{"title":"Ethical and public health lessons from Ethiopia's first Marburg virus disease outbreak.","authors":"Ambika Nand Jha, Varsha Ratan Gaikwad, Sakshi Tyagi, Piyush Mittal, Megha Patel, Ravikant Gupta","doi":"10.1057/s41271-026-00650-9","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-026-00650-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"428-434"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148240518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bridging borders for eliminating vector-borne diseases: a shared responsibility for the Indian states.","authors":"Muhammed Jabir, Anoop C Choolayil","doi":"10.1057/s41271-026-00655-4","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-026-00655-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>India bears one of the highest burdens of vector-borne diseases (VBDs) globally, underscoring the urgency of effective control and elimination measures. While multiple factors contribute to the VBD prevalence in India, interstate migration poses a growing challenge to its control, particularly for diseases targeted for elimination. A large influx of migrants from endemic regions continuously moves into urban centres, heightening the risk of transmission into areas that were previously under control. Although VBD elimination programmes operate at the national level, states implement them in a decentralised manner based on their resources and manpower capacity, which creates fragmented execution and coordination gaps. This article highlights the urgent need to strengthen cross-state collaborations and design targeted interventions that address migration-driven VBD risks. The article calls on state health departments, labour ministries, and central agencies to coordinate efforts, enhance surveillance, improve data sharing, and engage in joint planning to drive sustained progress towards India's VBD elimination goals by proposing a four-pillar Interstate VBD Coordination Framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"415-423"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148370551","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicolás Acosta-González, Carolina Pérez, Silvio Guerra
{"title":"Disentangling disparities in children's development.","authors":"Nicolás Acosta-González, Carolina Pérez, Silvio Guerra","doi":"10.1057/s41271-026-00651-8","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-026-00651-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study shows how deep-rooted inequalities-shaped by where a child is born, their family's income, and their mother's education-restrict access to essential services for early development. Using data from the National Survey on Childhood Malnutrition (ENDI), we use the Human Opportunity Index (HOI) and Shapley decomposition to assess disparities in healthcare, water, and sanitation in Ecuador. Although overall averages for services like prenatal care and immunization are high, children with chronic malnutrition (stunting) face much less access and greater inequality. The largest gaps are in access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation, where both coverage and equity remain low, particularly among stunted children. Geographic location is the main predictor of inequality, followed by economic status and maternal education. This study provides transferable insights to inform equitable public health policies in similar contexts worldwide.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"347-360"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148363249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Íñigo Cabriada-Sáez, Adrián González-Marrón, Cristina Lidón-Moyano, Sonia de Paz-Cantos, Àurea Cartanyà-Hueso, Hipólito Pérez-Martín, Rafael Gómez-Galán, Jose M Martínez-Sánchez
{"title":"Estimation of the non-compliance with the recommendations of screen time in a sample of Spanish children up to 5 years: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Íñigo Cabriada-Sáez, Adrián González-Marrón, Cristina Lidón-Moyano, Sonia de Paz-Cantos, Àurea Cartanyà-Hueso, Hipólito Pérez-Martín, Rafael Gómez-Galán, Jose M Martínez-Sánchez","doi":"10.1057/s41271-026-00636-7","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-026-00636-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Screen time has increased in children, requiring better regulation. We examined factors associated with screen time non-compliance in Spanish children, using a sample of 410 parents in a cross-sectional design and an online questionnaire (March 2021-September 2022). We calculated overall and specific-device user prevalences of non-compliance with screen time recommendations: no screen time for children up to 2 years and no more than 1 hour of screen time per day for children aged 2-5 years. We applied chi-squared tests to explore associations between non-compliance and reported factors. We estimated that 72% of children did not comply with the recommendations for screen time, specifically: 59%-television, 22%-smartphone, and 12%-tablet users. We found significant associations between parents' educational level, child's sex, presence of siblings, and non-compliance. Policymakers and health professionals should consider social and contextual determinants when designing policies and interventions to limit early childhood screen exposure.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"375-386"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Trust in transition in the United States: examining health equity priorities, 2021-2024.","authors":"Samantha Kloft, Daniel F López-Cevallos","doi":"10.1057/s41271-026-00653-6","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-026-00653-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study examines the continuity of trust across federal health equity-focused policy documents in the United States from January 2021 to February 2024 and identifies areas for future development. Guided by an institutional trust framework emphasizing competence (responsiveness, reliability) and values (integrity, openness, fairness), we conducted thematic analysis of 133 pages across six federal documents: three executive orders, one memorandum, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Strategic Plan (2022-2026), and the HHS Equity Action Plan (2023). Findings show some progress embedding trust, especially in the HHS Strategic Plan and Equity Action Plan. However, limited operational detail complicates implementation. Transparency and community engagement are highlighted in several documents, yet areas like monitoring trust and addressing misinformation remain underdeveloped. While HHS made notable strides, gaps persist. Strengthening trust in public health institutions requires a more unified, cross-agency strategy that centers responsiveness, equity, and sustainability in a rapidly shifting public health environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"399-414"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148370497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Global ethylene oxide uses in foods and considerations for food safety.","authors":"Laura Chung, Susan Buchanan","doi":"10.1057/s41271-026-00659-0","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-026-00659-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ethylene oxide (EtO) is a sterilant widely used for medical devices, but its use is controversial due to its carcinogenicity. In some countries, EtO is also used to fumigate food to eliminate foodborne pathogens, though this practice is banned in others. National regulations on EtO use in food vary widely; exporting countries prioritize trade facilitation and prevention of foodborne illness, while importing countries emphasize maintaining food safety and promoting domestic public health. These divergent public health priorities present challenges to establishing universal maximum residue limits (MRLs) for EtO and 2-chloroethanol (2-CE) and have resulted in the rejection of food items treated with EtO by some importing national authorities. In response, exporters have advocated for internationally harmonized tolerance levels for EtO and its derivatives to facilitate trade. This paper reviews the use of EtO in food products and the potential health effects, describes conflicting perspectives among global stakeholders, and explores the need for harmonized international standards.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"330-346"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13489935/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148585819","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":"Beyond 'behavioral addiction': terminology, risk perception, and non-substance addictive disorders in the digital age.","authors":"Tayfun Uzbay","doi":"10.1057/s41271-026-00662-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-026-00662-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the digital age, addiction terminology shapes understanding, risk perception, and policy response. The label 'behavioral addiction' may be imprecise because substance-related addictions are also expressed through behavior, and it may blur the distinction between intensive use and clinically significant disorder. This Viewpoint examines this terminological problem and proposes a common addiction framework based on impaired control, persistence despite harm, and functional impairment, while preserving differences in exposure route, harm profile, and regulatory needs. It uses 'non-substance addictive disorders' for clinically significant conditions not driven by direct psychoactive substance intake and 'digitally mediated addictive disorders' for conditions facilitated by digital platforms. This framework may help identify harm without pathologizing high engagement, reduce excessive attribution of responsibility to individuals, and guide prevention and regulation toward vulnerable users and reinforcing platform environments. Its policy value lies in supporting harm recognition and facilitating the adaptation of responses across cultural and digital settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148833351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ju-Hee Hwang, Hye-Jin Kim, Ryeojin Lee, Hyun-Jo Kim, Hee-Sung Kim, Jae-Young Lim
{"title":"Service-specific factors associated with unmet healthcare needs among people with disabilities in South Korea.","authors":"Ju-Hee Hwang, Hye-Jin Kim, Ryeojin Lee, Hyun-Jo Kim, Hee-Sung Kim, Jae-Young Lim","doi":"10.1057/s41271-026-00660-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-026-00660-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>People with disabilities often experience unmet healthcare needs, and the factors associated with these needs may differ across healthcare service types. This study examined service-specific factors associated with unmet healthcare needs using Andersen's Behavioral Model. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of 201 people with disabilities registered at a regional health and medical center in South Korea and their caregivers between November and December 2024. We assessed unmet needs for outpatient services, dental care, health screening, and home-visit rehabilitation, and classified independent variables as predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Unmet healthcare needs and their associated factors differed by service type. For outpatient services, assistance required in activities of daily living was associated with unmet need. For dental care, living arrangement, multiple disabilities, and depressive symptoms were associated with unmet need. For health screening, marital status and disability registration duration were associated with unmet need. For home-visit rehabilitation, sex was associated with unmet need. These findings suggest that unmet healthcare needs among people with disabilities should be addressed through service-specific strategies that reflect the distinct barriers and associated factors for each type of care.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148800755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ronilo P Antonio, John Carlo B Quiatchon, Rizaldy A David
{"title":"Should heat index thresholds trigger public health action? Ethical lessons from rising heat exposure in the Philippines.","authors":"Ronilo P Antonio, John Carlo B Quiatchon, Rizaldy A David","doi":"10.1057/s41271-026-00661-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-026-00661-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148800780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Luc Gendre, Courtney Blair, Tristan Downing, Jarrod Goentzel, Erica Gralla, Timothy Russell
{"title":"System-wide modeling approaches for integrating supply chains into food security analysis: lessons from Uganda 2016-2020.","authors":"Luc Gendre, Courtney Blair, Tristan Downing, Jarrod Goentzel, Erica Gralla, Timothy Russell","doi":"10.1057/s41271-026-00644-7","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-026-00644-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Supply chains are central to food security modeling, particularly in famine-prone settings, yet traditional analyses rarely adopt a system-wide perspective that accounts for their influence. One reason is that conventional predictive approaches used in supply chain analysis and systems modeling are difficult to calibrate and validate in contexts marked by sparse data and rapidly changing conditions. Drawing on a 6-year collaboration with USAID in Uganda, we argue that in such settings, an adapted system mapping approach can enable system-level analysis and produce actionable insights. We present our approach and examine its application to the Karamoja region of Uganda, where USAID sought to strengthen household resilience. We demonstrate the value of descriptive and prescriptive models in contexts where prediction is not feasible. In Karamoja, this approach highlighted the central role of supply chains in resilience outcomes and supported collective sense-making and collaboration among practitioners.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"97-110"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13503282/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148724811","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}