International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 20, Issue 19

Comments by Chaudhuri et al. (2023) [...]

We read with interest the article by Balwierz et al. [...]

This study examined the association between social isolation, loneliness, and depressive symptoms among young adults in South Korea after controlling for sociodemographic variables, adverse child and adult experiences, and perceived health status. Th...

Obesity is a crucial health problem because it leads to several chronic diseases with an increased risk of mortality and it is very hard to reverse with conventional treatment including changes in lifestyle and pharmacotherapy. Bariatric surgery (BS)...

Cemeteries can be compared to landfills, as the leachate produced in these areas, also known as necroleachate, can be environmentally transported, polluting groundwater, surface water, and soil. In Brazil, to ensure no negative environmental impacts...

Background: Studies of aging have suggested that QoL is positively associated with active social contacts and supportive face to face social networks. However, social networks and contacts in later life decrease due to a variety of reasons; the narro...

It is estimated that 3.75 billion people worldwide lack access to healthcare services. Marginalized populations, such as people with disabilities, are at greater risk of exclusion. People with disabilities not only face the same barriers as people wi...

Childhood lead exposure through drinking water has long-term effects on cognition and development, and is a significant public health concern. The comprehensive lead testing of public schools entails high expense and time. In prior work, random fores...

The association between stigma and drug use has been widely researched. However, to fully understand the nuances of stigma, as experienced by people who use drugs (PWUD), it is argued that we must look at the situations within which stigma is encount...

Health literacy, particularly HIV health literacy, is a key social determinant of health and can be significantly improved through targeted health education. This paper explores the often-overlooked potential of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) educat...

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have been trying to identify which personal resources can contribute to minimizing the mental health costs in students incurred due to the restrictions that disrupted safety and predictability in their academi...

Planning the medical services for the triathlon competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games was predicted to be challenging because of possible last-minute changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic and abnormally high temperatures. Ther...

There is a high prevalence rate of co-occurring alcohol use and mental health problems in young people. This is associated with adverse outcomes and poses a substantial public health concern. We identified and synthesized evidence on the effectivenes...

Although research investigating collaborative partnerships with older adults has been slow to develop, promoting user involvement and co-production is gaining interest in aging studies, with the aim of improving interactions between the different sta...

The purpose of this study was to scan for the obesogenicity of primary school environments in Tshwane, Gauteng, South Africa. This study was carried out in ten public primary schools in the Tshwane West district of the Gauteng province. An observatio...

Health interventions for elderly people must understand the association between physical activity, sociodemographic factors, and non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to verify the association between physical activity in leisure time, sociodem...

Introduction: Firefighting foams containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have caused environmental contamination in several Australian residential areas, including Katherine in the Northern Territory (NT), Oakey in Queensland (Qld), and...

Legionella, the bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease, can grow and spread in building water systems and devices. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted building water systems through reductions in water usage. Legionella growth risk factors can...

Neighborhoods, as built and social environments, have significant implications for mental health. Children raised in high-poverty neighborhoods, who are disproportionately Black, Indigenous, and people of color, have a greater risk of adverse life ou...

People presenting to Emergency Departments (EDs) in a self-harm/suicidal crisis in England receive a psychosocial assessment and care plan. We aimed to construct a typology of peoples’ perspectives on crisis care plans to explore the range of e...

This study aimed to analyze and gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences pertaining to successful aging in middle-aged women in South Korea. A sample of 12 middle-aged women, capable of sharing their lived experiences, was divided into three...

Historically, pharmacists in independent community pharmacies have been pivotal in promoting community health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they demonstrated their commitment by advocating for vaccination and providing accessible care, particularly...

A new intervention model for promoting healthy ageing grounded on integrated value-based care was developed and tested in the city of Valencia (Spain). Its implementation raised relevant barriers for older adults in their access to health, health pro...

Background: Clinical guidelines developed by urologic, urogynecologic, and gynecologic associations around the globe include recommendations on nutrition-related lifestyle and behavioral change for bladder storage conditions. This study identified an...

The Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department of the University of Brescia organized free rapid screening tests for HIV and HCV as part of the Fast-Track City commitment. A cross-sectional study was conducted, consisting of an anonymous multiple-ch...

Condoms have been and are still an important part of HIV preventative measures worldwide, and many countries have designed programmes that encourage their use. Consistent and correct condom use among HIV-positive individuals is important in preventin...

Although abundant research has been carried out to investigate the underlying mechanisms that may cause neurocognitive challenges among middle-aged and older people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH), to monitor the prevalence rates of HIV-related neurocogn...

Chronic pain is a complex biopsychosocial phenomenon with far-reaching implications, not only in terms of clinical care but also in the realms of social and economic impact [...]

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between depressed mood and gynecological cancer outcomes, identifying risk factors for cancer aggravation. Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of gynecological cancer pat...

Despite the substantial health and economic burdens posed by the social determinants of health (SDH), these have yet to be efficiently, sufficiently, and sustainably addressed in clinical settings—medical offices, hospitals, and healthcare syst...

Telomere length is a good index of cellular aging. Longer telomeres are predictive of longer life, and healthy lifestyles are associated with longer telomeres. This study explored the relationship between time spent jogging or running each week and l...

The rising cases of non-communicable diseases, specifically cancer, have led to the integration of palliative care in their management. However, only 10% of cancer patients have access to palliative care. Healthcare utilization is an important step i...

Puerto Rico (PR) has faced environmental and public health challenges that could have significantly affected cancer screening access. Using administrative claims data from PR’s Medicaid population, this study assessed trends in colorectal and b...

More accurate and standardised screening and assessment instruments are needed for studies to better understand the epidemiology of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in Europe. The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)...

Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) is a widely detected replacement for legacy long-chain perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment and human blood samples. Its potential toxicity led to its recent classification as a globally regulated pers...

(1) Infrared thermography of the inner canthus of the eye has emerged as a promising tool for temperature screening and fever diagnosis. Its non-invasive nature lends itself well to mass screening in diverse settings such as schools, public transport...

There is concern that youth e-cigarette use could lead youth to initiate cigarette smoking. This study identifies epochs of cigarette smoking among U.S. high school students in three commonly utilized national school-based surveys over three decades...

One of the greatest challenges in the domain of emotional regulation is comprehending the functionality of strategies and their utilization in various social contexts. In this sense, this study analyzes differences in the use and efficacy of regulati...

We examined the breadth and depth of the current evidence investigating napping/sleeping during night shift work and its impact on non-invasive measures of endothelial function. We used a scoping review study design and searched five databases: Ovid...

The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on everyone’s lives, and patients with rare diseases (RDs) had to pay an even higher price. In this systematic review, we explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with RDs from a psychologica...

Very little is known about contraceptive behavior in Appalachia, a large geographic region in the eastern United States where even basic prevalence estimates of contraceptive use/nonuse are lacking. This study characterizes contraceptive behavior amo...

The present study aimed to investigate the trajectories of adjustment disorder (AD) symptoms and well-being over 20 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria and Croatia. Further objectives of this study were to examine whether sociodemographic char...

This study examined the health disparities in primary cesarean delivery (PCD) use among Asian American (AA) women and within AA subgroups. We examined 22 years of birth registry data from one diverse northeastern state in the United States, including...

Background: Poor oral and pharyngeal cancer (OPC) survival among Black men is partially due to their limited knowledge about OPCs, which is exacerbated by dentists’ limited training and discomfort in discussing OPC risk factors. The purpose of...

Recommending dental visits every six months is commonplace among dental practitioners worldwide. A scoping review was conducted by electronically searching PubMed, Scopus and Embase to identify and map the nature of evidence for the effect of differe...

The phenomenon of ‘older people migrating along’ (OPMA) with adult children is a unique outcome of social changes that have occurred in China. These individuals generally experience different challenges and needs associated with mental we...

Community engagement (CE) is essential to humanitarian assistance, and the social sciences have been credited in recent epidemics and disease outbreaks as having played a crucial, supportive role. Broadening this attention to other humanitarian field...

Global digital technology advances offer the potential to enhance primary health care (PHC) quality, reach, and efficiency, driving toward universal health coverage (UHC). This scoping review explored how digital health solutions aid PHC delivery and...

The onset of COVID-19 coincided with the peak growth of video game usage, with 2.7 billion gamers in 2020. During the pandemic, gaming and streaming platforms offered an entertaining, social, and safe alternative to recreation during severe lockdowns...

High cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) allows individuals to perform daily activities and operate at a higher intensity level. This study investigates the connection between the CRF and peak intensity of physical activity (PA) in absolute and relative...