BMJ Public Health

BackgroundMedical students represent a critical population for photoprotection education, as future physicians responsible for skin cancer prevention counseling. However, no previous studies have characterized knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding photoprotection among medical students in Central America or the Caribbean. ObjectiveTo assess KAP related to photoprotection and identify associated factors among medical students at a Nicaraguan university. MethodsA cross-sectional st...

BackgroundValidated food portion size photographs can increase accuracy of estimatingportion sizes during dietary surveys. Our objective was to assess the validity of food portion size photographs in estimating portion sizes to be used in 24-hour dietary recall food consumption study. MethodsWe recruited two hundred and six women of reproductive age (13-45 years) residing in Roysambu sub-county in the northern parts of Nairobi City, Kenya. Eleven foods from the Photographic Food Atlas for Kenya...

ObjectiveIn England, since 2022, large businesses providing food in the out-of-home sector are required to display calorie information for non-prepacked food and non-alcoholic drink items. This study estimates long-term cost-effectiveness of the policy by extrapolating real-world evidence on short-term policy effects in England. DesignThe lifetime health economic impacts of calorie labelling were simulated using a microsimulation model. The analysis adopted a health systems perspective to compa...

An online, cross-sectional survey was conducted to understand support for potential sunbed regulation strategies in the UK among 502 UK-based young adults (aged 18-24). Sunbed users showed strong support for sunbed regulation in the UK overall, particularly for staff supervision, mandatory health warnings, and business licensing, policies already implemented in some UK regions. Framing policies around public health protection rather than restricting personal freedom significantly enhanced suppor...

IntroductionRates of sexually transmitted infections are on the rise globally, including those caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Retrospective analyses across clinical settings around the world have indicated that rates of gonorrhea declined following mass vaccination campaigns vaccines made with outer membrane vesicles (OMV) from Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B, a pathogen closely related to N. gonorrhoeae. The US FDA-approved N. meningitidis serogroup B vaccine (4CMenB) contains N. meningiti...

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...

PurposeConsidering a broad range of ambient lighting conditions may impact myopia development and dim light exposure as a potential risk factor for myopia progression, this study investigates i) light exposure pattern of Indian schoolchildren in evening hours, and ii) difference in evening light exposure patterns between myopic and non-myopic schoolchildren. Method136 Indian schoolchildren aged 9-15 years, with 46 myopes and 90 non-myopes were recruited. This study analyzed evening light exposu...

AbstractWe know little about how women in Africa perceive and manage food safety risks for fruits and vegetables, and how these perceptions and practices influence their food choices. To investigate this, we employed a sequential mixed-methods analysis using data from 33 villages across the Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions of Northern Tanzania. Quantitative household surveys were conducted with 2,577 women to document their perceptions of food safety risks associated with fresh fruits and vegetabl...

ObjectiveAlthough COVID-19 vaccination is important for People Living with HIV given their elevated infection and comorbidity risks, some PLHIV are hesitant to accept vaccination. Hence, we conducted a cross-sectional study in British Columbia, Canada, aimed to identify socio-economic and health-related factors predicting COVID-19 vaccine uptake and contributing to hesitancy among PLHIV. MethodsA 34-item anonymous self-administered survey was disseminated to PLHIV accessing services through HIV...

BackgroundPre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective HIV prevention strategy, yet uptake remains suboptimal and ensuring access to PrEP services among young people is critical. We explored the barriers and facilitators associated with accessing PrEP among young people MethodsFocus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in April and May 2023 in the City of Johannesburg district in South Africa. Participants were adult males and females (ages 18-35) self-reporting as HIV negative with or wi...

BackgroundCo-occurring substance use and mental health disorders (COD) represent a growing public health concern, yet healthcare utilization studies with a large sample size remain limited. This study examined healthcare utilization patterns and sociodemographic correlates among COD adults using data from the All of Us Research Program (2018-2023). MethodsElectronic health record data were analyzed for adults aged [≥]18 years with confirmed diagnoses of substance use and mental health disord...

BackgroundOral nicotine pouches (ONPs) have become the second most commonly used nicotine product among U.S. youth. However, little is known about how ONP use is distributed across population subgroups and how strongly it is patterned by use of other tobacco or nicotine products. MethodData were drawn from the 2021-2023 waves of the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), a nationally representative survey of U.S. middle and high school students (N = 66,349). We estimated the annual survey-weight...

BackgroundGastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are prevalent, persistent, and frequently disabling among autistic individuals. Existing research has focused predominantly on children, with comparatively little attention to GI experiences in adulthood. Qualitative studies in pediatric populations document substantial unmet GI-related healthcare needs, including negative healthcare encounters and limited access to autism-informed services. MethodsUsing a community-based participatory research (CBPR) fr...

Health metrics and modelling capacity have expanded to address present burden and burden attributable to risk factors in the past. There remains a gap in accessible tools that estimate avoidable burden; --that is, the future health and economic impacts of preventive and treatment interventions. This paper describes and demonstrates the Health Interventions Impact Calculator (HIIC), a free web-based analysis and visualisation tool that allows for rapid estimation of the future health and economi...

BackgroundSocioeconomic status (SES) strongly shapes oral health, yet the magnitude of these gradients, their pathways and the influence of US Medicaid policies remain uncertain. We quantified SES gradients in adult oral health, examined potential mechanisms and assessed whether state Medicaid expansion and adult dental benefit generosity were associated with aggregate oral health indicators. MethodsWe analysed adults aged [≥]20 years in NHANES 1999-2019 and state adult populations in BRFSS ...

We aim to re-estimate the national homicide rate ratio between nonpregnant/nonpostpartum and pregnant/postpartum women accounting for person-time exposure, which prior studies overlooked. Using a theoretical framework for descriptive epidemiology, we complete a retrospective analysis to estimate the pregnancy-associated homicide rate and re-estimate the national homicide rate ratio between pregnant/postpartum and nonpregnant/nonpostpartum populations in 2020. We use National Vital Statistics Sys...

Engaging with stakeholders/contributors is vital to achieve a comprehensive approach to policymaking about the food (kai) system. The food system in Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa NZ) is associated with high environmental impacts and inequitably distributed health consequences by ethnicity and socio-economic status. We engaged with contributors from government agencies, industry, academics, community, rural and urban M[a]ori communities to develop policy actions to support New Zealanders to eat ...

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...

ObjectiveIn the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), non-communicable diseases (NCDs) cause 73% of deaths, with high body mass index (BMI) as the leading risk factor. Among adolescents, 79% reported physical inactivity (PA), 30% and 10% were living with overweight/obesity and prediabetes, respectively. Little is known about the influence of school environments in shaping healthy eating (HE) and PA behaviours. This study addressed this gap through two steps: (1) Documentary review of obesity prevention...

BackgroundIn Colombia, internal violence, displacement, COVID-19, suicide, and climate crises threaten the survival of younger adults, many of whom are parents. Such premature mortality increases orphanhood risks. Evidence-based psychosocial support for surviving caregivers has potential to mitigate adverse impacts of orphanhood for bereaved children in crisis settings. Here, we adapted the Hope Group program from war-affected Ukraine to post-COVID-19 Colombia Parenting with Hope, and evaluate...