European Journal of Public Health

ObjectivesNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for almost 90% of deaths in Europe, yet comparative estimates of the productivity costs associated with premature NCD mortality across diseases and countries remain limited. This study estimates and compares productivity losses attributable to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality among working-age populations across Europe. Population-based data were used to estimate productivity costs for CVD and cancer deaths across 30 European co...

IntroductionClimate change is expected to alter daily patterns of sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity, yet empirically grounded projections across the full 24-hour movement spectrum are lacking. This study estimated how projected future warming may alter 24-hour movement behaviour patterns in adults. MethodsA Monte Carlo simulation framework estimated temperature-dependent distributions of daily movement behaviour duration using data from 368 adults in the Annual Rhythms in Adults ...

ObjectivesDigital biomarkers offer scalable screening for type 2 diabetes, yet adoption is stalled by uncertainty regarding economic viability. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of digital screening compared to opportunistic screening from a Swiss payer perspective. MethodsA probabilistic Markov cohort model was developed to simulate at-risk Swiss adults (age [≥]45, BMI [≥]25 kg/m{superscript 2}) over a 40-year horizon. The model incorporates a digital attritio...

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 ...

ObjectiveExplore self-reported racial discrimination in healthcare. MethodsRepresentative population sample, Switzerland, repeated cross-sectional data 2016 to 2024 (N=15,525). ResultsContrary to expectation, respondents from the migration-related population (foreign citizens, foreign born, migration background, first/second generation) report less racial discrimination than members of the majority population. Over time, we see an increase in the non migration-related population reporting (rac...

BackgroundClimate change is increasingly recognised as a threat to population health and healthcare systems, yet the effects of environmental variability on pharmaceutical prescribing remain poorly characterised in the UK. Using a wide array of open-source datasets, we examine the effect of environmental, geographic and socioeconomic factors on prescribing habits in England. MethodsWe linked monthly, practice-level prescribing data for England (2010-2025) to meteorological, air-quality, floodin...

Abstract/SummaryFinancial exploitation of older adults is an increasingly prevalent public health concern, yet few have characterized fraud prevalence longitudinally or evaluated whether financial exploitation vulnerability measures prospectively predict fraud outcomes. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we examined fraud prevalence across a 14-year period and tested whether the Perceived Financial Vulnerability Scale (PFVS) predicts subsequent fraud victimization among older adult...

IntroductionPregnancy is a critical test of womens cardiovascular risk. Structural factors may influence long-term cardiovascular health beyond individual, social experiences. We examined associations of neighborhood-level deprivation and individual-level social vulnerability (SV) during pregnancy with postpartum blood pressure (BP). MethodsThis secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study used data from 3,728 nulliparous women in the nuMoM2b-HHS cohort followed from early pregnancy to 2-7 ...

BackgroundFood systems--particularly livestock production--account for substantial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while unhealthy diets, characterized by excessive animal-based and insufficient plant-based food consumption, are a major risk factor for all-cause mortality in Europe. Implementing climate mitigation policies related to the GHG emissions of the food system could therefore bring important health co-benefits. MethodsWe developed a health impact assessment model based on a life table...

Childhood adversities are common and linked to increased risk of premature mortality, including deaths from accidents in early adulthood. We examined associations between childhood adversity and specific types of lethal accidents using nationwide register data from 1,282,636 individuals in the DANish LIFE course (DANLIFE) cohort born between Jan 1, 1980, and Dec 31, 2001, who did not die or emigrate before age 16. Individuals were classified into five trajectory groups based on annual exposure t...

IntroductionBreastfeeding supports multiple aspects of child development and maternal health. However, research findings are often inconsistent due to methodological limitations, including inadequate control for sociodemographic factors, variation in feeding practices, health conditions across the life course, and heterogeneity in human milk (HM) composition. The Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Center (MILC) is a globally accessible, bench-to-population research platform that enables integr...

BackgroundCommunity safety is a key determinant of mental well-being, yet racially and ethnically minoritised communities in the UK often face higher exposure to violence alongside barriers to formal protection and support. In these contexts, informal support networks may play a critical role in shaping how safety is experienced and how distress is managed. Although such networks are widely recognised as protective for mental well-being, there is limited qualitative research examining how they o...

BackgroundHome disciplinary practices shape childrens health and development. Yet, comprehensive, up-to-date global evidence on their levels, trends, and socioeconomic and regional inequalities remains limited. This study provides the first global prevalence estimates of both violent and non-violent forms of discipline, examining regional disparities, variations by child and family characteristics, and changes over time. MethodsWe drew from 176 nationally-representative Multiple Indicator Clust...

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...

Young people are increasingly remaining in the parental home for longer - a trend associated with poorer mental health. There is little evidence on this transition for young people with disability. We used three waves of the Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset, a 5% sample of linked Census records. Two analyses compared transitions between 2011-2016 and 2016-2021 among people 15-34y living with parents at baseline with complete data on disability and housing. The proportion of people no longe...

ObjectiveThe objective of this analysis was to explore temporal and regional trends in breast pump prescription claims in outpatient settings in Germany, and to characterize the types of pumps covered. Study designWe conducted a nationwide secondary analysis of outpatient statutory health insurance billing data for breast pump prescriptions from 2011 to 2024, covering nearly 90% of the German population. Billing data from community pharmacies were scaled to full national coverage using regional...

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...

IntroductionNational trends in youth suicide risk may mask significant regional variations within a country. This article attempts to account for spatio-temporal trends through a comparative analysis across South America and Europe. This paper analyzes the spatiotemporal patterns in suicide mortality among young people (10-29 years) in Argentina, Chile, Spain, and Uruguay during the period 1997-2021. MethodsOfficial data from vital statistics and population censuses of the four countries were a...

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...

ObjectivesPeople impacted by the criminal-legal system face significant challenges to securing and sustaining permanent housing. This study was designed to assess housing outcomes of an integrated intervention that offered housing, medical, and behavioral health services to individuals with criminal-legal system involvement. MethodsAfter a baseline needs assessment, participants were linked to services and completed quarterly study visits for up to 12 months. We used descriptive statistics to a...