we need more knowledge about the patient-level, en...

Authors: Daisy Kolk, Anton F. Kruiswijk, Janet L. MacNeil-Vroomen, Milan L. Ridderikhof and Bianca M. Buurman

An individually randomized controlled trial of a mother-daughter HIV/STI prevention program for adolescent girls and young women in South Africa: IMARA-SA study protocol

South Africa has the world’s largest HIV epidemic, but South African adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) acquire HIV at twice the rate of and seroconvert on average 5–7 years earlier than their male peers....

Authors: Geri R. Donenberg, Millicent Atujuna, Katherine G. Merrill, Erin Emerson, Sheily Ndwayana, Dara Blachman-Demner and Linda Gail Bekker

Low socioeconomic position is a risk factor for delay to treatment and mortality of testicular cancer patients in Hungary, a prospective study

In Hungary, the mortality rate for testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) is 0,9/100000 which is significantly higher than the EU average. We prospectively evaluated the effect of socioeconomic position on patient...

Authors: Zsófia Küronya, Georgina Fröhlich, Andrea Ladányi, Tamás Martin, Lajos Géczi, Fruzsina Gyergyai, Orsolya Horváth, Gergő Kiszner, Ágnes Kovács, Tamás Dienes, Enikő Lénárt, Krisztián Nagyiványi, Tibor Szarvas, Mihály Szőnyi, Attila Tóth and Krisztina Biró

Association between self-control and health risk behaviors: a cross-sectional study with 9th grade adolescents in São Paulo

Self-control (SC) has been consistently found associated with diverse health risk behaviors (HRBs), but little research refers to low- and middle-income countries. Furthermore, there is evidence that some HRBs...

Authors: Roberta Corradi Astolfi, Maria Alvim Leite, Cassio Henrique Gomide Papa, Marcelo Ryngelblum, Manuel Eisner and Maria Fernanda Tourinho Peres

A review of the inclusion of equity stratifiers for the measurement of health inequalities within health and social care data collections in Ireland

Health equity differs from the concept of health inequality by taking into consideration the fairness of an inequality. Inequities may be culturally specific, based on social relations within a society. Measur...

Authors: Christopher Carroll, Katie Evans, Khalifa Elmusharaf, Patrick O’Donnell, Anne Dee, Diarmuid O’Donovan and Marie Casey

Factors associated with SARS-CoV2 infection and care pathways among the most vulnerable populations living in Marseille: a case control study

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to substantial and unexpected increases in morbidity and mortality in France. Vulnerable populations housed in accommodation centres have a greater risk of infection because colle...

Authors: Ismaïl Alsaïdi, Frédéric De Sousa Santos, Bérengère Plard, Elise Janvier, Aurélie Tinland, Abdelmajid Hafni and Emilie Mosnier

Who declines to respond to the reactions to race module?: findings from the South Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2016–2017

The inclusion of self-reported differential treatment by race/ethnicity in population-based public health surveillance and monitoring systems may provide an opportunity to address long-standing health inequali...

Authors: Aditi Srivastav, Kaitlynn Robinson-Ector, Colby Kipp, Melissa Strompolis and Kellee White