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Health and Healthcare: Prevention of Health Issues, Health Problems and...
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Health and Healthcare: Prevention of Health Issues, Health Problems and Suicide

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Public Health and Preventive Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 7297

Editors

Prof. Dr. Ken Inoue

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research and Education Faculty, Medical Sciences Health Service Center, Kochi University, 2-5-1 Akebono-cho, Kochi-shi, Kochi 780-8520, Japan
Interests: health; healthcare; medicine; nursing; suicide prevention; social health items; care
Prof. Dr. Yasuyuki Fujita

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan
Interests: public health; epidemiology; healthcare management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Health is the very important element for everyone around the world. To maintain health, it is necessary to consider primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention. Health items (including both Health Issues and Health Problems) are involved in many fields, and collaborative discussion and preventive measures in these fields are also necessary. There have been many scientific studies on the topic of health items, but the scientific discussion on the items is evolving and more studies are still important.

Therefore, I am pleased to invite researchers from various health-related fields to contribute to the Special Issue ‘Health and Healthcare: Prevention of Health Issues, Health Problems and Suicide’.

This Special Issue aims to publish original studies and reviews from a lot of science fields, including medicine and nursing. The directionality of this Special Issue for researchers who plan to contribute their work is ‘latest health studies’, ‘Studies into preventive health perspectives’, ‘Studies from healthcare perspectives’, and ‘Studies for suicide prevention and social health items’ etc. It is assumed that study methods will vary.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Ken Inoue
Prof. Dr. Yasuyuki Fujita
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • health
  • healthcare
  • medicine
  • nursing
  • suicide prevention
  • social health items
  • care

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 248 KB  
Article
HIV Testing, Social Capital, and Mental Health Access Among Foreign-Born Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Japan
by Adam O. Hill, Thomas Norman, Amal R. Khanolkar, Kohta Iwahashi and Noriyo Kaneko
Healthcare 2026, 14(4), 520; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14040520 - 18 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1153
Abstract
Background: Migration and place of birth are increasingly recognised as social determinants of health among sexual minority populations. Among men who have sex with men (MSM), being born outside the country of residence may shape access to healthcare, community resources, and social capital [...] Read more.
Background: Migration and place of birth are increasingly recognised as social determinants of health among sexual minority populations. Among men who have sex with men (MSM), being born outside the country of residence may shape access to healthcare, community resources, and social capital networks. In Japan, however, little is known about how being born outside Japan is associated with social capital, health behaviours, and mental health among MSM. Methods: Data were drawn from a large cross-sectional online survey conducted in 2025 of 8150 MSM living in Japan, recruited via community-based in-person outreach and targeted geo-social networking application advertisements. Multivariable logistic regression analyses examined associations between country of birth and social, behavioural, and health-related outcomes. Results: Foreign-born MSM were younger and more concentrated in the Greater Tokyo metropolitan region. Being born outside Japan was associated with higher odds of HIV testing across all timeframes and higher levels of both gay and heterosexual social capital. Foreign-born MSM were also more likely to have disclosed their sexuality to friends and family. However, they were less likely to be aware of LGBT or HIV prevention organisations, despite higher participation once engaged. No differences were observed in suicidal ideation or unprotected anal intercourse with casual partners, although foreign-born MSM were more likely to report unmet need for mental health care. Conclusions: Foreign-born MSM in Japan demonstrate strong engagement in HIV prevention and higher social capital, alongside persistent barriers to community awareness and mental health service access. These findings highlight the importance of addressing structural and informational barriers and supporting community-based organisations to improve equitable health and wellbeing outcomes among MSM in Japan. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health and Healthcare: Prevention of Health Issues, Health Problems and Suicide)
10 pages, 204 KB  
Article
Evaluation of Pre-Treatment Assessment of Semaglutide Users: Balancing the Benefits of Weight Loss vs. Potential Health Consequences
by Faten F. Bin Dayel, Rakan J. Alanazi, Miteb A. Alenazi, Sahar Alkhalifah, Mohammed Alfaifi, Sultan Alghadeer and Abdulrahman Alwhaibi
Healthcare 2025, 13(15), 1827; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13151827 - 26 Jul 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4488
Abstract
Background: Although semaglutide (Ozempic®) is being prescribed off-label to individuals with obesity, some concerns have arisen regarding its use, particularly regarding the risk of thyroid and pancreatic disorders. Therefore, it is crucial to screen patients’ medical and family disease histories, as [...] Read more.
Background: Although semaglutide (Ozempic®) is being prescribed off-label to individuals with obesity, some concerns have arisen regarding its use, particularly regarding the risk of thyroid and pancreatic disorders. Therefore, it is crucial to screen patients’ medical and family disease histories, as well as certain clinical parameters, before initiating this treatment for obesity or weight management. However, there is limited research investigating whether pretreatment assessment is adopted in clinical practice. Method: This is a single-center retrospective study involving adults who were prescribed semaglutide for obesity or weight management. Demographic data, comorbid conditions, semaglutide-related lab work, and disease history assessments, including pancreatitis, thyroid abnormalities, oculopathy, neuropathy, and any family history of thyroid cancer, were evaluated and documented prior to treatment initiation. Results: In total, 715 patients were included in the study, with an average age of 40.2 ± 12.0 years, and 49.5% of participants were male. The average weight and BMI prior to using semaglutide were 99.8 ± 18.1 kg and 36.3 ± 8.3 kg/m2, respectively, with predominantly overweight and obese individuals (collectively 91.3%). Approximately 69% of patients had 3–5 complications, with a high prevalence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases before using semaglutide. Although HbA1c, serum creatinine, TSH, T3, T4, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, and total bilirubin were monitored prior to semaglutide use, none of the patients’ pancreatic lipase, amylase, or calcitonin levels were measured. Although it is important to investigate all personal and family disease histories, including thyroid abnormalities, thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, retinopathy, eye problems, and neuropathy prior to semaglutide initiation, checks were only conducted in 1.8% of patients, despite 98.6% having at least one of the diseases assessed pretreatment. Conclusions: The current pretreatment assessment approach for patients prescribed semaglutide for weight reduction is underdeveloped, particularly with regard to assessing the influence of disease history on semaglutide use. This predisposes patients to a risk of severe clinical outcomes, including thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, and retinopathy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health and Healthcare: Prevention of Health Issues, Health Problems and Suicide)

Review

Jump to: Research

16 pages, 385 KB  
Review
How to Prevent Suicide in Older Patients with a Neurocognitive Disorder: A Scoping Review Leading to the Development of a Clinical Guide for Healthcare Workers
by Sylvie Lapierre, Cécile Bardon, Charles Viau-Quesnel, Jean Vézina, Rock-André Blondin, Catherine Gagnon, Isabelle Lafleur, Christophe Marchand-Pellerin, Myriam Gauvreau and Nicole Poirier
Healthcare 2026, 14(1), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14010036 - 23 Dec 2025
Viewed by 983
Abstract
Background/Objective: Healthcare professionals working with individuals living with neurocognitive disorders (NCD) express the need for training to prevent suicidal behaviors in this population. Accordingly, this paper describes the process used to develop a suicide prevention clinical guide for use in geriatric care settings. [...] Read more.
Background/Objective: Healthcare professionals working with individuals living with neurocognitive disorders (NCD) express the need for training to prevent suicidal behaviors in this population. Accordingly, this paper describes the process used to develop a suicide prevention clinical guide for use in geriatric care settings. Methods: The project involved three steps. First, a team of researchers conducted a scoping review of empirical studies on suicide among older adults with NCD, focusing on prevalence, risk and protective factors, assessment and practical interventions. Secondly, based on these findings, the team created a clinical guide that helps healthcare professionals assess needs and suicide risk and formulate action plans to improve well-being, ensure safety, and reduce the risk of suicide. Result: The guide was finalized after 18 months of deliberation. It enables professionals to structure their evaluation, so that no relevant aspect is overlooked, and protective factors are reinforced. It emphasizes shared responsibilities and interdisciplinary collaboration. It recommends that professionals conduct a personalized clinical assessment of unmet needs to reduce distress. During the third step, the guide was evaluated through a pilot study, involving post-training focus groups and interviews with professionals who used it in clinical practice. Conclusions: Participants’ feedback was integrated into the final version of the Guide, and the results indicated that it helped dispel misconceptions about the low risk of suicide among patients with NCD, whose suicidality is frequently misinterpreted as mere disruptive behavior. Organizational barriers represent the main challenge professionals may face when using the Guide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health and Healthcare: Prevention of Health Issues, Health Problems and Suicide)
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