Michael Safo Oduro, Eniola Fasola, Prince Peprah
et al.
Abstract Background There is a dearth of studies focused on the impact of self-rated health on life satisfaction among large-bodied adolescents, as well as the moderating role of physical activity in this relationship. Large-bodied adolescents refers to young people (usually aged 10–19 years) whose body size falls within the overweight or obese range as defined by the World Health Organisation’s Growth Reference, based on age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) percentiles. This study aimed to address the gap in research by examining the association between self-rated health and life satisfaction in a diverse sample of large-bodied adolescents from 39 countries and regions in Europe and North America. The moderating role of physical activity in the association was also examined. Methods The study analysed data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey, involving a sample of 24,839 large-bodied adolescents. Three sequential binary mixed effects logit models were fitted: the first assessing self-rated health alone, the second adjusting for multiple covariates, and the third incorporating an interaction term between physical activity and self-rated health. The analysis was performed using R Software (v4.1.2), with significance determined at a level of 0.05. Results The results show that adolescents who rated their health as “poor” were a little more than six times (AOR = 6.32, 95%CI: 5.30–7.54, p < 0.001) as likely to report lower life satisfaction compared to those who rated their health as “excellent”. Those who rated their health as “good” had 1.71 times higher odds (AOR = 1.71, 95%CI: 1.44–2.04, p < 0.001) of reporting lower life satisfaction compared to those who rated their health as “excellent”. The analysis further indicated that physical activity plays a partial moderating role in the relationship between self-rated health and life satisfaction. Participants who considered themselves “somewhat active” reported higher life satisfaction compared to their “inactive” peers (AOR = 0.58, p = 0.031, 95% CI: 0.36–0.95). Conclusions The study supports the hypothesis that poorer self-rated health is associated with lower life satisfaction among large-bodied adolescents. It further suggests that increased physical activity can ‘partly’ buffer the negative effects of poor self-rated health on life satisfaction. These findings emphasise the importance of interventions promoting physical activity and positive self-care to improve general well-being in large-bodied adolescents.
Guillaume Barbalat, Ariane Guilbert, Lucie Adelaïde
et al.
Abstract Background A number of negative developmental outcomes in response to extreme temperature have been documented. Yet, to our knowledge, environmental research has left the question of the effect of temperature on human neurodevelopment largely unexplored. Here, we aimed to investigate the effect of ambient temperature on linguistic development at the age of 2 years-old. Methods We used data from the prospective national French birth cohort ELFE (N = 12,163) and highly-resolved exposure models with daily temporal resolution and 200 m to 1 km spatial resolution. We investigated the effect of weekly averages of overall, daytime and night-time temperature in the prenatal (first 30 weeks of gestation) and postnatal (91 weeks after birth) period on vocabulary production scores from the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI) at 2 years-old. Exposure-response and lag-response relationships were modeled with confounder-adjusted distributed lag non-linear models. Results Scores at the MB-CDI decreased by 3.2% (relative risk (RR) 0.968, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.939–0.998) following exposure to severe night-time heat of 15.6 °C (95th percentile) vs. 8.3 °C (median) throughout gestational weeks 14 to 19. In the postnatal period, scores at the MB-CDI decreased by 14.8% (RR 0.852; 95% CI: [0.756–0.96]) for severe overall heat of 21.9 °C (95th percentile) vs. 11.5 °C (median) throughout weeks 1 to 28. Consistent results were found for daytime and night-time heat. We observed positive effects of overall and night-time heat in the first few weeks of pregnancy. Night-time cold in the pre-natal period also resulted in improved scores at the MB-CDI. Adjusting our models for air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10 and NO2) tended to confirm these observations. Finally, there were no significant differences in temperature effects between boys and girls. Conclusion In this large cohort study, we showed a negative impact of hot temperatures during pregnancy and after birth on language acquisition. Positive associations observed in the first few weeks of pregnancy are likely the results of methodological artifacts. Positive associations with night-time cold during the prenatal period are likely truly protective, as colder temperatures may encourage staying indoors at a comfortable temperature. Policymakers should consider neurodevelopment impairments as a deleterious effect of climate change.
Industrial medicine. Industrial hygiene, Public aspects of medicine
Background: Chinese lung cancer patients experience various cancer-related symptoms during the course of disease, which usually occur as symptom clusters, leading to heavy symptom burden and low quality of life. Identifying symptom cluster and core symptom is conducive to developing symptom management interventions so as to improve health-related outcomes of patients with lung cancer. To investigate the symptom clusters and core symptom of Chinese patients with lung cancer. Methods: Approved by the ethics committee, a cross-sectional study was conducted at one of the most influential general hospitals in Southwest China. The MD Anderson Symptom Inventory and the revised lung cancer-specific module were utilized to collect symptom experience of patients with lung cancer. R within the RStudio platform was used to conduct descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and network analysis. Findings: A total of 219 lung cancer patients were recruited. Four symptom clusters were identified as psychoneurological, respiratory, gastrointestinal and fatigue-related symptom clusters, which could explain 59% of the total variance. The results of the symptom severity network analysis revealed that short of breath (rc= 1.35) was the symptom with the highest closeness score among all symptoms. In the symptom clusters network, short of breath (rc= 1.35), lack of appetite (rc= 1.27), fatigue (rc= 1.04) and feeling drowsy (rc= 0.82) were the symptoms with the closeness score in the four symptom clusters, respectively. Interpretation: Chinese lung cancer patients experienced four symptom clusters among lung cancer patients, which highlighted the significance of addressing general symptoms and cancer-specific symptoms in cancer symptom cluster management. The identification of core symptoms offered health care professionals potential interventional targets in future clinical practice in symptom management among patients with lung cancer. Tailored interventions based on symptom clusters are needed to synergistically reduce the symptom burden, thereby improving patients’ outcomes.
Background. People live in a technological world, where social media is used very commonly. Social media has effects on eating behaviors, as in other aspects. For this reason, it is important to measure social media effect.
Objective. This study aimed to adapt the Scale of Effects of Social Media on Eating Behaviour (SESMEB) that examines the effect of social media on eating behavior in Hungarian university students.
Material and methods. The SESMEB was translated into the target language by taking various stages. The online questionnaire including general information, social media use, and the eighteen-item SESMEB was used to collect data. The scale was administered to the study group consisting of 213 Hungarian university students, and data from 203 of them were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test construct validity, and the Cronbach alpha coefficient was calculated for the reliability of the scale in Hungarian.
Results. Total correlation value was higher than 0.50 for all items of the scale. The fit indices were at an acceptable level or had a perfect fit. The t-values were significant at the level of 0.1 and ranged between 2.927 and 5.706. The Spearman–Brown coefficient was calculated at 0.894. The reliability coefficient of the scale was calculated to be 0.866. SESMEB scores were different according to spending time daily, sharing content, and using filters or Photoshop on social media (p < 0.05).
Conclusions. Higher than 0.80 Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and other results show that Hungarian SESMEB is a valid and reliable tool. Therefore, Hungarian SESMEB will be useful for further studies to determine the impact of social media on eating behaviors.
Nutrition. Foods and food supply, Industrial medicine. Industrial hygiene
Abstract Background Psychological distress (PD) is a major risk factor for mental health among middle-aged and older adults and affects their quality of life and well-being. This study aimed to examine the evolution of PD with age and the relative importance of its determinants, issues that have been insufficiently studied. Methods We used longitudinal data obtained from 17-wave social surveys conducted in Japan from 2005 to 2021, to track 34,128 individuals (16,555 men and 17,573 women) born between 1946 and 1955. We defined PD as a Kessler 6 score (range: 0–24) ≥ 5 and estimated fixed-effects regression models to examine the evolution of its proportion with age. We also conducted a mediation analysis to examine the relative importance of specific mediators such as self-rated health (SRH), activities of daily living (ADL), and social participation, in the association between age and PD. Results Regression model results confirmed an increase in PD with age. Poor SRH, issues with ADL, and no social participation were key mediators of aging on PD, accounting for 34.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 21.0–47.3%), 13.7% (95% CI: 8.2–19.3%), and 10.5% (95% CI: 8.0–13.0%), respectively; consequently increasing PD between 50 and 75 years. Conclusion The results suggest the need for policy support to encourage middle-aged and older adults to promote health and increase social participation in order to prevent depression while aging.
Sue Ann Costa Clemens, Gustavo Mendes Lima Santos, Isabela Gonzalez
et al.
Poliovirus infection causes paralysis in up to 1 in 200 infected persons. The use of safe and effective inactivated poliovirus vaccines and live attenuated oral poliovirus vaccines (OPVs) means that only two pockets of wildtype poliovirus type 1 remain, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, OPVs can revert to virulence, causing outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV). During 2020–2022, cVDPV type 2 (cVDPV2) was responsible for 97–99% of poliomyelitis cases, mainly in Africa. Between January and August 2022, cVDPV2 was detected in sewage samples in Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, where a case of acute flaccid paralysis caused by cVDPV2 also occurred. The Pan American Health Organization has warned that Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Peru are at very high risk for the reintroduction of poliovirus and an additional eight countries in Latin America are at high risk, following dropping vaccination rates (average 80% coverage in 2022). Sabin type 2 monovalent OPV has been used to control VDPV2 outbreaks, but its use could also lead to outbreaks. To address this issue, a more genetically stable, novel OPV2 (nOPV2) was developed against cVDPV2 and in 2020 was granted World Health Organization Emergency Use Listing. Rolling out a novel vaccine under the Emergency Use Listing in mass settings to contain outbreaks requires unique local regulatory and operational preparedness.
The objective of the study is to demonstrate the significance of damage control surgery in saving lives and possibly preventing permanent disability in a resource poor environment. This is because in resource limited settings, advanced treatment modalities such as external fixation and angiography with embolization are not available. Moreover, besides being expensive, these treatment methods for pelvic fractures require training and skills to perform. The retroperitoneal pelvic packing is easy to learn and, thus can be used in an emergency to save lives and prevent long-term problems in patients who have sustained life threatening pelvic injuries and severe haemorrhage.
Therefore, specialist surgeons, especially those working in low- and middle-income countries, should be encouraged to learn and consider retroperitoneal pelvic packing as a stabilization and definitive treatment in some cases of pelvic fractures.
Benjamin R. Chand, Crystal Eio, Annastasia Alysandratos
et al.
Research is able to improve the lives of big populations by investigating effective interventions and then implementing those through public health policies. Whilst research on the inclination of Medical or Science undergraduate and postgraduate students has been conducted, little is known about what students pursuing a Masters degree in Public Health perceive the purpose of research to be. Their perceptions and inclinations will shape their research pursuits and career directions, which impacts the health outcomes of the community. Our findings suggest MPH students see improving the lives of the community as the most important purpose of research. Student's had more inclination to pursue research when influenced by a mentor however, many students still claimed that they either lacked confidence and skills in completing research or had no intention of pursuing research beyond their degrees, which suggests the need for curriculum adjustments.
Stéphanie Watier-Grillot, Damien Costa, Cédric Petit
et al.
<h4>Introduction</h4>Contaminated drinking and recreational waters account for most of the reported Cryptosporidium spp. exposures in high-income countries. In June 2017, two successive cryptosporidiosis outbreaks occurred among service members in a military training camp located in Southwest France. Several other gastroenteritis outbreaks were previously reported in this camp, all among trainees in the days following their arrival, without any causative pathogen identification. Epidemiological, microbiological and environmental investigations were carried out to explain theses outbreaks.<h4>Material and methods</h4>Syndromic diagnosis using multiplex PCR was used for stool testing. Water samples (100 L) were collected at 10 points of the drinking water installations and enumeration of Cryptosporidium oocysts performed. The identification of Cryptosporidium species was performed using real-time 18S SSU rRNA PCR and confirmed by GP60 sequencing.<h4>Results</h4>A total of 100 human cases were reported with a global attack rate of 27.8%. Cryptosporidium spp. was identified in 93% of stool samples with syndromic multiplex PCR. The entire drinking water network was contaminated with Cryptosporidium spp. The highest level of contamination was found in groundwater and in the water leaving the treatment plant, with >1,000 oocysts per 100 L. The same Cryptosporidium hominis isolate subtype IbA10G2 was identified in patients' stool and water samples. Several polluting activities were identified within the protection perimeters of the water resource. An additional ultrafiltration module was installed at the outlet of the water treatment plant. After several weeks, no Cryptosporidium oocysts were found in the public water supply.<h4>Conclusions</h4>After successive and unexplained gastroenteritis outbreaks, this investigation confirmed a waterborne outbreak due to Cryptosporidium hominis subtype IbA10G2. Our study demonstrates the value of syndromic diagnosis for gastroenteritis outbreak investigation. Our results also highlight the importance of better assessing the microbiological risk associated with raw water and the need for sensitive and easy-to-implement tools for parasite detection.
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine, Public aspects of medicine
Karen A. Patte, Terrance J. Wade, Adam J. MacNeil
et al.
Abstract Background Youth voice has been largely absent from deliberations regarding public health measures intended to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission, despite being one of the populations most impacted by school-based policies. To inform public health strategies and messages, we examined the level of student support of mask use in public spaces and school mask requirements, as well as factors associated with students’ perspectives. Methods We used cross-sectional survey data from 42,767 adolescents attending 133 Canadian secondary schools that participated in the COMPASS study during the 2020/2021 school year. Multinomial regression models assessed support for i) wearing a mask in indoor public spaces and ii) schools requiring students to wear masks, in association with COVID-19 knowledge, concerns, and perceived risk. Results Wearing masks in indoor public spaces was supported by 81.9% of students; 8.7% were unsupportive and 9.4% were neutral/undecided. School mask requirements were supported by 67.8%, with 23.1% neutral and 9.1% unsupportive. More females supported mask wearing in public spaces (83.9% vs. 79.1%) and school mask requirements (70.8% vs. 63.5%) than males. Students had increased odds of supporting mask use in public spaces and school mask requirements if they reported concerns about their own or their family’s health, had discussions regarding ways to prevent infection, perceived COVID-19 to be a risk to young people, and knew that signs are not always present in COVID-19 cases and that masks prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission if someone coughs. Conclusions During the year following the beginning of the pandemic, most students supported the required use of masks in schools and wearing masks in indoor public spaces. Improving knowledge around the effectiveness of masks appears likely to have the largest impact on mask support in adolescent populations among the factors studied.
Sehar-un-Nisa Hassan,1,2 Aqeela Zahra,3 Nuzhat Parveen,4 Naveed Iqbal,4 Sarwat Mumtaz,5 Asma Batool6 1Department of Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Ha’il, Ha’il, 81451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Behavioral Sciences, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan; 3Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Ha’il, Ha’il, 81451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Ha’il, Ha’il, 81451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Health Management, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Ha’il, Ha’il, 81451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 6Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternity and Children Hospital Ha’il, Ha’il, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Sehar-un-Nisa Hassan, Department of Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Ha’il, Ha’il, 81451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tel +966 5576 629 275, Email s.nisa@uoh.edu.sa; sehar_nisa@hotmail.com Nuzhat Parveen, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Ha’il, Ha’il, 81451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Email n.parveen@uoh.edu.saAbstract: Background: Treatment tolerability and treatment environment are two major spheres of infertility care that may associate with women’s emotional health and coping mechanisms.Aim: The present study aimed at assessing the relationship between infertility treatment quality and various aspects of emotion-focus coping, problem-focus coping, and avoidance coping mechanisms.Method: The study was completed by using standardized tools and data from this descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational study were collected from 350 women undergoing infertility treatments in private reproductive healthcare centers in Quetta, Pakistan.Findings: Treatment tolerability was found to be positively associated with positive reframing (p < 0.02) and negatively associated with the use of emotional support (p < 0.03); acceptance (p < 0.01); humor (p < 0.03); behavioral disengagement (p < 0.01) and venting (p < 0.01). The quality of the treatment environment demonstrated a negative correlation between religious coping (p < 0.02) and behavioral disengagement (p < 0.01), whereas it showed a positive correlation with active coping (p < 0.03) and planning (p < 0.02). The linear regression analysis demonstrated that treatment tolerability significantly increased with positive reframing (R2 = 0.118, F(304) = 2.22, p < 0.03). Behavioral disengagement significantly decreased with better treatment environment (R2 = 0.111, F(304) = 2.09, p < 0.02).Discussion: We discussed the findings keeping in view the role of social, cultural, and economic factors related to infertility care in the context South-Asian culture, and recommendations are made to promote women’s mental health and coping by improving some specific aspects of infertility treatment quality.Conclusions: High treatment tolerability may associate with some useful aspects of emotion-focus coping, such as positive reframing, whereas low treatment tolerability may associate with avoidance coping, such as behavioral disengagement and venting. Besides, the quality of the infertility treatment environment enables women to use problem-focus coping mechanisms, such as planning and active coping.Keywords: infertility, treatment quality, FertiQol, coping mechanisms, mental health, reproductive healthcare, treatment tolerability, treatment environment, psychological well-being
Vander Luis de Souza Freitas, Thais Cláudia Roma de Oliveira Konstantyner, Jeferson Feitosa Mendes
et al.
The inter-cities mobility network is of great importance in understanding outbreaks, especially in Brazil, a continental-dimension country. We adopt the data from the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the terrestrial flow of people between cities from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics database in two scales: cities from Brazil, without the North region, and from the São Paulo State. Grounded on the complex networks approach, and considering that the mobility network serves as a proxy for the SARS-CoV-2 spreading, the nodes and edges represent cities and flows, respectively. Network centrality measures such as strength and degree are ranked and compared to the list of cities, ordered according to the day that they confirmed the first case of COVID-19. The strength measure captures the cities with a higher vulnerability of receiving new cases. Besides, it follows the interiorization process of SARS-CoV-2 in the São Paulo State when the network flows are above specific thresholds. Some countryside cities such as Feira de Santana (Bahia State), Ribeirão Preto (São Paulo State), and Caruaru (Pernambuco State) have strength comparable to states’ capitals. Our analysis offers additional tools for understanding and decision support to inter-cities mobility interventions regarding the SARS-CoV-2 and other epidemics.
Mandy Lucinda Gault, Mark Elisabeth Theodorus Willems
Background: Instructions for older adults regarding the intensity of walking may not elicit an intensity to infer health gains. We recorded the metabolic equivalents (METs) during a 1-mile walk using constant and predicted values of resting MET in older adults to establish walking guidelines for health promotion and participation.Methods: In a cross-sectional design study, participants (15 men, 10 women) walked 1-mile over ground, in a wooden floored gymnasium, wearing the Cosmed K4b2 for measurement of energy expenditure. Constant or predicted values for resting MET were used to calculate the number of 1-mile walks to meet 450-750 MET∙min∙wk-1.Results: Participants had MET values higher than 3 for both methods, with 29% and 64% of the participants higher than 6 for a constant and predicted MET value, respectively. The METs of the1-mile walk were (mean ± SD) 6 ± 1 and 7 ± 1 METs using constant and predicted resting MET,and similar for men (constant: 6 ± 1 METs; predicted: 7 ± 1 METs) and women (constant: 5±1METs; predicted: 6 ± 1 METs) (P > 0.05).Conclusion: Older adults that are instructed to walk 1-mile at a fast and constant pace meet the minimum required intensity for physical activity, and public health guidelines. Health professionals, that administer exercise, could encourage older adults to accumulate between six and nine 1-mile walks per week for health gains.
Nutrition. Foods and food supply, Public aspects of medicine
M. Jahari Supianto, Risa Febriana Musawaris, Syarifah Nurul Yanti
Abstract: The Relationship Between Degree Of Persistent Asthma And Quality Of Life In Asthma Patient That Measured By Asthma Quality Of Life Questionnaire. The aims of this study were to determine the quality of life in asthma patients in Poli Paru dr. Soedarso General Hospital Pontianak. This study uses descriptive analytic approach and cross-sectional designs. Research in the Poli Paru dr. Soedarso general hospital Pontianak from October 2014 to February 2015. The data were collected from 34 patients with asthma. This research uses Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). The data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test. Results show that More patients with asthma in this research shows the worse quality of life. Mild persistent asthma patient’s quality of life was better than moderate persistent asthma and severe persistent asthma. There is the meaningful relationship between the degree of persistent asthma and asthma patient’s quality of life with a value of p=0,033 (p< 0.05).
Keywords: the degree of persistent asthma, quality of life
Abstrak : Hubungan Derajat Asma Persisten Dan Kualitas Hidup Pasien Asma Dinilai Dengan Asthma Quality Of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan derajat asma persisten dan kualitas hidup pasien asma di Poli Paru RSUD dr. Soedarso Pontianak. Penelitian ini bersifat analitik dengan menggunakan pendekatan potong lintang (cross sectional). Penelitian di lakukan di Poli Paru RSUD dr. Soedarso Pontianak dari bulan Oktober 2014 sampai Februari 2015. Data di kumpulkan dari 34 pasien asma. Penelitian ini menggunakan Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). Data dianalisis menggunakan uji Wilcoxon. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Pasien asma pada penelitian ini lebih banyak menunjukkan kualitas hidup buruk. Pasien asma persisten ringan kualitas hidupnya lebih baik dibandingkan asma persisten sedang dan asma persisten berat. Terdapat hubungan yang bermakna antara derajat asma persisten dan kualitas hidup pasien asma dengan nilai P=0,033 (p<0,05).
Kata kunci : derajat asma persisten, kualitas hidup
Nusrat Homaira, Stephen P Luby, ASM Alamgir
et al.
OBJECTIVE: To estimate influenza-associated mortality in Bangladesh in 2009. METHODS: In four hospitals in Bangladesh, respiratory samples were collected twice a month throughout 2009 from inpatients aged <5 years with severe pneumonia and from older inpatients with severe acute respiratory infection. The samples were tested for influenza virus ribonucleic acid (RNA) using polymerase chain reaction. The deaths in 2009 in five randomly selected unions (the smallest administrative units in Bangladesh) in each hospital's catchment area were then investigated using formal records and informal group discussions. The deaths of those who had reportedly died within 14 days of suddenly developing fever with cough and/or a sore throat were assumed to be influenza-associated. The rate of such deaths in 2009 in each of the catchment areas was then estimated from the number of apparently influenza-associated deaths in the sampled unions, the proportion of the sampled inpatients in the local hospital who tested positive for influenza virus RNA, and the estimated number of residents of the sampled unions. FINDINGS: Of the 2500 people known to have died in 2009 in all 20 study unions, 346 (14%) reportedly had fever with cough and/or sore throat within 14 days of their deaths. The estimated mean annual influenza-associated mortality in these unions was 11 per 100000 population: 1.5, 4.0 and 125 deaths per 100000 among those aged <5, 5-59 and >59 years, respectively. CONCLUSION: The highest burden of influenza-associated mortality in Bangladesh in 2009 was among the elderly.