BMC Public HealthPub Date : 2025-07-15DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-23705-0
James Woodall, Chloe Bracewell, Andrew Passey, Samantha Start, Jane South
{"title":"Exploring research capacity and capability in a local authority: qualitative insights from leaders and staff.","authors":"James Woodall, Chloe Bracewell, Andrew Passey, Samantha Start, Jane South","doi":"10.1186/s12889-025-23705-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-025-23705-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Local authorities in England are ideally placed to address the social determinants of health in the communities they serve. An evidence-led approach to developing programmes and policies to tackle determinants of health is critical to ensuring outcomes are attained and resources are used appropriately. Previous studies though suggest that local authorities do not always use evidence consistently in their decision-making processes. This paper seeks therefore to explore perceived research capability and capacity across one local authority in northern England to understand how research influences policy and practice.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative exploration of 29 leaders and managers across the local authority, representing the four directorates of the organisation, was obtained to gain an overall understanding of research capacity and capability. Data were analysed thematically with eight overarching thematic categories derived.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The capacity and capability for research across the local authority directorates varied. Some participants described departments within directorates as being research active where research was part of their core business. Conversely, some departments were engaged in front-line service delivery where research was not prioritised. In these areas there was a disconnect between daily working practices and research. Staff in these departments generally lacked skills and training in research, whereas those in research active areas often had professional training where research was incorporated. There was rarely a shared definition of research by participants and ambiguity in what constituted research was common. The local authority was perceived to gather lots of data, but this was often used very functionally to fulfil reporting obligations. Curiosity to explore data was often minimised due to work pressures. Links from local authority staff to democratically elected officials varied and research and evidence was not always routinely presented. The majority of participants recognised that reforming ways of working and developing a clear training offer around research would be beneficial to addressing health outcomes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Data demonstrated variance between research practice, partnerships and culture in departments where space for intellectual curiosity was tempered by service demands. There were exceptions to this, where departmental views of research were positive and leaders valued the research-informed culture.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"2461"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12261831/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144641716","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 optimal strategy for seasonal influenza vaccination to prevent high-intensity level of influenza epidemics in Zhejiang, China: an integrated transmission-dynamic and health-economic modeling analysis.","authors":"Mengsha Chen, Mengya Yang, Rui Yan, Zhengwei Liu, Can Chen, Rongrong Qu, Wenkai Zhou, Jiaxing Qi, Kexin Cao, Jiani Miao, Xiaoyue Wu, Jiaxin Chen, Qianqian Feng, HuiHui Zhang, Anqi Dai, Yi Yang, Jingtong Zhou, Qin Chen, Jimin Sun, Shigui Yang","doi":"10.1186/s12889-025-23648-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-025-23648-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Although Seasonal Influenza Vaccination (SIV) is a crucial preventive measure, achieving sufficient coverage to completely control influenza epidemics poses a significant challenge. This study aims to evaluate optimal strategies for SIV to prevent high-intensity level of influenza epidemics in Zhejiang Province, China. High-intensity outbreaks were defined as weekly incidence rates above 72.2 per 100,000.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study estimated the incidence of influenza from 2018 to 2023 in Zhejiang Province, China, using influenza weekly surveillance data. We developed a Susceptible-Vaccinated-Infectious-Recovered-Susceptible (SVIRS) model to simulate influenza transmission and used a decision tree to assess seven vaccination strategies aimed at preventing high-intensity influenza outbreaks. These strategies differed in vaccine coverage across the three age groups: 0-14 years, 15-59 years, and 60 + years, despite having the same overall vaccination coverage.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Between 2018 and 2020, influenza incidence in Zhejiang Province followed typical seasonal patterns. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, these patterns became irregular, culminating in a high-intensity influenza season in 2022-2023. Model simulations indicated that increasing population-wide vaccination coverage to 36.17% could effectively prevent outbreaks from escalating to high-intensity levels. Among various allocation strategies for additional vaccines, targeting individuals aged 0-14 years and those aged 60 years and older was found to be the most effective. This approach reduced the peak weekly incidence rate from the observed 182.83 to a predicted 42.28 per 100,000, saved 23.45 CNY per capita, and yielded a health gain of 0.0102 quality-adjusted life days (QALDs) per person.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Achieving a population-wide vaccination coverage beyond 36.17% is projected to prevent high-intensity level of influenza epidemics. Targeting the 0-14 years and 60 + years age groups proves to be the most cost-effective strategy under constrained coverage conditions. These findings highlight the importance of age-prioritized vaccination policies to optimize resource allocation and mitigate the impact of influenza outbreaks, particularly in regions with limited healthcare capacity.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"2459"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12261801/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144641724","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}
BMC Public HealthPub Date : 2025-07-15DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-23666-4
Pratik Niraula, Atul Upadhyay, Sanjeev Kumar Karn, Roman Karki
{"title":"Factors associated with anemia among pregnant and lactating women during the COVID-19 pandemic in the targeted municipalities of five selected provinces in Nepal: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Pratik Niraula, Atul Upadhyay, Sanjeev Kumar Karn, Roman Karki","doi":"10.1186/s12889-025-23666-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-025-23666-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"2463"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12261609/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144641717","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 literacy in five districts in Sri Lanka: a baseline assessment of health literacy levels among 18-49-year-olds and associated factors.","authors":"Millawage Supun Dilara Wijesinghe, Nathasha Hithaishi Obeyesekera, Balangoda Muhamdiramlage Indika Gunawardana, Weerasinghe Mudiyanselage Prasad Chathuranga Weerasinghe, Upeksha Gayani Karawita, Nissanka Achchi Kankanamalage Ayoma Iroshanee Nissanka, Vithanage Chandima Nayani Vithana, Singappuli Arachchilage Sanjeewanie Champika Karunaratne, Praveen Nagendran, Gayani Sandeepika Dissanayake, Ranjith Batuwanthudawe, Maap Alagiyawanna, Palitha Karunapema","doi":"10.1186/s12889-025-23641-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-025-23641-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite Sri Lanka's high general literacy rate, disparities persist in health literacy (HL), which is a critical determinant of healthcare outcomes. This study assessed HL levels among adults aged 18-49 years in five districts and identified the associated sociodemographic and behavioral factors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted (October 2022 - March 2023) via multistage cluster sampling across five districts (Colombo, Hambantota, Kurunegala, Monaragala, and Mullaitivu). Participants (n = 532) were recruited. The validated HLS-EU-Q16 (European Health Literacy Survey- 16-item version) tool was used, and HL was categorized as \"limited\" (0-12) or \"sufficient\" (13-16). Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the predictors of limited HL. The analysis was conducted via SPSS software (version 23.0).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 84.6% of the participants demonstrated sufficient HL, whereas 15.4% had limited HL. Regular interaction with public health midwives, the use of television or the internet for health information, and the absence of language barriers significantly reduced the odds of limited HL. Socioeconomic disparities were evident, with 27% lacking access to health information and 17% reporting language-related comprehension challenges.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>While Sri Lanka's primary healthcare infrastructure supports relatively high HL, systemic gaps persist, particularly among linguistically diverse and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in Sri Lanka. Prioritizing multilingual health communication, digital platforms, and community-based education through frontline health workers can help bridge these gaps. Integrating critical HL competencies into national education and health policies is vital to address the disconnect between general literacy and health empowerment.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"2460"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12261826/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144641719","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":"Retrospective review of deaths in the Massachusetts department of corrections after passage of medical parole.","authors":"Jasdeep S Kler, Amanda Victory, Samantha Chao, Michelle Suh, Nicole Mushero","doi":"10.1186/s12889-025-23692-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-025-23692-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"2465"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12261610/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144641722","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":"GPT- 4 as a virtual fitness coach: a case study assessing its effectiveness in providing weight loss and fitness guidance.","authors":"Guanchong Li, Hansen Li, Yuqin Su, Yun Li, Sijia Jiang, Guodong Zhang","doi":"10.1186/s12889-025-22739-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-025-22739-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>As obesity presents a growing public health challenge, demand for personalized fitness solutions has increased. This study evaluates GPT-4's effectiveness as a virtual fitness coach for creating personalized plans.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A 24-year-old Chinese female's data was used by GPT-4 and three professional coaches to develop 16-week fitness plans. Experts evaluated these plans on personalization, effectiveness, comprehensiveness, and safety. Statistical analyses were performed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>GPT-4 excelled in personalization (M = 12.80, SD = 0.84) compared to coaches (M = 11.53, SD = 0.46), However, the difference wasn't big enough to be considered statistically significant (p > 0.05). In terms of effectiveness (GPT-4: M = 12.60, Coaches: M = 12.80), safety (GPT-4: M = 12.20, Coaches: M = 12.33), and comprehensiveness (GPT-4: M = 12.00, Coaches: M = 12.13), coaches slightly outperformed GPT-4, But again, these differences didn't reach statistical significance (p > 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>GPT-4 shows promise as a virtual fitness coach but cannot fully replace human coaches due to technological limitations. Future research should explore enhancing AI models' applicability in sports and their collaboration with coaches for optimal personalized fitness solutions.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"2466"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12261634/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144641718","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}
BMC Public HealthPub Date : 2025-07-14DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-23671-7
Deniz Kocoglu-Tanyer, Deniz S Yorulmaz Demir
{"title":"Development and psychometric evaluation of the vaccine knowledge test for childhood vaccinations: using Rasch analysis.","authors":"Deniz Kocoglu-Tanyer, Deniz S Yorulmaz Demir","doi":"10.1186/s12889-025-23671-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-025-23671-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>There is a clear need for an up-to-date, comprehensive, and methodologically tested tool to assess parents' knowledge of childhood immunization. The aim of this study was to develop a vaccine knowledge test for childhood immunization and to evaluate its validity and reliability.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This methodological study consists of three phases: creating an item pool, preparing a draft form, and psychometric evaluation. The draft form was developed with the help of a table of specifications and expert opinions. The psychometric assessment includes classical item analysis, Rasch analysis, KR-20, Cronbach's alpha, and multiple regression analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The Vaccine Knowledge Test had an average item difficulty index of 0.498 and an average item discrimination index of 0.447. The WMS values of the items ranged from 0.81 to 1.14, and the UMS values ranged from 0.80 to 1.35, indicating good dispersion. The person separation index and the person number of strata of the Rasch analysis were 2.3 and 3.4. Cronbach's alpha was 0.84. It was found that receiving vaccine education, having confidence in vaccines, being a parent, and having a university education were the determinants of vaccine knowledge, and these variables accounted for 29% of the variance in vaccine knowledge.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The Vaccine Knowledge Test, consisting of a single dimension and 28 items, is a valid and reliable measurement tool. It can reliably discriminate between individuals with different levels of knowledge or skills as low and high. It can be used as part of public health education and programs aimed at reducing vaccine hesitancy and preventing the destructive effects of vaccine misinformation in the community.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"2449"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12257663/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144636129","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}
BMC Public HealthPub Date : 2025-07-14DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-22154-z
Muhammet Özalp
{"title":"Effect of mobile phone addiction on hand disorder, eye health, fatıgue and cognitive failures.","authors":"Muhammet Özalp","doi":"10.1186/s12889-025-22154-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-025-22154-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The excessive use of mobile phones in daily life has led to increasing concerns about mobile phone addiction and its potential health effects. Since university students use mobile phones extensively for academic and social purposes, it is important to investigate the health effects of mobile phone addiction in this population. This study aims to investigate the effects of mobile phone addiction on cognitive performance, eye health, hand comfort, and fatigue in university students and to highlight the risks.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study involved 293 university students who were selected based on inclusion criteria. Students' mobile phone addiction status was assessed via the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV). The students were divided into two groups according to the cutoff values given in the study: the \"addicted group(n:142) (SAS-SV value male > 31, female > 33)\", consisting of those determined to have mobile phone addiction, and the \"control group (n:151)\", consisting of those nonaddictive tendencies. The Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS) for fatigue evaluation, the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) for cognitive status, the Cornell Hand Discomfort Questionnaire (CHDQ) for hand discomfort, and the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) for eye dryness were used. Data were collected online via Google Forms following ethics committee approval.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The addicted group presented higher scores on the CFQ, indicating poorer cognitive performance(p < 0.001). Additionally, significant differences were observed in fatigue levels (p = 0.014), and eye health(p = 0.002). Notably, hand discomfort was significant in thumb, index, ring and middle fingers of the right hand (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found in other regions of the hand (p > 0,05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings underscore the adverse health effects associated with mobile phone addiction, highlighting the need for awareness and potential interventions among university students.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"2452"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12257657/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144636131","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}
BMC Public HealthPub Date : 2025-07-14DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-23591-6
Alberto Barceló-Soler, Carilene Armas-Landaeta, Adrián Pérez-Aranda, Alicia Monreal-Bartolomé, María Beltrán-Ruiz, Itxaso Cabrera-Gil, Loreto Camarero-Grados, Javier García-Campayo, Yolanda López-Del-Hoyo
{"title":"Post-COVID gambling habits of adolescents and young adults in Aragon, Spain: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Alberto Barceló-Soler, Carilene Armas-Landaeta, Adrián Pérez-Aranda, Alicia Monreal-Bartolomé, María Beltrán-Ruiz, Itxaso Cabrera-Gil, Loreto Camarero-Grados, Javier García-Campayo, Yolanda López-Del-Hoyo","doi":"10.1186/s12889-025-23591-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12889-025-23591-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Gambling has become increasingly normalized in Spain, with 49.3% of the population participating and high engagement among youth, particularly online. Despite legal restrictions, some studies have reported that over 20% of adolescents aged 14-19 reported gambling in 2022. These findings raise concerns about gambling disorder, which affects 4.7% of Spanish youth and is linked to other mental health problems. Factors such as advertising and the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to this trend. This study, part of the GAMBL-OUT project, examines gambling behaviors among young people in Aragon, Spain, focusing on prevalence, advertising exposure, post-COVID vs. pre-pandemic comparisons, and factors associated with problem gambling, while comparing high school and university students.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2023 and March 2024 with 617 participants aged 16-25 from high schools, vocational centers, and universities. Measures included sociodemographic variables, gambling behaviors, advertising exposure, and psychological constructs. Standardized tools included the Problem Gambling Severity Index, Gambling Related Cognitions Scale, Gambling Motives Questionnaire, and UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Nearly 60% of participants had gambled, 78.4% of whom had done so in the past 12 months. The overall prevalence of problem gambling in our sample was 3.5%. Among university students, 64.6% had gambled and 3.4% showed signs of problem gambling, which does not represent a significant increase compared to 2019 data. University students post-COVID reported significantly lower exposure to gambling advertisements and less knowledge of betting venues and websites, despite stable levels of preventive information. Although lifetime gambling increased (65.3% vs. 58.1%), riskier behaviors such as sports betting, online gambling, and microtransactions decreased. University students showed greater gambling participation and online awareness, while high school students showed higher impulsivity and stronger gambling intentions. Regression analyses identified enhancement motives, predictive control, negative urgency, and peer influence as factors associated with problem gambling.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Gambling remains a prevalent issue among youth in Aragon, with problem gambling rates stable over time. Despite reduced advertising exposure, the normalization of gambling persists. Findings support the need for age-specific, psychologically informed interventions addressing both individual vulnerabilities and social contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"2444"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12257701/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144636133","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}