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Objectives. To investigate the rate of manuscript submission to a major peer-reviewed journal (American Journal of Public Health) by gender, comparing periods before and during the pandemic. Methods. We used data from January 1 to May 12, 2020, and defined the start of the pandemic period by country as the first date of 50 or more confirmed cases. We used an algorithm to classify gender based on first name and nation of origin. We included authors whose gender could be estimated with a certainty of at least 95%. Results. Submission rates were higher overall during the pandemic compared with before. Increases were higher for submissions from men compared with women (41.9% vs 10.9% for corresponding author). For the United States, submissions increased 23.8% for men but only 7.9% for women. Women authored 29.4% of COVID-19–related articles. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that the pandemic exacerbated gender imbalances in scientific research.

As the prevalence of autistic children receiving special education continues to increase, educators are expected to identify and implement evidence-based interventions for autistic students. Unfortunately, there are numerous barriers to implementation of evidence-based interventions in schools and educators report a lack of adequate training regarding the needs of autistic students and appropriate intervention approaches. Modular approaches to intervention are a promising but untested strategy for helping educators receive training on evidence-based interventions and support with implementation. This study uses mixed methods to explore the initial feasibility of the Modular Approach to Autism Programs in Schools (MAAPS) in typical school settings. Key indicators of feasibility are presented using the RE-AIM framework (Glasgow et al. American journal of public health, 89(9), 1322-1327, Glasgow et al., 1999), with emphasis on intervention fidelity, social validity, and promise of efficacy. Additionally, directions for future research are discussed.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the COVID-19 as seen worldwide from a public health perspective and evaluate the measures taken across Turkey against the virus and to determine the compliance of people with these measures Methods: WHO's official COVID-19 cases were evaluated up to 27 Mar 2020 Public measures adopted by Turkey in combating the COVID-19 were examined The compliance of those applying to Family Health Cen-ters (FHC) with these measures was also evaluated Results: Overall, 178 people who applied to the FHC were included in the study Of the participants, 65 2% were women, and the average age was 56 47±17 27 (Min:18, Max:92) The most frequently used personal pro-tection (96 1%) against the epidemic was liquid soap According to the participants, avoiding patients (99 7%) and frequent hand washing (97 2%) were stated to as the most effective measures to protect against COVID-19 One of the first and most influential bodies in the fight against COVID-19 in Turkey is the Scientific Committee consisting of academicians Turkey has taken measures such as closing land borders, stopping all flights, vacationing schools, closing places of worship, and stopping sports events Conclusion: The COVID-19 has affected societies in many areas such as health, education, sports, and trade Countries should take appropriate and timely measures to combat COVID-19 The public must comply with the precautions taken to fight COVID-19 Besides, all countries should take general precautions for public health against increasing epidemics © 2020, Iranian Journal of Public Health All rights reserved

Background: SARS-CoV-2 virus is the causative agent of COVID-19 disease It is essential to understand the epidemiological characteristics of the first few cases in each country This study aimed to describe the geograph-ical distribution, and temporal appearance of the first few hundred cases in Colombia Methods: This observational study was conducted to review the literature and key documentary information from public health institutions, websites and news reports were examined Results: The first few 100 cases for COVID-19 were confirmed in Colombia According to sex, men with 54% predominate, the most affected age group was 20 to 29 yr old (26%), 9% of the cases required hospitalization and no deaths were reported Most of the confirmed subjects were from the departments of Cundinamarca To date, most cases are imported (63%), especially from Spain Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic puts in evidence the lack of understanding, prevention and contention power of the different countries around the world is not as good as it could be Politics must not affect the different proposed measures © 2020, Iranian Journal of Public Health All rights reserved

Background: To explore the homogenized management method of infection prevention and control in medical resident under COVID-19 epidemic situation Methods: Overall, 268 members in Ningbo Medical Group which was participating in the management of novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China were managed homogeneously in terms of personal cleaning and disin-fection of articles, prevention and control of infection in life, training and assessment of relevant infection knowledge in hospitals Results: In the epidemic situation, the homogenization management of infection prevention and control in the resident of medical team is an important measure to block the transmission link Conclusion: 1 Conduct homogenization management on the training of hospital infection knowledge for medical staff 2 Conduct homogeneous management of effective assessment of training knowledge 3 Conduct homogenization management from personal cleaning and disinfection, as well as infection prevention and control in daily life © 2020, Iranian Journal of Public Health All rights reserved

Background: Disasters have many health consequences such as suicide ideation as one of the relatively common psychological consequences after natural disasters, especially earthquakes. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of post-earthquake suicidal ideation in affected people. Methods: Related keywords of this systematic review and meta-analysis in English and their Persian equivalents were searched in the data resources including Google Scholar, SID, Magiran, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science from Jan 2014 to May 2019. The STROBE checklist was used to evaluate the quality of the articles. The I2 index was used to determine the heterogeneity and the random-effects model was used in meta-analysis. Sta-tistical analysis was conducted in the STATA software version 14. Results: Overall, 14347 subjects including 6662 males and 7715 females with the mean age of 23.88 ± 15.81yr old were assessed. The prevalence of post-earthquake suicidal ideation was 20.34 (95 CI: 13.60-27.08, P

The article's abstract is not available.

The article's abstract is not available.

Background Reliable influenza burden estimates are essential for a true understanding of the influenza epidemics' impact; informed decision-making and effective risk communication. This study aimed to estimate the influenza burden in Portugal in 2013/14 - 2018/19 seasons. Methods We estimated seasonal influenza burden, ranging from medically attended influenza cases in primary care to influenza-attributable deaths, using surveillance data. Data were collected for influenza like illness (ILI) epidemic periods, determined by the Moving Epidemic Method. Medically attended influenza cases were estimated by multiplying the number of ILI cases in primary care by the percentage of influenza-positive samples. Hospitalized severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) positive for influenza estimates were computed, multiplying the number of SARI by the percentage of influenza-positive samples. To determine influenza-attributable deaths, a Poisson regression model was used. Results The median number of medically attended influenza cases in primary care was 33,668 (325.8 cases per 10,000 population), ranging between 21,393 in 2017/18, [Influenza B and A(H1) co-dominance] and 61,768 in 2014/15 [Influenza B and A(H3) co-dominance]. The median number of SARI positive for influenza was 8,724 (84.4 cases per 10,000 population), ranging between 7,099 in 2013/14 [A(H1) and A(H3) co-dominance], and 9,125 in 2014/15. The median number of influenza-attributable deaths was 3,311 (32.0 cases per 10,000 population), ranging between 96 in 2015/16 [A(H1) dominance], and 5,224 in 2014/15. Conclusions Higher mortality, and higher rate of medically attended influenza cases, were found in seasons with A(H3) circulation. Little variability was observed in the number of influenza-positive SARI. The relationship between the number of SARI and the number of deaths requires further investigation. This work highlights the need of health surveillance systems for a better understanding of the influenza impact. Key messages Lower burden of influenza is found in seasons with A(H1) co-dominance. Higher burden of influenza is found in seasons with A(H3) circulation. Health surveillance systems are essential to provide data for a better understanding of the epidemiology and extent of seasonal influenza.

ObjectiveTo standardize the implementation dates of various cannabis liberalization policies and determine whether previous research by Anderson et al. [D.M. Anderson, D.I. Rees, J.J. Sabia, American Journal of Public Health 104, 2369-2376] on medical marijuana access and population-level suicidality is robust to additional years of data and further cannabis liberalization in the form of recreational marijuana access.DesignA state-level longitudinal (panel) analysis. Suicide mortality rates from the National Center for Health Statistics and mental health morbidity rates from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health were employed with the procedures outlined by Anderson et al., using weighted ordinary least squares for three different specifications with various combinations of control variables as a sensitivity analysis to test for robustness.SettingAll 50 states and Washington, DC for the period 1990-2020.ParticipantsUSA population.InterventionsCannabis liberalization policies in the form of recreational and medical access.Primary and Secondary Outcome MeasuresState-level population mental health outcomes in the form of suicide mortality among various age groups for males and females defined by the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Revisions; past-month and -year marijuana use, mental illness, serious mental illness, major depression, and suicidal ideation defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.ResultsMedical marijuana access was associated with a 3.3% reduction (95% CI -5.0% to -1.7%) in suicide rates for males, which was mediated by a 5.4% reduction (95% CI -8.0% to -2.7%) among males in the 30 to 39 age group. No other mental health outcomes were consistently affected by cannabis liberalization.ConclusionsAdverse mental health outcomes do not follow cannabis liberalization at the state level, confirming the findings of Anderson et al. In addition, there is evidence that medical marijuana access reduces suicide rates for young-adult males.Strengths and limitations of this studyCannabis liberalization policies, which vary greatly throughout the literature, are explicitly defined and corrected from previous studies.SAMHSA suppresses state-level geographical information for individual-level responses in the NSDUH, so the analysis relied on population averages for a small number of age groups published in the NSDUH State Prevalence Estimates, which did not allow us to evaluate gender differences for mental health outcomes.The reliability of suicide and NSDUH data to estimate true population rates is highly debated.Population-level analyses of longitudinal data can be evaluated with multiple accepted methods from the medical literature and it is not clear whether weighted ordinary least squares is the most appropriate approach for this type of analysis.Funding statementThis research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.Competing interests statementReason Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization completely supported by voluntary contributions from individuals, foundations, corporations, and the sale of its publications. Reason Foundation’s general support includes contributions from marijuana manufacturers, which account for less than one percent of its annual budget.Data sharing statementMost data relevant to the study are publicly available and included as supplementary information. Mortality rates calculated from death counts of less than 10 deaths for any region are suppressed and may require special permissions for access.

Unintentional injuries are recognized by the World Health Organization and the European Union as a preventable public health problem contributing to mortality and morbidity burden and expression in the emergency department (ED). According to EuroSafe injury is the fourth most common cause of death within the EU, being the leading cause of death in the youngest. Whereas injury related fatalities is only a part of the problem and more patients require hospital treatment it is essential measure the size of the injury problem and characteristics of these non-fatal injuries. Information from Injury Data-Base reveals that the majority of injury related ED attendances and hospital admissions result from accidents occur in home and during leisure times. So, the aim of this study it was to know the proportion of Home and Leisure Accidents (HLA) which needed attendance in the emergency rooms of the Hospitals National Health, in Portugal Mailand, in 2019. For the analysis were considered the total number of NHS health entities that have an ED, SONHO information system and National injury surveillance system - EVITA System. Based on hospital emergency records in 2019, was obtained the total number of victims by HLA who needed assistance in this health services. In 2019, there were 526 786 ED attendances due to HLA, so about 11,3% of hospital ED attendances in mainland Portugal were caused by HLA. Globally, it was observed a proportion of HLA with admission in ED higher in males (12,9%) than females (10,1%). Disaggregating the data by age group, it was possible to observe a preponderance of males in victims aged less than or equal to 54 years. On the other hand, females showed a higher proportion in individuals aged 55 and over. Additionally, victims aged 75 and over had the highest proportion of hospital admissions by HLA, both in females (15,5%) and males (13,1%). This study represented a relevant advance contributing to the revelation of the dimension of this problem in Portugal. Key messages The National Injury Surveillance System provides information that allows to know the dimension of this health problem in mainland Portugal. HLA represents 11,3 % of the total hospital ED attendances. HLA are the predominant cause of injury related ED attendances. Males and females have a different proportions of injury. Males aged 54 years and over have higher proportion of HLA than females.

Background Injuries and accidents are a challenge for public health considering their impact on victims and their families, especially in the younger, and also the potential for prevention and predictability. Due to specific characteristics of children and young persons related to the need of exploration and curiosity injuries namely those occur in domestic and leisure time, including the school setting are a topic of particular interest and study. This study aimed to characterize the occurrence of Home and Leisure Accidents (HLA) using hospital Emergency Department (ED) registered in EVITA system, in victims between 0 and 19 years old considering the injury mechanism, place of occurrence and products involved in the accident, in 2018, in Portugal. Methods Were analysed data from the EVITA system, fed by the HLA registry at the ED of the Hospitals National Health that participate in this system. The frequency and distribution of HLA were analysed according to the injury mechanism, place of occurrence and products involved. Results and Discussion In 2018, there were 38 528 ED attendances due to HLA 35,0% of the victims were between 10-14 years old; 23,7% had 5-9 years; 22,8% between 15 and 19 years old and 18,5% had under 4 years old. The results show more frequently HLA in males (59,0%) than in females (41,0%). In children under 4 years old 67,8% of the HLA occurred at home, due to fall (68,6%), having as products most involved the bed (10,2%) and chair or bench (7,5%). Between 5 and 9 years old, most HLA occurred at school (44,5%) due to fall (62,9%), involving ball (15,1%) and scooter/tricycle/bike (6,8%). In young people between 10 and 19 years old 47,7% of HLA occurred at school, due to fall (54,6%), having as main agents involved ball (28,7%) and scooter/tricycle/bike (20,3%). This information reinforces the importance of this problem but it is necessary future lines of research in order to point out the determinants of this mechanisms of injury. Key messages The National Injury Surveillance System provides information that allows to know the characteristics and underlying causes of HLA that occur in children and young people. These data provide useful information for public health professionals working in the field of injury prevention among this vulnerable group of young people.

Background The World Health Organization advice breast milk as the perfect food for the newborn starting immediately after birth and exclusively up to at least 6 months of age. However, there are considerable differences in breastfeeding rates between countries related to their policies on breastfeeding promotion and duration of maternity leave. This study aims to describe changes in breastfeeding rates over time in Portugal as a way to inform social policies and public health initiatives on breastfeeding. Methods To examine the breastfeeding rates evolution we used data from five National Health Surveys. Breastfeeding was assessed based on information provided by the mothers of children born between 1982 and 2014. Birth cohorts were grouped in block of 3-year period. We estimated 3 and 6-months exclusive breastfeeding rates and 95% confidence intervals. Trends in breastfeeding rates for each outcome were assessed by linear regression weighting each cohort-specific estimate by the inverse of variance in the logit scale. Results We analyzed data on 9172 children; sample size by birth cohort ranged from 213 in 2012/14 to 1651 in 1994/96. Proportion of infants ever breastfed during the study period varied between 71.7% and 86.7%. The 3 months exclusive breastfeeding rate increased by 9.5% (CI95%:7.8-11.3%) per 3-year period, from 41.3% (CI95%:38.7-43.9%) in 1982/84 to 62.4% (CI95%:55.7-68.7%) in 2012/14. The 6 months exclusive breastfeeding rate raised up from 23.5% (CI 95%:21.2-25.7%) in 1982/84 to 31.9% (CI95%:26.0-38.5%) in 2012/14, corresponding to 5.6% increase per 3-year period. Conclusions This study shows a positive evolution in breastfeeding practices, with an increased in the prevalence of women who reported exclusively breastfeeding until the 3rd and 6th month after birth. Our results may be explained by changes in maternity leave duration. Furthermore, the results emphasize the need for further investment in breastfeeding support services and professionalś training. Key messages Positive evolution in breastfeeding practices in Portugal. Maternity leave duration could have a positive role.

Background Prenatal exposure to environmental risk factors are one of the known causes of congenital anomalies (CA). In 2015, a cluster of anorectal anomalies, a rare malformation, in Setúbal district raised interest in researchers. The aim of study was to assess the impact of prenatal exposure of the mothers on the occurrence of CA in the offspring. Methods A Case-control study (1:2) was implemented between 2016-2019. Newborns with CA (cases) and newborns without CA (controls) are identified and recruited. Parents were personally interviewed by a health professional using a standardized questionnaire. A descriptive analyses was performed and cases and controls were described based on maternal residence during pregnancy. Chi-square test was used to compare cases and controls. Results 97 cases and 194 controls were identified. There was a male predominance in the case group (60 vs. 34) and no difference in gestational age between case and control groups. The mean birth weight was similar (3115g in cases vs. 3221g in controls). There was no difference related to mean mother's age nor the presence of maternal chronic disease. Smoking had more expression in the case group (21,2% vs. 16,3%). Moita (37,8%) is the municipality with higher frequency of cases. Musculoskeletal anomalies were the most frequent (35.4%), followed by genital (22.2%) and other anomalies (11%). During the study period, five cases with anorectal anomalies were reported, 4 of them born at 2016 and in 3 the mothers residence place was Moita. Conclusions In this study, the high proportion of cases from Moita suggests a possible environmental exposure to a teratogenic agent. Also smoking during pregnancy could be a high risk to anorectal anomalies, as suggested in other studies. More investment in public health measures could protect population from harmful environments. Key messages Pprenatal exposure to environemental risk factors increase the risk of congenital anomalies. Mothers residence and place of work could be a risk factor to pregnancy.

Background: Beginning in Dec 2019, a novel coronavirus, designated SARS-CoV-2, has caused an international outbreak of respiratory illness termed COVID-19 The workers in the FangCang hospital have to work for more than 8 h and the work is high strength Furthermore, to protect health and prevent serious cross-infection, they need to wear isolation equipment when working in FangCang hospital These characteristics increase the risk of cardiac arrest (CA), which seriously endangers the lives of workers Methods: We participated in the rescue of the patient and workers at first-line in FangCang hospital, and sum-marized the rescue strategies for workers rescuing Results: Workers with CA were rescued in time according our guideline and showed zero dead in FangCang hospital Conclusion: This study establishes the strategy for the CA of workers including the establishment of an in-FangCang resuscitation team, the establishment of a dedicated rescue room, and the formulation of rescue measures and procedures for CA of workers in the FangCang hospital Therefore, we aimed to provide a strategy for the rescue of workers with CA in the FangCang hospital and share the success in rescuing with the world © 2020, Iranian Journal of Public Health All rights reserved

The article's abstract is no available.

For nearly 150 years the University of Toronto has integrated public health into its teaching and research. From early lectures in sanitation (1871) to the discovery of insulin (1921), the University of Toronto’s rich history is reflected in its prominence as a global leader in public health research and education. Therefore, it is fitting for the University of Toronto to host an academic journal of public health that showcases both high-impact scholarship and public health practice. Founded in 2020, the University of Toronto Journal of Public Health has an ambitious, yet essential, vision: to foster the next generation of public health researchers and practitioners in order to improve population health nationally and globally. In this editorial, we honour the diverse and complementary nature of the fields of biostatistics, epidemiology, health policy and practice, and social and behavioural health sciences by highlighting an important historical date from each. We reflect on these milestones within a historical and contemporary context, and conclude by considering the importance of each discipline for the future of public health in Canada and abroad.

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 is rapidly spreading around the world and became a pandemic disease For help to better planning of interventions, this study was conducted to forecast the number of daily new infected cases with COVID-19 for next thirty days in Iran Methods: The information of observed Iranian new cases from 19th Feb to 30th Mar 2020 was used to predict the number of patients until 29th Apr Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Auto-Regressive Integrated Mov-ing Average (ARIMA) models were applied for prediction The data was prepared from daily reports of Iran Ministry of Health and open datasets provided by the JOHN Hopkins To compare models, dataset was sepa-rated into train and test sets Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) was the comparison criteria Results: Both algorithms forecasted an exponential increase in number of newly infected patients If the spreading pattern continues the same as before, the number of daily new cases would be 7872 and 9558 by 29th Apr, respectively by ANN and ARIMA While Model comparison confirmed that ARIMA prediction was more accurate than ANN Conclusion: COVID-19 is contagious disease, and has infected many people in Iran Our results are an alarm for health policy planners and decision-makers, to make timely decisions, control the disease and provide the equipment needed © 2020, Iranian Journal of Public Health All rights reserved

While qualitative inquiry has been a part of the Canadian Journal of Public Health (CJPH) for many years, CJPH does not yet have the reputation as a home for qualitative research that has a critical focus and that is cqqqonversant with contemporary developments in social theory and qualitative methodology. This paper describes efforts to establish CJPH as a welcoming home for critical, theoretically engaged qualitative research in public health. The paper introduces the Special Section that heralds the forward vision for qualitative research at CJPH. We specify what we mean by critical, theoretically engaged qualitative research and make the case for its significance for public health research and practice. We describe changes made in how qualitative manuscript submissions are handled at CJPH and highlight the contribution to public health scholarship made by the articles that comprise the Special Section. We issue an invitation to the public health community to support and participate in our vision to enhance critical, theoretically informed qualitative research in public health.

Objectives. To determine the number of excess deaths (i.e., those exceeding historical trends after accounting for COVID-19 deaths) occurring in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. Using seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average time-series modeling and historical mortality trends in Florida, we forecasted monthly deaths from January to September of 2020 in the absence of the pandemic. We compared estimated deaths with monthly recorded total deaths (i.e., all deaths regardless of cause) during the COVID-19 pandemic and deaths only from COVID-19 to measure excess deaths in Florida. Results. Our results suggest that Florida experienced 19 241 (15.5%) excess deaths above historical trends from March to September 2020, including 14 317 COVID-19 deaths and an additional 4924 all-cause, excluding COVID-19, deaths in that period. Conclusions. Total deaths are significantly higher than historical trends in Florida even when accounting for COVID-19–related deaths. The impact of COVID-19 on mortality is significantly greater than the official COVID-19 data suggest.

The emergence of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has caused unprecedented challenge to manage the bodies of the dead. The disposal of the dead becomes a challenge as there is a shortage of coffins, and crematoriums are overwhelmed. A recent correspondence published in the Journal of Public Health highlighted the importance of performing the last rites in a time of COVID-19 pandemic. This paper argues that the bodies of those who have died because of COVID-19 should be treated with respect and dignity.

Nowadays, Social Network (SN) is one of the essential tools of people especially young and adolescents. In consequence, there are so many controversial things on advantages and disadvantages of SN. In Myanmar, the rate of mobile phone users and internet users is on the increase today. This is a cross-sectional study conducted to the university students at Kyaukse University from June to November, 2015. In total 400 students who are aged between 16-23 years were randomly selected and interviewed with pretested structured questionnaires. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Social Network Addiction (SNA) and the prevalence of anxiety. Furthermore, this study also found out SNA related to anxiety among students. Among the students, 110 students (27.5%) addicted to SN and 146 students (36.5%) suffered from anxiety. There is significant association between SNA and anxiety. Among the social network addicted users, 59.1% suffer from anxiety (χ²=33.408, p

In this paper, we present a patient who underwent an emergency exploratory laparotomy after Motor Vehicle Collison (MVC) leading to splenic injury, avascular necrosis of kidney and right upper extremity Colles’ fracture. Goal of the paper is to present a patient of polytrauma along with its treatment plan in terms of prioritizing the standard of care. We also discuss various radiographical findings along with gross surgical findings that were found intraoperatively.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.7(1) 2017: 58-61

Indirect inguinal hernia is a common medical condition that can be caused by an embryological defect due to failure of closure of processus vaginalis that can lead to herniation (i.e. abnormal protrusion) of abdominal contents into scrotal sac in males. In this paper, we describe an interesting case report of a patient with bilateral inguinal hernia with hydroceles who underwent a modified shouldice repair. In addition, we also discuss initial presentation & surgical management of this patient who had painless postero-inferior displacement of testes. Reason why we think this case is unique, is because of ‘bilateral’ hydroceles along with bilateral inguinal hernia which is rarely seen as compared to its unilateral counterparts. We also describe various surgical steps of modified shouldice repair with bilateral orchiopexy along with the post-operative outcome. Finally, we also discuss various types of hydroceles, along with its pathology that is found after surgical resection.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.7(1) 2017: 62-65

Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired immune Deficiency Syndromes (AIDS) continues to be a major burden of morbidity and mortality among the population. Injecting drug users (IDUs) are at high risk of contracting the disease. The study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge of HIV/AIDS and the influence of different socio-demographic factors among IDUs in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. A descriptive type of cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 200 injecting drug users were selected purposively. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for collecting socio-demographic information of the respondents and their knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS. The level of knowledge was categorized into two: poor (

Patients’ knowledge and attitudes have an impact on the management of their illnesses. Obtaining information about the level of awareness is the first step in formulating a preventive program for any health problem. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of hypertensive patients about their disease. A consecutive non- probability sampling technique was adopted to collect all adult hypertensive patients that attended the outpatient clinic of the main three teaching hospitals in Baghdad city. Adults of both gender who had history of hypertension for at least six months were included in the study. A questionnaire was developed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of those patients. More than 60% had good knowledge, 80% expressed good attitude while 24% recorded good practice. Analyses of data revealed that the score of knowledge is significantly associated with age ( p =0.002) and gender ( p =0.002). It was also directly related to the education level. ( p =0.0001), duration of hypertension ( p =0.041) and the presence of positive family history of the disease ( p =0.0001). The attitude was significantly associated with age ( p =0.046), level of education ( p =0.008) and family history ( p =0.006). The score of practice was significantly associated with age ( p =.0008), and duration of hypertension ( p =0.004). Hypertensive patients in our community have relatively good knowledge and attitude, but poor practice and compliance to treatment. Efforts are needed to increase the awareness through continuous health education in the health facilities and health promotional programs via the mass media. South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.7(1) 2017: 29-34

Aims: The Scandinavian Journal of Public Health recently reiterated the importance of addressing social justice and health inequalities in its new editorial policy announcement. One of the related challenges highlighted in that issue was the limited use of sociological theories able to inform the complexity linking the resources and mechanisms captured by the concept of socioeconomic status. This debate article argues that part of the problem lies in the often unchallenged reliance on a generic conceptualization and operationalization of socioeconomic status. These practices hinder researchers’ capacity to examine in finer detail how resources and circumstances promote the unequal distribution of health through distinct yet intertwined pathways. As a potential way forward, this commentary explores how research practices can be challenged through concrete publication policies and guidelines. To this end, we propose a set of recommendations as a tool to strengthen the study of socioeconomic status and, ultimately, the quality of health inequality research. Conclusions: Authors, reviewers, and editors can become champions of change toward the implementation of sociological theory by holding higher standards regarding the conceptualization, operationalization, analysis, and interpretation of results in health inequality research.

Hemoglobin status of tribal children in Karnataka has not been investigated adequately and extensively. Hematological parameters help to understand the normal growth and nutritional status of the children. A cross-sectional purposive sampling study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of anemia among 152 Soliga tribal children belonging to 6+ to 10+ years of Mysore district, Karnataka, India. Hemoglobin level was determined by cyanmethaemoglobin method. As per the WHO cut-off points, the children were grouped under mild, moderate and severe anemia where the level of hemoglobin below 11.5 g/dL. BMI values were estimated based on the measurements of height and weight of the children. The overall prevalence of anemia was 91.4%; 7.2% mild, 74.3% moderate, and 9.9% severe anemia. Mean hemoglobin values between boys and girls of 7+ years age group were statistically significant. A higher proportion of girls were severely anemic in the age group of 9+ and 10+ years than boys. The prevalence of different grades of anemia was more or less equally distributed among boys and girls of Soliga children. Remarkably, about 94.3% normal BMI children were anemic. Comparison of mean values of anemia and BMI between boys and girls were found statistically significant. The level of hemoglobin among Soliga Children in Karnataka is a cause for concern. Appropriate measures should be taken by the respective authorities to decrease the prevalence of anemia and improve the condition of health among the children.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.6(2) 2016: 37-41

On the surface, the precision oral health movement seems to be at odds with dental public health. After all, precision oral health care focuses on the individual patient, where dental public health addresses the oral health needs of populations. Objective The American Institute of Dental Public Health (AIDPH) convened a colloquium to discuss the role of dental public health in the future of precision oral health. Methods On January 25 and 26, 2018, nine thought leaders from across the US outlined the potential role of public health, and more specifically dental public health, in the world of precision public health. Six of the speakers were invited to share their thoughts in this special edition. Results The special issue of the Journal of Public Health Dentistry shares the knowledge and insight provided by the speakers at the colloquium. It is with gratitude for their contribution, as well as, the contribution of the reviewers, organizers of the colloquium, and those in attendance who contributed their collective knowledge that we present this issue. Special thanks to HRSA for their support of this work (D88HP28510).

EUPHA President, and EJPH Editor Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat will present the structure and content of the European Journal of Public Health 2019 supplement on Digital Health

As usual to each New Year, the annual review of Iran J Public Health, hereby is presented for the year 2018. Besides, this editorial will compare the trend of whole publication process during 2015-2018.

Background\ud Arts on Prescription interventions have grown in number in recent years with a corresponding evidence base in support. Despite the growth and presence of these interventions, there have been no evaluations to date as to what factors predict patient success within these referral schemes.\ud \ud Methods\ud Using the largest cohort of patient data to date in the field (N=1297), we set out to understand those factors that are associated with attendance, programme engagement, and wellbeing change of patients. Factors associated with these outcomes were assessed using three binary logistic regression models. \ud \ud Results\ud Baseline wellbeing was associated with each outcome, with higher baseline wellbeing being associated with attendance and engagement, and lower baseline wellbeing associated with positive wellbeing change. Additionally, deprivation was associated with attendance, with those from the median deprivation quintile being more likely to attend. \ud \ud Conclusions\ud The role of baseline wellbeing in each outcome of these analyses is the most critical associative factor. Whilst those that are lower in wellbeing have more to gain from these interventions, they are also less likely to attend or engage, meaning they may need additional support in commencing these types of social prescribing interventions.

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OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAPs) based published Indian research on selected parameters. METHODOLOGY: A bibliometric analysis of Indian KAP research manuscript published in journals indexed in PubMed for the last 2 years and/or published in Indian Journal of Community Medicine (IJCM) and Indian Journal of Public Health (IJPH) for the last 15 years (year 2000–2014) was undertaken under certain criteria. RESULTS: PubMed (n = 196) revealed maximum KAP research undertaken from the states of Karnataka (16.8%) followed by Delhi (9.6%), Maharashtra (9.1%), and more than two states (11.7%). There was poor reflection with no publication of KAP‑based research from the states of Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan, in IJCM and IJPH journals. The geographical representation of country through published manuscript in IJCM was slightly more diverse than IJPH and more than one‑fourth manuscripts in IJPH were published from West Bengal only. It was evident that IJCM (n = 71) has published more KAP manuscripts than IJPH (n = 47). Higher proportion of community‑based KAP research was published in IJPH (80.8%) than IJCM (57.7%). Highest single research domain in PubMed indexed journals was those related to oral cavity (14.2%) conducted by dental professionals while rest (85.8%) could be largely ascribed to community physician/public health personnel, etc. The first research domain was followed by family planning/contraceptives (6.1%), tobacco control (5.6%), and AIDS‑HIV (5.1%), for the year 2013–2014. Highest KAP‑based research domain of articles published in IJCM was those related to family planning/contraceptives (10.0%) followed by AIDS‑HIV (8.5%) while it was tobacco (16.6%) and AIDS‑HIV (14.5%) in IJPH. Number of authors/manuscript was slightly higher in journals indexed in PubMed (4.7) than IJCM (3.8) and IJPH (3.7). The average page/manuscript was higher in PubMed (6.4) indexed journals while it was similar in both Indian journal (IJCM [3.6] and IJPH [3.8]). Approximate time incurred in decision announcement toward acceptance of KAP manuscript (2000–2014) by IJCM from the date of submission was 7 months (median) while for comparison purpose, it was 6 months (median) for a sample of articles published during 2015.Average citations per KAP document within 2 years of publication were 1.9 (IJCM) and 1.2 (IJPH), respectively, in Google scholar. CONCLUSION: This bibliometric study, probably first of its kind in India, provides objective snapshot of diverse published research in the country that may also aid scholar to explore new avenues of KAP especially non-communicable diseases in future. In-addition, postgraduate training could lay emphasis on the use of bibliometrics.

The occupational health and safety service is still in the developing stage. In Bangladesh, this service is merely focused on welfare for the garments workers. Statistics on musculoskeletal symptoms prevalence and risk factors analysis for any occupational group can assist to develop ergonomic based prevention and intervention programs. However, there is no information available about the musculoskeletal symptoms prevalence amongst automobile mechanics in Bangladesh. The aim of study is to estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and reveal association with physical risk factors among automobile mechanics. This cross-sectional study was performed with 100 automobile workers conveniently selected from different automobile workshop of Dhaka Division (Savar and Gabtoli) of Bangladesh. The short version of Dutch Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to determine the prevalence and associated physical risk factors. Furthermore, the Rapid Entire Body Assessment was used to identify the physical risk level of musculoskeletal symptoms. The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms during the last 12 months preceding data collection was reported at 77%. The most affected body parts were lower back (67%) then the hip (53%). Socio-demographic and physical risk factors were significantly (p

Further utilization of hospital facility is influenced by the provision of hospital care and cost of services. This study was conducted among patients of public and private hospitals of Dhaka city, Bangladesh to explore the relationship of further utilization of hospital care and cost of services incurred during previous visits. A total 199 patients of 2 private and 2 public hospitals were included. Of them, 100 (50.25%) were from public and 99 (49.74 %) from private hospitals. Male: female ratio of the respondents was 111:88. The level of services was scored by patients on a 1-5 Likert scale on the aspects of services of doctors, nurses, other staffs; medicine supply; cleanliness; and investigation facilities. Poor people usually sought the services from public hospitals. About three-quarter of the respondents (76.9 %) mentioned that they would avail the facility of same hospital for their further ailment. Seventeen patients (17%) who were treated in government hospitals will not further utilize the services, and this was significantly higher (p-0.02) in the case of patients from private hospitals (29.3%). Regression analysis explored that quality of services (p=-0.000) and cost of services (p=0.001) influenced the plan of future consumption of hospital facility and quality of services having stronger influences. This study concludes that further utilization of the hospital facility was strongly influenced by the quality of services and next to that is cost of services. So we recommend for best and successive utilization of hospital services to improve facilities and minimization of cost are the essential needs.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.6(1) 2016: 14-19

Hypertension is one of the leading risk factors for global mortality. A community based cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in Hmawbi Cantonment Area, Yangon Region in November, 2015. This study aimed to identify the prevalence, awareness and risk factors of hypertension concerning smoking, alcohol dinking, eating food pattern, taking regular exercise, stressful condition and body mass index (BMI). The sample consisted of 210 respondents from three Units (Light Infantry Regiments) were randomly selected to participate in the study. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. It was found that 33.3% of respondents had hypertension; 55.7% achieved good awareness on hypertension as well; 16.7% respondents were current smoker; 7.6% had the history of alcohol drinking; 67.1% respondents took regular exercise; 29.5% respondents were in stressful condition; 32.9% re-spondents were overweight and 19.5% were obese. Hypertension was significantly associated with age (p-0.001), family income (p

The Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, a premier publication of the American Public Health Association, celebrates its centennial in 2017. The Control of Communicable Diseases Manual has evolved in format and content through 20 separate editions. This article is a follow-up to an earlier article, titled "Evolution of the Control of Communicable Disease Manual: 1917 to 2000," that appeared in the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice in 2001. Our update focuses on the period since the 17th edition, which is characterized by dramatic changes. The 20th edition (2014) added a few arboviral diseases (Banna, Cache Valley, Eyach, Heartland, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, Iquitos, and Me Tri), but mostly contracted, leaving 65 arboviral entries. Other categories of pathogens also declined in the most recent editions, indicating an apparent trend to make the manual less encyclopedic. We attempt to explain these and other changes and ask the reader to comment whether they are aware of other related facts or history based on personal experience.

Patients with diabetes are considered to be at more risk of dyslipidemia and hypertension, hence targets for cardiovascular diseases. This study describes the possible role of Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) and serum lipid profile as a biomarker in the detection of cardiovascular diseases. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 54 (33 males and 21 females) type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients at Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH), Abbottabad and Mardan Medical Complex (MMC), Mardan, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. The control group comprised of 20 (13 males and 7 females) healthy human samples. The patients had significantly higher (p7.0%, had higher TG than those with HbA1c?7.0%. Furthermore, 14.2% patients with HbA1c>7.0% had cerebrovascular diseases and 28% have ischemic heart diseases. The findings of the current study suggests association of HbA1c with lipid profile in T2DM patients and both might be used as a predictor of cardiovascular diseases in such patients.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.5(2) 2015: 30-34

Elderly people suffer from different morbidities as the increase in prevalence of disease is proportionate to increasing age. In Bangladesh, the number of the elderly person is increasing with time. This study aims to determine the morbidity pattern and health seeking behavior among the urban senior citizens of Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was carried out from January 2014 to December 2014 in different areas of Dhaka City. Information was collected from 384 respondents, aged 60 years and above by purposive sampling technique. The mean age of the study population was 64.7 (SD±5.7) years and majority (74.74%) belonged to 60-69 years age group. More than half (52.6%) of the respondents were female. Most of the respondents (71.61%) received institutional education; 51.82% of the elderly were still working; 63% of the respondents were totally independent; 11.74% were totally dependent; and 53.65% respondents belonged to joint family. Most of the respondents (96.8%) were suffering from at least one medical problem; the commonest was musculoskeletal problems (84.11%) followed by eye problems (81.25%). Majority of male (78.8%) and females (89.60%) were suffering from eye problems and musculoskeletal problems respectively. All the respondents sought treatment for their health problems. Majority (33%) respondents went to government hospitals for medical help. Most of the male (68.70%) and female (71.26%) can do their daily physical activities without any problem. Approximately 30% respondents did health check-up once in one year. Majority respondents took prescribed medications (69.27%) and were satisfied with their treatment (56.77%). The study findings showed that urban geriatric population had one or more morbidities and their health seeking behavior was poor, more among females. The study concludes with further emphasis of primary health care for the urban elderly people of Bangladesh. The health care service should be accessible and affordable to the elderly people.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.5(2) 2015: 43-49

Universal health coverage (UHC) is currently at the center of discussion to strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes. The design and delivery of UHC requires an active engagement of various stakeholders viz. policy makers, program managers, civil society, private sector, academia and health professional associations. However, limited information is available on engagement of academia in discussions related to UHC. This study attempted to examine the perspectives of academia on advancing the agenda of UHC in India. A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted with 62 stakeholders which included deans and senior faculty from 17 government and 15 private medical institutions across India, using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done through free listing of responses, domain evolution and using qualifiers for semi-quantitative expressions. Clarity on concept of UHC and awareness on UHC developments was found low amongst stakeholders. It was strongly believed that not just tertiary care services but primary health care is more critical for UHC to succeed. Besides the responsibility of government, engaging other organizations was underlined. Approximately half of the respondents mentioned that their organization can support the provision of providing promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative health services to achieve UHC. Stakeholders also felt that the tax-based and private health insurance can act complementary to each other, and should be promoted to improve health services coverage. Findings suggest that there is a strong need for engagement of academia for marching towards the goal of UHC.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.5(2) 2015: 50-56

South East Asia Journal of Public Health (SEAJPH) is a Bangladesh-origin, open access and peer reviewed international journal. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of papers published in the SEAJPH from 2011 to 2015 using data extracted from the Bangladesh Journal Online database. Five volumes (which include eight issues) with a total of 108 papers were included in the analysis. The highest number of papers were published in 2012 and the average number of papers published per year was 21.6. More than 58% of published papers were original research, followed by short communications (12.96%).The highest proportion of papers were published during the study period by single authors (20.37%) or three authors (20.37%), followed by double authors (19.44%). he maximum of average authors/article was found to be 4 in the year 2011, and the minimum was 2.6 in the year 2015. The degree of collaboration in SEAJPH is approximately 0.80, and the collaboration was consistently high every year (ranges from 0.74 to 0.87). The maximum number of papers was published by professionals from India (35.16%), followed by Bangladesh (25%) and the UK (13.89%). Timely and accurate evidence-based information from health-related research/publications provide the extent and burden health problems/challenges of countries and regions. AS the SAARC region has the greatest total disease burden of any region in the world and relevant public health research and dissemination/collaboration of findings is crucial to alleviate this burden. The SEAJPH is successful in this regard. However, the journal needs indexing to popular search engines (e.g. PubMed) to attract global researchers and eventually lead to an increase in the citation of the papers.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.5(1) 2015: 51-54

We sought to investigate whether exposing scientific papers to social media (SM) has an effect on article downloads and citations. We randomized all International Journal of Public Health (IJPH) original articles published between December 2012 and December 2014 to SM exposure (blog post, Twitter and Facebook) or no exposure at three different time points after first online publication. 130 papers (SM exposure = 65, control = 65) were randomized. The number of downloads did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.60) nor did the number of citations (p = 0.88). Adjusting for length of observation and paper’s geographical origin did not change these results. There was no difference in the number of downloads and citations between the SM exposure and control group when we stratified for open access status. The number of downloads and number of citations were significantly correlated in both groups. SM exposure did not have a significant effect on traditional impact metrics, such as downloads and citations. However, other metrics may measure the added value that social media might offer to a scientific journal, such as wider dissemination.

Immigrants are an important part of the Australian labor force and constitute a major source of net labor force growth. Immigrants arriving in Australia, however, face a number of barriers finding employment that is commensurate with their training and education (Reid, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 36:120-125, 2012) and can end up in poor-quality jobs. Through a series of interviews and focus groups with newcomers, our study examined immigrants’ experience of finding employment and their working conditions in Australia. In this manuscript, we specifically explore how discrimination shaped workers’ experiences and the strategies workers used to overcome and deal with the barriers they encountered. We end with a discussion of how racism and its consequences can impact quality of work and worker health and safety.

BackgroundThe accuracy of statistical reporting that informs medical and public health practice has generated extensive debate, but no studies have evaluated the frequency or accuracy of effect size (the magnitude of change in outcome as a function of change in predictor) reporting in prominent health journals.ObjectiveTo evaluate effect size reporting practices in prominent health journals using the case study of ORs.DesignArticles published in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and PLOS One from 1 January 2010 through 31 December 2019 mentioning the term ‘odds ratio’ in all searchable fields were obtained using PubMed. One hundred randomly selected articles that reported original research using ORs were sampled per journal for in-depth analysis.Main outcomes and measuresWe report prevalence of articles using ORs, reporting effect sizes from ORs (reporting the magnitude of change in outcome as a function of change in predictor) and reporting correct effect sizes.ResultsThe proportion of articles using ORs in the past decade declined in JAMA and AJPH, remained similar in NEJM and increased in PLOS One, with 6124 articles in total. Twenty-four per cent (95% CI 20% to 28%) of articles reported the at least one effect size arising from an OR. Among articles reporting any effect size, 57% (95% CI 47% to 67%) did so incorrectly. Taken together, 10% (95% CI 7% to 13%) of articles included a correct effect size interpretation of an OR. Articles that used ORs in AJPH more frequently reported the effect size (36%, 95% CI 27% to 45%), when compared with NEJM (26%, 95% CI 17.5% to 34.7%), PLOS One (22%, 95% CI 13.9% to 30.2%) and JAMA (10%, 95% CI 3.9% to 16.0%), but the probability of a correct interpretation did not statistically differ between the four journals (χ2=0.56, p=0.90).ConclusionsArticles that used ORs in prominent journals frequently omitted presenting the effect size of their predictor variables. When reported, the presented effect size was usually incorrect. When used, ORs should be paired with accurate effect size interpretations. New editorial and research reporting standards to improve effect size reporting and its accuracy should be considered.

Volume of hazardous wastewater generated from analysis of the Badak LNG laboratory activities was found around 1.93 tons with an average of 161 kg/month in 2018 where 27% of this total wastewater came from silica analysis activities. Hence, many efforts have been done to reduce the amount of hazardous wastewater. In this research, the silica analysis activities have been carried out using American Journal of Public Health (APHA) 4500-D Heteropoly Blue method by modification of the volume from the silica content of water samples and reagents at 75%, 50%, and 25% (or ¾, ½, and ¼) recipes. Moreover, in the testing and validation phase, the measurement of silica levels in all samples has been performed using UV-Vis spectrometer at a wavelength of 815 nm. These modifications have included parameters of linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection (LoD), and limit of quantitation (LoQ). It was found that the volume modification for all samples have fulfilled the required parameters from association of official analytical chemists (AOAC) in linearity, accuracy, and precision. For instance, sample with ½ recipes showed coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9997%, an accuracy of 103.80, and precision (%RSD) value of 0.524. Indeed, LoD and LoQ values for this sample were found to be 0.004 and 0.008. Modification to the volume of ½ recipe was particularly chosen because it was produced the minimum amount of liquid waste remaining at 8.25 mL with the test Duplo analysis. These results demonstrated that silica analysis activities can be used for reduction of wastewater.