Journal of Public Health Research最新文献

{"title":"Post-marketing safety signals, therapeutic failure, and product-use issues reported with injectable Cabenuva: A FAERS disproportionality analysis.","authors":"Jiahui Li, Hui Qiu, Jianzhu Zhou, Jiamiao Liu, Chengxian Guo","doi":"10.1177/22799036261480270","DOIUrl":"10.1177/22799036261480270","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cabenuva (cabotegravir/rilpivirine) is the first complete long-acting injectable regimen for HIV-1 treatment. As its use expands, post-marketing surveillance should address not only conventional adverse reactions, but also therapeutic failure and product-use or administration-related issues. This study aimed to characterize Cabenuva-associated reports submitted to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from Q4 2019 to Q3 2024.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Cabenuva-associated FAERS reports were extracted and coded using MedDRA v27.1. Disproportionality analysis and Bayesian models were applied for signal detection. Subgroup analyses by sex and age were conducted using reporting odds ratios and interpreted as exploratory. Time-to-onset (TTO) was calculated from treatment start date to event onset date when valid dates were available.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 3,497 reports including 22,738 Cabenuva-associated event records were identified. The detected PTs included established adverse reactions, therapeutic failure or disease-progression terms, product-use and administration issues, exposure circumstances, and sparse unexpected findings. Frequently reported clinically relevant events included injection-site pain, injection-site nodule, and depression. Prominent implementation-related terms included product dose omission issue, inappropriate schedule of product administration, and product administration error. Sparse unexpected PTs were interpreted as hypothesis-generating observations rather than established adverse reactions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study provides a broad post-marketing signal-screening profile of Cabenuva, highlighting both known safety concerns and real-world implementation issues such as missed doses, administration problems, product issues, and therapeutic failure. The findings support careful clinical monitoring, adherence to administration guidance, staff training, and further validation of sparse unexpected signals.</p>","PeriodicalId":45958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Research","volume":"15 3","pages":"22799036261480270"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13477519/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148763408","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":"Prevalence and associated factors of smartphone addiction among caregivers of children with physical disabilities in Nepal: A cross-sectional study.","authors":"Shreesti Sharma, Rajan Bhusal, Sanjiv Prasad Khatiwada, Prakash Kumar Yadav, Bibek Banskota","doi":"10.1177/22799036261480306","DOIUrl":"10.1177/22799036261480306","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Smartphone addiction is an emerging public health concern, particularly among caregivers experiencing chronic stress. Caregivers of children with physical disabilities may be especially vulnerable, yet research on this topic in low-resource settings like Nepal is scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of smartphone addiction and identify its sociodemographic, psychological, and social determinants among caregivers of children with physical disabilities.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted at the country's only specialized pediatric rehabilitation center in Nepal, a national referral hub providing comprehensive care for children with physical disabilities. Consecutive sampling was used to recruit 227 primary caregivers. Inclusion criteria were: age ≥18 years, primary responsibility for the child's daily care, and ability to complete a structured questionnaire. Exclusion criteria included caregivers with severe cognitive impairments or acute illness preventing participation. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire incorporating the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV). Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, t-tests, and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine associations between smartphone addiction and participant characteristics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this sample of 227 caregivers, 62.1% (n=141) screened above the SAS-SV risk threshold for problematic smartphone use. Significant determinants identified in multivariable logistic regression included female gender (AOR=5.83, 95% CI 1.58-21.45, p=0.008), unemployment (AOR=19.17, 95% CI 1.14-323.85, p=0.041), ethnicity (Brahmin/Chhetri: AOR=0.009, 95% CI 0.000-0.234, p=0.005; Janajati: AOR=0.015, 95% CI 0.001-0.420, p=0.014), chronic illness (AOR=0.009, 95% CI 0.000-0.514, p=0.022), frequent headaches (AOR=0.004, 95% CI 0.000-0.093, p<0.001), and occasional eye strain (AOR=0.081, 95% CI 0.009-0.748, p=0.027).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In this sample, a high proportion of caregivers screened at risk for problematic smartphone use, with female gender and unemployment associated with higher adjusted odds. Given the cross-sectional design, these findings are preliminary and hypothesis-generating, and further longitudinal research is needed before screening or intervention strategies can be recommended.</p>","PeriodicalId":45958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Research","volume":"15 3","pages":"22799036261480306"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13477520/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148761624","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":"Patient perspectives on tailored tuberculosis services: Lessons from India's National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme.","authors":"Sahjid Mukhida, Chanda Vyawahare, Sameena Khan, Vishwajeet Aundhakar","doi":"10.1177/22799036261480194","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/22799036261480194","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Research","volume":"15 3","pages":"22799036261480194"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13470041/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148762620","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":"Managing indirect disaster-related deaths after the 2025 Myanmar earthquake: A public health proposal.","authors":"Motohiro Tsuboi, Hiroyuki Sasaki, Hyejeong Park, Phue Thet Khaing, Masatsugu Orui, Yasuto Kunii, Shinichi Egawa","doi":"10.1177/22799036261471212","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/22799036261471212","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The 2025 Myanmar earthquake caused extensive destruction. Beyond 3,800 direct disaster-related deaths (direct DRDs) and 5,100 injuries, indirect disaster-related deaths (indirect DRDs) remain a persistent concern. Indirect DRDs are deaths caused by secondary health effects after a disaster, rather than by the direct physical impact of the hazard itself. They may arise through disrupted healthcare delivery, deteriorating living and evacuation environments, interruptions to chronic-disease management, and psychosocial stress. Evidence from Japan, including the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, shows that prolonged displacement and repeated disruptions in health and social systems can sustain mortality risk over time. Based on these insights, this Perspective synthesizes publicly available United Nations and humanitarian reports to identify risks of indirect DRDs in Myanmar. Months after the earthquake, many survivors remain in fragile shelters with degraded water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions. Health facilities were damaged or closed, healthcare access remains constrained, and vulnerable groups-including children, pregnant women, older adults, persons with disabilities, and patients with chronic diseases-face sustained risks. These conditions increase the likelihood of infectious disease outbreaks, chronic disease decompensation, heat illness, and psychosocial distress. Priorities include continuity of essential services, access to noncommunicable disease medicines, maternal-child health and psychosocial support, improved shelter and WASH conditions, standardized documentation of disaster relevance in medical records and death certification, and sustained, coordinated recovery. Framing indirect DRDs as preventable and measurable can strengthen protection of vulnerable groups, resilience, accountability, and dignity.</p>","PeriodicalId":45958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Research","volume":"15 3","pages":"22799036261471212"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13469781/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148762793","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":"Regional variations in diabetes prevalence and their associations with obesity and dietary habits: An ecological cross-sectional study using the National Database of Japan.","authors":"Fumitake Yamaguchi, Takumi Kiyonaga, Shiori Nitta, Naoki Yoshinaga, Sayaka Akieda-Asai, Yukari Date, Hirotake Sawada","doi":"10.1177/22799036261471211","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/22799036261471211","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major global health issue. Many Asian individuals with T2D are non-obese, suggesting that factors beyond body mass index (BMI) may be relevant.</p><p><strong>Design and methods: </strong>This ecological cross-sectional study examined correlations between diabetes prevalence and lifestyle-related factors using age-standardized, prefecture-level data from the 2021 National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan Open Data. Variables included diabetes prevalence (glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] ≥ 6.5%), obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²), other obesity-related indicators, and self-reported dietary habits. Associations were assessed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients with Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) correction.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After FDR correction, prefecture-level diabetes prevalence was positively correlated with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m², elevated waist circumference, and weight gain in both sexes, and with alanine aminotransferase in women. Among dietary variables, the proportion of individuals with impaired masticatory function was positively correlated with diabetes prevalence in both sexes, whereas daily snacking was inversely correlated only in women; breakfast skipping, late-night dinner, and fast eating were not significantly correlated in either sex. However, after adjustment for BMI ≥ 25 kg/m², none of the dietary habit variables showed a significant association with diabetes prevalence in either sex.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Prefecture-level diabetes prevalence in Japan correlated with several obesity-related indicators and impaired masticatory function in both sexes, although impaired masticatory function was not robust to BMI adjustment. Sex-specific patterns included a positive correlation with alanine aminotransferase and an inverse correlation with daily snacking in women. These findings warrant future individual-level studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":45958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Research","volume":"15 3","pages":"22799036261471211"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13469538/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148762654","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 lingering impacts of COVID-19 on older women in Kenya and Uganda: A quantitative analysis of health, wellbeing, and WASH insecurity.","authors":"Satveer Dhillon, Isaiah Omondi, Justine Nagawa, Elijah Bisung, Sarah Dickin, Kenneth Mugayehwenkyi, Diana Karanja, Susan J Elliott","doi":"10.1177/22799036261474131","DOIUrl":"10.1177/22799036261474131","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The world appears to be experiencing more than its fair share of shocks: climatic disasters, pandemics, wars and political events that have far-reaching consequences for vulnerable populations globally. One such example was the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in both direct and indirect impacts on older women, especially those residing in Sub-Saharan Africa, due to the already fragile economic and health care systems in place, as well as the lack of infrastructure for public services. While substantial literature now exists documenting the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations, less attention has been paid to building back better.</p><p><strong>Design and methods: </strong>Using the feminist political ecology of health framework, this research investigated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and wellbeing among older women residing in Kenya (n=231) and Uganda (n=211) and how they are 'building back better'. Using survey data, we used a generalized linear model with a complementary loglog link function to identify factors associated with wellbeing, emotional distress and self-reported health status.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Only 17.7% of older women in Kenya and 14.7% in Uganda experienced an improvement in wellbeing post-COVID compared to during the pandemic. Further, there remains a sustained impact on emotional distress levels. Several factors, such as WASH insecurity and no health insurance, negatively impacted wellbeing, emotional distress and self-reported health status.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Overall, this research documents how older women in Uganda and Kenya have been and continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, despite declining case counts. Several policy recommendations have been outlined.</p>","PeriodicalId":45958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Research","volume":"15 3","pages":"22799036261474131"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13459690/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148714111","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":"Quality of life among medical students: Analysis of pooled cohorts in the prospective POLLEK cohort study.","authors":"Maksymilian Gajda, Szymon Szemik, Małgorzata Kowalska","doi":"10.1177/22799036261459260","DOIUrl":"10.1177/22799036261459260","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>We assessed whether two consecutively recruited cohorts of medical students were sufficiently comparable to support pooled analyses of quality of life (QoL) and health outcomes.</p><p><strong>Design and methods: </strong>A total of 892 first-year students from a single medical school in Poland, recruited in 2021/2022 (cohort A) and 2022/2023 (cohort B) academic years, were evaluated with standardized instruments (WHOQOL-BREF, AUDIT, GHQ-28). Cohorts were compared using the chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health parameters; longitudinal changes were tested with paired Wilcoxon tests.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most baseline characteristics were similar between the two cohorts, with significant differences observed only for relationship status, residence, and smoking. Between the first and second academic years, a statistically significant deterioration was observed in the somatic and psychological domains of the WHOQOL-BREF (52.28→45.16 and 61.32→55.63, respectively), whereas GHQ-28 scores improved (32.73→29.69) (all p<0.001). Limitations include self-report bias, single-site sampling, and short follow-up.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>When baseline comparability is demonstrated, pooling consecutive student cohorts may be reasonable and may support more precise monitoring of QoL and mental health over time. Future research should consider advanced longitudinal methods to examine age and cohort effects over extended follow-up.</p>","PeriodicalId":45958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Research","volume":"15 3","pages":"22799036261459260"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13459689/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148714148","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":"Food vendors in the school foodscape: roles, challenges and opportunities for improving child nutrition.","authors":"Jessica Ayensu, Kasim Abdulai, Nana Ama Frimpomaa Agyapong, Ivan Addae-Mensah, Isaac Anane, Christiana Nsiah-Asamoah","doi":"10.1177/22799036261474137","DOIUrl":"10.1177/22799036261474137","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The school food environment critically shapes child nutrition, yet the role of informal food vendors, individuals selling food on school premises without formal government-issued business licenses, remains understudied in Ghana.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study explored the dual role of informal food vendors as potential gatekeepers to healthy eating and examined the barriers they face in offering nutritious options.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Six focus group discussions were conducted with 38 purposively selected informal food vendors (37 female, 1 male) across six public basic schools in the Cape Coast Metropolitan Area (three farming and three fishing communities). Data were analyzed thematically using NVivo 12.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Vendors demonstrated good knowledge of nutrition and hygiene practices (81.6% had food safety training) but operated under severe constraints: intense price sensitivity among students (meals often purchased for 1-2 Ghana cedis), competition from unauthorized external vendors, lack of infrastructure (shelter, storage, water), and weak policy enforcement. These factors forced vendors to prioritize cheap, calorie-dense foods over nutritious alternatives.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Vendors are not inherent barriers to healthy eating but constrained entrepreneurs. Their strong accountability (e.g., \"We eat the same food we sell\") and willingness to collaborate with schools represent untapped opportunities for intervention.</p><p><strong>Recommendations: </strong>Multi-level strategies including enforced school food policies, vendor subsidies or micro-loans, infrastructure investment, and teacher-vendor partnerships are urgently needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":45958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Research","volume":"15 3","pages":"22799036261474137"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13459688/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148714094","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":"Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practices of Lebanese diabetic patients and their relation to medication adherence and doctor-patient communication: A cross-sectional study.","authors":"Hala Fahs, Sara Mansour, Diana Dakroub, Jana Hammoud, Aya Ibrahim, Aya Rida, Nada M Kassem, Sami El Khatib, Zeina Shrayteh, Sahar Obeid, Samar Younes, Mohamed Rahal, Samer Sakr, Souheil Hallit, Diana Malaeb, Hassan Hosseini","doi":"10.1177/22799036261474538","DOIUrl":"10.1177/22799036261474538","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Diabetes mellitus, one of the major public health concerns worldwide, is a non-communicable metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia and associated with micro- and macro-vascular complications. This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices, as well as associated factors (medication adherence and doctor-patient communication), among Lebanese patients with diabetes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Lebanese patients from February to August 2021. The questionnaire included the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP), the Lebanese Medication Adherence Scale (LMAS-14), and the Doctor-Patient Communication (DPC).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 125 patients with diabetes were enrolled. Linear regression models revealed that participants with higher doctor-patient communication scores had significantly higher knowledge scores in the unadjusted analysis (B = 0.055, p = 0.030). This association weakened after adjusting for socio-economic covariates, including gender, monthly income, and work status (p=0.078). No significant association was found between attitude/practice scores on diabetes and doctor-patient communication scores, in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Although better doctor-patient communication was associated with higher knowledge in unadjusted analyses, this association was not statistically significant after adjustment. Our study found that positive attitudes and practices significantly correlated with better medication adherence. These findings emphasize the need for improved health literacy and patient education programs<b>.</b></p>","PeriodicalId":45958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Research","volume":"15 3","pages":"22799036261474538"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13459687/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148714168","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":"Digital engagement and psychosocial health experiences among late adolescents and young adults in Arada sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: An exploratory mixed-methods study.","authors":"Sabontu Akalu Wakie, Kebron W Aweke, Mikiyas G Teferi, Zayed H Tesfaye, Nebil Abdella Shukralla, Muluken Bekele Wondimagegnehu, Aman Worku Gizaw","doi":"10.1177/22799036261474922","DOIUrl":"10.1177/22799036261474922","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Social media has become an important environment for communication, identity formation, and social interaction among young people. However, its role in psychosocial well-being and digital safety remains under-researched in low-resource settings, including Ethiopia.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study explored perceptions of social media use and described self-reported psychosocial and digital safety experiences among late adolescents and young adults in Arada Sub-City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional exploratory mixed-methods study with a strong qualitative emphasis was conducted among 30 purposively selected late adolescents and young adults aged 17-21 years. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Prolonged social media engagement was common, with 26.7% of participants reporting sessions lasting more than 3 hours and 90.0% reporting use without adult supervision. Online harassment was reported by 36.7% of participants. More than half, 53.3%, reported perceived behavioral or social changes related to social media use, including online-initiated romantic relationships. Qualitative narratives described both perceived benefits, such as communication and learning, and risks, including excessive use, exposure to inappropriate content, harassment, and distressing online interactions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Among late adolescents and young adults in this exploratory urban Ethiopian sample, social media was perceived as both beneficial and potentially harmful. Findings highlight the need for context-sensitive digital literacy, online safety education, and youth-centered psychosocial support strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":45958,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Research","volume":"15 3","pages":"22799036261474922"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13459684/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148714166","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}