Global Public HealthPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-04-07DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2025.2486433
Padmore Adusei Amoah, Vera Mun Yu Tang, Moses Adjei
{"title":"Social capital as an instrument for health literacy promotion among community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong.","authors":"Padmore Adusei Amoah, Vera Mun Yu Tang, Moses Adjei","doi":"10.1080/17441692.2025.2486433","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2025.2486433","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigates how different forms of social capital influence the health literacy of community-dwelling older adults. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 older adults aged 65 and above living in Hong Kong. Thematic analysis technique was employed to analyse the data. The findings showed that both structural and cognitive forms of social capital were available to most of the older adults. However, some struggled to access common forms of social capital, such as bonding and expressed distrust in their neighbours. Some respondents demonstrated sufficient health literacy (e.g. seeking a second medical opinion), while others had limited health literacy (e.g. difficulties seeking advice during medical consultations). The influence of social capital on older adults' health literacy was evident in four areas: (1) social capital and access to health information; (2) managing infodemic and evaluating healthcare information; (3) social capital and quality of healthcare; and (4) adverse influence of social capital for health literacy and health-related outcomes. Health literacy can impel older adults towards healthy ageing, and its reinforcement can be strengthened by incorporating various forms of social capital. This is because the health literacy of older adults is fundamentally tied to social interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12735,"journal":{"name":"Global Public Health","volume":"20 1","pages":"2486433"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143803106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Global Public HealthPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-02-04DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2025.2460016
Engy Sawah, Karina Kielmann, Joris Michielsen
{"title":"Barriers and enablers towards integrated care for survivors of sexual violence in humanitarian settings: A real-time qualitative Delphi study.","authors":"Engy Sawah, Karina Kielmann, Joris Michielsen","doi":"10.1080/17441692.2025.2460016","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17441692.2025.2460016","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In humanitarian settings with high levels of sexual violence (SV), care is often offered through fragmented silos, exacerbating the burden on the health workforce and survivors. We aimed to identify contextual and health systems barriers and enablers to providing integrated medical and mental health & psychosocial support (MHPSS) in the care for SV survivors in humanitarian settings. Using Valentijn's framework, a qualitative, real-time Delphi study (RTD) approach was conducted with 17 experts representing seven geographical subregions. Challenges and enablers identified across the participants' contexts were consistent. Contextual challenges included volatile contexts, collapsed health systems, and insufficient basic infrastructure. Professional-related challenges included lacking expertise among healthcare professionals (HCPs), high staff attrition rates, and compassion fatigue. Health systems-related challenges included poor referral and coordination mechanisms, lack of funding and resources, misaligned donor priorities and low prioritisation of SV comprehensive care. Effective networking, community engagement, capacity building, co-locating services, participatory management, promoting employees' sense of ownership, establishing a digital information system, and a unified joint patient file were key identified enablers. Further research should be conducted to assess HCPs' and SV survivors' perceptions and experiences of how best to integrate MHPSS services, and understand the challenges and opportunities in delivering integrated services.</p>","PeriodicalId":12735,"journal":{"name":"Global Public Health","volume":"20 1","pages":"2460016"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143188870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Global Public HealthPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-05-06DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2025.2499094
Jorge Pedro Barroso Batista, Maria Alexandra Ribeiro, Leonor Soares, Joana Araújo, Helder Mota Filipe, Maria do Céu Patrão Neves
{"title":"The BERC-Luso project: Legislative, institutional, and educational impact evaluation.","authors":"Jorge Pedro Barroso Batista, Maria Alexandra Ribeiro, Leonor Soares, Joana Araújo, Helder Mota Filipe, Maria do Céu Patrão Neves","doi":"10.1080/17441692.2025.2499094","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2025.2499094","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Biomedical Ethics and Regulatory Capacity Building for Portuguese-Speaking African Countries Project (BERC-Luso) was a four-year project that aimed to enhance biomedical ethics and regulatory capacities in five Portuguese-Speaking African Countries (PSAC). BERC-Luso was developed considering the PSAC scarce number of clinical trials, exploring an untapped potential. The project's interventions focused on three primary areas: legislative, institutional, and capacity building. The common aim was to create attractive conditions for conducting clinical trials, guaranteeing population protection and benefit of the country. The project evaluated national legislative frameworks and recommended strengthening actions. Through implementing top-down and bottom-up approaches, BERC-Luso involved ministries, political stakeholders, policymakers, and diplomatic channels. These strategies prompted legislative initiatives and reforms. The outcomes evaluation reflected a high level of success rate, with 78.59% of the targets being achieved. The impact level was demonstrated by the engagement with stakeholders, resulting in activities that impacted over 71,149 professionals. The project emphasises the need for more investment in capacity-building, reinforcing best practices' implementation at legislative, institutional and training levels. BERC-Luso fostered collaboration between partner countries, contributing to a supportive environment of African biomedical research.</p>","PeriodicalId":12735,"journal":{"name":"Global Public Health","volume":"20 1","pages":"2499094"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143967738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Global Public HealthPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-05-12DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2025.2501163
Asiyah T Maulana, Annisa Ika Putri, Brittney S Mengistu, Stephen L Walker, Ruth M H Peters
{"title":"Development, validation and reliability of knowledge, attitudes and practice questionnaire for people affected by leprosy reactions.","authors":"Asiyah T Maulana, Annisa Ika Putri, Brittney S Mengistu, Stephen L Walker, Ruth M H Peters","doi":"10.1080/17441692.2025.2501163","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2025.2501163","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Leprosy reactions occur in 20-50% of people affected by leprosy. Previous studies have shown that lack of awareness and understanding of leprosy reactions among affected individuals and healthcare workers. This study aims to design and validate a knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) questionnaire to assess understanding of leprosy reactions among leprosy-affected individuals. This study employed a sequential exploratory design in three phases. During interviews, affected individuals expressed dissatisfaction with the level of information provided by medical practitioners regarding leprosy reactions. People affected by leprosy reactions shared experiences of frustration, treatment barriers, and difficulties with daily activities during interviews and workshops. The pilot test with eight affected individuals let to the removal of one question, the addition of a new question, and adjustment to wording and instructions. Cronbach's alpha was calculated based on data collected from 63 individuals. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.71. The final KAP questionnaire consists of 39 questions, is considered clear and acceptable by users and can therefore be used to measure the KAP of individuals with leprosy reactions in Indonesia. KAP questionnaires have the potential to identify gaps in understanding of leprosy reactions and are expected to be helpful in assessing the effectiveness of interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12735,"journal":{"name":"Global Public Health","volume":"20 1","pages":"2501163"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143984020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Global Public HealthPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-04-03DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2025.2486436
Marion Di Ciaccio, Elisa Adami, Nassima Boulahdour, Othmane Bourhaba, Juliana Castro Avila, Nicolas Lorente, Khawla Beldi Chouikha, Montassar Nabli, Sonia Torkhani, Mehdi Karkouri, Daniela Rojas Castro
{"title":"An intersectional analysis of social constraints and agency among sex workers in Tunisia during the COVID-19 pandemic; the community-based qualitative study EPIC-MENA.","authors":"Marion Di Ciaccio, Elisa Adami, Nassima Boulahdour, Othmane Bourhaba, Juliana Castro Avila, Nicolas Lorente, Khawla Beldi Chouikha, Montassar Nabli, Sonia Torkhani, Mehdi Karkouri, Daniela Rojas Castro","doi":"10.1080/17441692.2025.2486436","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17441692.2025.2486436","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The economic, social and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic varied across population groups. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive view of the effects of socioeconomic constraints on sex workers' agency during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia, using the analytical framework of intersectionality. We performed a thematic content analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with sex workers (n = 19). Results highlighted the heavy burden of socioeconomic constraints on their agency, and specifically on their decision to continue sex work or not during the pandemic. The fact that there were fewer clients during the pandemic led to greater economic precarity, especially among mothers. Furthermore, interviewees - mostly cisgender male sex workers with same-sex practices - reported increased violence and discrimination by clients and the police. Participants also experienced difficulties accessing health care for themselves and for their children, including access to COVID-19 vaccination. This was especially true for women with a low educational level. Finally, sex workers' mental health was also strongly affected by the pandemic. Findings highlights the role of various intersecting socioeconomic conditions and structural vulnerabilities on sex workers' experience of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia, in terms of health and their capacity to negotiate agency.</p>","PeriodicalId":12735,"journal":{"name":"Global Public Health","volume":"20 1","pages":"2486436"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143779841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Global Public HealthPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-05-27DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2025.2504698
Omowamiwa Kolawole, Caroline Ncube, Jeremy de Beer
{"title":"Challenges implementing technology transfer as a viable pathway for equitable vaccine production and access: A case study of the mRNA vaccine hub in South Africa.","authors":"Omowamiwa Kolawole, Caroline Ncube, Jeremy de Beer","doi":"10.1080/17441692.2025.2504698","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2025.2504698","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been renewed calls for more equitable vaccine access. These calls have in turn resulted in interventions to increase vaccine manufacturing capacity as one of the key interventions to address global vaccine access. However, skill gaps in manufacturing capacity point out the critical need for technology transfer and more open science. The World Health Organization-instituted mRNA hub in South Africa has been positioned as an initiative to facilitate technology transfer for building and leveraging vaccine manufacturing capacity in low and middle income countries. Our case study examines the activities of the mRNA vaccine hub, highlighting challenges that can stifle the long-term goals of equitable vaccine production if left unaddressed. The findings suggest that for technology transfer to be effective, there must be sufficient institutional commitment, adequate funding that is fit for purpose, clear terms and an enabling legal and socio-economic environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":12735,"journal":{"name":"Global Public Health","volume":"20 1","pages":"2504698"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144158228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Global Public HealthPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-01-10DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2024.2447795
Yazid Barhoush, Joseph J Amon
{"title":"Research in compulsory drug detention centres in China: Characteristics and ethical considerations.","authors":"Yazid Barhoush, Joseph J Amon","doi":"10.1080/17441692.2024.2447795","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17441692.2024.2447795","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>More than 500 centres in China hold over 300,000 individuals in what has been described by the United Nations as unethical and ineffective compulsory treatment and rehabilitation centres. Individuals in these centres face widespread human rights abuses, including lack of due process, forced labour, physical and sexual violence, and denial of healthcare. Because of the vulnerability of individuals in detention settings to abuse in research trials, ethical guidelines have required research to pose no more than minimal risk, to address the process of incarceration, and the health or well-being of detained individuals. To understand the scope and ethical protections of research conducted in Chinese drug detention centres, we conducted a literature review by searching the China Academic Journals Database for Chinese language research articles published between 2012-2021. We identified 68 articles of drug detention detainees that examined physical and psychosocial health; infectious disease prevalence; past drug use; and other topics. The majority of studies (56%) did not provide any information on the consent of research participants. Only ten (15%) studies reported receiving ethics approval. No studies examined the process or conditions of detention. Journal editors, in China and globally, should increase scrutiny of research conducted in compulsory drug detention settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":12735,"journal":{"name":"Global Public Health","volume":"20 1","pages":"2447795"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142947594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Global Public HealthPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-01-07DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2024.2445827
Yue Guan
{"title":"The effectiveness of coercive measures in motivating vaccination: Evidence from China during the COVID-19 pandemic.","authors":"Yue Guan","doi":"10.1080/17441692.2024.2445827","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2024.2445827","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Governments worldwide have implemented mandates, restrictions, and other coercive measures to secure adequate vaccine coverage, with the COVID-19 pandemic providing numerous examples. While the ethics and public reception of such measures are matters of heated discussion, their effectiveness in motivating individuals to get vaccinated remains incompletely understood. This study addresses that gap by analyzing data from a 2022 nationwide online survey conducted in China. Respondents recruited through proportional quota sampling to reflect key demographic characteristics of the population were asked to specify their COVID-19 vaccination status and the reason behind their decision. Results reveal that while most respondents reported getting vaccinated voluntarily, 14.6% attributed their vaccination to the government's coercive mobilisation efforts. Moreover, members of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, as well as individuals favouring Western vaccines unavailable in China, were more likely to cite coercive mobilisation as the reason for their vaccination. These findings suggest that coercive measures can motivate a substantial proportion of the population to get vaccinated, especially those closely connected to the political system and those with unmet vaccination preferences. Given the controversy surrounding such measures, this enhanced understanding of their effectiveness could help with formulating targeted policies to combat infectious diseases and safeguard public health.</p>","PeriodicalId":12735,"journal":{"name":"Global Public Health","volume":"20 1","pages":"2445827"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142947633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Global Public HealthPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-02-21DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2025.2465643
Alexandra Wollum, Katherine Key, Teshager Mersha, Martha Nicholson, Georgina Page, Kate Austen, Mamo Elias Endale, Heidi Moseson
{"title":"Does a values clarification and attitudes transformation (VCAT) workshop influence provider attitudes, knowledge, and service provision related to abortion care?: Evidence from a mixed-methods longitudinal randomised controlled trial in Ethiopia.","authors":"Alexandra Wollum, Katherine Key, Teshager Mersha, Martha Nicholson, Georgina Page, Kate Austen, Mamo Elias Endale, Heidi Moseson","doi":"10.1080/17441692.2025.2465643","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17441692.2025.2465643","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite being widely implemented, little information exists on the effect of Value Clarification and Attitude Transformation (VCAT) workshops on health care provider knowledge and attitudes and abortion provision. Between 2019 and 2021, we conducted a cluster-randomised controlled trial among 101 private abortion-providing healthcare facilities in Ethiopia. We surveyed 217 providers prior to a VCAT workshop and again at 2 weeks, 6 months, and one year following VCAT workshop participation to understand abortion knowledge and attitudes, examined service statistics to assess abortion client volumes, and conducted in-depth interviews with 30 providers. We found that a VCAT workshop for providers increased abortion service provision. In the year following the workshop, intervention facilities served 13% more abortion clients than expected based on the control group trend (95% CI: 6%-21%, <i>p</i> = .01). VCAT workshops moderately improved knowledge and supportive attitudes about abortion in the short-term. The VCAT workshop worked to change providers' attitudes by highlighting the importance of abortion in protecting clients from potential death and harm, but providers were less comfortable providing care to patients in situations deemed to be less socially justified (e.g. for married clients). Results support implementing ongoing VCAT refreshers with additional emphasis on client autonomy, cultural norms, and person-centred care.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04181021.</p>","PeriodicalId":12735,"journal":{"name":"Global Public Health","volume":"20 1","pages":"2465643"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143472367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Global Public HealthPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-03-24DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2025.2480645
Filipa Correia, Kenneth Camargo, Paulo Nossa, Ana Aboim Horta, Margarida Correia-Neves, Alice Delerue-Matos
{"title":"Attitudes and behaviours associated with HIV transmission in men who have sex with men in Portugal - a qualitative study.","authors":"Filipa Correia, Kenneth Camargo, Paulo Nossa, Ana Aboim Horta, Margarida Correia-Neves, Alice Delerue-Matos","doi":"10.1080/17441692.2025.2480645","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17441692.2025.2480645","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>HIV pandemic continues to affect key populations more than the general population, namely young men who have sex with men (MSM) [UNAIDS. (2023). <i>The path that ends AIDS: UNAIDS global AIDS update 2023</i>. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/2023-unaids-global-aids-update_en.pdf]. This study aimed to identify and better understand the attitudes and behaviours associated with HIV transmission in young MSM, and their awareness and motivation to use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). In 2022 and 2023, we interviewed 23 MSM between 20 and 30 years old. A hybrid methodology - inductive and deductive - was used for content analysis. Trust in partners, drug use, fetishisation regarding condomless sex and yielding to a partner's desire due to lack of assertiveness were highlighted as motivations for unprotected sex. Shame and fear of stigma were identified as potential inhibitory factors for HIV testing. Some concerns and lack of awareness regarding PrEP were noted, along with barriers to access, due to long waiting times for consultations and lack of knowledge or judgment by healthcare professionals. This study reinforces the need to invest in sex education and empowerment strategies, through a sexual orientation-sensitive approach, in the context of health education and care provision, as well as the need for training and streamlining PrEP fast-track protocols.</p>","PeriodicalId":12735,"journal":{"name":"Global Public Health","volume":"20 1","pages":"2480645"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143691994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}