BMC Public Health

BackgroundUniversal Free School Meals (UFSM) were introduced by the Welsh Government in 2022 to provide every primary school child (aged 4-11) with a free meal at lunch time by 2024, aiming to improve nutrition and reduce inequality. While evidence suggests UFSM can support dietary quality and social inclusion; uptake remains inconsistent, and concerns have been raised regarding meal quality and portion sizes. Aims/ObjectivesThis study explored the perceptions of children and parents regarding ...

Students who frequently miss school are at greater risk for academic difficulty. High levels of absenteeism as early as kindergarten have been associated with long-term consequences, such as low reading proficiency in Grade 3 and low academic achievement in Grade 5, both of which have been associated with lower rates of high school graduation and enrollment in post-secondary education. The prevalence of school absenteeism has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic and there have bee...

BackgroundPacked lunches are a common feature of early childhood food provision, yet evidence describing their nutritional composition in early years settings remains limited. Understanding the foods provided during this developmental period is important, given the potential influence of early dietary exposures on later health. AimTo characterise the composition, nutritional quality, cost, and dietary patterns of packed lunches brought from home in Early Childhood Education and Care settings, a...

Objective: Minimum unit pricing (MUP) aims to reduce use of cheap, high strength alcoholic beverages that drive harm, yet concerns remain about inequitable effects for structurally vulnerable groups. As part of the Costs, Harms, Expenditures and Alcohol Prices (CHEAP) study, we linked individual-level, product-specific alcohol consumption data from a customized survey with provincial retail price data to estimate prices per standard drink (PPSD) and examine their association with alcohol-related...

Background. Although health mediation is widely studied in the U.S. through community health worker programs, evidence on their effectiveness in promoting cancer screening in Europe is limited. Since 2022, the "13 en Sante" program has implemented a multicomponent health mediation intervention -combining educational activities, outreach strategies, and navigation support- in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Marseille, France. This study evaluates the effectiveness of this progra...

BackgroundHelmet use is a proven safety measure that reduces the risk of head injury among cyclists and e-scooter riders. Despite legal requirements for pedal bikes and e-bikes in Australia, compliance varies, particularly among users of electric vehicles. The growing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters in urban areas presents new public health challenges, yet observational data on helmet use, behavioural determinants, and the effectiveness of safety interventions remain limited. AimPhase 4 of...

Suicide is one of the worlds leading public health problems, with more than 720,000 deaths annually. Suicide has traditionally been studied from an individual perspective. However, research has increasingly highlighted the influence of community-level factors on suicide risk. This study aimed to (1) analyse the spatial distribution of suicide mortality at the provincial level in Spain (2018-2022); (2) perform stratified analyses by sex and age group; and (3) compare suicide risk across differen...

BackgroundHelmet use is a proven safety measure that reduces the risk of head injury among cyclists and e-scooter riders. Despite legal requirements for pedal bikes and e-bikes in Australia, compliance varies, particularly among users of electric vehicles. The growing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters in urban areas presents new public health challenges, yet observational data on helmet use, behavioural determinants, and the effectiveness of safety interventions remain limited. AimPhase 3 of...

Introduction Heat waves are increasingly frequent and linked to higher mortality risks in Hong Kong. However, estimates of total excess mortality associated with heat waves remain unavailable. This study quantifies excess deaths associated with heat waves in Hong Kong from 2014 to 2023. Methods Daily age- and sex-specific mortality rates and population data were obtained from the Hong Kong Life Tables and Census and Statistics Department. Temperature data came from the Hong Kong Observatory, and...

BackgroundHelmet use is a proven safety measure that reduces the risk of head injury among cyclists and e-scooter riders. Despite legal requirements for pedal bikes and e-bikes in Australia, compliance varies, particularly among users of electric vehicles. The growing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters in urban areas presents new public health challenges, yet observational data on helmet use, behavioural determinants, and the effectiveness of safety interventions remain limited. AimPhases 1 a...

Despite the relevance of spatial mapping in analyzing the health situation and understanding the risk factors and determinants of leptospirosis, peripheral urban communities often remain invisible on maps, which tend to use data and methods that do not express community contribution nor promote local participation. Furthermore, in the implementation of sanitation interventions, the same happens: there is limited user participation, and a lack of identification of intervention needs based on the...

BackgroundZero-dose children, defined as those who have not received a first dose of a diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT)-containing vaccine, represent one of the sharpest manifestations of inequity in immunisation systems. Nigeria remains one of the largest contributors to the global zero-dose burden, with North-East Nigeria facing intersecting crises of conflict, population displacement, governance fragility, and weakened primary health care. Existing research has largely focused on structural...

Objective To test the effectiveness of a postpartum behavioural intervention delivered by automated text messaging in reducing weight. Design Two parallel group, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Setting Recruitment from five areas across the United Kingdom (Belfast, Bradford, Stirling, London and Cardiff) through healthcare and community pathways, including social media. Participants A diverse sample of 892 women between 6 weeks and 24 months postpartum, aged 18 years or more and with a...

Abstract This protocol is reported in accordance with the SPIRIT 2025 guidelines for clinical trial protocols. Introduction: Young children, from birth to age 5 y are particularly vulnerable to indoor air pollutants and respiratory pathogens. Portable air purifiers (or filtration) and upper-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) are two widely used interventions with the potential to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) and reduce sick-related absences. However, a review of the literature re...

Purpose: The GIG-OSH cohort was established to investigate the impact of digital platform work on occupational safety and health (OSH), working and employment conditions, and health in seven countries in Europe. Participants: The cohort comprises 3,945 digital platform workers from seven European countries. The sample includes both web-based workers (e.g., micro-tasking, freelance design) and on-location workers (e.g., delivery, transport). Participants were recruited using non-probabilistic sam...

BackgroundMaternal immunization (MI) can prevent major infectious diseases in mothers and children by boosting the immunity of pregnant women. Antenatal care (ANC) delivery platforms could be leveraged to effectively provide MI. Adding MIs into ANC could potentially enhance ANC services, positively influencing both maternal and infant health outcomes and yielding broader benefits. We model these potential ANC-mediated health benefits in five low- and middle-income countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Ken...

Background Acute malnutrition remains a major public health challenge among children under five in Malawi due to undetected and untreated cases. While several policies and programmes are in place, they face significant resource input and implementation constraints. In this study, we evaluate the potential health impact and cost-effectiveness of three interventions designed to address constraints along the care pathway in childhood acute malnutrition management. These include improving early reco...

IntroductionAtmospheric conditions under climate change increase pressure on healthcare systems. Especially, the intensive care units (ICU) are vulnerable due to low buffer capacity and high utilization rates. MethodsDaily ICU cases from 2009 to 2023 were derived from the German statutory health insurance data of eleven regional AOK insurances. Cases were stratified by age and sex. Generalized additive models were used to investigate the associations between daily ICU cases and lagged atmospher...

ObjectivesGrowth Mindset and Grit have been proposed as key psychological resources for resilience and adaptation, yet their manifestation and social distribution in later life remain underexplored. This study examines the structure, distribution, and correlates of Growth Mindset and Grit in older adulthood using proxy indicators in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). MethodsProxy indicators reflecting learning behaviour, personality traits, affect, and beliefs were used to derive ...

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a growing challenge in low- and middle-income countries, where health systems face major capacity gaps. Participatory learning and action (PLA) has shown effectiveness in preventing type 2 diabetes in Bangladesh, but little is known about its use in other LMICs for diabetes. The EMPOWER-D (Engagement of community through Participatory learning and action for cOntrol and prevention of type 2 diabetes) trial is testing PLA for diabetes prevention in communities in Pa...