Skip to Content

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 15, Issue 9

2018 September - 267 articles

Cover Story: Lead has a long history in public health research, leading to many advances toward eliminating exposures. However, it remains an issue in developing countries, where exposure sources vary considerably and prove exposure mitigation challenging. In our study, we sought to determine the source of lead poisoning observed in young children in rural Bangladesh. Despite its agrarian setting, elevated lead was detected in residential air, with particularly high levels near cottage industries. Clustering of children with elevated blood lead may indicate localized exposure sources, for which data are largely unavailable. Our study highlights the need for further air lead monitoring and the documentation of informal sector industries to better explain exposure in these regions. Continued efforts in the field are essential to protect the most vulnerable populations and achieve global health equity. View this paper
  • Issues are regarded as officially published after their release is announced to the table of contents alert mailing list .
  • You may sign up for email alerts to receive table of contents of newly released issues.
  • PDF is the official format for papers published in both, html and pdf forms. To view the papers in pdf format, click on the "PDF Full-text" link, and use the free Adobe Reader to open them.

Articles (267)

  • Article
  • Open Access
24 Citations
4,726 Views
12 Pages

Building-Related Environmental Intolerance and Associated Health in the General Population

  • Kirsi Karvala,
  • Markku Sainio,
  • Eva Palmquist,
  • Anna-Sara Claeson,
  • Maj-Helen Nyback and
  • Steven Nordin

People frequently attribute adverse symptoms to particular buildings when exposure to pollutants is low, within nonhazardous levels. Our aim was to characterize building-related intolerance (BRI) in the general population. Data were derived from two...

  • Article
  • Open Access
16 Citations
8,624 Views
14 Pages

Establishing Heat Alert Thresholds for the Varied Climatic Regions of British Columbia, Canada

  • Kathleen E. McLean,
  • Rebecca Stranberg,
  • Melissa MacDonald,
  • Gregory R. A. Richardson,
  • Tom Kosatsky and
  • Sarah B. Henderson

Following an extreme heat event in 2009, a Heat Alert and Response System (HARS) was implemented for the greater Vancouver area of British Columbia (BC), Canada. This system has provided a framework for guiding public health interventions and assessi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
13 Citations
6,369 Views
22 Pages

Changes in Work Practices for Safe Use of Formaldehyde in a University-Based Anatomy Teaching and Research Facility

  • Paul T. J. Scheepers,
  • Martien H. F. Graumans,
  • Gwendolyn Beckmann,
  • Maurice Van Dael,
  • Rob B. M. Anzion,
  • Maarten Melissen,
  • Nicole Pinckaers,
  • Luuk Van Wel,
  • Laurie M. A. De Werdt and
  • Albert Van Linge
  • + 1 author

Anatomy teaching and research relies on the use of formaldehyde (FA) as a preservation agent for human and animal tissues. Due to the recent classification of FA as a carcinogen, university hospitals are facing a challenge to (further) reduce exposur...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
20 Citations
7,308 Views
12 Pages

Shadow Puppets and Neglected Diseases: Evaluating a Health Promotion Performance in Rural Indonesia

  • Johanna Kurscheid,
  • Dan Bendrups,
  • Joko Susilo,
  • Courtney Williams,
  • Salvador Amaral,
  • Budi Laksono,
  • Donald E. Stewart and
  • Darren J. Gray

‘Rama and the Worm’ is a shadow puppet production targeting neglected diseases in Central Java. It is an entertainment-based intervention study to promote health by reducing the impact of parasitic diseases such as soil-transmitted helmin...

  • Article
  • Open Access
59 Citations
9,375 Views
21 Pages

Evaluating the Accessibility of Healthcare Facilities Using an Integrated Catchment Area Approach

  • Xiaofang Pan,
  • Mei-Po Kwan,
  • Lin Yang,
  • Shunping Zhou,
  • Zejun Zuo and
  • Bo Wan

Accessibility is a major method for evaluating the distribution of service facilities and identifying areas in shortage of service. Traditional accessibility methods, however, are largely model-based and do not consider the actual utilization of serv...

  • Article
  • Open Access
12 Citations
4,854 Views
12 Pages

A better understanding of anthropogenic trace metal accumulation in farmland soils is crucial for local food safety and public health, especially for a rapidly industrializing region. In this study, soil samples at two depths were collected from a ty...

  • Article
  • Open Access
21 Citations
6,520 Views
14 Pages

Combined Before-and-After Workplace Intervention to Promote Healthy Lifestyles in Healthcare Workers (STI-VI Study): Short-Term Assessment

  • Maria Luisa Scapellato,
  • Vera Comiati,
  • Alessandra Buja,
  • Giulia Buttignol,
  • Romina Valentini,
  • Valentina Burati,
  • Lucia La Serra,
  • Isabella Maccà,
  • Paola Mason and
  • Paolo Spinella
  • + 3 authors

Health care workers (HCWs) are prone to a heavy psycho-physical workload. Health promotion programs can help prevent the onset of chronic and work-related diseases. The aim of the STI-VI ‘before-and-after’ study, with assessments schedule...

  • Commentary
  • Open Access
52 Citations
8,059 Views
9 Pages

There is a growing recognition of the role of built environment attributes, such as streets, shops, greenways, parks, and public transportation stations, in supporting people’s active behaviors. In particular, surrounding built environments may...

  • Article
  • Open Access
52 Citations
7,219 Views
18 Pages

Sleep Quality and Its Associated Factors among Low-Income Adults in a Rural Area of China: A Population-Based Study

  • Wenwen Wu,
  • Wenru Wang,
  • Zhuangzhuang Dong,
  • Yaofei Xie,
  • Yaohua Gu,
  • Yuting Zhang,
  • Mengying Li and
  • Xiaodong Tan

Background: There is limited population-based research focusing on sleep quality among low-income Chinese adults in rural areas. This study aimed to assess sleep quality among low-income adults in a rural area in China and identify the association be...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
4,883 Views
18 Pages

Energy-saving and low-carbon technologies play important roles in reducing environmental risk and developing green tourism. An energy-saving and low-carbon technology scheme selection may often involve multiple criteria and sub-criteria as well as mu...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
5,274 Views
15 Pages

Personal Involvement Moderates Message Framing Effects on Food Safety Education among Medical University Students in Chongqing, China

  • Li Bai,
  • Zhengjie Cai,
  • Yalan Lv,
  • Tingting Wu,
  • Manoj Sharma,
  • Zumin Shi,
  • Xiaorong Hou and
  • Yong Zhao

Objective: This study explored whether the efficacy of food safety education interventions can be increased by message framing among medical university students, and demonstrated the role of personal involvement within the message recipient in modera...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
4,627 Views
13 Pages

Analyzing the association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution and socio-economic factors has become a major concern in public health. Since traditional analysis methods (such as correlation analysis and geographically weighted regressio...

  • Article
  • Open Access
16 Citations
6,904 Views
7 Pages

Pregnant women are a World Health Organization (WHO) priority group for influenza vaccination, but evidence of effectiveness and safety for pregnant women comes from observational studies, which are notoriously prone to confounding by indication and...

  • Article
  • Open Access
33 Citations
6,778 Views
15 Pages

Around three billion people in the world and 90% of the rural households in low-and middle-income countries are exposed to wood smoke with varying exposure levels and resulting health risks. We aimed to explore perceptions of the community towards in...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
6,734 Views
20 Pages

Relationship of Time-Activity-Adjusted Particle Number Concentration with Blood Pressure

  • Laura Corlin,
  • Shannon Ball,
  • Mark Woodin,
  • Allison P. Patton,
  • Kevin Lane,
  • John L. Durant and
  • Doug Brugge

Emerging evidence suggests long-term exposure to ultrafine particulate matter (UFP, aerodynamic diameter < 0.1 µm) is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. We investigated whether annual average UFP exposure was associated with me...

  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
5,190 Views
15 Pages

The Quality of Tuberculosis Care in Urban Migrant Clinics in China

  • Hao Xue,
  • Jennifer Hager,
  • Qi An,
  • Kai Liu,
  • Jing Zhang,
  • Emma Auden,
  • Bingyan Yang,
  • Jie Yang,
  • Hongyan Liu and
  • Sean Sylvia
  • + 4 authors

Large and increasing numbers of rural-to-urban migrants provided new challenges for tuberculosis control in large cities in China and increased the need for high quality tuberculosis care delivered by clinics in urban migrant communities. Based on a...

  • Article
  • Open Access
63 Citations
13,559 Views
10 Pages

Effects of Clockwise and Counterclockwise Job Shift Work Rotation on Sleep and Work-Life Balance on Hospital Nurses

  • Dana Shiffer,
  • Maura Minonzio,
  • Franca Dipaola,
  • Mattia Bertola,
  • Antonio Roberto Zamuner,
  • Laura Adelaide Dalla Vecchia,
  • Monica Solbiati,
  • Giorgio Costantino,
  • Raffaello Furlan and
  • Franca Barbic

Rotational shift work is associated with sleep disturbances, increased risk of cardiovascular and psychological disorders, and may negatively impact work–life balance. The direction of shift rotation (Clockwise, CW or counterclockwise, CCW) and...

  • Article
  • Open Access
22 Citations
7,816 Views
13 Pages

Health Risks Associated with Occupational Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution in Commercial Drivers: A Systematic Review

  • Herve Lawin,
  • Lucie Ayi Fanou,
  • Antoine Vikkey Hinson,
  • Marie Stolbrink,
  • Parfait Houngbegnon,
  • Nonvignon Marius Kedote,
  • Benjamin Fayomi,
  • Jacqueline Kagima,
  • Patrick Katoto and
  • Kevin Mortimer
  • + 1 author

Ambient air pollution is a major global health problem and commercial drivers are particularly exposed to it. As no systematic assessment of the health risks associated with occupational exposure to ambient air pollution in this population had yet be...

  • Article
  • Open Access
21 Citations
6,260 Views
12 Pages

Depression has become a major global public health problem. Many studies have shown the positive effects of physical exercise on depression. However, few studies have examined the relationship between frequency of leisure time physical exercise and d...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
22 Citations
5,177 Views
19 Pages

The Measure of the Family Caregivers’ Experience

  • Mercedes Guilabert,
  • Paloma Amil,
  • Asunción González-Mestre,
  • Esther Gil-Sánchez,
  • Anna Vila,
  • Joan Carles Contel,
  • Juan Carlos Ansotegui,
  • Olga Solas,
  • Ma Teresa Bacigalupe and
  • José Joaquín Mira
  • + 2 authors

Objective: Design and validate a measure of the experience of family caregivers with the integrated care that receive the persons they care for. Methods: The new instrument for measuring the experience of caregivers is based on the Instrument to Eval...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
4,421 Views
15 Pages

Quantile modeling has been seen as an alternative and useful complement to ordinary regression mainly focusing on the mean. To directly apply quantile modeling to areal data the discrete conditional quantile function of the data can be an issue. Alth...

  • Article
  • Open Access
445 Citations
31,336 Views
8 Pages

There is a lack of high-quality evidence based on the gold standard of oral food challenges to determine food allergy prevalence. Nevertheless, studies using surrogate measures of food allergy, such as health service utilization and clinical history,...

  • Article
  • Open Access
11 Citations
10,458 Views
11 Pages

This study examined whether particular recovery activities after work have a positive or negative effect on employee recovery from work (i.e., cognitive, emotional, and physical detachment) and sleep quality. We used a two-wave panel study of 230 hea...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
4,071 Views
8 Pages

Passive Smoking Indicators in Italy: Does the Gross Domestic Product Matter?

  • Giuseppe La Torre,
  • Cristina Sestili,
  • Rosario Andrea Cocchiara,
  • Sara Cianfanelli,
  • Lorenza Lia and
  • Alice Mannocci

Background: The aim of this study is to analyse the correlation between regional values of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and passive smoking in Italy. Methods: The outcome measures were smoking ban respect in public places, workplaces and at home, der...

  • Article
  • Open Access
24 Citations
4,988 Views
22 Pages

Environmental pollution and the associated societal health issues have attracted recent research attention. While most research has focused on the effect of air pollution on human health and local economies, few articles have discussed the environmen...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
4,171 Views
14 Pages

Tuberculosis among Full-Time Teachers in Southeast China, 2005–2016

  • Hongdan Bao,
  • Kui Liu,
  • Zikang Wu,
  • Chengliang Chai,
  • Tieniu He,
  • Wei Wang,
  • Fei Wang,
  • Ying Peng,
  • Xiaomeng Wang and
  • Jianmin Jiang
  • + 1 author

Objective: To explore the incidence rate and characteristics of tuberculosis (TB) among full-time teachers from 2005 to 2016 in southeast China and to provide a basis for TB prevention and control measures in schools. Methods: Information about full-...

  • Article
  • Open Access
88 Citations
10,615 Views
20 Pages

In order to cut the costs of third-party logistics companies and respond to the Chinese government’s low-carbon economy plans, this paper studies the more practical and complex open vehicle routing problem, which considers low-carbon trading po...

  • Article
  • Open Access
25 Citations
5,535 Views
10 Pages

The Association between Indoor Air Quality and Adult Blood Pressure Levels in a High-Income Setting

  • Krassi Rumchev,
  • Mario Soares,
  • Yun Zhao,
  • Christopher Reid and
  • Rachel Huxley

Background: Indoor air pollution is still considered one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We aimed to investigate the potential association between indoor particulate matter (PM) and fasting clinic blood pressure in adult A...

  • Article
  • Open Access
130 Citations
23,840 Views
26 Pages

Improving Sexual Health Education Programs for Adolescent Students through Game-Based Learning and Gamification

  • Hussein Haruna,
  • Xiao Hu,
  • Samuel Kai Wah Chu,
  • Robin R. Mellecker,
  • Goodluck Gabriel and
  • Patrick Siril Ndekao

An effective innovative pedagogy for sexual health education is required to meet the demands of technology savvy digital natives. This study investigates the extent to which game-based learning (GBL) and gamification could improve the sexual health e...

  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
6,197 Views
14 Pages

The Oakville Oil Refinery Closure and Its Influence on Local Hospitalizations: A Natural Experiment on Sulfur Dioxide

  • Wesley S. Burr,
  • Robert Dales,
  • Ling Liu,
  • Dave Stieb,
  • Marc Smith-Doiron,
  • Branka Jovic,
  • Lisa Marie Kauri and
  • Hwashin Hyun Shin

Background: An oil refinery in Oakville, Canada, closed over 2004–2005, providing an opportunity for a natural experiment to examine the effects on oil refinery-related air pollution and residents’ health. Methods: Environmental and healt...

  • Brief Report
  • Open Access
102 Citations
13,085 Views
9 Pages

Hatred directed at members of groups due to their origin, race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation is not new, but it has taken on a new dimension in the online world. To date, very little is known about online hate among adolescents. It is also...

  • Article
  • Open Access
28 Citations
5,276 Views
8 Pages

Prevalence and Predictors of Malaria in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Patients in Beira, Mozambique

  • Francesco Di Gennaro,
  • Claudia Marotta,
  • Damiano Pizzol,
  • Kajal Chhaganlal,
  • Laura Monno,
  • Giovanni Putoto,
  • Annalisa Saracino,
  • Alessandra Casuccio and
  • Walter Mazzucco

Co-infection between malaria and HIV has major public health implications. The aims of this study were to assess the malaria prevalence and to identify predictors of positivity to malaria Test in HIV positive patients admitted to the health center S&...

  • Article
  • Open Access
19 Citations
6,153 Views
15 Pages

Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Associated Factors among Vegetarians in Malaysia

  • Yuan Kei Ching,
  • Yit Siew Chin,
  • Mahenderan Appukutty,
  • Wan Ying Gan,
  • Vasudevan Ramanchadran and
  • Yoke Mun Chan

The prevalence and factors associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) remain unknown in Malaysian vegetarians. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of MetS among vegetarians in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor and its associated facto...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
4,406 Views
11 Pages

Emergency Department Discharge Outcome and Psychiatric Consultation in North African Patients

  • Osnat Keidar,
  • Sabrina N. Jegerlehner,
  • Stephan Ziegenhorn,
  • Adam D. Brown,
  • Martin Müller,
  • Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos and
  • David S. Srivastava

Studies in Europe have found that immigrants, compared to the local population, are more likely to seek out medical care in Emergency Departments (EDs). In addition, studies show that immigrants utilize medical services provided by EDs for less acute...

  • Article
  • Open Access
18 Citations
15,810 Views
14 Pages

This study presents the validation process of the Questionnaire on Academic Stress in Secondary Education (QASSE) designed to assess the wide variety of school sources and situations related to academic stress in adolescence, and their relationship w...

  • Article
  • Open Access
22 Citations
7,648 Views
17 Pages

Socioeconomic Status in Adolescents: A Study of Its Relationship with Overweight and Obesity and Influence on Social Network Configuration

  • Natalia Arias,
  • María Dolores Calvo,
  • José Alberto Benítez-Andrades,
  • María José Álvarez,
  • Beatriz Alonso-Cortés and
  • Carmen Benavides

Socioeconomic status (SES) influences all the determinants of health, conditioning health throughout life. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between socioeconomic status and obesity in adolescence through an analysis of the...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
3,970 Views
11 Pages

When prescribing a drug for a patient, a physician also has to consider economic aspects. We were interested in the feasibility and validity of profiling based on funnel plots and mixed effect models for the surveillance of German ambulatory care phy...

  • Article
  • Open Access
49 Citations
6,928 Views
8 Pages

Food Insecurity and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among Mississippi Adults

  • Vincent L. Mendy,
  • Rodolfo Vargas,
  • Gerri Cannon-Smith,
  • Marinelle Payton,
  • Byambaa Enkhmaa and
  • Lei Zhang

Background: Food insecurity is a public health problem. There is limited data on food insecurity in Mississippi. Methods: We analyzed data from the 2015 Mississippi Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which included the Social Context Module...

  • Review
  • Open Access
30 Citations
8,541 Views
12 Pages

The Early Recognition and Management of Sepsis in Sub-Saharan African Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  • Ben Morton,
  • Marie Stolbrink,
  • Wanjiku Kagima,
  • Jamie Rylance and
  • Kevin Mortimer

Sepsis is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan African adults. Standardised management pathways have been documented to improve the survival of adults with sepsis from high-resource settings. Our aim was to assess the current evid...

  • Article
  • Open Access
33 Citations
6,488 Views
12 Pages

The Sensitivity, Specificity and Accuracy of Warning Signs in Predicting Severe Dengue, the Severe Dengue Prevalence and Its Associated Factors

  • Mohd Hanief Ahmad,
  • Mohd Ismail Ibrahim,
  • Zeehaida Mohamed,
  • Nabilah Ismail,
  • Muhammad Amiruddin Abdullah,
  • Rafidah Hanim Shueb and
  • Mohd Nazri Shafei

Objectives: To study Malaysian dengue clinical practice guideline (CPG) warning signs (WS) in predicting severe dengue (SD) and its associated factors among confirmed cases presented to a teaching hospital in north-eastern Malaysia in 2014. Methods:...

  • Article
  • Open Access
18 Citations
6,571 Views
21 Pages

Long-Term Access to Sit-Stand Workstations in a Large Office Population: User Profiles Reveal Differences in Sitting Time and Perceptions

  • Lidewij R. Renaud,
  • Maaike A. Huysmans,
  • Hidde P. Van der Ploeg,
  • Erwin M. Speklé and
  • Allard J. Van der Beek

Background: To decrease the detrimental health effects of prolonged sitting, the implementation of sit-stand workstations is a commonly used intervention for office workers. Most studies on this topic evaluated the effects of newly introduced sit-sta...

  • Article
  • Open Access
35 Citations
5,300 Views
11 Pages

Cystic Fibrosis Mortality in Childhood. Data from European Cystic Fibrosis Society Patient Registry

  • Anna Zolin,
  • Anna Bossi,
  • Natalia Cirilli,
  • Nataliya Kashirskaya and
  • Rita Padoan

Data collected in the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Patient Registry (ECFSPR) database were used to investigate whether risk factors for death in childhood and adolescents CF patients have different impact in countries of different income. In this...

  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
4,383 Views
12 Pages

This research aims to identify the sources that urban Hui Muslims access to get health information related to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and how they evaluate the information from different sources. This paper focuses on health information related...

  • Article
  • Open Access
34 Citations
7,275 Views
24 Pages

In past studies, individual environmental exposures were largely measured in a static manner. In this study, we develop and implement an analytical framework that dynamically represents environmental context (the environmental context cube) and effec...

  • Article
  • Open Access
35 Citations
11,791 Views
12 Pages

Vitamin D insufficiency may be associated with increased risk of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in athletes. This study examined the effects of vitamin D3 supplementation on salivary immune functions and symptoms of URTI in vitamin D-insuff...

  • Article
  • Open Access
61 Citations
9,060 Views
16 Pages

Recent immigrants and refugees have higher rates of work-related injuries and illnesses compared to Canadian-born workers. As a result, they are often labelled as vulnerable workers. This study explored the factors that contribute to occupational hea...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
3,678 Views
13 Pages

The activated sludge process of the anaerobic/oxic (A/O) process has a good denitrification performance because it can make full use of the carbon source in the original sewage, and the denitrification can provide alkalinity for aerobic nitrification...

  • Article
  • Open Access
11 Citations
5,599 Views
14 Pages

Surveying Alcohol Outlet Density in Four Neighborhoods of Beirut Lebanon: Implications for Future Research and National Policy

  • Rima Nakkash,
  • Lilian A. Ghandour,
  • Sirine Anouti,
  • Jessika Nicolas,
  • Ali Chalak,
  • Nasser Yassin and
  • Rima Afifi

Underage drinking among youth in Lebanon is increasing. Regulating availability is one of the best buy policies recommended by the World Health Organization. To quantitatively document the current status of alcohol availability to youth in Lebanon, w...

  • Article
  • Open Access
19 Citations
5,590 Views
14 Pages

Innovating New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) for Better Patient Satisfaction in Rural China

  • Dongxiao Gu,
  • Xuejie Yang,
  • Xingguo Li,
  • Changyong Liang,
  • Jinhong Zhong and
  • Nanping Feng

With the broadening application of the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS), its role in patient satisfaction in rural China has shifted to be the focus of academic research. Based on a technology acceptance model, this study will investigate...

of 6

Get Alerted

Add your email address to receive forthcoming issues of this journal.

XFacebookLinkedIn
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health - ISSN 1660-4601