International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 23, Issue 2

Background: Childhood obesity is on the rise in South Africa and adolescents spend a substantial amount of time in the school food environment (SFE), which plays a role in shaping their food choices and provides a critical setting to improve diets. O...

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide and a leading cause of mortality. Stark differences in outcomes across income levels, regions, population groups, and healthcare systems reflect deep inequities in access to early detectio...

Background: Since World War II, the number of motorized vehicles has increased dramatically. Yet, few studies have evaluated how perceptions of single and multiple motorized traffic variables, in different combinations, influence pedestrians’ a...

Depression is a major public health concern, and evidence continues to show that environmental toxicants may contribute to its development. This study evaluated the association between depressive symptoms and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS...

Background: This study explores the interplay between environmental stressors and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods: Drawing on participants’ interviews, visual ethnography, thematic analysis, and a review of s...

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) remain a major contributor to global morbidity and mortality, with India bearing a substantial share of this burden. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine clinical care and accelerated the transition to telemedicine...

Sleep is a fundamental aspect of physiological and psychological functioning, and the beneficial effect of exercise on sleep quality and quantity, depending on training modality, remains underexplored. This study compared the effects of high-intensit...

Introduction: Sleep is an essential dimension of good physical and mental health. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) women experience inequities in sleep duration and disturbance compared to heterosexual women. Psychosocial and behavioral characteristi...

Access to valid and reliable measures of structural racism is essential for addressing health inequities, yet few validated ecological-level indices exist for assessing structural racism affecting Black and Hispanic populations in the United States....

The mental health of people living in farming communities has been identified as an important public health issue. Cumulative exposure to a range of situational factors contributes to heightened risk of poor mental health and suicide. Access to evide...

The COVID 19 pandemic may have influenced smoking behaviours, including decisions to quit smoking. This study aimed to investigate smoking cessation following the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland and to assess whether cessation...

Maintaining sustainable mental health is an increasing societal challenge in Japan, where psychological distress and sleep problems have become major public health concerns. This study examined how three culturally grounded dimensions of self-constru...

How people perceive their neighborhoods can impact their aging trajectories, with less known regarding neighborhood perceptions among older adults from minoritized groups. This study examined the impacts of behavioral and psychosocial factors on neig...

The OHI demonstrated moderate internal consistency and consistent associations with oral health-related quality of life and cardiovascular risk indicators. Objective: The primary objective was to propose and internally assess an Oral Health Index (OH...

Background/Objectives: Whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diets have been associated with reduced cardiovascular risk and enhanced overall health. However, nutrition education in medical training remains limited. This study evaluated an experiential WFPB...

Municipally provided water is low-cost, considered safe in most communities, and usually fluoridated to improve oral health. Yet, many Chicago region families report relying on other water sources. We investigated if safety and quality concerns were...

The COVID-19 pandemic created a natural experiment to assess air quality responses to emission reductions, yet evidence from Latin American coastal industrial cities remains scarce. This study examined how meteorological variability modulated the eff...

Sorghum-based porridges are a key component of breakfast meals in South African school feeding programmes. While these meals support learner nutrition and educational outcomes, their effectiveness depends on learner acceptance and the extent of plate...

Background: Primary school teachers are experiencing unprecedented occupational stress due to technological demands, varied student needs, and the enduring psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although burnout research is extensive globall...

This study synthesizes the evidence on effective interventions for the prevention of breastfeeding-related nipple-areolar injuries. A systematic review was performed and guided by the evidence synthesis manual of the Joan Briggs Institute, carried ou...

Leafy green vegetables provide important nutrients for human growth; however, human health is highly compromised through consumption of vegetables contaminated by heavy metals. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the bioaccumulation of heavy me...

Women in resource-scarce communities navigate daily scarcity, structural neglect, and gendered violence, leaving profound but often invisible impacts on mental and reproductive health. Women play an active role in the Water–Energy–Food (W...

This study analyzed baseline data from a six-month longitudinal cohort to describe the demographic, occupational, and symptom profiles of Japanese working women and to examine associations between menopausal symptoms, workplace openness, and work pro...

Despite South Africa being the epicentre of HIV, some progress was made in the fight against HIV, i.e., the implementation of HIV programmes, provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART), etc. However, little is known about the association between HIV t...

Objective: This study analyzes temporal trends in occupational cancer mortality in Brazil and its federative units from 1990 to 2023, focusing on regional and gender disparities. Methods: We conducted an ecological time-series analysis using data fro...

Background/Objectives: Effective use of health services is essential for universal health coverage, yet many adults in Peru still forgo formal care despite illness. Evidence describing national trends and determinants of non-use of formal health serv...

Background: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD), as well as the determinants that contribute to its development, particularly household and environmental determinants, in young children residing in a rural area in S...

COVID-19 exposed longstanding racial and ethnic inequities among underserved populations. This retrospective cohort study examined inequities across stages of the hospitalization continuum—from COVID-19 diagnosis at admission to in-hospital mor...

Young caregivers, defined as individuals under 25 years of age who provide unpaid care to a family member(s) with illness, disability, or age-related needs, remain significantly underrecognized in Canada despite their valuable contributions to the he...

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed profound social–psychological vulnerabilities and strengths across societies worldwide. Beyond its immediate health implications, the pandemic has triggered a wave of mental health issues, disrupted social coh...

Ongoing conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa negatively affect the population’s mental health and weaken health care systems. Collaboration among stakeholders is recommended to strengthen mental health services in post-conflict settings, despite lim...

Mental illness and related health inequities are disproportionately concentrated in economically disadvantaged urban neighborhoods. The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with a rise in mental illness prevalence, with women generally at greater ri...

Spiritually integrated group therapy aims to support coping, meaning-making, and existential recovery in patients receiving psychiatric care. SPIRIT (Spiritual Psychotherapy for Inpatient, Residential and Intensive Treatment) is a structured, flexibl...

Background: Local networks between General Practitioners (GPs) and Parish Ministers (PMs) have been piloted in Denmark to address the lack of collaboration between the two groups in order to strengthen existential and spiritual support in primary car...

Hospital environments are recognized as significant reservoirs of nosocomial pathogens, contributing to the onset of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Timely microbiological monitoring is essential to mitigate infection risks. However, gold-st...

The Danish healthcare system has transitioned from a decentralised municipal hospital model to a centralised structure dominated by large, specialised hospitals. While this shift has improved efficiency and healthcare quality in some respects, it has...

Background/Objectives: Prostate cancer is a major public health concern and a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality among men worldwide, with disproportionately high mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Late diagnosis, limited acc...

Background: Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a prevalent overuse injury among recreational cyclists worldwide. Despite its ubiquity, little is known about the lived experiences of people with PFP, especially in Saudi Arabia, where healthcare and cultural...

The purpose of this study was to use the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) to assess the prevalence and patterns of suicidality among young women living in poverty to guide effective, targeted interventions for vulnerable populations. D...

Shift workers are at elevated risk of chronic diseases due to circadian rhythm disruption, suboptimal lifestyle behaviors, and potentially altered gut microbiota (GM). This study investigated variations in GM diversity and composition across three we...

The present study aimed to analyze the differences in psychopathological symptomatology between men and women who participate in online gambling, as well as to explore the relationship between this symptomatology and different risk profiles. The samp...

Francophone populations outside Quebec were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Despite French being one of Canada’s official languages, access to information and services in French remains limited. This study examined Francopho...

Young adults often underuse ultraviolet radiation (UVR) protective strategies and engage in indoor tanning, heightening lifetime skin cancer risk. The national Skin Smart Campus (SSC) initiative encourages universities to adopt policies that reduce U...

The experiences and repercussions of the cross-border migration process on family life have not yet been synthesized. This study aimed to synthesize the best available qualitative findings on this theme. A systematic review of qualitative evidence wi...

Problem Statement: Two global trends, including aging populations and the acceleration of global warming, are increasing the risk of heat-related illness, challenging the health of populations, and the sustainability of healthcare systems. Global war...

Professional experience placements are a requirement for undergraduate nursing students enabling real world skill development. Barriers to meaningful and positive placements have previously been reported, however there is limited research on how the...

Background: Burnout negatively impacts clinicians, patients, and healthcare systems. We examined the immediate and sustained effects of an evidence-based, multi-modal Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) Program on clinician well-being....

Parental stress is a critical yet understudied dimension of childhood total blindness, a condition that imposes substantial developmental, emotional, and functional challenges on families. This cross-sectional study assessed parenting stress, materna...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a persistent public health and human rights challenge globally, with South Africa experiencing some of the highest rates. This study investigates the intersection between partner substance use, controlling beha...

Peak bone mass gained in youth is crucial for preventing osteoporosis. Artistic gymnastics (AG) is highly osteogenic, yet its long-term effects on adults ≥ 45 years are not well documented. This case–control study compared bone mineral densi...