BMC Public Health最新文献

{"title":"Approaches for psychosocial support towards orphans and vulnerable children by community-based workers in the Vhembe district, South Africa.","authors":"Livhuwani Precious Matshepete, Lufuno Makhado, Ntsieni Stella Mashau","doi":"10.1186/s12889-024-21208-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-024-21208-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The orphan and vulnerable children crisis has raised the need for alternative solutions to their problems. These new alternatives gave prominence to the growth of community-based organisations and their interventions. Community-based interventions are a crucial component of the response to ensure that the demands of orphans and vulnerable children are mitigated as they offer initial support and act as well-being nets.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative exploratory-descriptive and contextual design was used to explore possible approaches to psychosocial support for orphans and vulnerable childen from community-based workers. This study was conducted in four municipalities in the Vhembe district: Thulamela, Makhado, Collins Chabane, and Musina. The population consisted of community-based workers working with vulnerable and orphaned children in the Vhembe district. Data were collected in focus group discussions with the community-based workers using a focus group discussion guide with open-ended questions. The data were analysed according to Tesch's open analysis guide to analyse qualitative data. The measures to ensure trustworthiness included transferability, conformability, credibility, and dependability.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data analysis generated the following theme and subthemes: Psychosocial interventions provided included Physical support, educational support, psycho-educational support, activities and socialisation, caregivers support and involvement and inter-professional referral.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings provide an insight into the types of psychosocial support interventions provided by Community-based organisations to orphans and vulnerable children. Conversely, the study also revealed that community-based organisations are experiencing challenges when delivering those services to orphans and vulnerable children.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"87"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11708247/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142944175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Parental acceptance of school-based universal depression screening for children and adolescents in primary and secondary school in China.","authors":"Peipei Wu, Wenjuan Huang, Feng Jiao, Guoping Chen, Ying Sun","doi":"10.1186/s12889-025-21311-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-025-21311-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>School-based universal depression screening (SBUDS) is an effective method for early identification of depression. As parents are the primary decision-makers for their children's acceptance of healthcare services, this study aims to examine rural and urban parental acceptance of SBUDS.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study assessed parental acceptance of SBUDS for their children and its association with self-reported parental perception of depression (i.e., parental knowledge of depression, self-efficacy to identify child depression, and depression stigma) and parental belief regarding the benefits and risks of SBUDS. The analysis included 13,480 parents with at least one child in grades 4-12 from 29 primary and secondary schools in four cities across China.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this large and diverse sample, 92.4% of the participants supported SBUDS for their children despite concerns about the risks of SBUDS (e.g., accuracy and privacy of screening results). Most parents supported SBUDS starting in 4th (25.5%) or 7th (24.7%) grades, though 7.6% responded no screening should be done. Regression analysis revealed that parents with a higher level of knowledge about depression (OR = 1.496, 95%CI [1.08, 2.073]; P = 0.015) had higher odds of parental acceptance of SBUDS. However, this association was not evident among rural parents stratified by urban-rural locality.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In this survey study, most Chinese parents accept SBUDS for their children despite concerns. Guidelines for maintaining adolescent confidentiality and ensuring the accuracy of results in an SBUDS will require careful consideration. Additionally, the study findings indicate that improving parental knowledge about adolescent depression is essential for promoting parental acceptance of SBUDS.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"101"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11715248/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142944211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors influencing malnutrition among adolescent girls in The Gambia: a mixed-methods exploratory study.","authors":"Haddy Jallow-Badjan, Tanefa A Apekey, Maria J Maynard","doi":"10.1186/s12889-024-21242-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-024-21242-w","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;In The Gambia, existing research to understand and address malnutrition among adolescent girls is limited. Prior to the conduct of large-scale studies, formative research is needed. The aim of this mixed methods, cross-sectional study was to explore cultural contexts relevant to nutritional status, feasibility and appropriateness of recruitment and data collection methods (questionnaires and anthropometric measures), and plausibility of data collected.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;The study took place in May-June 2021 in an urban conurbation in Brikama local government area (LGA) and two rural villages in Mansakonko LGA, The Gambia. The purposive sampling frame of the all-female sample included residence in the selected urban or rural settings and being aged 10-14 or 15-19 years. Thirty-two girls aged 10 to 19 years, with equal numbers in urban and rural settings were recruited. Four focus groups discussions (FGDs), with eight participants in each, were held to understand perspectives on cultural practices; concepts of under- and overweight, and research recruitment methods. The same participants completed questionnaires on socioeconomic circumstances, health, access to community resources, nutrition knowledge, sleep, and physical activity, and had anthropometric measures taken. FGDs were then reconvened to discuss the feasibility and acceptability of the questionnaires and anthropometric measures, and views on providing biological samples in the future. FGD data were analysed using thematic analysis. Body mass index (BMI)-for-age and height-for-age z-scores, mid-upper arm circumference, and waist: hip ratios were assessed and descriptive statistics used to explore the data obtained.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Five themes were identified in the focus group discussions: 1. Cultural norms: harmful vs. beneficial to nutrition-related health; 2. Concepts of healthy diet and weight; 3. Approaches to tackling under- and overnutrition; 4. Study recruitment: barriers and facilitators; 5. Study questionnaires and proposed measures are mostly feasible and acceptable. Questionnaire data highlighted limited access to resources (e.g. food markets and electricity) as important individual, household and community factors influencing malnutrition in rural settings. The anthropometric measures reflected the double burden of malnutrition in The Gambia, with the presence of stunting (41%), underweight (31%), and living with overweight or obesity (10%). A higher proportion of participants were underweight in rural compared to urban settings (50% vs 12.5% respectively, p = 0.03). Over 70% of those classified as underweight perceived their weight as normal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;This exploratory study provides novel data to inform larger-scale research to understand and address malnutrition among adolescent females in The Gambia. Urban-rural variance in the double burden of malnutrition, factors influencing malnutri","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"80"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11708179/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142944198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"Ashamed of being seen in an HIV clinic\": a qualitative analysis of barriers to engaging in HIV care from the perspectives of patients and healthcare workers in the Daraja clinical trial.","authors":"Elialilia S Okello, Robert N Peck, Benson Issarow, Godfrey Kisigo, Kelvin Abel, Donati Malibwa, Severin Kabakama, Marco Charles, Myung Lee, Thomas Rutachunzibwa, Daniel Fitzgerald, Philip Ayieko, Heiner Grosskurth, Lisa R Metsch, Saidi Kapiga","doi":"10.1186/s12889-024-21231-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-024-21231-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>There is high post-hospital discharge mortality among persons with HIV who are hospitalized, and post-hospital survival is strongly associated with early HIV clinic linkage, clinic attendance, and antiretroviral therapy adherence. The Daraja intervention, a context-tailored case management strategy implemented and tested through a randomized trial in Tanzania, was associated with improved HIV clinic linkage, retention, and ART initiation and adherence.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted in-depth interviews (IDIs) in a sub-sample of 40 study participants (20 control and 20 intervention) 12 months after enrollment into the trial to gain an in-depth understanding of the barriers to HIV care engagement and the perceived mechanisms through which the Daraja intervention impacted these barriers. We also conducted IDIs with 20 health care providers. We used a thematic analysis approach to generate themes following the Gelberg-Andersen behavioral model for vulnerable population domains.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Perceived stigma, coupled with the mistrust of healthcare providers, underemployment or lack of reliable income, unreliable transport, and a lack of social support, were identified as key barriers to HIV clinic attendance and ART adherence. Perceived stigma complicated not only linking to and attending an HIV clinic but also decision-making regarding the choice of the clinic's location. The Daraja intervention was reported to help normalise HIV diagnosis, plug the social support gap, increase patients' self-efficacy and their capacity of participants to navigate the HIV clinic during HIV clinic linkage.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These qualitative research results identified several important barriers to engaging in HIV care and provide insights into the mechanisms through which the Daraja intervention operated to affect the perceived stigma, social support, self-efficacy, and increased capacity of participants to navigate the HIV clinic during HIV clinic linkage.</p><p><strong>Daraja trial registration: </strong>ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03858998. Registered on 01 March 2019.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"69"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11706178/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142944199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pulmonary function among flour mill workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Kuldip Upadhyay, Bhavani Shankara Bagepally, Rakesh Balachandar, Ankit Sheth, Ankit Viramgami","doi":"10.1186/s12889-025-21286-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-025-21286-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Flour dust, with an inherent allergic nature, increases vulnerability to various respiratory ailments. We systemically reviewed and compared literature-reported pulmonary function parameters to quantify pulmonary dysfunction among individuals with high flour dust exposure (among flour mill workers) and relatively un-exposed groups.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Studies that compared pulmonary function parameters for flour dust exposed and unexposed control groups were systemically searched in PubMed, Scopus and Embase from inception to June 2024. The Newcastle Ottawa scale was used to assess the risk of bias among included studies. With the random effect model, we pooled (along with 95% CI) the mean difference for forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV₁), forced vital capacity (FVC), the ratio of FEV₁ & FVC, mid-expiratory flow (FEF25-75%), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and other pulmonary function parameters. Cochran-Q test and I² statistics were applied to determine heterogeneity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This quantitative synthesis included twenty-two studies involving 2,482 flour dust exposed and 1,925 control participants. The pooled mean difference for FEV₁, FVC, FEV₁/FVC, PEFR and FEF_25 - 75% were - 0.43 L (-0.57, -0.29; I² = 88.7), -0.49 L (-0.64, -0.33; I² = 89.3), -3.5% (-6.49, -0.5; I² = 89.7), -1.36 L/s (-1.70, -1.03; I² = 90.4) and - 0.34 L/s (-0.63, -0.06; I² = 77.3). The pooled odds ratio for obstructive [12.9 (3.41, 49.2); I² = 82.4)] and restrictive changes [5.11 (0.55, 47.4); I² = 81.6] were significantly higher among the exposed than controls. As per the bias assessment majority of studies rated with moderate to severe risk of bias.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Study observed pulmonary function deficits associated with exposure to flour dust. However, considering the quality of primary studies and higher heterogeneity, high-quality larger studies with longitudinal design are required to affirm the effects of flour dust on lung function.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"75"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11707977/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142944293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effectiveness of digital technology-based Otago Exercise Program on balance ability, muscle strength and fall efficacy in the elderly: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Zihao He, Hua Wu, Guanggao Zhao, Yiming Zhang, Chao Li, Yachen Xing, Anjie Xu, Junchao Yang, Ronghui Wang","doi":"10.1186/s12889-024-21251-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-024-21251-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To explore the impact of the digital implementation of the Otago Exercise Program (OEP) on balance ability (static and dynamic), muscle strength, and fall efficacy in elderly people; and analyze different potential influencing factors in subgroups to find the most suitable training plan.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>EBSCO, PubMed, Web of Science, and China Knowledge Network databases (core) were searched up to August 1, 2023. Experimental studies of implementing OEP based on digital technology to improve outcomes related to falls in the elderly were included. Bias risks were assessed using the Cochrane collaboration tool. Meta-analysis was performed to assess the pooled effect of balance ability (static and dynamic), muscle strength, and fall efficacy using a random effects model. Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the potential modifying effects of different factors (e.g., training period, frequency, duration, age).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twelve articles were included from the literature, including 10 randomized controlled trials, one single-group quasi-experimental study, and one case report. Digital technologies used in the studies were categorized into three types: (1) online interventions (Zoom, WeChat), (2) recorded videos (via computers, TVs, DVDs), and (3) wearable technologies (motion sensors, augmented reality systems). The implementation of OEP based on digital technology showed significantly improved on static balance (SMD = 0.86, 95% CI 0.35-1.37), dynamic balance (SMD = 1.07, 95% CI 0.90-1.24), muscular strength (SMD = 0.43, 95% CI 0.17-0.69), and fall efficacy (SMD=-0.70, 95% CI -0.98, -0.41); Subgroup analysis by period '≥12 weeks', frequency '≥3 times/week', and duration '≤45 minutes per session', respectively, showed significant improvements on static balance (SMD = 0.73, 95% CI 0.21-1.25; SMD = 0.86, 95% CI 0.35-1.37; SMD = 1.10, 95% CI 0.31-1.89), dynamic balance (SMD = 1.08, 95% CI 0.88-1.28; SMD = 1.01, 95% CI 0.93-1.27; SMD = 1.07, 95% CI 0.89-1.25), muscle strength (SMD = 0.43, 95% CI 0.10-0.75; SMD = 0.54, 95% CI 0.30-0.77; SMD = 0.53, 95% CI 0.19-0.87), and fall efficacy (SMD=-0.75, 95% CI -1.39, -0.11; SMD=-0.70, 95% CI -0.98, -0.41; SMD=-0.74, 95% CI -1.10, -0.39).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>OEP implemented through digital technology effectively enhances static and dynamic balance, muscle strength, and self-efficacy in older adults. A training regimen of 12 weeks or more, with sessions occurring three or more times per week for 30 to 45 min, appears to be an effective approach for improving these outcomes based on the available evidence from the included studies. Future research should prioritize specific digital technologies and target populations, employing high-quality research designs to further explore these interventions, and consider new technologies such as wearables, to assess changes in fall prevalence.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"71"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11707927/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142944339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health promotion campaigns using social media: association rules mining and co-occurrence network analysis of Twitter hashtags.","authors":"Atousa Ghahramani, Maria Prokofieva, Maximilian Pangratius de Courten","doi":"10.1186/s12889-024-21255-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21255-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Social media hashtags play a significant role in increasing the visibility of health information by making it easier for people to explore health-related content. Health promotion campaigns use campaign-specific hashtags to disseminate health-related messages, enabling individuals to access accurate and timely resources and updates. The study aims to discover patterns of connection between hashtags and identify the most influential hashtags used on Twitter in the American Heart Month campaigns.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We collected a total of 73,288 tweets containing #AmericanHeartMonth between January 2019 and March 2023 and retrieved 18,143 original tweets, 42,930 retweets, 2,519 quotes, and 20,846 likes related to the past five campaigns. We adapted co-occurrence network analysis to explore the patterns of relationships between hashtags and association rules mining to assess the quality and strength of association between the co-occurred hashtags.</p><p><strong>Result: </strong>While #AmericanHeartMonth, #OurHearts, and #HeartMonth play central roles in all hashtag co-occurrence networks, the results of association rules mining indicate a significant association of #OurHearts within the networks. The highest density of hashtags has been observed in the quoted tweets, introducing a new range of hashtags such as #GoRedForWomen, #WearRedDay, #HeartDisease, and #HeartHealth by Twitter users, indicating the positive correlation between co-occurring hashtags and users' engagement. The results of quality measurements of association rules (Lift > 1) indicate positive relationships between the co-occurred hashtags in the top 5 rules in all data subsets.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We employed co-occurrence network analysis and association rules mining as powerful techniques to identify influential hashtags that may have a central role in health-related discussions and drive engagement within the co-occurrence hashtag network. In conclusion, we recommend additional hashtag structures in conjunction with heart health-related topics to improve community building and the effectiveness of disseminating messages in future heart health promotion campaigns. The study contributes to knowledge and practice by offering a structured and data-driven approach and providing practical guidance for public health practitioners, professionals, and organisations to optimise content, targeting, and messaging to reach and engage a broader audience with health-related information.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"67"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11706027/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142944231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The mediating role of physical activity, morning wake-up time, and sleep-inducing medication use in the relationship between age and depression: a path analysis of a large kurdish cohort study in Iran.","authors":"Fahimeh Alsadat Hosseini, Samaneh Bagherian, Cristina Cañete-Massé, Mehdi Moradinazar, Farid Najafi","doi":"10.1186/s12889-024-21262-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21262-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Depression is a common and debilitating psychiatric disorder worldwide. Recognizing the relationships between depression-related factors can play a significant role in depression management. However, no study has yet used path analysis to examine the mediating role of physical activity, morning wake-up time, and sleep-inducing medication in the relationship between age and depression.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This path analysis study utilized data from the baseline phase of the Ravansar non-communicable disease cohort study. This study was conducted on people aged 35 to 65 years using sociodemographic, clinical, and the PERSIAN cohort's standard physical activity questionnaires. These analyses were done using SPSS (version 22) and MPLUS (version 8.3). Path analysis was applied to evaluate the direct, indirect, and total effects of age on depression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results indicated that increasing age was associated with an increase in depression through a decrease in physical activity and an increase in sleep-inducing medication use. In addition, an increase in age was significantly related to a reduced incidence of depression via an earlier morning wake-up time.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>We found evidence for a mediational effect of age on depression, as the biopsychosocial model of mental illness implies. The findings of this study can add to the existing body of knowledge on depression management and help clarify the mechanisms of the effect of age on depression.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"58"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11706201/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142944286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Syphilis reactivity among blood donors in Brazil: associated factors and implications for public health monitoring.","authors":"Natalia A Braga, Sheila de Oliveira Garcia Mateos, Renata Buccheri, Vivian I Avelino-Silva, Donald E Warden, Cesar de Almeida-Neto, Maisa Ribeiro, Luiz Amorim, Paula Loureiro, Nelson Fraiji, Marcio K Oikawa, Eduard Grebe, Mars Stone, Ester C Sabino, Brian Custer","doi":"10.1186/s12889-024-21114-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21114-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Increasing syphilis infection rates are a concerning issue worldwide. Blood donation screening is an opportunity to monitor the burden of asymptomatic infections, providing information on contemporary factors associated with infection and public health insights into transmission.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Blood donations collected at five Brazilian blood centers between January 2020 and February 2022 were screened with treponemal or non-treponemal assays according to local protocols, followed by alternate Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA); samples with reactive or indeterminate results in the alternate ELISA were further tested with the rapid plasma reagin (RPR), and categorized as RPR-positive or RPR-negative. RPR-positive donations were also grouped according to RPR titers (< 1:8 or ≥ 1:8). We report the prevalence of syphilis in first-time donors (FTD) and repeat donors (RD), as well as incidence in RD. Multivariable models were used to assess factors associated with RPR-positive syphilis. Additionally, we explored the relationship between syphilis positivity in FTD and syphilis cases registered by the Brazilian public health surveillance system from 2012 to 2022.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Of 862,146 donations, 10,771 (1.3%) were reactive or indeterminate on screening; 7,541 available samples underwent additional testing. Of those, 5,876 (77.9%) tested positive or indeterminate on the alternate ELISA; 907 (12.0%) were RPR-negative, 2,980 (39.5%) were RPR-positive < 1:8, and 1,989 (26.4%) were RPR-positive with titers ≥ 1:8. The prevalence of syphilis including RPR-positive and RPR-negative cases was 2.5% among FTD and 0.6% among RD. The incidence of syphilis in RD was 90/10⁵ person-years (95% CI 86-95), with younger age, male gender, Black and Mixed race (relative to White) and lower education associated with incident syphilis in RD. Blood donors had lower rates of syphilis compared to the general population, with correspondence between numbers in blood donors and congenital syphilis rates registered by the Brazilian surveillance system between 2012 and 2022.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The prevalence of syphilis was < 3% among FTD and < 1% among RD. We found wide variability according to donor characteristics, with gender, age, race, and schooling significantly associated with prevalent and incident RPR-positive syphilis in multivariable models. Syphilis occurrence among blood donors can be used to assess disease patterns in low-risk populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"60"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11705664/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142944309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Occupational physical activity and cardiovascular disease mortality in the United States, 1988-2019.","authors":"Tong Xia, Liwei Chen, Jian Li","doi":"10.1186/s12889-024-21225-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21225-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Although leisure time physical activity (LTPA) is a beneficial factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, relationships between occupational physical activity (OPA) and CVD mortality are inconclusive. We aimed to examine prospective associations of OPA with CVD mortality using a large representative sample of adult workers in the United States (US), and explore how socioeconomic status (SES) may influence these associations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cohort study included US workers (≥ 18 years) participating in the 1988 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and passively followed until December 31, 2019. Time (minutes/week) on strenuous OPA (e.g., lifting, pushing, or pulling heavy objects) was assessed at baseline by a questionnaire and categorized into 4 groups [i.e., none, low, medium, and high]. CVD mortality was identified by International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Version (ICD-10) and collected by the National Death Index database. We examined the association of OPA with CVD mortality using multivariable Cox proportional hazard regressions, controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, annual household income, occupation type, and pre-existing cardiometabolic disorders.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In 28,604 participants (46.2% women; mean age 37.86 years), adjusted hazard ratios (95% CIs) of none, low, medium, and high OPA groups were 1.39 (1.01-1.91), 1.00 (reference), 1.18 (0.83-1.66) and 1.58 (1.12-2.22) for CVD mortality. The associations were stronger in workers with low education level (i.e., high school or less) [estimates of none, low, medium, and high OPA groups were 1.74 (1.09-2.78, P = 0.02), 1.00, 1.49 (0.92-2.42), and 1.87 (1.16-3.00)] or annual household income <$30,000 [estimates of OPA groups were 1.73 (1.16-2.56), 1.00, 1.29 (0.83-2.01), and 1.73 (1.14-2.65)].</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We observed that workers with either high or no strenuous OPA had higher CVD mortality compared to those with low strenuous OPA, demonstrating a U-shaped association in the US. This association was particularly pronounced among workers with lower SES.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"77"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11708131/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142944196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}