International Health最新文献

{"title":"Burden, impacts and management practices of dysmenorrhea among female students in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Bikila Balis, Ibsa Musa, Lemma Demissie Regassa, Deribe Bekele Dachasa, Fethia Mohammed, Abera Cheru, Eptisam Mohammed, Dureti Abdurahman, Alemayehu Deressa, Magarsa Lami, Usmael Jibro","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf028","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dysmenorrhea is a public health problem worldwide, and affects more than half of reproductive-age females in Ethiopia. Despite dysmenorrhea having being studied, this has not covered the impacts and management of dysmenorrhea. Therefore, this review aimed at critically appraising, synthesizing and presenting the evidence on the burden, impacts and management methods of dysmenorrhea among females in Ethiopia. International databases (SCOPUS, CINAHL, CAB Abstract, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, Google and Google Scholar) and lists of references were employed to search literature in Ethiopia. The overall burden of dysmenorrhea was presented using a random-effects model for the reported proportion by forest plot using STATA version 18. The heterogeneity of the studies was determined using p=0.05 for I2 statistics. In addition, sensitivity analyses were performed to examine the stability of pooled values in the presence of outliers. Furthermore, Egger's regression test and funnel plot were performed to check for potential publication bias. A total of 20 studies and a population of 8713 were included in the review. The overall burden of dysmenorrhea among females was 73% (95% CI 68 to 77%), with I2=96.04. Psychological problems (59.9%), poor concentration (42.3%) and absenteeism from the class (41.3%) were the common impacts of dysmenorrhea, and bed rest (54%), use of painkillers (41.5%) and hot drinks (41.3%) were commonly practiced treatments by participants. Around three out of four females experienced dysmenorrhea. Enhancing social support may reduce stress; and behavioral interventions such as mind-body awareness and relaxation training are believed to help decrease the risk of depression by alleviating dysmenorrhea. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy have played a crucial role in its management. But the literature offers controversial scientific proof, and imply that high-quality trials are needed to make conclusive recommendations for better management methods of dysmenorrhea.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"649-660"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406797/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144055291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding the primary healthcare context in rural South and Southeast Asia: a village profiling study.","authors":"Rusheng Chew, Sazid Ibna Zaman, Mst Asfat Ara Joly, Didar Uddin, Md Nurullah, James J Callery, Carlo Perrone, Thomas J Peto, Koukeo Phommasone, Aung Pyae Phyo, Wanlapa Roobsoong, Aninda Sen, Moul Vanna, Arjun Chandna, Tiengkham Pongvongsa, Lek Dysoley, Nicholas P J Day, Yoel Lubell, Richard J Maude","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf025","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Understanding contextual factors is critical to the success of health service planning and implementation. However, few contextual data are available at the village level in rural South and Southeast Asia. This study addressed the gap by profiling representative villages across seven sites in Thailand (n=3), Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Bangladesh.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Key informant surveys supplemented by other information sources were used to collect data from 687 villages on four key indicators (literacy rate, and percentages of attended deliveries, fully immunised children and latrine coverage), as well as access to various services. Data were analysed descriptively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sites varied considerably. Five were highly diverse ethno-culturally and linguistically, and all relied on primary health centres and village health/malaria workers as the main providers of primary healthcare. These were generally bypassed by severely ill patients for urban first-level referral hospitals and private sector facilities. While >75% of villages were near primary schools, educational attainment was generally low. Over 70% of villages at each site had mobile phone coverage and availability of electricity was high (≥65% at all sites bar Myanmar).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These results illustrate the similarities and differences of villages in this region that must be considered in public health research and policymaking.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"754-768"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406796/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143665106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Machine learning insights on the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions against COVID-19 in Nigeria.","authors":"Kolapo M Oyebola, Funmilayo C Ligali, Afolabi J Owoloye, Blessing D Erinwusi, Adesola Z Musa, Oluwagbemiga O Aina, Babatunde L Salako","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihae065","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihae065","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The lack of effective pharmacological measures during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) as initial mitigation strategies. The impact of these NPIs on COVID-19 in Nigeria is not well-documented. This study sought to assess the effectiveness of NPIs to support future epidemic responses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Daily COVID-19 cases and deaths were analysed using smoothed variables to identify transmission trends. Regression analysis and clustering algorithms were applied to evaluate the impact of each NPI.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Multiple transmission peaks were reported, with the highest smoothed daily new cases (approximately 1790) observed around 29 December 2021 and smoothed daily new deaths (approximately 23) peaking around 8 September 2021. NPIs such as public transport (coefficient value -166.56, p=0.01) and workplace closures (coefficient value -150.06, p=0.01) strongly correlated with decreased case numbers. This finding highlights the importance of mobility control and non-essential workplace management in slowing infection transmission during an outbreak. Public transport restrictions (coefficient value -2.43, p<0.001) also had a direct effect on death reduction.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Public transport restrictions and workplace closures correlated with reductions in the number of cases and deaths. These findings can guide future pandemic responses to enhance favourable public health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"809-819"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406770/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142957629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ending nuclear weapons, before they end us†.","authors":"Kamran Abbasi, Parveen Ali, Virginia Barbour, Marion Birch, Inga Blum, Peter Doherty, Andy Haines, Ira Helfand, Richard Horton, Kati Juva, Jose F Lapena, Robert Mash, Olga Mironova, Arun Mitra, Carlos Monteiro, Elena N Naumova, David Onazi, Tilman Ruff, Peush Sahni, James Tumwine, Carlos Umaña, Paul Yonga, Chris Zielinski","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf052","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf052","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"614-616"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406774/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144095506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Family-based sexual health interventions for adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: systematic analysis and meta-analysis.","authors":"Dilini Mataraarachchi, Thomas Shepherd, Ram Bajpai, Gayan Ariyadasa, Nadia Corp, Priyamvada Paudyal","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf017","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Family-based sexual health interventions (FBSHI) have received considerable attention for their success in promoting adolescent sexual health outcomes. However, their effectiveness in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is unclear. Systematic searches were conducted for studies published from January 2000 to October 2023 using five electronic databases. Studies were included if they included adolescents aged 10-19 y and their family members (parents, siblings or primary caregivers) in a key intervention component, evaluated the effectiveness of the interventions using an experimental or quasi-experimental design, assessed sexual and reproductive health outcomes reported by adolescents and were carried out in LMICs. The review included nine studies, with 2404 adolescent participants and their families. Meta-analysis was carried out using a random-effects model. The key themes that emerged from this systematic review were: (i) FBSHI significantly improved adolescents' sexual health knowledge; and (ii) the impact of FBSHI on molding adolescents' sexual health attitudes, practices and family communication around sexual health topics was inconsistent. The importance of conducting combined interventions that involved adolescents and their parents to elicit better outcomes was highlighted in the review. Future research should prioritize under-represented geographical regions such as Asia and include culturally adopted, contextually relevant material to increase the acceptability and effectiveness in LMIC settings. By synthesizing existing literature, this review contributes to gaining a comprehensive understanding of varying strategies that can be used to ensure the effectiveness of family-based sexual health interventions in promoting adolescent sexual health in the LMIC setting. The review also highlights areas not explored by the existing research and that need attention when conducting further research.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"617-648"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406781/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143671593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scheduled couple consultations during pregnancy as a lever to increase male involvement in maternal health: results of a qualitative photovoice study in Mozambique.","authors":"Anna Galle, Maria S B Maguele, Elisio Maxlhusa, David Aguacheiro, Tina Krüger, Málica de Melo","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf027","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Men in low- and middle-income countries often play a critical role in maternal health by increasing access to and utilization of maternal health services. This photovoice study examined the experiences of men and women with scheduled couple consultations during pregnancy, supported by social mobilization activities, as a lever to increase male involvement during pregnancy and childbirth.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The lived experiences with scheduled couple consultations were evaluated by collecting photovoice data from couples, conducting focus group discussions with health providers and in-depth interviews with women. Analysis was done by applying a thematic inductive approach.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data were collected from five couples using photovoice, nine health providers by conducting focus group discussions and nine single women by conducting individual in-depth interviews. Two overall themes arose during analysis of the data: health center experiences and community norms about pregnancy. Overall, the couple consultations had a positive effect on the interest of the male partner in pregnancy and childbirth, but deep-rooted gender norms around women's roles during pregnancy persisted.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Implementing scheduled couple consultations at health center level, supported by social mobilization activities, is a promising strategy for stimulating active participation of male partners in maternal health.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"778-789"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406782/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Programmes for pathology: improving health outcomes for low- and middle-income countries in the artificial intelligence paradigm.","authors":"William Matupi","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf036","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf036","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"858-861"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406773/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144024020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Harnessing artificial intelligence for skin-related neglected tropical diseases (skin NTDs): opportunities, challenges and future directions.","authors":"Rie R Yotsu, Sebastine Oseghae Oiwoh, Hawah Mbali, Niraj Parajuli, Wendemagegn Enbiale, José A Ruiz-Postigo","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf068","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf068","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"792-794"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406799/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144545753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dengue and diabetes comorbidities: an emerging syndemic public health threat.","authors":"Inayat Ali, Merrill Singer","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf011","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf011","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"790-791"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406800/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143557686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determinants of poor glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes in Dire Dawa City, Eastern Ethiopia: a case-control study.","authors":"Alemayehu Molla Tekalign, Hanna Lambero, Aboma Motuma","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf024","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In Ethiopia, there is little evidence on the factors contributing to poor glycaemic control. This study aimed to identify determinants of poor glycaemic control among type 2 diabetes in Dire Dawa City, Eastern Ethiopia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A facility-based unmatched case-control study was conducted among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in follow-up clinics. Cases were people with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥7%, while those with HbA1c <7% were controls. A total of 190 patients were recruited in chronic follow-up diabetic clinics. The data were collected using structured questionnaire interviews and extracted from medical charts and entered into EpiData (EpiData Association, Odense, Denmark) and exported to Stata version 16.1 (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA) for analysis. A binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify the determinants of poor glycaemic control.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study showed that being female (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.73 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.10 to 6.79]), a smoker (AOR 14.85 [95% CI 5.25 to 42.88]), blood glucose monitoring ≤3 times per week (AOR 4.87 [95% CI 1.42 to 16.71]), overweight (AOR 4.96 [95% CI 1.82 to 13.52]) or obese (AOR 5.19 [95% CI 1.76 to 15.56]), ≥10 y on treatment (AOR 3.56 [95% CI 1.17 to 10.82]), having coronary artery disease (AOR 2.47 [95% CI 1.01 to 6.03]) and poor adherence to diabetic medication (AOR 0.24 [95% CI 0.10 to 0.63]) were found to be predictors of poor glycaemic control.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Smoking, overweight or obese, poor medication adherence and blood glucose levels lead to poor glycaemic control. This study shows the benefits of quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, adhering to medication and monitoring blood glucose levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"745-753"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406789/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143702031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}