Trends Public Health, Volume 1, Issue 1 (June 2026) – 6 articles

Background: Oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) incidence has been increasing among males in the United States, reflecting a complex interplay among social, behavioral, and biological determinants of health. This study aimed to quantify cumulative risk profiles and their relationship with the burden of comorbid conditions in men with OPC using the All of Us Research Program cohort. Methods: We developed a cumulative risk index from nine biological, clinical, and social variables for males with OPC in the United States. Comorbidity burden was measured by the number of unique comorbid diagnoses per patient, excluding HIV/AIDS and primary OPC to reduce circularity. Poisson regression was performed to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) for comorbidity by risk group/count. Results: Under strict criteria requiring data for each risk factor, mean comorbidity was 1.90 in the low-risk and 2.29 in the moderate-risk groups; in an inclusive, ‘liberal’ analysis, most cases (74%) were moderate risk with much lower mean comorbidities (mean = 0.050–0.205), with only 5% having any comorbidity recorded. Each additional risk factor was associated with an 81% increase in unique comorbidities (IRR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.16–2.91; p = 0.01). The high-risk group had substantially higher comorbidity but comprised only two individuals. The most common comorbid diagnoses were essential hypertension and hyperlipidemia, and the most frequent risk factor co-occurrence was having a family history of head and neck cancer and having no insurance. Conclusions: Our analysis demonstrated male OPC patients to have multiple risk factors, but comorbidity burden was concentrated in a small minority, supporting the need for risk stratification and integrated, multidomain prevention and care strategies. Full article

Hypertension is a major health issue, both globally and in Japan. Potassium-rich foods help prevent hypertension by promoting sodium excretion. We evaluated whether Dadacha-mame (a local potassium-rich edamame variety) improves sodium excretion and influences dietary behavior. This 2-week stratified randomized exploratory trial included 54 (mean age: 20.5 ± 1.4 years; 53.7% females) adults assigned to an intervention group [15 g/day of dried Dadacha-mame; n = 27] or a control group [usual diet; n = 27]. Urinary sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) ratios were compared. Shifts in the dietary behavior-change stages (pre-contemplation and contemplation) were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. No significant between-group baseline differences were observed. While no overall effect on the Na/K ratio was observed, subgroup analysis showed a significant reduction in the Na/K ratio in the intervention group (4.39 vs. 5.91 in Control, p = 0.027). The intervention prompted positive dietary behavior changes, with the proportion of participants in the pre-contemplation stage decreasing from 50.0% at baseline to 33.3% post-intervention. Dietary intervention with Dadacha-mame can significantly improve sodium excretion in individuals at a higher risk of hypertension and encourage healthy dietary behaviors. Utilizing local potassium-rich foods may be a valuable public health strategy, creating added value for agricultural products and benefiting community health. Full article

Previous research has found an association between PM_2.5 exposure and worsening depression; however, studies specifically examining the harmful effects of individual PM_2.5 components are relatively limited. This national survey enrolled individuals aged 45 and older in mainland China, collecting personal data and assessing depression. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10). Monthly exposure to PM_2.5 and its seven components—black carbon (BC), organic matter (OM), nitrate (NO₃⁻), sulfate (SO₄²⁻), ammonium (NH₄⁺), soil particles (SOIL), and sea salt (SS)—was matched to each participant’s residence. Linear mixed-effects models (LMEs) assessed the association between single pollutants and depression score, while weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression examined the effect of mixed exposure and identified the contribution of each component. Modifying effects of social activity and green space were also evaluated. A total of 9725 participants were included. In single-exposure models, each interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM_2.5 (29.18 μg/m³), BC (2.25 μg/m³), OM (7.18 μg/m³), SOIL (6.04 μg/m³), and SS (0.14 μg/m³) was significantly associated with an increase in depression score of 0.90 (95% CI: 0.59, 1.20), 0.71 (95% CI: 0.42, 1.09), 0.94 (95% CI: 0.61, 1.26), 0.51 (95% CI: 0.38, 0.63), and 0.53 (95% CI: 0.33, 0.73) points, respectively. In mixed-exposure models, each IQR increase in the mixture of all components was associated with a 1.104-point rise in depression score (95% CI: 0.901, 1.307), with BC having the largest weight (33.6%), followed by SOIL (28.59%) and SS (25.05%). The harmful effects of PM_2.5 and specific components on depression were lower among those who participated in social activities or lived in areas with higher levels of green space (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that the harmful effects of PM_2.5 on depression may be influenced by its components, and that social activity and green space could reduce the risk of depression associated with PM_2.5 and its components. Full article

Background/Objectives: Inequality in survival across socioeconomic strata has been growing in the US for decades. Traditional measures of this inequality increasingly fail to capture the heterogeneous biological realities of the US population. Using new measures, this study provides a fresh perspective on the dynamics of mortality inequality across ten socioeconomic deciles in the United States from 1982 to 2019. Methods: The data come from annual life tables from US counties, aggregated according to their socioeconomic characteristics. Measures of Inequality: Three measures of inequality are used, capturing survival inequality from different perspectives, inequality in ages of death over the lifecycle, inequality in survival at older ages, and inequality in survival in midlife. For the latter, the equal survivorship age (ESA)—a metric defined as the age at which a specific subgroup’s survival probability from age 20 matches the survival probability from age 20 to 65 of the total population—is used. Results: We find consistently growing inequality, largely unaffected by economic circumstances such as the Great Recession. By 2019, the ESA for the lowest socioeconomic decile was nearly 11 years lower than the ESA of the highest decile. Conclusions: This “survival gap” in the ESA suggests that low-socioeconomic status (SES) populations effectively exhaust their survival reserves a decade earlier than their high SES counterparts. These findings challenge the equity of the use of universal chronological ages in public policies and underscore the need for “Social-Determinant-Adjusted” geriatric policy models. The growing inequality in the ESA suggests the importance of cohort-based influences. Full article

Norovirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide, responsible for up to 90% of viral gastroenteritis outbreaks and an estimated 10.6 billion USD in annual economic losses in the U.S. Despite its well-documented seasonality, wastewater surveillance in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan reveals persistent GI norovirus detection year-round, diverging from national clinical trends that consistently show far greater GII prevalence. To characterize norovirus dynamics in this region, 250 mL wastewater influent grab samples were collected once per week across 14 sites, concentrated using a PEG-based method, and analyzed via digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) for GI and GII concentrations. Across the study period, the rate of positive sites per month ranged from 57 to 100% for GI and 74 to 97% for GII, with mean positivity rates of 85.4% (GI) and 88.7% (GII), indicating that both genogroups were detected frequently at comparable levels. GI was more prevalent in winter and spring (December–May), whereas GII was more prevalent during spring and summer (March–August). Mean GI gene copies per 100 mL ranged from 12,898 (October) to 532,792 (February), while mean GII concentrations ranged from 29,806 (December) to 1,100,215 (May). These patterns contrast with national clinical data, where GI contributes to a small minority of reported norovirus cases. This study explores potential environmental and behavioral factors contributing to this regional pattern. GI norovirus demonstrates greater resistance to wastewater treatment and environmental stability, which may facilitate its persistence in the region. Additionally, congregate living settings, such as college campuses and correctional facilities, may contribute to sustained GI prevalence through foodborne transmission and asymptomatic viral shedding. Overall, these findings suggest that environmental and social factors influence norovirus seasonality and genogroup distribution in this region, underscoring the need for improved monitoring and expanded multi-site wastewater and epidemiological research to better understand norovirus persistence in similar communities. Full article