International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 21, Issue 9

Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) skin infections (impetigo) can contribute to the development of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). This is of particular concern for Indigenous residents of remote communities, where rates o...

The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges to public health, exposing first responders to high biosafety risks during medical assistance and containment efforts. The PANDEM-2 study aimed to address these critical biosafety issues by emphasisi...

Background: This study evaluated the effectiveness of an online intervention designed to improve parent–child interactions and address disordered eating behaviors in children. Using remote video-feedback sessions based on observations of mother...

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected vulnerable populations, including residents of assisted living facilities (ALFs). This study investigates the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and mass vaccination campaigns on SA...

(1) Background: To evaluate a model based on the right-to-health approach, considering the impact of associated factors on the future utilization of primary healthcare services among international migrants in Chile. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional des...

The Phubbing Scale (PS) is an instrument used to measure the frequency and extent of the behavior of ignoring someone you are with and giving attention to your mobile phone instead. However, there is insufficient evidence about the psychometric adequ...

This study sought to determine the level of concordance between self-reported alcohol use and the presence of its urinary ethyl glucuronide (EtG) metabolite in women living in urban Kampala. In 2023, we recruited 300 young women, ages 18 to 24 years,...

Background: Numerous risk factors have been identified as significantly influencing outdoor workers’ risk for heat stress and heat-related conditions, impacting their health, well-being, and productivity. However, the specific effects of these...

Technology has the potential to address the unique needs of young stroke survivors. Despite this, little is known about the technological resources available to support young adults with stroke. This study aimed to identify and compile available tech...

The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is high among older adults worldwide, significantly affecting their quality of life and overall health. Understanding the prevalence of MSDs and their associated factors is crucial to developing effe...

The work and life routine of long-haul truck drivers (LHTDs) involve the use of truck stops and rest areas to meet their basic human needs. These extensions of their workspaces on the road do not always offer adequate physical structures and services...

Children and young people constitute a structurally vulnerable group who often experience specific barriers when trying to exercise their rights, including the right to health. The aim of this study was to examine core concepts of human rights and in...

The rise in obesity and related chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) during recent decades in Brazil has been associated with increases in the financial burden and risk of impoverishment due to out-of-pocket (OOP) health expenditure. Thus, this st...

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) are overrepresented in Hawai‘i’s houseless population. Indigenous populations, such as NHPIs, may encounter experiences of historical trauma that impact their well-being. This original researc...

Conventional temperature-based approaches often overlook the intricate nature of thermal stress experienced by individuals. To address this limitation, climatologists have developed thermal indices—composite measures designed to reflect the com...

Early childhood (0–8 years) is a time of rapid brain development supported by spontaneous and informal learning from the surrounding environment. Meaningful contact with nature (a dynamic and varied source of informal learning) during the early...

Sarcopenia, characterized by reduced muscle mass, strength, or performance, is a common condition in older adults. The association between the gut microbiome and sarcopenia remains poorly understood. This systematic review aims to evaluate the relati...

The caregivers of children suffering from rare diseases face numerous emotional, social, economic, organizational, and other difficulties, which can significantly impair their quality of life and mental health. Therefore, among other things, it is im...

The population aging in the region is occurring under scenarios of inequality, raising concerns about how the increase in life expectancy is experienced and what factors affect the quality of life of older adults. This research quantified the differe...

Populations in rural communities have more limited access to health care and attention than urban populations. The present study aimed to evaluate barriers to access to health care in mothers and caregivers of children under five years of age, twelve...

Little is known about the aetiology of thymoma. This study aims to identify medical risk factors for thymoma as a systematic approach to new hypotheses on the aetiology of this disease. A European multi-centre case–control study was conducted f...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that predominantly affects the older adult population. Neuroinflammation may be triggered by the migration of oral microbiota composition changes from the oral cavity to the brain. However...

Health impact assessment (HIA) is a prospective approach that aims to identify the potential consequences of policies or projects on health in order to propose measures to make them healthier. Initiated in the late nineties, the approach emerged over...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are frequently reported among firefighters, yet no studies have compared these factors between male and female firefighters, specifically from a low- to middle-income country (LMIC). This study aimed to deter...

Infectious diseases manifesting in the form of epidemics or pandemics do not only cause devastating impacts on public health systems but also disrupt the functioning of the socio-economic structure. Further, risks associated with pandemics and epidem...

The influence of global climate change on temperature-related health outcomes among vulnerable populations, particularly young children, is underexplored. Using a case time series design, we analysed 647,000 hospital admissions of children aged under...

Background: Studies evaluating the effects of natural disasters on cancer outcomes are scarce, especially among USA ethnic minority groups, and none have focused on the effects of concurrent natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of th...

Working dogs are an essential part of modern society, and police canines (K9s) in the United States are amongst the most recognizable of all working dogs. Given the dearth of published data on active police canines in the U.S. and the calls for polic...

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effect of manual therapy on pain, kinesiophobia, pain catastrophizing, anxiety, depression, and quality of life in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Methods: The study included 32 LDH patients...

Climate change poses a significant threat to public health and safety, necessitating an urgent, coordinated response. Public health officials must be well-trained to effectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from extreme weather events. Despit...

The purpose of this study was to understand how the challenges and coping strategies among international students in the United States changed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a qualitative study through one-on-one in-depth inter...

There is a growing focus on person-centered care, emphasizing the importance of respecting inter-individual differences and implementing individualized treatment initiatives. Prior research has established an association between personality traits, b...

Objective: The enabling behaviors of family members of psychoactive substance users can be crucial in maintaining addiction. There are no psychometrically evaluated instruments to measure the frequency of the enabling behaviors of family members of p...

Background: The timely management of rapidly evolving epidemiological scenarios caused by disease outbreaks is crucial to prevent devastating consequences. However, delayed laboratory diagnostics can hamper swift health policy and epidemic response,...

The relationship between suicidality and problematic pornography use (PPU) is not clear, and the limited research data that exists show contradictory results. The present study aims to explore the associations between these two variables in a sample...

The present study aimed to compare the prevalence of oral problems between individuals with rare genetic diseases that affect skeletal development and individuals without rare diseases. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 210 individuals betwe...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in men and the second most common in women globally. CRC is considered a priority public health issue due to its incidence and the high associated costs. Surgery is the predominant therapeutic a...

The Healthy Ageing Challenge aims for people to enjoy at least five extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035, while narrowing the gap between the experiences of the richest and poorest [...]

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent a major global health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like India, with significant gender disparities in mortality and disease burden. This study aims to investigate...

This study investigated whether a social–emotional learning program, implemented over a one-year period, could lead to gains in social–emotional competencies and to a reduction in internalizing and externalizing problems in the context of...

Male infertility represents a significant global problem due to its essential health, social, and economic implications. It is unsurprising that scientific research is very active in this area and that advances in the diagnostic and therapeutic field...

The available research findings suggest that non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) constitutes an important public health issue, with identified risk factors for NSSI having been found to include exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and comorbi...

At-risk older adults and older survivors of sexual violence (SV) remain largely absent from SV prevention and intervention, owing to ageism and sexism, as well as other intersectional forms of prejudice, including among service providers (e.g., socia...

Psychological distress, an emotional condition with symptoms of anxiety and depression, leads to impaired function, behavior, and personal traits. The current study examined the association between social determinants of health and the severity of ps...

Construction is widely acknowledged for its socioeconomic contributions, although it is also always considered as a dangerous and incident-prone industry. As a new method of working, prefabrication presents better work environments and other benefits...

Adequate housing is a social determinant of health and well-being, providing stability from which people can engage in important life activities, including self-care and productivity. Social housing is a system-level intervention that aims to provide...

(1) Background: The increasing use of e-cigarettes/vaping in children and adolescents has been recognised as a global health concern. We aim to explore the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of General Practitioners (GPs) in Sydney regarding the use o...

Background: Crisis communication might not reach non-native speakers or persons with low literacy levels, a low socio-economic status, and/or an auditory or visual impairments as easily as it would reach other citizens. The aim of this rapid review w...

The prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse in school sport, specifically by coaches against their athletes, remains a concerning and pervasive issue. In an attempt to better understand and prevent specific coach-behaviours associated with such sex...

Dementia care research has largely ignored the challenges that may emerge from couple and family dynamics, especially about second partnerships in blended families. This paper details the case of a 79-year-old man, Hannes, in his second partnership w...