International Health最新文献

{"title":"The impact of COVID-19 on health system resilience to the cerebrospinal meningitis outbreak in the Upper West Region of Ghana: a qualitative study.","authors":"Sheba Mary Pognaa Kunfah, Linus Baatiema, Kenneth Mibut Dam, Leonard Baatiema","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf019","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic revealed significant weaknesses in global and national health systems. This study aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health system resilience in responding to the cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) outbreak in Ghana.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative study design and purposive sampling were used to select clinical, public health staff and community health volunteers. From October 2023 to January 2024, data were collected across five selected districts with the highest burden of meningitis cases in the Upper West Region facilitated by a semi-structured interview guide. To analyse the data, we adopted a thematic analysis approach guided by the new health systems resilience framework.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study revealed strengths and vulnerabilities across all six key domains of the resilience framework. These findings suggested that the health system was ill-prepared for the concurrent outbreaks, resulting in a suboptimal response. Key among the findings were the diverted attention towards COVID-19, inequitable distribution of resources and a delayed response to the meningitis outbreak.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study offers a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the health system during the concurrent health crises. There is a need to integrate emergency preparedness and response plans during concurrent outbreaks and to set up a dedicated public health emergency fund at the national and subnational levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"701-708"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406780/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143701435","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":"Ethical issues surrounding the implementation of long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa.","authors":"Deborah Ekusai-Sebatta, Ritah Shanice Namugenyi, Eva Laker, Erisa Mwaka, Rachel King, David S Lawrence, Janet Seeley","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf016","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf016","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This article discusses the ethical issues surrounding the integration of long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (LA-ART) in the programmatic management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). As the medical landscape evolves, implementing LA-ART introduces many ethical issues that should be considered for the success of scale-up in diverse settings.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This article examines key issues such as bioethical concerns around the rollout of LA-ART, including regulatory requirements, a person's autonomy, informed consent, privacy and confidentiality; the societal implications of providing LA-ART, including the impact on stigma and discrimination; ethics around who receives LA-ART, financial accessibility, equitable access, inclusive decision-making and cultural sensitivity; and the ethics of providing an expensive intervention, including cost-effectiveness, supply chain sustainability and resource allocation. By critically analysing the ethical issues, we aim to guide policymakers and identify areas for further research.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our overarching aim is to ensure that the rights of people living with HIV are protected as implementors plan for the rollout of LA-ART with a focus on eastern and southern Africa. The utilization of LA-ART in resource-limited settings poses significant ethical challenges, necessitating careful consideration of autonomy, access and equity, stigma, discrimination, sustainability and treatment adherence.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"695-700"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406793/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143617670","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":"Primary healthcare readiness for nutritionally at-risk infants aged under 6 months: a facility-based survey in Senegal.","authors":"Tabitha D van Immerzeel, Indou Deme-Ly, Maty Diagne-Camara, Rebecca E Penzias, Daouda Seck, Abdallah Diallo, Amanda E Murungi, Carlos S Grijalva-Eternod, Marko Kerac, Abou Ba, Louise T Day","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf020","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Malnutrition in infants aged <6 mo (u6m) is poorly identified and managed in many countries, increasing the risk of poor growth and development. Addressing this gap, 2023 WHO malnutrition guidelines recommend assessment, classification and treatment at primary care level. This study aimed to assess primary healthcare facility readiness for nutritional care in infants u6m.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We adapted the Harmonized Health Facility Assessment (HHFA), adding items for Management of small and nutritionally At-risk Infants u6m and their Mothers (MAMI) at five care contact points. Our HHFA-MAMI tool captured 342 items using healthcare provider interviews, observations and registers data to calculate mean scores per area and median patient visits.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We surveyed 15 facilities in Senegal. General readiness scored 69.5%, MAMI availability and readiness 37.7%. Infrastructure (72.0%) and health workforce (60.7%) were available, while equipment (32.5%) and training (22.3%) scored low. Infants were frequently assessed (53.6%), not often classified (15.2%) as at risk, nor adequately treated (38.2%). Comparing contact points, delivery and sick child clinic scored highest in readiness, immunization in utilization.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Primary care readiness gaps exist in classifying and treating at-risk infants u6m, equipment and training. We found opportunities at each of the five contact points to implement WHO-recommended care.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"709-719"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406792/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143671648","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":"Health-related quality of life of people living with HIV in Beni-Mellal City, Morocco.","authors":"Mina Benaddi, Abdelhafid Benksim, Touria Fatihi, Sanaa Sabour Alaoui","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf022","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf022","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Nowadays, the objective for people living with HIV (PLHIV) is living well and long with the infection rather than surviving it. This study assesses health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of PLHIV in Beni-Mellal City, Morocco, and the factors influencing HRQoL.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted on 160 PLHIV attending the regional hospital of Beni-Mellal, Morocco. HRQoL was assessed using the EQ-5D Questionnaire (EuroQol-5D). A non-probabilistic χ2 test was used to determine factors associated with HRQoL of PLHIV. A multivariate binomial logistic regression model was applied to determine potential factors influencing HRQoL.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The rate of PLHIV with good HRQoL (≥0.59 EuroQol-5D score) was 64.4%. The factors associated with good HRQoL were male gender (p=0.026) (OR: 3.69; 95% CI 1.0 to 12.135), side effects (p= 0.006) (OR: 3.655; 95% CI 1.446 to 9.239), high CD4 count (p=0.001) (OR: 0.77; 95% CI 0.061 to 0.190), HIV representation (p=0.01) (OR: 7.923; 95% CI 1.65 to 38.04), good relationship with the healthcare team (p=0.002) (OR 5.771; 95% CI 1.0 to 12.135) and low viral load (p=0.001) (OR: 0.180; 95% CI 0.063 to 0.514).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Psychological support and challenging stigma are key in health strategies to improve the HRQoL of PLHIV.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"727-733"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406768/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143671596","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":"Assessment of compliance with tetracycline eye ointment treatment to accelerate the elimination of trachoma in Yobe State, Nigeria.","authors":"Juliana A Amanyi-Enegela, Rinpan Ishaya, Joseph Kumbur, Girija Sankar, William Enan Adamani, Christopher Ogoshi, Nicholas Olobio, Muhammad Babar Qureshi, Caleb Mpyet","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf014","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Trachoma, a neglected tropical disease, remains a significant public health concern in many regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and in Yobe State, Nigeria. One approach for elimination involves administering tetracycline eye ointment (TEO) to children <6 months of age as part of annual mass drug administration (MDA), aligning with the World Health Organization's 'A' component of the SAFE (Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial hygiene and Environmental sanitation) strategy for elimination of trachoma as a public health problem. However, suboptimal compliance rates in affected populations pose challenges, potentially serving as a reservoir for reinfection and hindering progress toward trachoma elimination. This study focuses on assessing compliance with topical TEO during MDA and explores strategies to enhance adherence in trachoma-endemic areas of Yobe State, Nigeria.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A mixed research approach was carried out involving interviews with households across 30 communities in five local government areas where TEO was administered during the 2022 round of MDA. Focus group discussions were conducted with subsets of the population who received TEO to gain insights into the underlying reasons for non-compliance and ways to improve compliance. Additionally, healthcare provider perspectives on treatment administration, compliance and community health education were explored.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Findings from this study show that there is already a high level of compliance with TEO usage, however, forgetfulness due to competing domestic chores, insufficient quantity of TEO given for 6-week applications, low awareness about the impact of trachoma infection on the eyes and the stinging feeling after application, especially in children <6 months of age, are some barriers that affect TEO usage compliance. Following up with TEO recipients would remind them to use the ointment as required, while incentivizing health workers and community drug distributors to conduct follow-up visits to households, increasing awareness on the impact of trachoma on the eyes. Increasing the quantity of TEO allocation would also improve compliance.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Yobe State has made remarkable progress towards eliminating trachoma as a public health problem, as 12 local government areas no longer require MDA. Sustaining this momentum means ensuring high compliance among the population eligible to receive TEO to prevent any reservoir for reinfection in the state.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"685-694"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406771/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143617663","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":"Post-COVID-19 syndrome and low-grade inflammation: exploring gender and occupational inequalities in a retrospective cohort study.","authors":"Lin Yanhui, Wang Jiangang, Gao Jianping, Wang Tao","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf021","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>To investigate the association between post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome (PCS) and chronic low-grade inflammation (LGI) in blood cells in 4108 mild COVID-19 patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The data were collected within 12-24 weeks before and 24 weeks after COVID-19 infection. The χ2 test was utilized to analyse the differences between two groups. The relationship between PCS symptoms and inflammatory cells was analysed by logistic regression analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The most common PCS symptom was cough, reported as 'occasionally' by 33.47% and 'frequently' by 5.92%. Women exhibited more severe symptoms than men. Among healthcare workers, palpitations were more pronounced (0.76% versus 0.35%), while the prevalence of other PCS symptoms was lower compared with non-healthcare workers. After adjusting for confounding factors, women showed a higher risk of five types of PCS, and healthcare workers had a greater risk of fatigue and dizziness compared with the non-healthcare worker. Fatigue was associated with lymphocytes, monocytes and the neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Cough correlated with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), NLR and the platelet:lymphocyte ratio (PLR). Dizziness was linked to hs-CRP, NLR and PLR. Palpitations correlated with hs-CRP.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings suggest that PCS symptoms may be associated with LGI in peripheral blood cells, gender and occupational inequalities, warranting further investigation.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"720-726"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406786/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143732540","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":"Artificial intelligence-enhanced biosurveillance for antimicrobial resistance in sub-Saharan Africa.","authors":"Innocent Ayesiga, Michael Oppong Yeboah, Lenz Nwachinemere Okoro, Eneh Nchiek Edet, Jonathan Mawutor Gmanyami, Ahgu Ovye, Lorna Atimango, Bulus Naya Gadzama, Emilly Kembabazi, Pius Atwau","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihae081","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihae081","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains a critical global health threat, with significant impacts on individuals and healthcare systems, particularly in low-income countries. By 2019, AMR was responsible for >4.9 million fatalities globally, and projections suggest this could rise to 10 million annually by 2050 without effective interventions. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces considerable challenges in managing AMR due to insufficient surveillance systems, resulting in fragmented data. Technological advancements, notably artificial intelligence (AI), offer promising avenues to enhance AMR biosurveillance. AI can improve the detection, tracking and prediction of resistant strains through advanced machine learning and deep learning algorithms, which analyze large datasets to identify resistance patterns and develop predictive models. AI's role in genomic analysis can pinpoint genetic markers and AMR determinants, aiding in precise treatment strategies. Despite the potential, SSA's implementation of AI in AMR surveillance is hindered by data scarcity, infrastructural limitations and ethical concerns. This review explores what is known about the integration and applicability of AI-enhanced biosurveillance methodologies in SSA, emphasizing the need for comprehensive data collection, interdisciplinary collaboration and the establishment of ethical frameworks. By leveraging AI, SSA can significantly enhance its AMR surveillance capabilities, ultimately improving public health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"795-803"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406795/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142640042","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":"Large language models for analyzing open text in global health surveys: why children are not accessing vaccine services in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.","authors":"Roy Burstein, Eric Mafuta, Joshua L Proctor","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf015","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study evaluates the use of large language models (LLMs) to analyze free-text responses from large-scale global health surveys, using data from the Enquête de Couverture Vaccinale (ECV) household coverage surveys from 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 as a case study.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We tested several LLM approaches consisting of zero-shot and few-shot prompting, fine-tuning, and a natural language processing approach using semantic embeddings, to analyze responses on the reasons caregivers did not vaccinate their children.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Performance ranged from 61.5% to 96% based on testing against a curated benchmarking dataset drawn from the ECV surveys, with accuracy improving when LLMs were fine-tuned or provided examples for few-shot learning. We show that even with as few as 20-100 examples, LLMs can achieve high accuracy in categorizing free-text responses.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This approach offers significant opportunities for reanalyzing existing datasets and designing surveys with more open-ended questions, providing a scalable, cost-effective solution for global health organizations. Despite challenges with closed-source models and computational costs, the study underscores LLMs' potential to enhance data analysis and inform global health policy.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"843-852"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406778/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143573775","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":"Enteral nutrition therapy for elderly patients with common-type COVID-19, a retrospective study based on medical records.","authors":"Jianming Yuan, Yuening Guan, Zhifeng Zhao, Jiankang Shen, Dan Tan, Fang Zhao, Lei Ge, Rongli Xie, Tingting Li","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf012","DOIUrl":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The objective was to investigate the implications of enteral nutrition for elderly patients with common-type coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were retrospectively extracted from medical records. Enteral nutritional supplementation was recommended for patients with a nutritional risk score >3. The preferred method was oral administration, and preparations included Ensure and TPF-T. Continuous variables were compared using analysis of two-tailed Student's t-tests or one-way analysis of variance for normally distributed data and the rank sum test for non-normally distributed data. Categorical variables were compared using the χ2 test or Fisher's exact test. Values of p <0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mortality rate in the whole cohort was 9.54%. A total of 474 patients tested negative and were discharged; among them, 173 patients received enteral nutrition while 301 patients did not. There were significant correlations between mortality and age, serum albumin concentration, prognostic nutritional index, underlying severe disease status and diet condition. In patients with a poor diet, early use of enteral nutrition is associated with faster conversion to a negative polymerase chain reaction test.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The prognosis of elderly patients with common-type COVID-19 was related to their nutritional status. Enteral nutritional supplementation is the preferred method of nutrition because it is the simplest and most widely accepted method for patients. For patients with poor diet conditions, enteral nutritional intervention should be performed early.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"678-684"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12406777/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143755445","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":"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}