{"title":"Modelling the impact of behavioural interventions during pandemics: A systematic review","authors":"Tsega Kahsay Gebretekle, Casper Albers","doi":"10.1101/2024.09.05.24313121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.05.24313121","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Background</strong> Many studies examined the impact of behavioural interventions on COVID-19 outcomes. We conducted a systematic review to gain insight into transmission models, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. We included peer-reviewed studies published in English until December 31, 2022, focusing on human subjects, modelling, and examining behavioural interventions during COVID-19 using real data across diverse geographical regions.","PeriodicalId":501276,"journal":{"name":"medRxiv - Public and Global Health","volume":"163 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The global pattern of centenarians highlights deep problems in demography","authors":"Saul Justin Newman","doi":"10.1101/2024.09.06.24313170","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.06.24313170","url":null,"abstract":"Accurate age data is fundamental to medicine, social sciences, epidemiology, and good government. However, recent and heavily disputed debates on data quality have raised questions on the accuracy of demographic data at older ages. Here, we catalogue late-life survival patterns of every country in the world from 1970-2021 using comprehensive estimates of old-age populations provided by global governments and curated by the United Nations. Analysis of 236 nations or states across 51 years reveals that late-life survival data is dominated by anomalies at all scales and in all time periods. Life expectancy at age 100 and late-life survival from ages 80 to 100+, which we term centenarian attainment rate, is highest in a seemingly random assortment of states. The top 10 \"blue zone\" regions with the best survival to ages 100+ routinely includes Thailand, Kenya and Malawi - respectively now 212th and 202nd in the world for life expectancy, the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, and Puerto Rico where birth certificates are so unreliable they were recently declared invalid as a legal document. These anomalous rankings are conserved across long time periods and multiple non-overlapping cohorts, and do not seem to be sampling effects. Instead these patterns suggest a persistent inability, even for nation-states or global organisations, to detect or measure error rates in human age data, with troubling implications for epidemiology, demography, and medicine.","PeriodicalId":501276,"journal":{"name":"medRxiv - Public and Global Health","volume":"2012 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Why has the United States of America Not Ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child? The Veto Fulcrum as a New Health Policy Analysis Framework","authors":"Lia Harris","doi":"10.1101/2024.09.05.24312304","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.05.24312304","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Background</strong> The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) enshrines health as a human right among other rights for children, the fulfillment of which can be advanced by each member state legally endorsing the principles through ratification of the Convention. The most rapidly and widely ratified human rights treaty in history, only the United States of America of all of the UN state parties has not ratified the CRC. This study aimed to determine the reason(s) the CRC has not been ratified by the USA.","PeriodicalId":501276,"journal":{"name":"medRxiv - Public and Global Health","volume":"80 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ronald Kusolo, Gerald Mutungi, Mary Mbuliro, Richard Kajjura, Ronald Wesonga, Silver K. Bahendeka, David Guwatudde
{"title":"Changes in the prevalence of the common risk factors for non-communicable diseases in Uganda between 2014 and 2023: Informed by nationally representative cross-sectional surveys","authors":"Ronald Kusolo, Gerald Mutungi, Mary Mbuliro, Richard Kajjura, Ronald Wesonga, Silver K. Bahendeka, David Guwatudde","doi":"10.1101/2024.09.04.24313080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.04.24313080","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Background</strong> Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) remain the biggest contributor to global mortality. Although communicable diseases still contribute highest to mortality in the African region, the proportion contributed by NCDs continues to rise. An important way to control NCDs is to focus on reducing the prevalence of the common NCD risk factors. As such, monitoring changes in the prevalence of these risk factors is essential for better NCD prevention planning. Uganda conducted its first nationally representative NCD risk factor survey in 2014, and a second in 2023. We analyzed the prevalence of the common NCD risk factors using data from the two surveys to identify which risk factors changed between 2014 and 2023.","PeriodicalId":501276,"journal":{"name":"medRxiv - Public and Global Health","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arnoldo Armenta-Castro, Mariel Araceli Oyervides-Muñoz, Alberto Aguayo-Acosta, Sofia Liliana Lucero-Saucedo, Alejandro Robles-Zamora, Kassandra O. Rodriguez-Aguillón, Antonio Ovalle-Carcaño, Roberto Parra-Saldívar, Juan Eduardo Sosa-Hernández
{"title":"Academic institution extensive, building-by-building wastewater-based surveillance platform for SARS-CoV-2 monitoring, clinical data correlation, and potential national proxy","authors":"Arnoldo Armenta-Castro, Mariel Araceli Oyervides-Muñoz, Alberto Aguayo-Acosta, Sofia Liliana Lucero-Saucedo, Alejandro Robles-Zamora, Kassandra O. Rodriguez-Aguillón, Antonio Ovalle-Carcaño, Roberto Parra-Saldívar, Juan Eduardo Sosa-Hernández","doi":"10.1101/2024.09.05.24313081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.05.24313081","url":null,"abstract":"Wastewater-based surveillance has been proposed as a cost-effective toolset to generate data about public health status by detecting specific biomarkers in wastewater samples, as shown during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this work, we report on the performance of an extensive, building-by-building wastewater surveillance platform deployed across 38 locations of the largest private university system in Mexico, spanning 19 of the 32 states. Sampling took place weekly from January 2021 and June 2022. Data from 343 sampling sites was clustered by campus and by state and evaluated through its correlation with the seven-day average of daily new COVID-19 cases in each cluster. Statistically significant linear correlations (p-values below 0.05) were found in 25 of the 38 campuses and 13 of the 19 states. Moreover, to evaluate the effectiveness of epidemiologic containment measures taken by the institution across 2021 and the potential of university campuses as representative sampling points for surveillance in future public health emergencies in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area, correlation between new COVID-19 cases and viral loads in weekly wastewater samples was found to be stronger in Dulces Nombres, the largest wastewater treatment plant in the city (Pearson coefficient: 0.6456, p-value: 6.36710<sup>−8</sup>), than in the largest university campus in the study (Pearson coefficient: 0.4860, p-value: 8.288×10<sup>−5</sup>). However, when comparing the data after urban mobility returned to pre-pandemic levels, correlation levels in both locations became comparable (0.894 for the university campus and 0.865 for Dulces Nombres).","PeriodicalId":501276,"journal":{"name":"medRxiv - Public and Global Health","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abiodun Sogbesan, Ayobami Adebayo Bakare, Sibylle Herzig Van Wees, Julius Salako, Damola Bakare, Omotayo E Olojede, Kofoworola Akinsola, Oluwabunmi Roseline Bakare, Adegoke G Falade, Carina King
{"title":"Exploring COVID-19 Pandemic Perceptions and Vaccine Uptake among Community Members and Primary Healthcare Workers in Nigeria: A Mixed Methods Study.","authors":"Abiodun Sogbesan, Ayobami Adebayo Bakare, Sibylle Herzig Van Wees, Julius Salako, Damola Bakare, Omotayo E Olojede, Kofoworola Akinsola, Oluwabunmi Roseline Bakare, Adegoke G Falade, Carina King","doi":"10.1101/2024.09.02.24312966","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.02.24312966","url":null,"abstract":"Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted global health, with diverse perceptions about the disease and control measures, including vaccination. Understanding these perceptions can help inform public health and vaccination strategies in future outbreaks. This study examined community members and healthcare workers' (HCWs) perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines in Nigeria, exploring factors influencing vaccine acceptance and hesitancy.\u0000Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study, combining quantitative survey data from 2,602 respondents (2,206 community members and 396 HCWs) with qualitative interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed to identify factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake and pandemic perceptions, while qualitative insights provided a deeper understanding of cultural perceptions, experiences, and hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccine.\u0000Results: Overall, 43.4% of community members and 96.7% of HCWs received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine uptake was positively associated with increasing age, previous COVID-19 testing, male sex, government employment, and knowing someone diagnosed with COVID-19. Christianity was associated with lower uptake among community members. Perceptions varied, with 34.2% of community members and 17.7% of HCWs considering COVID-19 a death sentence, while 27.8% and 22.0% believed in ‘African immunity,’ respectively. Hesitancy was driven by the fear of side effects (32.6%), pregnancy-related concerns (25.9%), and convenience-related issues (13.5%). Qualitative data found misinformation, mistrust, fear of adverse reactions, logistical challenges, and belief in the sufficiency of childhood vaccination fuelled hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccine. Despite this, general trust in vaccine safety and efficacy remained high, with most respondents willing to be vaccinated against other diseases and future outbreaks.\u0000Conclusion: Our findings underscore the need for tailored public health strategies to address specific sociodemographic factors, individual perceptions, and logistical challenges to enhance COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Public health campaigns should focus on debunking myths, improving vaccine literacy, and leveraging the social influence of respected community leaders to build trust.","PeriodicalId":501276,"journal":{"name":"medRxiv - Public and Global Health","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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 PJ Day, Yoel Lubell, Richard J Maude
{"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 PJ Day, Yoel Lubell, Richard J Maude","doi":"10.1101/2024.09.03.24313043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.03.24313043","url":null,"abstract":"The use of comprehensive village profiles is one way of characterising contextual factors important for the implementation of primary healthcare interventions and service planning in rural areas. However, there are few such data available at the village level in rural South and Southeast Asia. This study aimed to address this gap, as well as compare high-level data from representative under-served and understudied villages across seven sites in five countries (Thailand (n=3), Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Bangladesh). A survey-based approach using key informants supplemented by other relevant information sources was used to collect data from 687 of 707 villages participating in the South and Southeast Asian Community-based Trials Network. Data on four key health and socio-economic indicators (literacy rate, percentage of attended deliveries, percentage of fully-immunised children, and percentage of latrine coverage) as well as access to health services, public utilities, and education were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics. There was considerable variation between sites in terms of health and socio-economic indicators given that the countries are at different stages of development, and also between the three sites in Thailand. Five of the seven sites were highly diverse ethno-culturally and linguistically, and all were reliant on primary health centres as well as village health workers/village malaria workers as the main providers of primary healthcare. These were generally bypassed by severely ill patients in favour of first-level referral hospitals and private sector facilities in towns. While >75% of villages at each site were near to a primary school, 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). These results illustrate the wide diversity of villages in rural South and Southeast Asia that need to be considered in public health research and policymaking.","PeriodicalId":501276,"journal":{"name":"medRxiv - Public and Global Health","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Cross-Sectional Study on HPV Vaccine Awareness, Vaccination Willingness and Associated Factors among Male Healthcare Workers in Ethnic Minority-populated Areas in Southern China","authors":"Chunlin Qin, Nian Jiang, Guorong Tang, Yun Zhou, Qingqing Liang","doi":"10.1101/2024.09.02.24312968","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.02.24312968","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Introduction</strong> Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD) with a very high prevalence in the male population, resulting in an increasing burden of HPV-related diseases. HPV vaccines are the most effective measure to control HPV infection. However, male HPV vaccine has not been approved for mainland China.","PeriodicalId":501276,"journal":{"name":"medRxiv - Public and Global Health","volume":"44 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Grace Kansiime, Edwin Nuwagira, Paul Stephen Obwoya, Joseph Baruch Baluku, Michael Kanyesigye, Christine Twesiime, Peter Ssebutinde, Rose Muhindo, Anthony Muyingo, Keneth Kananura, Pliers Denis Tusingwire, Esther C. Atukunda, Robert Kalyesubula, Francis Bajunirwe, Anthony Muiru
{"title":"Prevalence, awareness and factors associated with hypertension among adults in rural south-western Uganda: a cross-sectional study","authors":"Grace Kansiime, Edwin Nuwagira, Paul Stephen Obwoya, Joseph Baruch Baluku, Michael Kanyesigye, Christine Twesiime, Peter Ssebutinde, Rose Muhindo, Anthony Muyingo, Keneth Kananura, Pliers Denis Tusingwire, Esther C. Atukunda, Robert Kalyesubula, Francis Bajunirwe, Anthony Muiru","doi":"10.1101/2024.09.03.24313036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.03.24313036","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Background</strong> Hypertension is the leading cause of preventable deaths globally, yet there have been inconsistent reports on its burden and risk factors in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, awareness, and risk factors associated with hypertension among adults in a rural community in southwestern Uganda.","PeriodicalId":501276,"journal":{"name":"medRxiv - Public and Global Health","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Skylar Petrichko, Jason Kindrachuk, Dalau Nkamba, Megan Halbrook, Sydney Merritt, Handdy Kalengi, Leonard Kamba, Michael Beya, Nicole A. Hoff, Christophe Luhata, Didine K. Kaba, Anne W. Rimoin
{"title":"Acceptance of an Mpox Vaccine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Results from a Nationwide Phone Survey","authors":"Skylar Petrichko, Jason Kindrachuk, Dalau Nkamba, Megan Halbrook, Sydney Merritt, Handdy Kalengi, Leonard Kamba, Michael Beya, Nicole A. Hoff, Christophe Luhata, Didine K. Kaba, Anne W. Rimoin","doi":"10.1101/2024.08.15.24311971","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.15.24311971","url":null,"abstract":"We report general acceptance of an mpox vaccine (61.0%) in the Democratic Republic of the\u0000Congo (n=5226) with higher acceptance among healthcare workers and respondents in historic\u0000mpox-endemic regions. These data highlight the need for increased community engagement\u0000and sensitization before widespread deployment of the mpox vaccine.","PeriodicalId":501276,"journal":{"name":"medRxiv - Public and Global Health","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}