Emily E Edwards, Sara A Choate, Hallie R Decker, Paige Roberson, Miley Jacola, Mads Priddy, Brian P Schaefer
{"title":"Streamlining Qualitative Research: Rapid Analysis Innovations in Expanding the Crisis Care Continuum Through Community-Based Implementation Science.","authors":"Emily E Edwards, Sara A Choate, Hallie R Decker, Paige Roberson, Miley Jacola, Mads Priddy, Brian P Schaefer","doi":"10.1007/s10900-026-01636-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-026-01636-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Qualitative research is a valuable tool for implementing community-based interventions. Rapid analysis (RA) is an applied qualitative approach benefiting community-engaged implementation research by quickly obtaining and analyzing data for actionable results, without sacrificing scientific rigor. To provide technical assistance to four Kentucky communities to strengthen behavioral health crisis response systems, an RA approach was informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Science (CFIR), guiding the development of interview instruments, codebook, data organization, and dissemination of findings to both the internal team and back to the community. The Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) Framework was used to determine research focus for each community. Initial conversations (n = 109) were conducted to build rapport, followed by interviews and focus groups in iterative first round (n = 165), second round (n = 40), and third round (n = 95) to understand the behavioral health landscape in their communities. Through RA strategies, researchers were able to identify community's CFIR-guided themes and EPIS stages, including barriers and facilitators, to provide practical solutions for effective implementation in their contexts. Community presentations and weekly internal reports contributed to technical assistance tailored to the implementation stage. Specific RA-driven impacts included co-developing 202 A involuntary process flowcharts, analyzing 911 call narratives to improve behavioral health dispatch, and facilitating two behavioral health coalitions formation. This study found that using rapid analysis can enhance systems capacity, implementation support, and identify sustainable best practices directly informed by the community. As such, RA serves as an important innovation for implementation science, qualitative research, and building trust with community.</p>","PeriodicalId":15550,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149069660","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}
Samuel Yim, Alexander Fang, Lennox R Ksido, Melica Morris, Thomas F Monaghan, Jeffrey P Weiss, Marie-Claire Roberts, Karel Everaert, Tine DeBacker, Gulzhan Tologonova, Louis Salciccioli, Jason M Lazar
{"title":"Characterization of Nocturia and Urinary Voiding Indices Along the Heart Failure Continuum in US Male Veteran Patients.","authors":"Samuel Yim, Alexander Fang, Lennox R Ksido, Melica Morris, Thomas F Monaghan, Jeffrey P Weiss, Marie-Claire Roberts, Karel Everaert, Tine DeBacker, Gulzhan Tologonova, Louis Salciccioli, Jason M Lazar","doi":"10.1007/s10900-026-01634-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-026-01634-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heart failure (HF) is a growing public health crisis that progresses from cardiovascular risk factors to structural/functional heart disease and eventual HF symptoms. Nocturia, long recognized as a HF symptom, has not been characterized along the HF continuum. To characterize nocturia across HF stages, we retrospectively analyzed voiding diaries and clinical data from US male veteran outpatients treated for lower urinary tract symptoms from 2008 to 2022. Patients were categorized into HF stages 0 (no risk factors), A (HF risk factors), B (stage A criteria + structural heart disease), and C (stage B criteria + prototypical HF signs/symptoms). Among 329 men, median actual void number (ANV) differed across HF stages (p = .011) and was maximal at Stage B. Among patients not taking diuretics - nocturnal voiding indices rose progressively through stage C, suggesting diuretic-mediated suppression of nocturia. There were trends toward higher nocturnal urine volume (NUV), nocturnal polyuria index (NPi) and nocturnal maximum voided volume (NMVV) in Stages B and C patient than Stage A. On multivariate analysis, HF stage was predictive of NUV and trended towards predicting ANV, whereas edema was an independent predictor of ANV, NUV, NPi, and NMVV. In a clinical urology population, nocturnal voiding indices were associated with HF stage, with the highest nocturia burden observed in Stage B (pre-HF) and independently with edema. Among men not taking diuretics, nocturia increased progressively through Stage C. These findings support nocturia as an early marker of volume overload that accompanies structural/functional heart disease, potentially preceding overt HF symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":15550,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149069644","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}
Alaa Oteir, Khader Almhdawi, Mohammad Al-Wardat, Mostafa Abdelrahman, Alaa Arabiat
{"title":"Compliance with Infection Prevention and Control Practices Among Allied Health Sciences Students in Jordan: Predictors and Educational Implications.","authors":"Alaa Oteir, Khader Almhdawi, Mohammad Al-Wardat, Mostafa Abdelrahman, Alaa Arabiat","doi":"10.1007/s10900-026-01628-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-026-01628-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study assessed infection prevention and control (IPC) compliance among allied health students during clinical practices and explored its association with knowledge, attitude and educational factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among allied health students using a self-administered questionnaire on IPC knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Multivariable logistic regression identified predictors of compliance. Among 635 participants (mean age of 21.3 (± 1.5) years; 79.5% females), 59.1% were classified as IPC compliant. Higher compliance was independently associated with greater knowledge (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.09-1.23; p < 0.001), more positive attitudes (aOR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.07; p = 0.004), prior infection-prevention training (aOR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.16-2.31; p = 0.005), and more seniority (aOR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.01-2.02; p = 0.045). IPC compliance among allied health students was suboptimal. Integrating recurring, practical IPC training into allied health curricula may enhance compliance and strengthen infection control in clinical education.</p>","PeriodicalId":15550,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149030661","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}
Mohammad Hazique, Thomas F Monaghan, Dorothy B Wakefield, Jeffrey P Weiss, Louis Salciccioli, Jacob Shani, Zubair Jafar, Karel Everaert, Tine DeBacker, Jason M Lazar
{"title":"Nocturia and Left Ventricular End-Diastolic Pressure in Patients Undergoing Left Sided Cardiac Catheterization.","authors":"Mohammad Hazique, Thomas F Monaghan, Dorothy B Wakefield, Jeffrey P Weiss, Louis Salciccioli, Jacob Shani, Zubair Jafar, Karel Everaert, Tine DeBacker, Jason M Lazar","doi":"10.1007/s10900-026-01635-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-026-01635-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nocturia, the most common and bothersome of lower urinary tract symptoms, is associated with various cardiovascular (CV) disorders including hypertension and heart failure, suggesting potential relevance as a marker of CV and population health risk. We hypothesized that fluid overload is a major contributor to nocturia accompanying these overlapping but distinct CV disorders and aimed to characterize the relationship between nocturia and volume status. In a single-center observational study, we prospectively recruited 200 patients, age 33-92 years referred for cardiac catheterization to assess left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP), a hemodynamic parameter reflecting intravascular volume status and obtained nocturia data. Every patient had at least one nighttime void and 152 (76.0%) had higher-frequency nocturia (>2 voids per night), range of actual number of nightly voids (ANV) was 2-5 per night. On logistic regression, higher-frequency nocturia was significantly associated with LVEDP >16 mmHg, older age group, lower LVEF, and edema. As a continuous variable, ANV significantly correlated with LVEDP (r=0.39, p<.0001) and LVEF (r=-.23, p=.0009). On ordinal regression analysis, patients with LVEDP >16 mmHg were 3.50 (95% CI: 1.98, 6.16) times more likely to have a higher ANV as compared to patients with LVEDP ≤ 16 mmHg. Elevated LVEDP is independently associated with nocturia frequency in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization suggesting that nocturia may serve as a noninvasive marker of elevated LV filling pressures and fluid overload. Recognizing nocturia as a marker of CV disease, rather than solely a urologic complaint, may prompt cardiac evaluation in appropriate patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":15550,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149030653","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}
Nanda Tri Rahmatika, Mahalul Azam, Bertakalswa Hermawati, Nabila Nur Afifah Fitri, Galuh Mega Kurnia, Erlin Friska
{"title":"A Systematic Review of the Prevalence and Microsystem Risk Factors of Bullying Victimization Among Adolescents.","authors":"Nanda Tri Rahmatika, Mahalul Azam, Bertakalswa Hermawati, Nabila Nur Afifah Fitri, Galuh Mega Kurnia, Erlin Friska","doi":"10.1007/s10900-026-01626-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-026-01626-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bullying has substantial short- and long-term psychological consequences for adolescents. However, systematic reviews synthesizing global evidence on the prevalence of bullying victimization and its microsystem risk factors remain limited. This review aimed to synthesize evidence on the prevalence of bullying victimization and identify microsystem risk factors at the individual, family, peer, and school levels among adolescents. PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ProQuest were searched for original quantitative studies involving adolescents aged 12-19 years that reported the prevalence and risk factors of bullying victimization. Review articles, qualitative studies, studies outside the target age range, studies focusing only on bullying perpetration, and those without prevalence or risk factor data were excluded. Study quality was assessed using the Hoy Risk of Bias Tool. Findings were synthesized narratively by bullying type and microsystem domain. Twenty-six studies involving 138,506 adolescents were included. The prevalence of traditional bullying victimization ranged from 3.37% to 86.2%, while cyberbullying victimization ranged from 2.13% to 52.2%. Thirty-one microsystem risk factors were identified across four domains. The most consistently reported factors were younger age, male sex, frequent internet or social media use, psychological distress, poor parent-child relationships and parental support, low peer support, previous bullying experiences, and limited teacher support. Bullying victimization remains a major public health concern among adolescents. Prevention strategies should target multiple microsystem domains, particularly family, peer, and school environments, while future studies should adopt standardized definitions and measurement approaches to improve comparability.</p>","PeriodicalId":15550,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148900729","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}
Evelyn S Chiang, Alex Morrison, Alexis S Cangemi, Justine Richelle, Charlie Marsh, Kristin Shepard
{"title":"Inclusive Disaster Relief Lessons learned for People with Disabilities from Hurricane Helene (2024) in North Carolina, USA.","authors":"Evelyn S Chiang, Alex Morrison, Alexis S Cangemi, Justine Richelle, Charlie Marsh, Kristin Shepard","doi":"10.1007/s10900-026-01629-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-026-01629-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>People with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to the impact of natural disasters such as hurricanes and tropical storms. They also experience greater difficulty obtaining relief aid as well as recovering from storm-related impacts. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of people with disabilities as well as parents of someone disabled following Tropical Storm Helene, which struck the western North Carolina region in late September 2024. In the present study, 40 disabled adults and 28 parents of a disabled child, teen, or adult reported on their experiences with disaster response services following Tropical Storm Helene. Respondents completed surveys consisting of both open-ended and selected-response items. Respondents shared personal experiences with evacuating, accessing community care stations, and barriers to obtaining resources. A number of recommendations are offered to promote more inclusive responses to future natural disasters. These recommendations include clearer communication about the availability of resources as well as providing additional ways to access them.</p>","PeriodicalId":15550,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148900796","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}
Erwin Hernando Hernandez Rincon, Juan Carlos Forero Avila, Sergio Benavides Rodriguez, Juan Camilo Bernal Quintero
{"title":"Digital Strategies To Counter Health Misinformation and Strengthen Vaccine Acceptance: a Scoping Review.","authors":"Erwin Hernando Hernandez Rincon, Juan Carlos Forero Avila, Sergio Benavides Rodriguez, Juan Camilo Bernal Quintero","doi":"10.1007/s10900-026-01609-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-026-01609-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Health misinformation is one of the greatest challenges in contemporary public health and has been consistently associated with higher levels of vaccine hesitancy and refusal, particularly through its dissemination on digital platforms. The aim of this review was to map and synthesize the available evidence on digital strategies designed to reduce health misinformation and strengthen vaccine acceptance in the community, identifying their types, mechanisms of action, reported effectiveness, target populations, contexts of application, and evidence gaps. A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The research question was structured using the PCC framework (Population, Concept, and Context). A systematic search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and BIREME, including studies published between January 2021 and December 2025 in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. A total of 2,188 records were identified, of which 37 studies met the inclusion criteria, originating from 12 countries and published between 2019 and 2026. The evidence was organized into six thematic categories: social media campaigns (n = 9), experimental message interventions (n = 9), prebunking and psychological inoculation (n = 3), narrative interventions and digital storytelling (n = 5), emerging technologies and digital innovation (n = 3), and organizational social listening strategies (n = 4). The strategies with the strongest evidence of effectiveness on vaccine attitudes and intention were culturally adapted campaigns, fact-checking messages from recognized sources, prebunking through digital games, and community narrative interventions. However, the meta-analysis by [1], comprising 28 randomized controlled trials, found that social media interventions did not produce statistically significant differences in the number of people vaccinated (RR = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.96-1.14), although they did yield improvements in attitudes and intention. The benefit of digital strategies on vaccine acceptance depends more on the recipient's profile, the message source, and the sociocultural context than on the technology used. The available evidence suggests that digital strategies are especially effective at improving vaccine attitudes, knowledge, and intention, although their impact on actual vaccination depends on their integration with community interventions and on the sociocultural context.</p>","PeriodicalId":15550,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148900766","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}
Haley Watts, Diane Hurwitz, Jonathan Hurley, Ellen Terry, Christopher Saker, Thomas Stall, Vidhatri Raturi, Anjali Niyogi, Helen Pope
{"title":"Assessing Bias in Medication Administration in Relation to Incarceration History in a New Orleans Student Clinic Population.","authors":"Haley Watts, Diane Hurwitz, Jonathan Hurley, Ellen Terry, Christopher Saker, Thomas Stall, Vidhatri Raturi, Anjali Niyogi, Helen Pope","doi":"10.1007/s10900-026-01633-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-026-01633-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Formerly incarcerated individuals experience a disproportionate burden of disease and face greater barriers to accessing healthcare. This population also represents a significant proportion of patients seen in New Orleans' student-run clinics. This study examines the chief complaints among formerly incarcerated patients and evaluates whether prescribing patterns differ for this group, with the aim of identifying potential biases in treatment practices. Data for this study were obtained from REDCap surveys administered to patients at student-run clinics. Patients were categorized by chief complaint, and chi-square analysis was used to assess whether incarceration status was associated with initiation of the corresponding treatment. Analyses were performed in SPSS, with p-values < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Logistic regression was subsequently conducted to evaluate potential confounders and to confirm associations identified in the chi-square analysis. No significant differences were observed in overall chief complaints or overall medication prescribing between formerly incarcerated and non-incarcerated patients. However, after adjusting for demographic factors, formerly incarcerated patients presenting with respiratory symptoms were less likely to receive cough and cold medications. These findings suggest a potential bias in prescribing practices, as formerly incarcerated patients presenting with respiratory symptoms were less likely to receive cough and cold medications compared to their non-incarcerated counterparts.</p>","PeriodicalId":15550,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148887701","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}
Barbara de Freitas Quitério, Patricia Paiva de Oliveira Galvão, Sheila Cavalcante Caetano, Zila M Sanchez, Juliana Y Valente
{"title":"Psychosocial Correlates of Exclusive and Dual Nicotine Use among Adolescents in a Context of E-Cigarette Sales Prohibition.","authors":"Barbara de Freitas Quitério, Patricia Paiva de Oliveira Galvão, Sheila Cavalcante Caetano, Zila M Sanchez, Juliana Y Valente","doi":"10.1007/s10900-026-01632-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-026-01632-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although the sale of electronic cigarettes (ECs) has been prohibited in Brazil since 2009, experimentation among adolescents has increased substantially in recent years. Understanding the psychosocial factors associated with different nicotine use patterns in this regulatory context may help inform more effective prevention strategies. This study examined sociodemographic characteristics and psychosocial factors associated with exclusive EC use, exclusive conventional cigarette use, and dual use among Brazilian adolescents. A cross-sectional school-based survey was conducted with 2,939 adolescents from public schools in São Paulo State, Brazil. Participants completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine factors associated with exclusive EC use, exclusive conventional cigarette use, dual use, and non-use. The lifetime prevalence of exclusive EC use, exclusive conventional cigarette use, and dual use was 13.3%, 2.9%, and 12.9%, respectively. Girls were more likely to report exclusive EC use (RRR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.16-1.88) and dual use (RRR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.20-1.93), whereas boys were more likely to report exclusive conventional cigarette use. Perceived peer use and ease of access were strongly associated with both exclusive EC use and dual use, with consistently stronger associations among dual users. Adolescents who believed that ECs help reduce cigarette smoking were more likely to report exclusive EC use and dual use, whereas perceiving ECs as highly addictive was associated with lower odds of both exclusive EC use (RRR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.35-0.67) and dual use (RRR = 0.44; 95% CI: 0.25-0.77). Psychosocial factors were differentially associated with nicotine use patterns among adolescents living in a context where EC sales are prohibited. These findings have important implications for community- and school-based prevention initiatives by highlighting the need to address perceived accessibility, peer norms, and misconceptions about electronic cigarettes in addition to regulatory measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":15550,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148865053","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}
{"title":"Evaluation of HIV/AIDS Knowledge and Stigma among Algerian University Students.","authors":"Mohamed Lounis, Djihad Bencherit, Lamia Ziouani, Narimane Rabia","doi":"10.1007/s10900-026-01624-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-026-01624-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains a serious global public health concern. While Algeria is considered a low-prevalence country, existing statistics indicate that HIV incidence is increasing in the last years. This study was conducted to assess the level of HIV/AIDS knowledge and HIV-related stigma in a sample of Algerian university students. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted targeting students living and studying in Algeria between March 7, 2024, and April 13, 2025. Results showed that a mean proportion of 62.4% of correct responses was obtained from a total of 422 students who answered the questionnaire. While students were aware of the major modes of HIV transmission, including sexual intercourse (98.6%), infected needles and syringes (96.2%), and blood transfusion (96.9%), some misconceptions persisted incriminating saliva (73.7%), sharing swimming pools or hot baths (51.9%), kissing (48.3%), sharing dishes (47.4%), and sneezing or coughing (43.6%). High levels of knowledge were observed among Health Sciences students (OR: 7.919, 95% CI: 3.558-17.627, p < 0.001), Natural and Life Sciences students (OR: 3.7, 95% CI: 2.329-5.88, p < 0.001), and postgraduates (OR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.125-4.132, p = 0.022). Stigma was present among more than half of the participants (50.2%) and was negatively correlated to the level of knowledge (OR: 1.595, 95% CI: 1.081-2.354, p = 0.019). Results of the current study suggest the need for targeted educational campaigns to educate students about the less common modes of transmission of HIV that could help to reduce the level of stigma and thus contribute to the battle against this public health threat.</p>","PeriodicalId":15550,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148865043","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}