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The author argues for the transformation of mental health care through technological innovations and reorientation of perspective to prioritize the well-being and dignity of every patient. He suggests the adoption of genetic testing for medication metabolism as a solution for a more cost-effective healthcare system. He stresses the potential of personalized medicine to enhance treatment outcomes and calls for policies that facilitate the adoption of evidence-based innovations.

The article cites the Gaeli Athletic Association, Camogie Association and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association as examples of volunteer-led approach to physical activity at large scale. Similarities of the three sports bodies are they are set up by local volunteers, supported by the county, and national support. It recognizes the impact of the organizations on young people and refers to strong local identity and high level of commitment of the typical volunteer as their striking features.

The article provides a preview of the European Public Health Week webinar, which will be held from May 13-17, 2024, with the theme Health Is a Political Choice and topics including mental health, power of localized initiatives, benefits of political involvement, and political choices in shaping health outcomes across all stages of life.

The author discusses the role of health professionals in reducing the risks of nuclear war. Topics covered include the inadequacy of current nuclear arms control and non-proliferation efforts, how any use of nuclear weapons would be catastrophic for humanity and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons launched in 2007 by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. It also cites the steps on the part of nuclear-armed states and allies to reduce nuclear war risk.

Background — We aimed to identify the knowledge producers, the knowledge that they produce and the main areas of interest for health services research (HSR) in France, which is one of the priorities for public health research planning. Methods — A two-phase approach comprising a bibliometric analysis and semi-structured interviews with 20 researchers and 13 staff members of public health bodies was used. Results — In France today, interdisciplinary research teams are being organized in the main cities despite a lack of critical mass. The interviews showed that the term 'health services research' is vague with fuzzy boundaries between research, scientific expertise and evaluation. A keyword cluster analysis showed that French HSR is more hospital-centric compared to those countries that publish most frequently. The analysis also revealed a lack of research on methodological aspects. Conclusions — We analyzed the structure of HSR in France and the specificity of the French publications in this field, compared with other countries. The results indicate the obstacles faced by researchers and decision-makers and offer insight into how these barriers may be removed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors reflect on health issues in Great Britain, particularly on the effects of Brexit or the country's exit as member of the European Union (EU) to the public health system of Ireland. Also cited are the political and public health sector effects of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (GFA), which ended the inter-communal violence in Northern Ireland and the effects of the GFA to future EU-United Kingdom (UK) collaboration.

The authors reflect on the quality, integrity, and utility of COVID-19 science, as well as the opportunities for public health researchers on the issue. Other topics include the rigorous standards of study design and conduct, the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the side effects of the COVID lockdowns, and the validity of case and mortality national registries.

The influence of harmful commodity industries on health research has heightened concerns around author financial conflicts of interest (FCOIs) in public health journals (PHJs), with little discussion of potential editorial, i.e. editor and reviewer, FCOIs. In this analysis of 20 prominent PHJs, detailed disclosure requirements, the inclusion of timeframes, and policy accessibility were found lacking in editorial, compared with author, FCOI policies. Disclosure forms were employed in 32% of PHJs for authors but not for editors or reviewers. Recusal policies were similar for reviewers (68%) and editors (60%). Strengthening editorial FCOI policies will increase the integrity of PHJs' editorial processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers news briefs in Europe as of October 2020. The scheduled 16th World Congress on Public Health 2020 is viewed as an opportunity for public health practitioners to create synergies. Also cited are the need for governments to appreciate and reward health care workers for their efforts and sacrifices during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the launching of the Mental Health Coalition in Europe as a main component of its post-COVID-19 recovery and reform.

The article looks at four studies that were produced by national research teams as a result of the first iteration of World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe's Natural Experiment Studies Project. The project starts the process of building a more influential evidence-base for the control of non-communicable diseases. Some teams were unable to progress to a final study. The proposed natural experiment studies included alcohol, tobacco, and nutrition interventions.

Background: Policies to improve health status, tackle disease and ensure equitable access to healthcare should be informed by evidence derived from high-quality research. However, health research capacity is unevenly distributed across countries, as revealed by mapping exercises that have been undertaken to provide a basis for concerted action to strengthen capacity. This study systematically describes capacity to undertake health research in the countries of the former Soviet Union and south-eastern Europe and identifies the elements required to create a national health research system. Methods: The mapping exercise comprised two elements: a survey of key informants in the respective countries and a bibliometric analysis of scientific publications in the field of public health. Results: Our results confirm that health research remains a low priority in some countries of the WHO European Region. In these countries, most of the literature was produced by researchers outside the country, often to inform international donors. Conclusions: This study provides important information for countries seeking to initiate action to strengthen their research capacity. There is a need for a comprehensive strategy with sustained investment in training and career development of researchers. There is also a need to create new funding systems to provide financial support to those undertaking policy-relevant research. International collaboration and investment in mechanisms to bridge the gap between research and policy are urgently required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to abstracts published within the issue which illustrate the diversity and the richness of physical activity for health is presented.

Background: As part of the ROAMER (ROAdmap for MEntal health Research in Europe) project, aiming to create an integrated European roadmap for mental health research, we set out to map the hitherto unmapped territory of public mental health research in Europe. Methods: Five electronic databases (CINAHL, Health Management, Medline, PsycINFO, Social Services Abstracts) were used for identifying public mental health research articles published between January 2007 and April 2012. The number of publications for each European country in five research domains (i.e. mental health epidemiology, mental health promotion, mental disorder prevention, mental health policy and mental health services) was analysed by population size and gross domestic product (GDP), and mean impact factors were compared. Results: In all, 8143 unique publications were identified. Epidemiology research dominates public mental health research, while promotion, prevention and policy research are scarce. Mental health promotion is the fastest growing research area. Research targeting older adults is under-represented. Publications per capita were highest in northwestern Europe, and similar trends were found also when adjusting the number of publications by GDP per capita. The most widely cited research origins from Italy, Switzerland, the UK, the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Greece and France. Conclusion: In Europe, public mental health research is currently a matter of the affluent northern and western European countries, and major efforts will be needed to promote public mental health research in south and east Europe. In spite of a smaller public mental health research output, some Mediterranean countries produce highly cited public mental health research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers news briefs related to public health in Europe as of June 2022. Topics mentioned include the celebration of 30th year anniversary of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), the participation of the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations during the World Health Organization's (WHO) meeting on health and migration in March 2022, and some challenges and barriers in youth participation in health decision making.

The authors discuss the new open access format of the "European Journal of Public Health" starting February 2022. The European Public Health Association decided on the new format in November 2020. They emphasize the lack of change in the content and structure of the journal. They point out that the open access format is adapted to the modern ways of accessing articles and the movement toward open access to scientific information.

In the article, the author examines the articles published by various scientific journals about the COVID-19 pandemic to determine whether the appropriate topics are being tackled. Also cited are the countries with the highest number of published articles about the pandemic including the U.S., China, and Italy, as well as the recommended topics for the articles like the virus's genetic sequence, the origin of the virus, and whether asymptomatic patients can spread the virus.

The aim of this short report was to describe the output and citation rates of public health. Data-based publications and literature reviews from the year 2008, and their 5-year citation rates were extracted from 10 randomly selected public health journals. In total, 86.2% of publications were descriptive/epidemiological studies, 56.8% used cross-sectional (56.8%) designs and 77.8% were classified as research translation stage 2. Reviews and publications describing randomized controlled trials were the most highly cited, but were infrequently published. Strategies to address the discordance between public health research output and research citation may improve the impact of public health research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If there ever was a public health problem where we could learn a lot about public health research, practice, policy and communication, it is the COVID-19 pandemic. With increased knowledge about the spread, the prevention measures, treatment and vaccination, a lot of research on COVID-19 has been and is being published. Looking for COVID-19 articles on google scholar leads to over 3.6 million articles found. Nearly all research published on COVID-19 has been made publicly accessible to allow the latest research to be available for politicians, policymakers, practitioners and laymen. The quality of the research is sometimes good, sometimes less good (see our recent viewpoints https://academic.oup.com/ eurpub/issue/30/5?browseBy=volume). But with the increase in research, it becomes more difficult to find which research is old, outdated and which is new. Furthermore, all sorts of media have covered the pandemic extensively, in many journals one can find very good reviews and articles by serious journalists, but in many cases, also rumours, guesses and fake news. On top of becoming tired of information overload, it is also more and more difficult to keep track of the development of the research. EUPHA - therefore - decided to publish a supplement to the European Journal of Public Health looking at specific health issues and specific groups that were affected by the pandemic. The supplement aims to present short summaries and updates on some key issues of public health relevance. Topics included range from environment, mental health, legal and ethical issues, health workforce, health inequalities, accountability, opening up the economy and such. In this Round Table, we will have a number of authors from the EJPH supplement to discuss their findings and find some common grounds on what we have learned from COVID-19 and how to move forward. Speakers/Panelists: Martin McKee LSHTM, London, UK Elena Petelos Clinic of Social and Family Medicine, Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece Julian Mamo Public Health Department, University of Malta, Valletta, Malta Ellen Kuhlmann Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany Els Maeckelberghe Wenckebach Institute for Medical Education and Training, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands Key messages: Learning from this pandemic for future planning is essential. Touching all fields affected by COVID-19 to plan for the future is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented which discusses topics related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set by the United Nations (UN) and featured within the issue, including the SDG framework for action, the health-related SDG in Europe, and the political aspects of the SDG.

The authors convey their thoughts on vaccine hesitancy and the social responsibility of public health in Italy. Topics mentioned include vaccine hesitancy as one of the 10 global health threats for 2019 according to the World Health Organization (WHO), an updated National Immunization Prevention plan adopted in the country in 2017, and the WHO SAGE Working Group on Vaccine Hesitancy.

An introduction to the journal is presented that focuses on articles related to digitalization in public health, including five factors that should pose a serious cause for concern by the public health community and which merit further research, the importance of considering equity in the impact assessment of technologies and in the type of policy and regulatory environment that digital technologies operate within, and initiatives that advance knowledge on the role of using big data for health.

The authors reflect on the potential threats of public health in Europe as of 2014 and its impact on public health. Topics discussed include the Ukrainian conflict, the prolonged economic crisis and health inequalities. Also discussed is the vision of the European Health Association (EUPHA) for 2014-2020 and health policy framework for 2020.

The authors discuss updates on issues related to the tobacco industry as of August 2019. Topics covered include the argument by the European Public Health Association for disinvestment in tobacco companies, the launch of the Tobacco-Free Finance pledge at a United Nations General Assembly side event in New York City in 2018, and the Stop Tobacco Organizations and Products' programme of research by charitable group Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The author reflects on the importance of monitoring the health of sexual and gender minority populations like lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders to effectively advance health equity in Europe. Also cited are the move by the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) to create a Sexual and Gender Minority Health section in 2016, as well as the high risk of said minority populations to such health issues as mental distress and physical health conditions.

The author reflects on the need to advance beyond tobacco exceptionalism to avoid limiting progress of global health policies aimed at protecting people's health. Also cited are the irreconcilable conflict between the interest of tobacco companies and public health policy as cited in the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), as well as the differences and similarities of the alcohol and tobacco industries.

An introduction to the journal is presented that describes a variety of middle-range theories on how different arrangements for puzzling and powering can provide an improved understanding of politics in some key areas for public health, with topics mentioned such as childhood immunization, the European Public Health Association, and Brexit.

The author reflects on the contributions of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies to the betterment of health policy landscape in Europe as of October 2018. Also cited are how the observatory presented the effects of the economic crisis on public health, the adverse effects to such disadvantaged groups as asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants of the austerity measures in the region, and the plans to advocate for policies benefiting population health.

The authors announce that beginning in January 22, the journal "European Journal of Public Health" will be published fully open access. They talk about the changes in the publishing landscape as of February 2021, the strong international momentum to increase the transition to open access, and concern on the cost of publishing.

The author comments on how evidence and evidence-based strategies influence public health policies and practical action. Topics covered include overcoming the gap between evidence-based strategies and their implementation in political decision making, the causes of the implementation gap, and the importance of understanding the process of political decision making and the ways to overcome the barriers to ensure progress in public health.

The authors convey their concerns on the need for global commitment for local engagement to curb an Ebola epidemic. Topics mentioned include the Ebola outbreak in the Equateur province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between May and July 2018, the challenges in curbing the outbreak explained by the complex circumstances in which the outbreak happens, and community distrust and the ongoing violence as two factors that make it hard to get control over Ebola.

The article discusses the association of loneliness and social isolation with poor health outcomes among ethnic minority and migrant groups in Europe. Topics covered include the link between loneliness and increased risk of incident coronary heart disease and stroke, the higher prevalence of loneliness and social isolation among ethnic minority groups compared with the European host populations, and the need to consider loneliness as a major public health issue.

The author reflects on the political, social, and public health issues involving the use of cannabis around the world as of June 2019. Topics include the adverse health effects of regular cannabis use like dependence, psychosis, and decreased cognitive function, the positive effects of cannabis legalization in some countries like lower criminality and black market sale, and the effectiveness of cannabinoids in treating specific illnesses.

The author discusses news and information on issues related to social media, bots, and research performance as of February 2019. A bot is an automated programme with a large variety of purposes and ways of action. There is said to be lack of evidence on whether and how bots could manipulate the performance of published research. It is not fully clear which share bots have in generating social media attention concerning public health research.

The author discusses the response of the European Public Health Association to the public consultation on vaccination and mentions related topics such as intellectual property rights, health technology assessment, and the European Commission.

The author discusses the challenges for prevention research that need to be addressed in order to achieve an effective health policy. Topics mentioned include the development of innovative actions aimed at modifying the environment in which the research is conducted and the importance of the integration between decision-makers and practitioners.

The article focuses on the issue between medical journal and politics. German pathologist Rudolph Virchow states that medicine is a social science and politics is nothing else but medicine on a large scale. It mentions that it would be negligent of a medical journal to ignore the political determinants in a world where many of the determinants of disease are intensely political.

The article highlights the final contribution from Martin McKee as president of European Public Health Association (EUPHA) which highlights the present topics in Europe like migration, austerity and Brexit and stresses the need to continue working together.

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the author discusses the various articles published within the issue on topics which include the role of public health to implement change, the refugee issue in Europe as of mid-2016, and chronic diseases like diabetes.

The author reflects on the problems on the development of evidence-based medicine (EBM) practice. He points out that the methodological problems of the study design and interpretation of patient interest do not affect the idea and EBM practice. The author argues that there is no crisis in evidence-based public health, rather, it is craving for more knowledge and better understanding.