International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 22, Issue 11

Global progress toward achieving universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030 remains insufficient, as significant regional disparities in access to healthcare persist. In Kazakhstan, the uneven distribution of healthcare resources continues despite refor...

Background and Aim: Oman’s rapid industrial development has resulted in changing occupational exposures, emphasizing the importance of enhancing physicians’ proficiency in occupational history-taking and disease identification. This study...

Children living with epilepsy face significant stigma in school settings, particularly in rural South Africa, where misconceptions linking epilepsy to witchcraft, evil spirits, or unpredictability lead to fear, shame, and exclusion. This study explor...

Stress fractures are a major force preservation risk in military organisations. Although incidence rates and risk factors have been widely examined, a synthesis of high-quality evidence has been lacking. This review aimed to synthesise findings from...

Background: Diarrheal disease (DD) remains a major public health challenge and is the leading cause of malnutrition and the second leading cause of death among children under five globally. Although DD can be caused by a wide range of pathogens, its...

Pressure injuries in institutionalized older adults with reduced mobility represent a relevant clinical problem due to their impact on quality of life and health costs. Purpose: This study aimed to describe the behavior of blood flow and tissue tempe...

Despite notable progress in reducing childhood morbidity and mortality, achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 remains a challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, where many children under five die before accessing formal healthcare services. This study exp...

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought widespread attention to the use of protective masks. This study explores how the socio-demographic factors influence the perception of an interprofessional team wearing FFP2 masks. An online survey conducted in 2021...

Over 100 million pregnant people worldwide remain at risk of COVID-19. We compared the prevalence of severe COVID-19 in pregnancy and in people of reproductive age, and the risk of adverse pregnancy/neonatal outcomes in those with/without COVID-19 du...

In the original publication [...]

The use of health monitoring software applications (apps) and devices is gaining popularity in obstetrics. The attitude and acceptance of different healthcare professionals regarding telemonitoring during pregnancy and the early phase of labor have n...

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the psychological vulnerability of university students, making it essential to identify personal resources that can support well-being and career readiness. This study investigates the role of soft skills in predi...

The legacy of Soviet-era agricultural practices in Central Asia has contributed to severe environmental degradation through residual organochlorine pesticide contamination, dramatic reduction in surface water, and the near-total desiccation of the Ar...

We examine access to U.S. welfare programs—Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—as primary prevention strategies against adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Using the Univer...

Social inequalities have been subject to research and policy design for a few decades now, with limited positive long-term changes [...]

Digital technologies are revolutionizing health systems worldwide. People with higher digital health literacy are better equipped to access reliable health information, utilize telehealth services, and effectively manage their health through applicat...

Exploring Quality of Work Life (QWL) is essential, and in the context of nursing, it becomes even more relevant given the significant contributions of nurses to patient health. This study aimed to define and clarify the concept of QWL among nurses th...

This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the reduced health literacy scale (HLS) of Ishikawa, as used in translated German and Italian versions. Methods: The reduced HL scale was applied to a convenience sample of 100 persons with...

The convergence of youth migration and the nuclearization of families has altered conventional living arrangements in India, indicating a sharp rise in the number of families in which older adults live alone due to the outmigration of their adult chi...

Social–emotional competence (SEC) is an essential factor for healthy youth development. However, few studies have examined patterns of SEC growth trajectories among non-Western youth, and whether and how their SEC growth patterns during element...

Digital health innovations (DHIs) have the potential to transform access, continuity, and quality of healthcare in rural, regional, and remote (RRR) settings, yet they often fall short in practice. Barriers extend beyond infrastructure and technology...

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health challenge that compromises patient safety and has gained particular relevance in primary healthcare, where the prescription of antimicrobials is frequent and often based on empirical know...

The World Health Organization’s Bangkok Declaration, ‘No health without oral health,’ recognizes oral health as a global public health priority. Despite being largely preventable, oral diseases affect nearly half of the global popul...

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic, namely, the biggest disruption to education in the last century, this article provides insights into the consequences it holds for teachers’ well-being, their (non)preparedness for and support needed in a...

Much of the literature on the mental health of immigrants tends to generalize, treating all immigrants as one category, and not accounting for how life experiences in the country of origin can shape mental health. Therefore, the purpose of this study...

Alcohol use disorder (AUD), defined by compulsive alcohol consumption despite harmful consequences, affected an estimated 28.1 million U.S. adults in 2023. Beyond well-known systemic effects, growing evidence suggests that alcohol may negatively infl...

Oral diseases pose a significant global public health challenge, affecting 3.5 billion people and surpassing the prevalence of major noncommunicable diseases. There is a growing burden of oral diseases, including dental caries, periodontal diseases,...

In Latvia, extended shifts, including 24 h duties, remain common inpatient care settings despite extensive international evidence on their adverse effects on staff well-being and patient safety. We conducted an evidence-informed policy analysis combi...

Globally, poverty remains a major obstacle to health parity, compromising well-being. This policy analysis aims to examine how poverty affects health inequities and healthcare access in two contexts: Canada, a high-income nation, and Pakistan, a low-...

Effectively managing risk is essential for fostering innovation in healthcare, especially with advancements like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). These technologies aim to enhance accessibility, efficiency, and equity in health...

Climate change and environmental degradation pose growing threats to health. Despite increasing recognition of these risks, climate-related education and counseling are rarely incorporated into adult inpatient care. A survey-based study was conducted...

The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for an unprecedented increase in psychological problems among post-secondary students worldwide. Drawing on data from a repeated cross-sectional (RCS) project, this study investigated changes in psychological sym...

Over 292 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) are generated annually in the United States, with more than half disposed of in landfills. Municipal solid waste landfills (MSWLFs) are stationary sources of air pollution and potential health risk...

Unintended pregnancies among adolescent and young women in low- and middle-income countries pose major public health challenges, underscoring the need for improved access to modern contraceptives. This study examined prevalence, preferences, and corr...

This narrative review explores the role of artificial light at night (ALAN) as an emerging environmental determinant of liver and metabolic health, with particular emphasis on its contribution to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disea...

Sleep deprivation is a common issue among college students, critically impairing their well-being and academic performance. This study specifically investigated the impact of sleep duration on concentration among online college students, a population...

Chronic exposure to structural violence and environmental hazards may disrupt stress regulation, trigger inflammation, and impair iron metabolism in women. Iron deficiency has been associated with depression, but the combined impact of environmental...

Background: Healthy aging involves ensuring a good quality of life and maintaining autonomy. Physical performance is a key indicator of health and autonomy in old age, and it is influenced by social determinants of health. The aim of this study was t...

The use of electronic cigarettes has increased in the U.S. with menthol and mint flavors showing notably higher sales. While research on the bacterial microbiome of traditional tobacco products is growing, particularly regarding menthol and nicotine...

Truck drivers experience an elevated risk of being involved in a fatigue-related crash or incident. In Australia, approximately one third of fatal truck crashes are fatigue-related. Various contextual factors are known to increase truck crash risk, i...

This study proposed a methodology for obtaining a valid database of food retail establishments and characterized the community food environment, understood as the distribution and type of food outlets, in a Brazilian medium-sized municipality after t...

Background: Adolescent sleep problems are a public health concern, as roughly 60–70% of U.S. teens obtain less sleep than is recommended. Negative affect is a risk factor for adolescent sleep problems. However, factors explaining this associati...

Climate change-related weather extremes and air pollution have wide-ranging health effects, with emerging evidence suggesting a potential influence on pain. This narrative review explores the relationship between climate-related weather parameters/ai...

Background: Population ageing is a global challenge, prompting ageing-in-place policies in Hong Kong to support community-dwelling older adults while reducing healthcare costs. Yet, their impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) remains under...

Background: Aging populations make expanded workforce participation among older adults an economic and public health priority. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the growth of virtual work, providing new opportunities for healthy aging in the workplac...

Suboptimal ART adherence contributes to treatment failure and is common among adolescents. The study sought to assess factors associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among adolescents living with HIV. This was a retrospective cross-sec...

The Planetary Health Diet (PHD), recognized as a healthy and environmentally sustainable dietary pattern, has been promoted globally; however, its role in supporting weight change among children within structured weight management interventions remai...

Physical activity (PA) is recommended in pregnancy and postpartum to support mental and physical well-being. However, little is known about the association between pregnancy and postpartum PA and interrelated factors in PA engagement. The objectives...

This study mapped a wide range of naturally derived odors, including those derived from wood, on the two-dimensional axes of tense arousal (TA) and energetic arousal (EA), and examined whether quadrant differences influenced recovery following stress...

Objectives: Latinx Americans represent the largest ethnic minority group (nearly 19% of the U.S. population). Their behavioral health has received increasing attention as they exhibit elevated prevalence rates of anxiety (ANX), depression (DEP), and...