Frontiers in Public Health最新文献

Aims: To investigate the prevalence of social frailty among older adults in nursing homes, and to explore the associated factors of social frailty.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Methods: From September to December 2024, a convenience sample of 447 older adults was recruited from nine nursing homes in Chongqing, China. Social frailty was assessed using the HALFT scale, with a score of ≥ 3 indicating the presence of social frailty, Data were collected on demographic and disease characteristics, loneliness, depression, and social network. Descriptive statistics, univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied for data analysis.

Results: The prevalence of social frailty was 23.9% among older adults in nursing homes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that education level (OR = 0.306, 95% CI:0.099-0.945, p < 0.001), willingness to reside (OR = 2.816, 95% CI:1.147-6.915, p = 0.024), loneliness (OR = 1.354, 95% CI:1.214-1.510, p < 0.001), depression (OR = 1.753, 95% CI:1.229-2.499, p = 0.002), and social network (OR = 0.955, 95% CI:0.914-0.999, p = 0.043) were independent factors associated with social frailty.

Conclusion: Social frailty is a common problem among older adults in nursing homes. Healthcare providers should develop preventive strategies based on these factors to reduce the onset and progression of social frailty among older adults in nursing homes.

Introduction: Malaria transmission is highly spatially heterogeneous. Within Southeast Asia, forested landscapes are associated both with increased malaria transmission and reduced healthcare access. Identifying environments with malaria foci is a priority for control and elimination programmes.

Methods: Here, we integrate health facility and environmental data to identify optimal surveillance approaches across a forested district in the Philippines. We conducted convenience surveys of health facility attendees utilising tablet-based applications to geolocate participant residences. Malaria infection was assessed using both routine (microscopy and rapid diagnostic test) and molecular methods. Integrating remote-sensing derived data, we assessed how fine-scale environmental factors influence the spatial distributions of malaria infections, diagnostic sensitivity and health-seeking behavior. We evaluated costs and probability of detecting malaria foci for multiple surveillance approaches using different diagnostic methods and target populations defined by landscape data.

Results: We demonstrate that health facility-based surveys increase the probability of detecting malaria infections by increasing numbers of individuals screened and spatial coverage of surveillance systems. We additionally show sensitivity of routine malaria diagnostics varies spatially, with the decreased sensitivity in forests. By targeting diagnostic methods to high-risk environments, we developed a model approach for how to use landscape data within disease surveillance systems. Risk-based surveillance incorporating forest data is highly cost-effective and increases the probability of detecting malaria foci over three-fold compared to routine surveillance.

Discussion: Together, this illustrates the essential role of environmental data in designing risk-based surveillance to provide an operationally feasible and cost-effective method to characterise malaria transmission.

Objectives: Sickle cell anemia (SCA) causes childhood morbidity and mortality in resource-limited settings. Identifying educational needs of healthcare providers allows implementation of targeted programs using evidence-based methods.

Methods: Qualitative data using semi-structured online interviews and surveys were collected from sites across eight countries. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded for thematic analysis.

Results: Eighteen healthcare providers (50% female) from six countries in Africa and the Caribbean were recruited. Four overarching themes emerged: (1) few training opportunities; (2) personal payment for training; (3) busy clinic schedules, so training must occur on personal time; and (4) travel constraints for attending conferences. All participants requested virtual telementoring for continuing education and emphasized an interactive format.

Conclusion: This needs assessment highlights the opportunity to implement telementoring educational programs, such as Project ECHO©, to increase knowledge among multidisciplinary healthcare providers treating children with SCA in resource-limited settings. Providers demonstrated a high level of interest and engagement in education delivered through established North-South partnerships. Telementoring offers an opportunity for capacity building, supporting evidence-based treatment and improving access to knowledgeable providers, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.

Background: Although school-based physical activity (PA) programs are recognized for enhancing children's health-related fitness (HRF), limited evidence exists on how responsiveness varies by country and body weight status. Within the framework of the DELICIOUS project, this study analyzed cross-country variations in anthropometric and health-related fitness (HRF) changes among children with normal weight, overweight, and obesity who participated in a standardized school-based PA intervention.

Methods: Over 900 children aged 8-14 years from Egypt, Lebanon, Italy, Portugal, and Spain participated in a standardized six-month PA-program. Anthropometric measures (weight, height, and BMI) and physical fitness components (sprint, jump, strength, endurance, and coordination) were assessed before and after the intervention. Intervention effects were analyzed using repeated measures and factorial ANOVA models to examine interactions between time, country, and body weight category.

Results: The intervention showed the greatest anthropometric effectiveness in Egypt and Spain, where children with overweight and obesity experienced weight stabilization and BMI reductions, significant among groups with obesity (-4% in Egypt; -2% in Spain). In contrast, Lebanon and Italy exhibited slight but significant increases in BMI among participants with normal and overweight. Regarding physical performance, the intervention led to significant improvements across countries, particularly in coordination and cardiovascular endurance. The most comprehensive gains were observed among children with overweight, with Egypt showing improvements across all fitness outcomes, and Lebanon and Portugal improving in all except sprint. Among normal-weight, participants in Lebanon, Egypt, and Portugal improved in 4 to 5 out of 6 fitness tests, whereas those in Spain and Italy improved in only 2 to 3. Children with obesity exhibited the lowest responsiveness overall, with Egypt, Italy, Spain, and Portugal showing improvements in only 1 to 2 outcomes.

Conclusion: The standardized PA intervention yielded promising, yet heterogeneous HRF changes among Mediterranean children, differing by country and weight status. These findings highlight the importance of adapting school-based PA programs to local sociocultural contexts and individual profiles. In particular, vulnerable groups such as children with obesity may require tailored, multicomponent interventions that extend beyond standardized PA to include nutritional education, psychological support, and culturally adapted strategies to optimize outcomes and promote sustained engagement.

Background: Workplace gossip is a pervasive form of informal communication, with significant implications for both individual and organizational consequences. Nevertheless, it remains underexplored, particularly within the distinctive social context of nursing profession.

Methods: Using the Arksey and O'Malley framework, a scoping review was conducted across six databases including PubMed and Cochrane Library, retrieving 1,487 articles and examining 30 studies from 1993 to 2025. The selection of studies followed predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the extracted data were charted using a series of tables.

Results: Grounded in Social Information Processing theory, this study systematically explores the motivations, consequences, and mechanisms of workplace gossip in nursing groups. The findings reveal that: (1) Workplace gossip stems from both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, deeply shaped by social context of the nursing profession; (2) It has both beneficial and harmful effects on nurses and organizations; (3) Its mechanisms of influence are mediated by organizational and cultural factors such as perceived justice, relational networks, work environment, and group tenure diversity.

Conclusion: As a complex organizational phenomenon, workplace gossip exhibits distinctive motivations, consequences, and underlying mechanisms in nursing groups. A comprehensive understanding and evidence-based guidance of gossip in nursing practice may transform it into a constructive managerial resource, fostering staff well-being, patient safety, and organizational adaptability.

This study examines the determinants of older adults' intention to purchase aging-friendly products via online shopping platforms, focusing on senior consumers in Guangzhou, China. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior, it addresses the growing need to understand digital consumption behaviors among aging populations and the factors shaping their engagement in online marketplaces. A structural model was developed to evaluate the effects of digital literacy, trusting beliefs in online shopping, technology anxiety, economic cost, and subjective norms on purchase intentions, using data collected through self-administered questionnaires from 546 adults aged 60 and above. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized relationships. The analysis identified cognitive, emotional, social, and economic dimensions as significant contributors to intention formation, with trusting beliefs further reinforcing older adults' willingness to engage in online purchasing. Overall, the study refines technology-acceptance frameworks for aging populations and underscores the need for digital inclusion strategies supported by public institutions, online retailers, aging-friendly manufacturers, and family caregivers.

Introduction: TORCH is a group of pathogens including Herpes simplex virus (HSV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Rubella virus (RV) and Toxoplasma gondii (TOX). Serological screening for the specific antibodies against TORCH pathogens is crucial for preventing fetal malformation and miscarriage. In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of TORCH IgM and IgG seropositivity in reproductive-aged women in Zhangzhou, China.

Methods: A total of 1,417 reproductive-aged women prior to conception attended prenatal diagnosis outpatient clinic in Zhangzhou and received the prenatal TORCH serological screening were enrolled in this study. The IgM and IgG antibodies against TORCH pathogens were detected using chemiluminescence immunoassay.

Results: The positive rates of IgM for TOX, RV, CMV and HSV-1/2 were 0.64, 2.33, 1.34 and 11.22%. The IgG seropositivity for TOX, RV, CMV, HSV-1 and HSV-2 were 3.81, 72.83, 97.46, 82.64 and 7.27%. The positive rate of HSV-1/2-IgM and TOX-IgG in 2024 were lower than that in 2023. In addition, the positive rates of RV-IgG and HSV-1-IgG were significantly higher in the women aged 30-34 years old and ≥35 years old. The CMV-IgM and HSV-2-IgG positive rates were higher in women ≥35 years old. Regarding seasonal distribution, the positive rate of HSV-1/2-IgM was significantly higher in spring (March to May) than that in winter (December to February). The seropositivity of all TORCH-IgG showed no significant differences across four seasons.

Conclusion: Our research highlights the age and seasonal distribution of TORCH seroprevalence in reproductive-aged women in Zhangzhou. These findings underscore that continuous serological surveillance is important for the prevention of congenital infections caused by TORCH pathogens.

Background: Atherosclerosis is recognized as a potential etiological factor for hypertension. However, evidence regarding the association between the Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP) and hypertension in Chinese middle-aged and older adults remains limited. This study aimed to examine the association between AIP and hypertension in this population.

Methods: This retrospective single-center cross-sectional study consecutively enrolled 5,254 participants undergoing routine health examinations at the Health Management Center of Union Hospital Affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Wuhan, China) between January 2017 and December 2019. Among them, 1,799 were diagnosed with hypertension and 579 with diabetes mellitus. The association between AIP and hypertension was analyzed using logistic regression and restricted cubic splines (RCS). Stratified analyses were performed by diabetes status. Furthermore, mediation analysis was conducted to evaluate the mediating effect of body mass index (BMI) on the AIP and hypertension association.

Results: In this cross-sectional study of 5,254 participants, a positive association was observed between the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and hypertension. After adjusting for multifactorial confounders, each 1-unit increment in AIP was associated with a 14% higher odds of hypertension (aOR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.02-1.27). Mediation analysis confirmed that body mass index (BMI) partially mediated this association, accounting for 55.62% of the total effect (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that elevated AIP is independently and positively associated with hypertension prevalence in adults aged ≥45 years, with body mass index (BMI) mediating 55.62% of this association (p < 0.001).