Archives of Public Health最新文献

{"title":"Determinants of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among children and adolescents in the subacute stage of Kahramanmaras earthquake, Turkey.","authors":"Neşe Yakşi, Mehtap Eroğlu","doi":"10.1186/s13690-024-01434-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13690-024-01434-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Earthquakes are potentially traumatic natural disasters due to their destructive nature, and huge impacts, producing scenes of horror, undesirable and uncontrollable results. Children are affected mainly by earthquakes not only physically but also psychologically. We aimed to evaluate the rates of probable PTSD and related factors in children and adolescents after the February 6 Kahramanmaras earthquake.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this cross-sectional study, 246 children and adolescents were included. The research was conducted in Hatay, one of the most affected provinces, between 06/07/2023-06/08/2023. Sociodemographic form, Children's Depression Inventory, Children's Posttraumatic Response Reaction Index, Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, Child and Youth Resilience Measure and Social Support Appraisals Scale for Children were applied by face-to-face survey method.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The median age of the participants was 12 (8-18). 133 (54%) of the participants were girls. Probable depression rate was 98%, and probable anxiety disorder rate was 63%. Probable mild, moderate, severe and very severe PTSD rates were 18%, 29%, 43% and 8%, respectively. The probable severe PTSD rate was higher in children who were injured in the earthquake (p = 0.032), who received outpatient treatment (p = 0.016), and who saw people trapped under the collapse (p = 0.012). Also, the children whose sleep routines have changed post-earthquake were found to have more probable severe PTSD (p < 0.001). Access time to the potable water supply (p = 0.045), toilet facilities (p = 0.045), shelter facilities (p = 0.004), heating facilities (p = 0.001), clothing supply (p < 0.001) and healthcare services (p = 0.009) were found to be associated with probable severe PTSD right after the earthquake. In the fifth month of the earthquake, inadequate meeting of clothing needs (p = 0.018), educational services (p = 0.028) and social activity opportunities (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with probable severe PTSD. In the multivariate analysis, the risk of probable severe PTSD was increased 2.9 times in those with post-earthquake sleep changes (p = 0.001) and 11.1 times in those with probable anxiety disorders (p < 0.001). Also, it has been shown that each unit increase in the APP-family score reduces probable severe PTSD risk by 2% (p = 0.002).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In the current study, the rates of probable PTSD, depression and anxiety disorders were considerably high. Probable anxiety disorder and sleep disturbance were significant predictors of probable severe PTSD. On the other hand, social support from family was found to be a significant protective factor for severe PTSD risk. We conclude that the lack of meeting needs that increase the risk of probable severe PTSD differs in the acute and subacute phases.</p>","PeriodicalId":48578,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Public Health","volume":"82 1","pages":"199"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11529272/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142559163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Community antibiotic consumption in the European Union/European economic area: late-pandemic rebound and seasonality analysis.","authors":"Helene Vermeulen, Boudewijn Catry, Lucy Catteau, Niel Hens","doi":"10.1186/s13690-024-01427-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13690-024-01427-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>A rebound in antibiotic consumption has been observed in the European community at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we evaluate the extent of this increase, when it exactly occurred, and how the seasonality in antibiotic use changed during the late-pandemic period.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data on community antibiotic consumption were available from the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption Network for 28 European countries between 2015 and 2022. Antibiotic consumption was expressed as defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID). The evolution in antibiotic use was investigated using non-linear changepoint mixed models for quarterly and yearly data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>An increase in overall antibiotic consumption was found in Europe between 2021 and 2022, mainly due to an increase in the consumption of penicillins, macrolides, lincosamides and streptogramins, and other β-lactam antibacterials. The analysis of quarterly data estimated a gradual increase in overall antibiotic consumption of 0.55 DID per quarter, as of the second quarter of 2020 and a decrease in seasonal variation of 1.64 DID between the first and second quarter of 2020. The changepoint analysis of yearly data estimated an increase of 3.33 DID in overall antibiotic consumption between 2021 and 2022.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>A gradual but significant rebound in the use of antibiotics was found in Europe, along with a decrease in its seasonal variation. The rapid rise in antibiotic consumption above pre-pandemic levels in several countries underlines the importance of continued antimicrobial stewardship.</p>","PeriodicalId":48578,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Public Health","volume":"82 1","pages":"197"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11526539/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142559162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Socio-demographic and clinical predictors of post-acute, mid-and long-term psychological sequelae of COVID-19: a two-year cross-sectional investigation on 1317 patients at the University Hospital of Verona.","authors":"C Perlini, M Marcanti, M Pattaro Zonta, M A Mazzi, A Mason, M Apollonio, D Calì, M Fasoli, C Brocco, S T Nesto, G Humphris, G Maccarrone, E Gentilotti, E Tacconelli, L Del Piccolo","doi":"10.1186/s13690-024-01426-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13690-024-01426-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The present paper focuses on socio-demographics, clinical variables, and the distance from the infection in predicting the long-term psycho-social consequences of COVID-19.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Patients were screened with a cross-sectional design at the Psychological Service of the University Hospital of Verona (Italy) at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after their SARS-CoV-2 infection. The assessment was part of the Horizon 2020-funded ORCHESTRA Project and included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36), the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and ad-hoc questions measuring pre-post COVID-19 changes on psycho-social dimensions (sleep quality, nutrition, level of autonomy, work, social relationships, emotional wellbeing).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Between June 2021 and June 2023, we evaluated 1317 patients (mean age 56.6 ± 14.8 years; 48% male): 35% at three months, 40% at 6, 20% at 12, and 5% at 18 months after the infection. Thirty-five percent were hospitalized due to COVID-19. Overall, 16% reported some form of clinically significant mental distress following the infection (HADS-TOT), with 13% and 6%, respectively, experiencing anxiety (HADS-Anxiety) and depressive symptoms (HADS-Depression). Four percent testified post-traumatic symptoms. The SF-36 scale revealed that 16% and 17% of subjects had physical or psychological deterioration in quality of life, respectively. The regression analyses showed that females experienced higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to males, along with worse mental and physical quality of life and pre-post infection changes in nearly all the investigated psycho-social dimensions. Younger people felt more anxiety and had a reduced mental quality of life than their older counterparts, who, in turn, had poorer scores in terms of autonomy and physical functioning. Hospitalized patients had lower levels of self-sufficiency, social relationships, and work than non-hospitalized people. The latter were more anxious and reported a lower physical quality of life. Finally, patients evaluated for the first time at 12- and 18 months showed a more significant impairment in mental and physical quality of life than those assessed at three months.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our data show that COVID-19 psychological sequelae tend to persist over time, still needing clinical attention and intervention planning, especially for females.</p>","PeriodicalId":48578,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Public Health","volume":"82 1","pages":"198"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11526637/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142559164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mortality from type 2 diabetes mellitus across municipalities in Mexico.","authors":"Claudio Alberto Dávila Cervantes, Emerson Augusto Baptista","doi":"10.1186/s13690-024-01432-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13690-024-01432-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>One in six Mexican adults' lives with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which is the third leading cause of death in the country. Analyzing the geographic distribution of T2DM mortality helps identify regions with higher mortality rates. This study aimed to examine the spatial patterns of mortality from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) across municipalities in Mexico and to analyze the main contextual factors linked to this cause of death in 2020.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We employed a spatial Bayesian hierarchical regression model to estimate the risk and probability of death from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) across Mexico's municipalities.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The SMR results revealed geographic and age-specific patterns. Central Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula exhibited the highest excess mortality rates. For the population under 50 years of age, municipalities in Oaxaca had the highest T2DM mortality rates, whereas those aged 50 years old and older had the highest rates in Tlaxcala and Puebla. Socioeconomic factors such as low levels of educational attainment, lack of health services, dietary deficiency, and marginalization were positively associated with increased T2DM mortality risk. By contrast, GDP per capita showed a negative association. High-risk areas for T2DM mortality were prominent along the south of the Pacific Coast, the Bajío, Central Mexico, and southern Yucatán for those under 50, and along a central strip extending to the Yucatán Peninsula for the older population. Significant uncertainties in mortality risk were identified, with Central Mexico, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Tabasco showing high probabilities of excess risk for those under 50 years of age and extended risk areas along the Gulf of Mexico for those 50 years old and older.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The assessment and identification of spatial distribution patterns associated with T2DM mortality, and its main contextual factors, are crucial for informing effective public health policies aimed at reducing the impact of this chronic disease in Mexico.</p>","PeriodicalId":48578,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Public Health","volume":"82 1","pages":"196"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11523589/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142548354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A measurement study of the environmental quality and medical expenditures of elderly individuals: causal inference based on machine learning.","authors":"Yu Zhang, Sheng Chen, Dewen Liu","doi":"10.1186/s13690-024-01386-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13690-024-01386-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The global surge of environmental pollution exacerbates health issues, disease incidence, and economic strain. In China, the increasing healthcare costs of the elderly population necessitate addressing this challenge as part of the \"Healthy China\" strategy. We explore the impact of environmental quality on elderly healthcare expenses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study devised a comprehensive environmental quality index for 30 Chinese provinces, excluding Tibet, which was correlated with medical expenses for individuals older than 60 years, using China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data. Because the traditional econometric model cannot solve the endogeneity problem and the selection of instrumental variables is subjective, a new machine learning algorithm is adopted based on the traditional ordinary least squares (OLS) model and the fixed effect model to conduct causal analysis to ensure the reliability of the results. Finally, heterogeneity analysis was conducted based on the generalized random forest algorithm.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Southern provinces such as Jiangxi and Guangxi exhibited superior environmental qualities. A regional analysis revealed a gradient where environmental quality decreased from west to east and from south to north. Both conventional and machine learning methodologies underscored a pivotal finding: enhanced environmental qualities significantly curtail elderly healthcare expenses. A heterogeneity assessment revealed that such improvements predominantly benefit elderly people in the eastern and central regions, with marginal impacts in the west. For different groups, the improvement of environmental quality can significantly reduce the medical expenditure of people aged 60 to 75, with bedtime hours between 9 and 11 PM and a lower household income.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study, employing machine learning and traditional models, demonstrates that enhancements in environmental quality significantly reduce medical costs for the elderly in China, especially in the eastern and central regions, and among demographics such as individuals aged 60-75 and low-income households. These findings underscore the potential of environmental policies to lower medical costs within the \"Healthy China\" initiative framework. However, the study's scope is limited by the environmental quality index and the extent of data coverage, indicating a need for further research expansion.</p>","PeriodicalId":48578,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Public Health","volume":"82 1","pages":"195"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11523846/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142548352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing community awareness and participation in health facility governing committees in two districts of Tanzania: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Hussein Athuman Kapuya, Stephen Oswald Maluka, Anna-Karin Hurtig, Miguel San Sebastian","doi":"10.1186/s13690-024-01415-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13690-024-01415-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Tanzania has been promoting community participation in health, either directly or through health facility governing committees (HFGCs), as part of its wider, ongoing health system reforms since the 1990s. Although some studies have assessed the functioning of the HFGCs, little is known about community knowledge and involvement in their activities.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional survey assessing community awareness and participation in HFGCs was conducted between July and October 2022, involving two rural districts of Tanzania, which were selected based on their performance: Handeni, showing low performance and Mbarali, high performance. A total of 1,184 household heads living in the catchment areas of diverse facilities were involved. Frequencies and percentages were calculated overall and by district. The Chi-squared test was applied to assess statistically significant differences in knowledge, awareness, and participation between the districts.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results revealed that 85.3% of the participants were unaware of the presence of the HFGCs and 91.7% did not know their roles. Additionally, 87% had neither heard nor seen any announcement about the selection of committee members. Only 14.5% considered that HFGCs were accountable to the community. While 96.7% of the respondents said they had never received any feedback from the HFGCs, only 8.1% reported that HFGCs were collecting views from the community. Regarding participation, 79.9% believed that the community had not been supporting their activities; however, 44.7% believed that the committees were important in improving health service delivery. Feedback and support were more common in Handeni.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The level of community awareness of and participation in HFGCs was very low in both districts. The Ministry of Health and the President's Office of Regional Administration and Local Government should implement an action plan to raise community awareness of the role of the HFGCs and their significance in promoting social accountability within the Tanzanian health system.</p>","PeriodicalId":48578,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Public Health","volume":"82 1","pages":"194"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11520387/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142548353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regional disparities and socio-demographic factors associated with eight or more antenatal care visits in Ghana.","authors":"Richard Gyan Aboagye, Augustus Osborne, Tarif Salihu, Florence Gyembuzie Wongnaah, Bright Opoku Ahinkorah","doi":"10.1186/s13690-024-01364-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13690-024-01364-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Antenatal care is vital for maternal health and wellbeing, with the World Health Organization recommending a minimum of eight visits during pregnancy. In this study, we examined the regional disparities and factors associated with eight or more antenatal care visits in Ghana.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. Our study comprised 3,893 women of reproductive age with birth history in the last two years before the survey. Regional disparities in the proportion of eight or more antenatal care visits were visualised using a spatial map. A mixed-effect multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the factors associated with eight or more antenatal care visits using a four-modeled approach. The results were presented as adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The prevalence of eight or more antenatal care visits in Ghana was 38.4% [95% CI = 36.0-41.0]. The regions with the highest prevalence were Eastern, Greater Accra, Western, and Volta. Those with the lowest prevalence were Northern, North East, Savannah, and Oti. The odds of eight or more antenatal care visits were lower among women aged 40-49 [aOR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.18-0.96], women with four or more children [aOR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.36-0.93], women who wanted pregnancy later [aOR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.46-0.85], and women in five regions: Western North [aOR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.19-0.94], Bono [aOR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.14-0.76], Northern [aOR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.13-0.66], Savannah [aOR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.14-0.65] and North East [aOR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.14-0.75]. Women in the richer [aOR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.19-3.33] and richest [aOR = 4.82, 95% CI = 2.45-9.51] wealth index showed a higher likelihood of completing eight or more antenatal care visits relative to women in the poorest wealth index.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A significant proportion of women in Ghana fall short of the recommended eight or more antenatal care visits. Age, parity, desired pregnancy timing, wealth status, and region of residence are associated with the number of antenatal care visits. Women in five regions (Bono, Northern, North East, Savannah, and Western North) are significantly less likely to have eight or more antenatal care visits than those in the Western region. The government and policymakers should design programs to address the needs of older women, those with high parity, and women who want to delay pregnancy. Increased healthcare resources, educational campaigns, and addressing regional barriers to antenatal care access are crucial. Promoting public health initiatives to emphasise the importance of completing the recommended number of antenatal care visits for a healthy pregnancy is essential.</p>","PeriodicalId":48578,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Public Health","volume":"82 1","pages":"192"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11514799/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142523394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The global research landscape and future trends in healthcare Total Quality Management.","authors":"Zhiyuan Hu, Richard Szewei Wang, Xiaoping Qin, Yu-Ni Huang, Lin Li, Herng-Chia Chiu, Yuanli Liu, Bing-Long Wang","doi":"10.1186/s13690-024-01420-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13690-024-01420-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Total Quality Management (TQM) is instrumental in augmenting the quality and efficacy of healthcare service delivery, but a comprehensive evaluation of present and evolving TQM research trends within healthcare research articles is notably absent. This study provides an insightful view into the prevailing international scenarios and upcoming research frontiers in healthcare TQM research field, utilizing bibliometric mapping through VOSviewer. Drawing data from 360 publications in the Web of Science core citation database, it delineates a steady growth in the field over the last 30 years. Research outputs span 51 countries and regions, with notable contributions from the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Italy. The top five research institutions and numerous authors predominantly hail from the United States. Key keywords in near years encompass healthcare safety, healthcare quality assurance, quality indicators, and the application of Six Sigma management principles. This exploration serves as a pivotal reference for understanding the global research landscape and future trends in healthcare TQM, particularly in guaranteeing quality and safety. Future scientific endeavors will build upon these focus areas, exploring and connecting research gaps in more specialized fields.</p>","PeriodicalId":48578,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Public Health","volume":"82 1","pages":"193"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11514758/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142523395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Divergent interpretations of child abuse in legal judgments: perspectives from clinicians and forensic experts.","authors":"Ching-Min Tang, Chen-Fang Lou, Shao-Hsuan Hsia, Kuang-Tsung Liang, Wen Chang, Jainn-Jim Lin, Oi-Wa Chan, Kuang-Lin Lin, En-Pei Lee","doi":"10.1186/s13690-024-01425-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13690-024-01425-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Child abuse in Taiwan is a major societal concern that severely affects the well-being of children. Despite the complexity in detecting abuse, reports of child abuse are increasing, evidenced by a rise in cases and heightened awareness. This study utilizes judicial judgments as a lens to understand the varied interpretations of child abuse by clinical and forensic experts and explores the broader epidemiological trends of such abuse within the declining youth population of Taiwan.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective study by analyzing official court judgments on child abuse allegations judged from 2008 to 2022 from the online database of Judicial Yuan. Furthermore, the study analyzed demographic factors, injury patterns, and opinions from various experts.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results reveal that severe criminal cases of child abuse predominantly involve biological fathers as the primary offenders and physical abuse as the most common form of maltreatment. Victims are typically aged less than 5 years, which frequently leads to an unfavorable prognosis. Analysis also highlights the TEN-4-FACESp acronym as a highly predictive indicator of child abuse and underscores the prevalence of abusive head trauma (AHT). Moreover, the findings emphasize ongoing disparities in opinions between forensic medical examiners and clinical physicians, especially in AHT cases, which potentially influences judicial decisions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In summary, the study reveals ongoing disagreements between forensic medical examiners and clinical physicians, especially in cases of AHT, which may impact judicial decisions. Promoting consensus through interdisciplinary collaboration and improved communication can aid in revealing the truth in child abuse cases.</p>","PeriodicalId":48578,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Public Health","volume":"82 1","pages":"191"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11520126/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142510653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Worldwide Wellness of Mothers and Babies (WWOMB): program overview and lessons learned from Ethiopia.","authors":"Melissa L Harris, Deborah Loxton, Tahir Ahmed Hassen, Desalegn M Shifti, Catherine Chojenta","doi":"10.1186/s13690-024-01419-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13690-024-01419-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite the progress made in improving maternal and child health in Ethiopia, it still has one of the highest maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the world. This is largely due to inadequate healthcare infrastructure and a lack of comprehensive evidence-based maternal and reproductive health services. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goal targets related to maternal and child health, it is essential to conduct culturally sensitive and policy-relevant research to identify areas for improvement.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To address these issues, through The University of Newcastle's increased global focus and investment into funding international research higher degrees, we developed a program on the Worldwide Wellness of Mothers and Babies (WWOMB) and trained Doctor of Philosophy students who conducted cross-cutting research across the reproductive life course. Importantly, the program aimed to bridge the inequality gaps in maternal and child health whilst cultivating a new generation of research leaders in low- and middle-income countries such as Ethiopia.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The WWOMB program has successfully generated a substantial body of epidemiological research in Ethiopia, covering five major themes: family planning and contraception, maternal and child health service utilisation, maternal and child health outcomes, maternal and child nutrition, and health economics. The key findings of the studies conducted in Ethiopia have demonstrated geographical disparities in the use of modern contraception and maternal health service utilisation, high incidence of severe maternal outcomes and neonatal near misses, high prevalence of intimate partner violence during pregnancy and its significant impact on adverse pregnancy outcomes, and the presence of economic disparities in maternal and child health, particularly around service delivery and availability.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Investment in healthcare infrastructure and services, coupled with efforts to reduce economic inequalities, can contribute to improved maternal and child health in Ethiopia. The WWOMB project has focused on delivering evidence-based recommendations for policy and practice that could accelerate the country's progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal targets related to maternal and child health.</p>","PeriodicalId":48578,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Public Health","volume":"82 1","pages":"190"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11515849/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142510655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}