PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWSPub Date : 2026-08-27eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2026.1609466
Valter Chicalo António Caripa, Rubia Laine de Paula Andrade-Gonçalves, Rafaele Oliveira Bonfim, Mariana Gaspar Botelho Funari de Faria, Yan Mathias Alves, Reginaldo Bazon Vaz Tavares, Titilade Kehinde Ayandeyi Teibo, Willie Otavio Bueno Bernardi, Rander Junior Rosa, Ariela Fehr Tártaro, Natacha Martins Ribeiro, André Luiz Teixeira Vinci, Nathalia Zini, Ricardo Alexandre Arcêncio
{"title":"Strengthening comprehensive tuberculosis care in Angola: a scoping review of strategies, challenges, and potentialities in a high-burden setting.","authors":"Valter Chicalo António Caripa, Rubia Laine de Paula Andrade-Gonçalves, Rafaele Oliveira Bonfim, Mariana Gaspar Botelho Funari de Faria, Yan Mathias Alves, Reginaldo Bazon Vaz Tavares, Titilade Kehinde Ayandeyi Teibo, Willie Otavio Bueno Bernardi, Rander Junior Rosa, Ariela Fehr Tártaro, Natacha Martins Ribeiro, André Luiz Teixeira Vinci, Nathalia Zini, Ricardo Alexandre Arcêncio","doi":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609466","DOIUrl":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609466","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To identify surveillance and care actions implemented for tuberculosis control in the country, as well as to analyze factors that hinder or facilitate their implementation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This scoping review followed the methodology recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual for Scoping Reviews and the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF). The review question was formulated based on the PCC acronym, and searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, LILACS, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 564 records identified, 13 studies were included, encompassing 24,652 participants, including adults and children. Regarding prevention, BCG vaccination achieved approximately 90% coverage among children under 5 years of age. Diagnostic approaches included clinical evaluation, chest radiography, and laboratory tests (AFB smear microscopy/GeneXpert), while major challenges included shortages of supplies (reported in 100% of the studies) and underreporting.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Updating guidelines, strengthening professional training, and expanding diagnostic and treatment services are priority measures to consolidate tuberculosis control in the country.</p>","PeriodicalId":35944,"journal":{"name":"PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWS","volume":"47 ","pages":"1609466"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13558124/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148931414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The health diplomacy spiral: a conceptual framework linking health system integration and public health diplomacy.","authors":"Aurimas Peckauskas, Arunas Dulkys, Olegas Niaksu, Ramune Kalediene","doi":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609977","DOIUrl":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609977","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To examine the interrelations between health system integration, digital transformation and public health diplomacy and to conceptualise how systemic threats, interdependence, and governance constraints shape cross-border health coordination.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A structured integrative literature review was conducted in PubMed (2015-2025), covering two domains: health system transformation and health diplomacy. Studies were selected through multi-stage screening. Thematic and conceptual synthesis was used to identify cross-domain patterns.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The review supported a conceptual synthesis linking systemic pressures, institutional reforms, integration processes, and cross-border coordination. Although these relationships were rarely examined directly in the included studies, cross-domain interpretation suggested convergence through interdependence driven by integration and digitalisation, alongside governance constraints that limit coordination. These conditions may create the structural basis for public health diplomacy as a practice-oriented response to transnational health risks.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study proposes the Health Diplomacy Spiral, a conceptual framework for examining how health system integration and digital transformation may generate interdependence and governance complexity. The framework offers an analytical lens for future empirical research on health system transformation, data governance, and international coordination.</p>","PeriodicalId":35944,"journal":{"name":"PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWS","volume":"47 ","pages":"1609977"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13549955/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148913351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWSPub Date : 2026-08-17eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2026.1609720
Pierluigi Catalfo, Daniele Virgillito, Giuseppe Messina, Caterina Ledda
{"title":"Integrating ESG indicators into public health governance as a policy innovation for institutional accountability: a scoping review.","authors":"Pierluigi Catalfo, Daniele Virgillito, Giuseppe Messina, Caterina Ledda","doi":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609720","DOIUrl":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609720","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To examine how ESG indicators and related frameworks are being translated from corporate disclosure into public health governance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Following PRISMA-ScR and the PCC framework, we synthesized 25 studies and grey-literature documents to map definitions, implementation levels, governance uses, barriers, and research gaps. ESG integration was defined as the use of environmental, social, and governance indicators to support accountability, transparency, stakeholder engagement, sustainability alignment, and strategic control in health systems.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>ESG-related frameworks may strengthen reporting practices, multisectoral coordination, and alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals when supported by leadership, technical capacity, harmonized indicators, and standardized reporting systems. However, the evidence remains heterogeneous and exploratory. Direct effects on governance performance, health outcomes, or equity are rarely demonstrated. Key gaps include unclear conceptual boundaries between ESG, CSR, SDG monitoring, and sustainability reporting, limited appraisal of reporting versus actual performance, measurement inconsistency, and under-representation of low-resource and Global South contexts.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Future research should validate sector-specific ESG indicators and evaluate whether ESG integration improves accountability, equity, and sustainable public health governance.</p>","PeriodicalId":35944,"journal":{"name":"PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWS","volume":"47 ","pages":"1609720"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13526686/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148866042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWSPub Date : 2026-08-14eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2026.1607815
Pal Banda, Katalin Czako, Geraldine Maughan
{"title":"Assessing the availability and impact of stress management interventions at higher education institutions: a systematic review.","authors":"Pal Banda, Katalin Czako, Geraldine Maughan","doi":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1607815","DOIUrl":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1607815","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This systematic literature review evaluates the availability and impact of stress management interventions on mental wellbeing within higher education institutions (HEIs).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic review of literature was conducted across Scopus, PubMed and PsycINFO, applying the PRISMA method. Data extraction was performed manually based on pre-defined criteria. Data synthesis focuses on research design, methodology, geographical coverage, and outcomes of the interventions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirty-two research papers met the selection criteria, exhibiting diversity in methodologies, study designs, types of interventions, outcomes, and limitations. Common patterns included a predominance of student-focused interventions and notable gaps in addressing the mental health needs of academic and administrative staff members of HEIs.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Despite a wide range of approaches have been employed to address the mental wellbeing of students in higher education, comprehensive interventions for staff members are lacking. Additionally, there is a critical need for future research to incorporate insights and data from non-Western contexts as well, such as the CEE region, to ensure the relevance and applicability of intervention strategies across diverse cultural and socio-economic contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":35944,"journal":{"name":"PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWS","volume":"47 ","pages":"1607815"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13521883/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148851697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWSPub Date : 2026-08-12eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2026.1610147
Peter Francis Raguindin, André Oscar von Bueren, Gisela Michel
{"title":"Closing the evidence gap: why childhood cancer research must include fathers.","authors":"Peter Francis Raguindin, André Oscar von Bueren, Gisela Michel","doi":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1610147","DOIUrl":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1610147","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35944,"journal":{"name":"PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWS","volume":"47 ","pages":"1610147"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13506501/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148833227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWSPub Date : 2026-08-10eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2026.1609191
Pierluigi Catalfo, Chiara Cantarella, Daniele Virgillito, Helena C Maltezou, Caterina Ledda
{"title":"Effectiveness and economic impact of interventions targeting healthcare personnel: a systematic review of return on investment.","authors":"Pierluigi Catalfo, Chiara Cantarella, Daniele Virgillito, Helena C Maltezou, Caterina Ledda","doi":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609191","DOIUrl":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609191","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To evaluate and critically interpret economic evidence on workplace interventions targeting healthcare personnel, distinguishing return on investment from related economic evaluation approaches and grouping interventions by underlying mechanisms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for peer-reviewed studies published from 2006 to 2024. Eligible empirical studies reported return on investment, benefit-cost ratios, net savings, cost-effectiveness metrics, societal returns, or comparable monetized outcomes for workplace interventions involving healthcare workers. Methodological quality was assessed using CHEERS and ECOBIAS.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Most reported positive or potentially favorable economic returns, particularly for preventive health measures, workplace mental health and disability-management programs, and educational or human-capital initiatives. Findings were highly context-dependent. Some interventions produced modest, neutral, or unfavorable returns, while the highest estimates often came from model-based analyses or broad societal extrapolations. Comparability was limited by differences in perspective, time horizon, monetization assumptions, health-system structure, labor costs, and implementation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Evidence supports workplace interventions as part of health workforce strategies, but return on investment should not be used as a stand-alone decision criterion. Future evaluations require standardized methods, transparent assumptions, and explicit perspectives and time horizons.</p>","PeriodicalId":35944,"journal":{"name":"PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWS","volume":"47 ","pages":"1609191"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13501041/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148813936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWSPub Date : 2026-08-05eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2026.1609947
Pablo Rodríguez-Feria, Katarzyna Czabanowska, Mariana Dyakova, Natalia Giraldo-Noack, Timo Clemens
{"title":"Towards a competency framework for wellbeing economy in public health: a scoping review.","authors":"Pablo Rodríguez-Feria, Katarzyna Czabanowska, Mariana Dyakova, Natalia Giraldo-Noack, Timo Clemens","doi":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609947","DOIUrl":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609947","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This scoping review aims to develop a competency framework, based on the four wellbeing economy capitals, to support education, training and up-skilling of public health professionals and practitioners.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The JBI methodological guidance and the PRISMA Extension for scoping reviews were used. We searched Medline via PubMed, EMBASE via Ovid, Global Health via EBSCOHost, and ERIC via EBSCOHost. Data extraction focused on four capitals and was mapped against four actions of wellbeing economy.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The proposed Competency Framework organizes 31 competencies within five domains including: Ethics and professionalism, Determinants of health and wellbeing, Digital transformation and data literacy, Policy, politics and governance, and Building capacity for sustainable wellbeing economy.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Developing a competency framework for wellbeing economy in public health is an important step towards defining the field, providing the basis for training and performance assessment, as well as public health policy and capacity development. It can serve as an actionable tool showing how public health stakeholders and leaders can best improve the wellbeing of their communities and citizens.</p>","PeriodicalId":35944,"journal":{"name":"PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWS","volume":"47 ","pages":"1609947"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13500908/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148813907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Organizational leadership competencies for effective and equitable public health governance in Canada.","authors":"Garima Talwar Kapoor, Shinjini Mondal, Kian Rego, Madelyn Law, Erica Di Ruggiero","doi":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609387","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/phrs.2026.1609387","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Organizational-level leadership competencies are critical for the development and governance of resilient public health systems that can endure and thrive in an ever-evolving economic, social, and political context.</p><p><strong>Analysis: </strong>A mixed-methods research study identified 20 organizational leadership competencies for public health in Canada, across eight domains, including: systems thinking (e.g., leaders are able to adapt, are nimble, and innovate), policy development/implementation/evaluation (e.g., leaders engage multiple actors in policy) and resource stewardship (e.g., leaders develop a resource allocation strategy that balances efficiency and equity).</p><p><strong>Policy options: </strong>Recommendation: Governments across Canada should undertake legislative and regulatory efforts to implement organizational-level leadership competencies in public health organizations to strengthen system-level governance. Status quo: Without a systemic approach, some organizations will continue to undertake actions that strengthen their governance, while others will not. This could exacerbate inequities in population health outcomes and organizational performance.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Strengthening organizational leadership competencies is critical for the effective and equitable governance of public health organizations in Canada. Failure to do so could undermine their resilience in a resource-constrained and changing context.</p>","PeriodicalId":35944,"journal":{"name":"PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWS","volume":"47 ","pages":"1609387"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13482086/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148798866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWSPub Date : 2026-08-04eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2026.1609007
Antonia-Olivia Roberts, Shahid Jameel
{"title":"Vaccination in Islamic countries: a narrative review.","authors":"Antonia-Olivia Roberts, Shahid Jameel","doi":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/phrs.2026.1609007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Vaccination is a key public health intervention, and Muslims who comprise a quarter of the world's population, have shown mixed responses to it. Previous research has addressed Islamic perspectives on vaccination but understanding its efficacy from secular and religious points of view across Islamic countries is limited. This narrative review utilised database search (Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, SSRN, and Web of Science) followed by curation based on expert knowledge. It offers theological and technological insights, and the potential impacts of climate change on vaccination in Islamic countries. Though Islamic teachings support vaccination, hesitancy results from a complex mixture of sociological and technological barriers that include misinformation, lack of trust, poor living conditions, and vaccine inequity in resource-limited communities. Climate change will act as a threat multiplier, particularly in areas inhabited by over 80 percent of the world's Muslims. Successful approaches from Islamic countries highlight the role of cultural and religious perspectives, infrastructure, and biological factors on the coverage and efficacy of childhood, adolescent and adult vaccines. The learnings offer strategies to improve vaccination everywhere, but particularly in Muslim populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":35944,"journal":{"name":"PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWS","volume":"47 ","pages":"1609007"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13481328/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148798884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWSPub Date : 2026-07-31eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2026.1609625
Mélanie S S Seabrook, Imaan Umar, Stephanie Simpson, Ana Patricia Ayala, Edward C Xie, Q Jane Zhao, Sara Allin
{"title":"Public health action on extreme heat in three Canadian provinces: a scoping review.","authors":"Mélanie S S Seabrook, Imaan Umar, Stephanie Simpson, Ana Patricia Ayala, Edward C Xie, Q Jane Zhao, Sara Allin","doi":"10.3389/phrs.2026.1609625","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/phrs.2026.1609625","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To examine how public health activities addressing extreme heat align with Canada's Essential Public Health Functions; the roles taken by public health authorities in collaborative responses; and the extent of heat response evaluations to date in three Canadian provinces.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Following Arksey and O'Malley's Framework, we conducted a scoping review of academic and grey literature on public health heat strategies in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec, Canada between 2005 and 2026. We searched ten academic databases, and scanned government and non-government websites. Academic sources were double-screened using Covidence software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified 26 peer-reviewed articles (British Columbia: 7, Ontario: 8, and Quebec: 16) and 429 grey literature sources. Nine sources evaluated heat responses across the three provinces. Public health authorities across the provinces fulfilled similar Essential Public Health Functions, focused on downstream response including establishing heat alert systems and communicating preventative health information. Public health actors primarily play advisory roles in intersectoral heat responses, though some co-lead responses.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings suggest ongoing gaps in upstream public health heat strategies, and meaningful collaborations with at-risk communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":35944,"journal":{"name":"PUBLIC HEALTH REVIEWS","volume":"47 ","pages":"1609625"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13473856/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148759592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}