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After successfully controlling SARS-CoV-2 transmission in 2020 (1), Vietnam experienced a large nationwide outbreak of infection with SARS-CoV-2 in 2021. This outbreak was characterized by 2 distinct phases: January-April, with [...]

Mobilizing the public to take anti-pandemic behavior (APB) by strengthening informational support has been recognized as an effective strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it remains unclear how health-related informational support from different channels affects individual factors and, thus, the adoption of different types of APB as the pandemic situation changes. To resolve this issue, we build a multiple mediation model to investigate the associations among informational support from three different channels, two individual internal factors, and two kinds of APB. A three-stage longitudinal study administered to Chinese citizens from February to October 2020 revealed that informational support from media played the most critical role in facilitating individuals' adoption of compliance APB, while informational support from family was the most significant predictor of the adoption of participation APB. Meanwhile, these effects were mediated by risk perception and anti-pandemic motivation, and weakened to varying degrees as the pandemic situation eased. It is recommended that authorities adjust the focus of publicity strategies in light of the changing situation, and make efforts to heighten the public's risk perception and anti-pandemic motivation. This study contributes to deepening the understanding of the dynamic efficacy of informational support from different channels on individuals' adoption of two heterogeneous APBs, and thus to the formulation of more scientific, and situation-based publicity strategies during a public health crisis., Author(s): Lipeng Fu [sup.1] , Xueqing Wang [sup.1] , Shuyi Deng [sup.2] , Qin Zhang [sup.1] , Yunfeng Liu [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.33763.32, 0000 0004 1761 2484, College of [...]

: Objective: To examine the sequence of environmental and entomological events prior to a substantial increase in Ross River virus (RRV) and Barmah Forest virus (BFV) notifications with a view to informing future public health response. Methods: Rainfall, tidal, mosquito and human arboviral notification data were analysed to determine the temporality of events. Results: Following two extremely dry years, there was a substantial increase in the abundance of mosquitoes along coastal New South Wales (NSW) two weeks after a significant rainfall event and high tides in February 2020. Subsequently, RRV and BFV notifications in north east NSW began to increase eight and nine weeks respectively after the high rainfall, with RRV notifications peaking 12 weeks after the high rainfall. Conclusions: Mosquito bite avoidance messaging should be instigated within two weeks of high summer rainfall, especially after an extended dry period. Implications for public health: Intense summertime rain events, which are expected to increase in frequency in south?east Australia with climate change, can lead to significant increases in arboviral disease. These events need to be recognised by public health practitioners to facilitate timely public health response. This has taken on added importance since the emergence of Japanese encephalitis virus in southeastern Australia in 2022., The abundance and diversity of mosquitoes of pest and public health significance are dependent on suitable habitat and seasonal climatic conditions. Mosquitoes of public health significance are those capable of [...]

: Objective: To describe the characteristics of the New Zealand child injury prevention workforce and the organisations they represent. Methods: Representatives of organisations on the Safekids Aotearoa database were invited to complete an online survey. The standardised questionnaire asked for information about injury prevention focus and expertise, communication preferences and information access. Results: Of 196 respondents, the majority were female and identified as New Zealand European. For only a small proportion of respondents, child injury prevention is the main focus of their role. The key sources of child injury data and injury prevention information identified was Safekids Aotearoa, followed by the Ministry of Health. Respondents indicated that they would like to receive information on new research, training opportunities and upcoming events, and information from other organisations. Conclusions: Males and people of Pacific and Asian ethnicity are under?represented in the New Zealand child injury prevention workforce in New Zealand. The low engagement of the sector with M?ori authorities is of concern, given the inequities in rates of child injury that exist. Implications for public health: There is a need to conduct a wider and more regular audit of the child injury prevention sector to determine its composition and identify areas of concern., Unintentional child injury represents a considerable public health burden globally[sup.1] and in New Zealand.[sup.2] Injuries are the third?leading cause of death among children aged 0 to 14 years[sup.3] in New [...]

In opening, I want to acknowledge the Indigenous nations on whose countries we are and pay my respects to those peoples. I would also acknowledge that beneath these Indigenous lands [...]

Beginning March 23, 2020, the UK government introduced social and physical distancing (SPD) measures to reduce transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and health staff were redeployed to [...]

: Objective: The COVID‐19 pandemic has led to greater societal divides based on alignment with vaccine mandates and social distancing requirements. This paper briefly lays out the experiences of individuals in Aotearoa New Zealand related to public health messaging. Methods: Adults in Aotearoa New Zealand participated in a mixed‐methods study involving a survey (n=1,010 analysed results) and then semi‐structured interviews with a subset of surveyed participants (38 participants). Results were thematically analysed. Results: Participants highlighted two key areas related to public health messaging, these related to message consistency and the impact of messaging on wellbeing. Conclusions and public health implications: As the COVID‐19 pandemic continues and further disrupts health service delivery and normal societal functioning, forward planning is needed to deliver more targeted messaging., In 2020, Aotearoa New Zealand's stringent COVID‐19 policy response was highly regarded worldwide.[sup.1-3] National messaging focussed on ‘staying home’ secure in ‘bubbles’, ‘being kind’ as part of a ‘team of [...]

: Objective: To systematically review research into the use of humour‐based health promotion strategies for addressing public health issues during the past 10 years. Method: The systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Thirteen studies were included in the review. Mental health, breast and testicular cancer self‐examination, safe sex, skin cancer and binge drinking public health issues were targeted. Humour‐based strategies were used to influence health attitudes and behaviours, encourage interpersonal sharing to indirectly affect health behaviour, and investigate the level of threat and humour associated with positive outcomes. Findings provided some evidence to support the use of humour‐based strategies as determined by the right combination of audience characteristics, level of humour and amusement evoked, and message persuasion and behaviour change methods underpinning strategies. Conclusion: Methodologies varied limiting comparability, although overall results indicate that humour‐based health promotion strategies may be a useful tool for increasing awareness and help‐seeking behaviour for public health priorities, particularly those associated with stigma. Implications for public health: Humour interventions vary widely because there can never be a standardised approach to evoking humour. Further research examining humour and public health promotion is needed., The research evidence‐dissemination gap continues to be a major public health challenge.[sup.1] It has been estimated that there is a 17‐year lag between evidence and practice,[sup.1] while a second dissemination [...]

Author(s): Ingrid Eshun-Wilson 1,2,*, Nathan Ford 3, Aaloke Mody 1, Laura Beres 4, Sheree Schwartz 5, Stefan Baral 5, Elvin H. Geng 1 Summary points With highly effective diagnostic, prevention, [...]

Outbreaks of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) in residential aged care facilities (RACF) have been responsible for approximately 75% of all COVID‐19‐related deaths in Australia, including 61 deaths in New South [...]

The World Health Organization announced the COVID‐19 global pandemic to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020.[sup.1] Many governments from around the world, including Australia, [...]

Airbnb is the world's leading platform for peer-to-peer (P2P) short-term housing rentals. There are more than 100,000 Airbnb venues across Canada. Legislative efforts to regulate the P2P housing marketplace have not broadly considered public health impacts including injury prevention, tobacco smoke exposure, and food safety. Using publicly available data, our study quantified the proportion of Airbnb venues in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City that report 1) having injury prevention amenities (smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and first aid kits); 2) allowing smoking; and 3) providing breakfast. Data were collected in May 2018 for 31,535 Airbnb venues in Vancouver (n = 6,385), Toronto (n = 15,722), Montreal (n = 6,702), and Quebec City (n = 2,726). Most venues reported having a smoke alarm (89%), approximately one half reported having a carbon monoxide detector (56%), and less than one half reported having a fire extinguisher (47%) or first aid kit (35%). A small proportion reported providing breakfast (13%) and fewer reported allowing smoking (4%). We found safety deficiencies in thousands of Airbnb venues in these four cities. Would-be guests might be exposed to secondhand or thirdhand smoke in some Airbnb rentals. This study identified thousands of venues that are serving food, which potentially presents challenges related to food safety. Government agencies should take into account public health concerns when regulating the P2P housing marketplace., Introduction The peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace allows people to sell goods and services to others through connections facilitated by Web or smartphone application platforms. Airbnb has emerged as the global leader [...]

Purpose This article uses an evaluation of New Heights, a school-based program for pregnant and parenting teens in the District of Columbia Public Schools, to illustrate how maternal and child health programs can obtain rigorous evaluations at reasonable cost using extant administrative data. The key purpose of the article is to draw out lessons learned about planning and conducting this type of evaluation, including the important role of partnerships between program staff and evaluators. Description This article summarizes the evaluation's research design, data sources, and lessons learned about ingredients contributing to the successful implementation of this study. The evaluation employed a difference-in-differences design to estimate program impacts using administrative data merged across agencies. Assessment Several features of New Heights and its context facilitated an evaluation. First, New Heights leaders could clearly describe program components and how the program was expected to improve specific student education outcomes. These outcomes were easy to measure for program and comparison groups using administrative data, which agencies were willing to provide. Second, buy-in from program staff facilitated study approval, data agreements, and unanticipated opportunities to learn about program implementation. Finally, time spent by evaluators and program staff in conversation about the program's components, context, and data resulted in greater understanding and a more useful evaluation. Conclusion The New Heights evaluation is a concrete example of how a small program with a modest evaluation budget can obtain evidence of impact. Collaborative relationships between researchers and program staff can enable these informative studies to flourish., Author(s): Susan Zief [sup.1] , John Deke [sup.1] , Ruth Neild [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.419482.2, 0000 0004 0618 1906, Mathematica Policy Research, , 600 Alexander Park, 08540, Princeton, NJ, [...]

Author(s): The PLOS Medicine Editors * The editors of PLOS Medicine , together with guest editors Timothy Walsh, Ramanan Laxminarayan and Ana Cristina Gales, announce a forthcoming Special Issue dedicated [...]

Editor's Note: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, [...]

Editor's Note: NEHA strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, the National Environmental Health Association [...]