bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com

1 month ago | bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com | Zheng Zhang |Huijie Xu |Yuanyuan Wang |Cui Liping

Depression poses a significant global public health challenge, affecting millions of people worldwide. The utilization of renewable energy holds potential for improving mental health by reducing air pollution and promoting green spaces. This study aims to investigate the impact of renewable energy use on depression, with a focus on its spatial effects and the mediating roles of air pollution reduction and green space expansion. Data from 181 countries were analyzed using a two-way fixed effects model and the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM). Depression-related metrics, including Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Age-Standardized Disability-Adjusted Life Years Rate (ASDR), prevalence, and Age-Standardized Prevalence Rate (ASPR), were evaluated. Renewable energy use significantly reduces DALYs, ASDR, prevalence, and ASPR within a country, but it also significantly increases the risk of depression in neighboring countries. The impact of renewable energy on depression varies by gender, age, and SDI level, being more pronounced for males and the 50–74 age group. The effect is significant in high and low SDI countries but not in middle SDI countries, indicating a "middle-income trap." Renewable energy can improve mental health by reducing air pollution and promoting green spaces. However, policymakers need to consider spatial effects and tailor policies accordingly to maximize health benefits.

2 months ago | bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com | Francis Xavier

We interviewed a total of 22 PCPs of which 54.5% were women (Table 1). Most participants (72.7%) were physicians, and the remainder were nurse practitioners. Just over half of our sample (54.5%) was White and 31.8% of participants identified as Asian/South Asian. Most participants worked in a team-based primary care model including 45% who worked in a CHC and 13.6% who worked in a FHT.

2 months ago | bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com | Samar Al-Hajj |Hani Mowafi |Ghassan M Khairallah |Diana V Rahme |Carine J Sakr

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are exposed to a multitude of hazards in the hospital environment, increasing their risks of sustaining injuries at a higher rate compared to workers in other sectors and resulting in substantial level of modified work and absenteeism. This study aims to examine the burden and determinants of occupational injury severity of HCWs at a tertiary care hospital in Lebanon. This retrospective cross-sectional study examined incident reports completed by HCWs over a period of 5 years (January 2018 to December 2022). Injury severity was assessed by HCWs’ need for an Emergency Department (ED) visit after sustaining an injury at work. The association with age, sex, occupation, and type of injury was examined. Results were reported as adjusted OR, with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals and p-values, using logistic regression. 1,772 injury reports were recorded, of which 790 were included for analysis since the sample was limited to the outpatient clinic opening hours to ensure a more accurate assessment of injury severity. Of these, 27% required an ED visit. Male sex (OR = 1.601, p-value = 0.005) was associated with more severe injuries. Transportation injuries (OR = 5.927, p-value = 0.001) were more severe compared to other injury mechanism, while needle-pricks (OR = 0.008, p-value = 0.000), exposure to blood products (OR = 0.025, p-value = 0.000), and exposure to harmful substances (OR = 0.209, p-value = 0.003) were less severe. Age and occupation only showed significance at the bivariate level. This study highlighted significant determinants of injury severity among HCWs, emphasizing the critical need for targeted interventions for individuals at risk. Implementing comprehensive safety and wellness programs can enhance the overall health and safety of HCWs in high-stress environments.

Mar 11, 2025 | bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com | Audrey de Nazelle |Anne Vuillemin |Nuttanun Siriaporn

Incorporating active transportation (AT), such as walking and cycling, into daily routines is a promising solution for meeting the World Health Organization’s physical activity recommendations and contributes to reducing the risk of many noncommunicable diseases. Smartphone apps offer versatile platforms for embedding health behavior promotion strategies to encourage AT. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of how mobile apps are being used to promote AT through reviews of the academic literature and commercial app stores. We searched six academic databases (Embase, Medline, Web of Science, PsychINFO, Transport Database, and Google Scholar) for academic literature. The literature was included if it presented a developed app to promote AT behaviors. AT promotion strategies and theories were extracted and analyzed for their impact on changing behaviors and behavioral intentions toward AT. Commercial apps were searched in two app stores (the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store) across six countries, one per continent. Apps were included if they promoted and encouraged AT behavior. We evaluated the apps on the basis of user engagement and their quality and potential to change behaviors, as assessed via the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) and the App Behavior Change Scale (ABACUS). The academic literature search identified 38 articles, presenting 29 apps. All the studies that evaluated behavioral intentions reported success in raising awareness and changing behavioral intentions. A promising strategy to motivate behavior involves providing multiple relevant feedback (calories burned, money saved, time saved, and CO2/particulate matter emissions) on behavioral impacts alongside action plans (route recommendations and personalized travel plans). Only two apps from the literature search were publicly available. The commercial app search identified 78 apps. Apps with high-quality engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information presented greater user engagement than those that did not; therefore, they were more likely to succeed. Mobile apps have great potential to motivate changes and be part of a comprehensive system to promote AT. Given the rapid growth of app-based interventions, leveraging mobile apps to encourage AT warrants further exploration. Upon development, these apps should be maintained and made publicly accessible.

Feb 21, 2025 | bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com | Simon Fraser

Our results indicate that during the first pandemic wave and the ensuing months, the death rate of people who were free of COVID-19 in BC (i.e., always tested negative) more than tripled that of a matched pre-pandemic cohort.