International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

UNLABELLED: Neurodegenerative diseases significantly impact individuals' nutritional status. Therefore, nutritional education plays a crucial role in enhancing the understanding of food and nutrition, preventing or minimizing malnutrition, promoting well-being, and empowering patients and caregivers. Educommunication is a methodology that utilizes communication as a pedagogical tool, with the potential to positively enhance the teaching-learning process. This study aims to identify and map educommunication strategies designed to educate caregivers and patients with neurodegenerative diseases about food and nutrition...

This study assessed vaccination coverage and its associated factors among children aged 12-23 months in pastoralist Ethiopia. It was conducted in three woredas of the Afar region using a community-based cross-sectional mixed methods design with quantitative and qualitative methods. A total of 413 mothers with children aged 12-23 months participated in the quantitative study via a simple random sampling technique. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with vaccination, and thematic analysis techniques were used for qualitative data...

Ambient heat stress poses a significant threat to public health, with rising temperatures exacerbating the risks associated with pregnancy. This systematic review examined the associations between heat stress exposure and placental function, synthesizing methodologies from the existing literature to inform future research approaches. Analyzing 24 articles, it explores various study designs, temperature exposure parameters, pregnancy windows, and placental outcome variables. Findings across human and animal studies reveal diverse effects on placental weight, efficiency, blood flow, anatomy, gene expression, and steroid levels under heat stress conditions...

OBJECTIVE: The present study explores the cross-cultural validation of neuropsychological assessments and their clinical applications in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), focusing on culturally adapted CBT (CA-CBT) across diverse populations and settings. METHODS: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted in multiple academic databases, including PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science. Keywords related to cognitive behavioral therapy, cultural adaptation, and specific populations were used...

Cannabis is the most used illicit drug among youths in the United States. The objectives of this study were to identify the association between cannabis use and other risk behaviors, including suicidality, among high school students. This is a cross-sectional study using the 2021 Mississippi Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS). The 2021 YRBS data sets were combined for this study. The crude odds ratio (OR) and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval were generated using the survey packages in R to account for weights and the complex sampling design of the YRBS data...

People with schizophrenia have died at disproportionately higher rates during recent extreme heat events (EHEs) in Canada, including the deadly 2021 Heat Dome in British Columbia (B.C.). However, to date, little research has qualitatively focused on how people with schizophrenia experience and respond to EHEs. This study aimed to (i) explore how people with schizophrenia experienced and were impacted by the 2021 Heat Dome physically, cognitively, and emotionally and (ii) understand their level of awareness and health-protective actions taken in response to the EHE...

The prevalence of airborne pathogens in indoor environments presents significant health risks due to prolonged human occupancy. This review addresses diverse air purification systems to combat airborne pathogens and the factors influencing their efficacy. Indoor aerosols, including bioaerosols, harbor biological contaminants from respiratory emissions, highlighting the need for efficient air disinfection strategies. The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the dangers of airborne transmission, highlighting the importance of comprehending how pathogens spread indoors...

This review aims to analyze the evidence related to violence perpetrated against transgender individuals in health services based on their narratives. This is a systematic literature review of qualitative studies. A search was carried out in the Scopus, Web of Science, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), EMBASE, and MEDLINE databases using the descriptors "transgender people", "violence", and "health services"...

Over the years, the growing "epidemic" spread of cocaine use represents a crucial public health and social problem worldwide. According to the 2023 World Drug Report, 0.4% of the world's population aged 15 to 64 report using cocaine; this number corresponds to approximately 24.6 million cocaine users worldwide and approximately 1 million subjects with cocaine use disorder (CUD). While we specifically know the short-term side effects induced by cocaine, unfortunately, we currently do not have exhaustive information about the medium/long-term side effects of the substance on the body...

Provision of healthy lifestyle support for fathers can improve the lifestyles and health awareness of not only fathers but also their children and families. Few studies have examined the effectiveness of education targeting healthy fathers provided via social media. Hence, we aimed to clarify the effects of providing fathers with information on healthy lifestyle habits via social media on their awareness and behaviours regarding diet, physical activity, and healthcare, in addition to such a programme's indirect effects on their children...

Extensive knowledge on nutrition and dieting has been associated with an increased risk of orthorexia (an obsession with food that one considers healthy) within the research literature. A systematic review was conducted to identify the prevalence of orthorexia in individuals who were employed in, or studying, health careers. The databases Psychinfo and Pubmed were searched to obtain research articles. Studies assessing orthorexia and either students or workers within health-related fields were included. A study merit rating system was utilised to assess the quality of each study included...

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a debilitating condition marked by chronic fatigue, cognitive problems, pain, and gastrointestinal (GI) complaints in veterans who were deployed to the 1990-1991 Gulf War. Fatigue, GI complaints, and other chronic symptoms continue to persist more than 30 years post-deployment. Several potential mechanisms for the persistent illness have been identified and our prior pilot study linked an altered gut microbiome with the disorder. This study further validates and builds on our prior preliminary findings of host gut microbiome dysbiosis in veterans with GWI...

Legionella bacteria can proliferate in poorly maintained water systems, posing risks to users. All Legionella species are potentially pathogenic, but Legionella pneumophila ( L. pneumophila ) is usually the primary focus of testing. However, Legionella anisa ( L. anisa ) also colonizes water distribution systems, is frequently found with L. pneumophila , and could be a good indicator for increased risk of nosocomial infection. Anonymized data from three commercial Legionella testing laboratories afforded an analysis of 565,750 water samples...

This study aims to enhance our understanding of the diverse nature of social-emotional development and explore the demographic disparities and intersectionality of social determinants among children, with an emphasis on underserved populations of children in low-resource environments. Young children living in low-income families are exposed to a wide array of social and systemic risks that increase the propensity for poor learning and social-emotional development. Using data from the Head Start Family and Childhood Experiences Survey (FACES, this study focuses on the social-emotional development of a nationally representative sample of young children enrolled in the Head Start program ( n = 1921, 50...

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses. We aim to investigate the association between the heat vulnerability index (HVI), an established neighborhood-level metric of heat-related mortality risk, and acute ischemic stroke (AIS) severity. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of consecutive AIS admissions to a comprehensive stroke center between 2012 and 2021. Stroke severity was defined upon admission based on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)...

Causation concepts for work-related musculoskeletal disorders vary among authors and academic disciplines. The major causation concepts are single-event and repetitive motion. The aim of this short communication is to share findings from a recent survey of United States employers conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics about work-related musculoskeletal cases, and, more specifically, about whether the employers regard the causes of their employees' musculoskeletal problems as being from a single exposure or from multiple exposures...

Firefighting requires a high level of physical fitness and causes substantial psychological stress, engendering musculoskeletal, mental, and cardiac issues. Consequently, it is necessary to measure the preparation of the firefighters daily through the Firefighting Physical Ability Tests (FPATs). According to the literature, some variables are more important for performance in the FPAT. Therefore, we aimed to summarize evidence that relates physical and mental aspects to the FPAT performance. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) method, screening 1055 records from databases and selecting 15 that met inclusion criteria...

Understanding COVID-19's effects on susceptible populations remains essential for clinical implementations. Our review aimed to examine whether the pandemic significantly impacted the stress levels in the mothers of premature infants in NICUs. The review of the literature from Google Scholar and PubMed resulted in identifying specific stressors such as the disruption of healthcare systems, limited access to neonatal care, uncertainty due to frequent changes in restrictions, the risk of COVID-19 infection, social isolation, and financial stress...

CONTEXT: The Qualineo Strategy is an effective measure for reducing neonatal mortality in regions with the highest death rates. In addition, it is a relevant Brazilian tool for strengthening teamwork and neonatal assistance. This study aims to analyze the predictors of neonatal death in the indicators of care provided by the Qualineo Strategy at a reference maternity hospital in Piauí, in the years 2021 to 2022. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 1856 newborn records...

There is limited research on the factors that impact mental distress among Korean American (KA) church leaders even though their unique social situation can create many barriers to seeking mental health assistance. This study compared factors impacting mental distress and help-seeking behaviors between KA church leaders (CLs) and church members (CMs) in the greater Los Angeles area. The respondents ( N = 243) were mostly female, married, educated, first-generation immigrants with a mean age of 47.9 years ( SD = 19...