AIMS Public Health最新文献

The accelerating pace of urbanization, coupled with the intensifying impacts of climate change, poses unprecedented challenges to both the environment and human well-being. In this review, we delved into the intricate interaction between climate change and urbanization and the various effects they have on the environment and human well-being, shedding light on the emergent urban climate crisis. Urban areas serve as epicenters for diverse socio-economic activities, yet they also contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. Through an interdisciplinary lens, we explored the root causes of the urban climate crisis, examining how rapid urbanization exacerbates climate change and vice versa. By synthesizing current research and case studies, we elucidate the various environmental and social ramifications of this nexus, ranging from urban heat island effects to heightened vulnerability to extreme weather events. Furthermore, we delve into the unequal distribution of climate risks within urban populations, highlighting the disproportionate burden borne by marginalized communities. Finally, the chapter presents strategies and interventions for mitigating and adapting to the urban climate crisis, emphasizing the imperative of holistic and equitable approaches that prioritize both environmental sustainability and human well-being. Overall, this review calls for concerted efforts to unravel the complexities of the urban climate crisis and forge a path toward resilient, sustainable, and equitable urban futures.

Introduction: African American women have a higher prevalence of hypertension than women of other ethnicities. The increasing prevalence of hypertension among this population is alarming.

Methods: This was an 8-week feasibility study. The study population consisted of African American women aged 60 years and older with a self-reported diagnosis of hypertension. Participants identified a peer to participate with or were paired with another participant in the study. Educational sessions on communication, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, and home blood pressure monitoring were provided for participants. Participants were required to measure their blood pressure twice daily using an Omron monitor and communicate with their peers at least twice weekly. Dietary intake was measured pre- and post-intervention using the DASH Quality (DASH-Q) survey, social support was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey, and communication was tracked using communication logs. Feasibility was assessed by enrollment and retention rates.

Results: Pre-intervention, participants had an average DASH-Q score of 33.76 (SD = 13.37). Participants' post-intervention DASH-Q scores increased by 5 points compared to their pre-intervention scores; however, this difference was not significant (t = -1.608, p = 0.059). Additionally, participants who completed the intervention had a 4-point decrease in their systolic blood pressure at week 6. A dependent sample t-test revealed the difference was significant (t = 2.305, p = 0.014). A total of 40 participants were enrolled in the study, and the retention rate was 85%.

Conclusion: Although not statistically significant, improvements in systolic blood pressure and DASH diet adherence were observed. Therefore, the results indicate that the peer (dyadic) support intervention was feasible.

The educational environment is important for the development of life skills of nursing students in late- and post-adolescence. Strengthening their mental resilience, enhancing their individual confidence, and controlling stress are necessary conditions in this direction, which will help them cope with the future challenges of their chosen profession. We aimed to study the resilience profiles of nursing students by investigating their mental resilience and its association with their individual characteristics and lifestyle factors. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25) scale for resilience, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) scale for perceived stress, and the Personal Trust and Connection (PerTC) scale for trust and connections were used. The lifestyle determinants were also assessed. An e-survey that targeted 250 nursing students was conducted from November 22 to April 23. Descriptive and advanced statistical analyses were performed. 146 students participated in the study via an on-line questionnaire; the students were predominantly female (82.2%) with mean age of 22 years (SD = 6.8). Two out of ten students smoked (20.5%), 66.4% consumed at least one drink during a usual week, and 48.0% participated in sports during the last year. The mean hours spent on the Internet daily was 4.2 (SD = 1.8) and on social media was 2.7 (SD = 1.6) hours/day. The students scored highly on the 1-to-10 life-satisfaction item (Mean = 6.3, SD = 1.9), where the perceived stress was assessed as moderate/high with a mean of 33 (SD = 4.4) and trust and connections had a mean of 6.2 (SD = 1.1). In the multivariate analysis, the factors found to significantly associate with resilience (CD-RISC-25; Mean = 64.2, SD = 11.8) were age (β = 0.4; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.7), sports participation (β = 5.7; 95% CI: 2.3, 9.1), hours per day spent on social media (β = -1.3; 95% CI: -2.3, -0.3), and the number of friends (β = 0.3; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.5). Finally, resilience was positively associated with life satisfaction and the trust and connections scale (β = 1.8; 95% CI: 0.9, 2.7 and β = 1.8; 95% CI: 0.2, 3.4, respectively).

Managing disasters and public health emergencies poses a complex challenge, particularly in maintaining the crucial elements of surge capacity, often referred to as the 4S: staff, stuff, space, and system. While discussions surrounding the management of these emergencies typically emphasize their impact on emergency healthcare services, resources, and capabilities, it is essential to recognize the inherent limitations of these resources. Therefore, integrating non-medical resources such as community staff, supplies, and spaces into the response chain is equally important. Among community facilities, hotels are particularly intriguing due to their organizational and structural capabilities to serve as alternative care sites for lightly injured or non-injured emergency victims. This narrative review explored the potential use of hotels as alternative care sites and the legal implications associated with such utilization. The results confirmed a high potential for using hotels as alternate care sites. However, data concerning its practical and legal implications are insufficient. This paper suggests further research to investigate the criteria for utilizing hotels in this capacity, including admission guidelines for disaster victims and relevant ethical and legal considerations.

Burnout among nurses is a pervasive concern in healthcare, with profound implications for patient care and nurse well-being. While research has highlighted the detrimental effects of burnout on many aspects of nursing, including patient safety and quality of care, the underlying mechanisms driving burnout warrant further investigation. In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed 196 nurses from diverse Italian hospitals using an online questionnaire via Qualtrics. Our findings revealed significant negative correlations between psychological safety climate and both relational stressors and emotional exhaustion. Conversely, relational stressors positively correlated with emotional exhaustion, and a significant negative indirect effect of psychological safety climate was found for emotional exhaustion through relational stressors, emphasizing the pivotal role of psychological safety climate in mitigating nurse burnout. Our study underscores the potential effectiveness of interventions targeting psychological safety climate and relational stressors in alleviating emotional exhaustion and burnout among nurses. Theoretical implications underscore the importance of deepening the role of psychological safety climate in mitigating emotional exhaustion, while practical implications emphasize the need for fostering a positive psychological safety climate and implementing targeted interventions to support nurses' well-being.

Background: In the present study, we aim to assess the trend in mortality in COVID-19 by time and sex in a large cohort using Datavant's Death Index database. The main objectives of this study are to analyze mortality cases over time, which are categorized by sex and age, and to identify potential reasons for the observed differences.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort containing information on deceased individuals in the United States and Canada (n = 4,384,265). We included adult male and female patients with a clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 (January-December 2022) (ICD-10 code: U07.1). Mortality cases for males and females were presented over a three-year period of COVID-19 pandemic. Sex ratios presenting the change of mortality cases over time was also computed as the number of diagnosed males over female patients. Sex-differences in the mortality rates were illustrated by age groups.

Results: In 2020, mortality cases increased to reach up to 200,000 cases per day and fluctuated due to social and/or cultural events in the US. In 2021, mortality cases reached the highest peak over the time period despite the US vaccine rollout due to holiday gatherings during November and December 2021, as well as the spread of a more contagious strain of the virus. In 2022, mortality cases decreased due to widespread vaccinations and a rise in natural immunity following the first Omicron surge. Furthermore, the proportion of COVID-19 cases in males and females remained stable during the pandemic; however, the number of diagnosed male patients markedly increased during the first months of 2022. Gender discrepancies suggest the role of various factors such as occupation, underlying comorbidities, and behavioral and immunological factors.

Conclusion: Our study highlights higher mortality rates observed among males, suggesting that several factors may contribute to such differences, including social, behavioral, and biological factors. Our findings highlight the importance of implementing sex-specific treatment approaches in COVID-19 patients.

The health and fitness (H&F) sector is rapidly evolving and appears to be a vibrant space for industry stakeholders with a great potential globally. This observational study aimed to identify the most popular trends related to H&F services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time, focused on the industry status after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and aimed to detect potential differences with the recent results observed in other countries or regions. Additionally, a chi-square analysis was applied to determine the significant differences between trends and demographics, such as sex, age, experience, and work status. A national online survey was conducted, and applied the methodology of similar international surveys that have been carried out by the American College of Sports Medicine since 2006. In particular, simple random sampling was utilized through an online questionnaire sent to 2771 professionals involved in the UAE's H&F sector. In total, 322 responses were collected with a response rate of 11.6%. The 10 most popular H&F trends in the UAE during the post-COVID-19 era were exercise for weight loss, personal training, traditional strength training, employing certified exercise professionals, boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, youth athletic development, high-intensity interval training, massage, bodyweight training, and wearable technologies. Exercise for weight loss (p = 0.001) and lifestyle medicine (p = 0.032) were more popular among females compared to males, while traditional strength training (p = 0.035) was reported more frequently by males. Going to health clubs and spas (p = 0.001) and practicing yoga (p = 0.011) were more popular trends among middle-aged (36-64 years) respondents compared to young ones (18-34 years). Athletic development (p = 0.042) was more frequently reported by non-practitioners (students) compared to practitioners (part- and full-time employees). The present results are partially in line with those reported in other recent national, regional, and global surveys, which investigated the top H&F trends after the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, the main outcomes of this study indicate that the industry stakeholders should focus on in-person H&F services since trends related to technology and digital services are not currently popular nationwide. Moreover, the majority of the top trends were more traditional and rooted activities, which showed that the current status of the H&F sector has established particular training services, programs, and products in the UAE.

Background: Access to language assistance is a patient's right under federal law. Despite this, underuse of language services persists.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the interest in obtaining bilingual certification and to describe perspectives on language services by resident physicians.

Methods: Between May and August 2021, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of residents at a public, urban hospital serving mostly patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). We assessed resident perspectives on language services, exposure to language-related trainings, non-English language (NEL) skills, and interest in bilingual certification.

Results: A total of 214 residents of 289 completed the survey (a 74% response rate). Of the 95 residents who used their NEL for patient care, 65 (68%) would be interested in bilingual certification. Sixty-nine (33%), 65 (31%), and 95 (45%) residents disagreed or strongly disagreed with being satisfied with the language services available, convenience, and sufficient equipment, respectively. Furthermore, 28 (13%) disagreed or strongly disagreed that they could achieve bi-directional communication with LEP patients.

Conclusions: Over a quarter of the residents expressed interest in bilingual certification and were likely to pass the certification exam. Many reported using their own NEL skills without certification and held negative views on services and trainings.

Objectives: To investigate the clinical epidemiological characteristics and occurrence of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in patients with traumatic fractures, we sought to analyze the factors that influence the prognosis of a length of hospital stay (LOS) and provide valuable insights to prevent PTSS in fracture patients and improve their prognosis.

Methods: Inpatients with traumatic fractures were recruited from a third-class comprehensive general hospital in southwest China between November 2019 and October 2020. Case data of traumatic fracture patients were collected, and a questionnaire that included general information and basic fracture details was completed. The post-traumatic stress disorder Self-rating Scale was used to assess PTSS among the fracture inpatients.

Results: A total of 204 inpatients who experienced traumatic fractures were included in this study. Falls accounted for the largest proportion of traumatic fractures. A Cox's regression analysis revealed that serious injury [Hazard Ratio (HR) = 2.44, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.33-4.46], critical illness during hospitalization (HR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.13-2.54), and undergoing two surgeries (HR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.20-2.93) were risk factors for longer LOS. Among the fracture patients, 30.39% exhibited positive PTSD symptoms, and physical activity during the fracture [Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.45-0.88] and increased pain (OR = 3.34, 95% CI: 1.82-6.11) were identified as influencing factors.

Conclusions: Given the high detection rate of PTSS following traumatic fractures, it is crucial for relevant departments to implement targeted measures to protect high risk individuals. Furthermore, strengthening the care provided to the patients' physical and mental health is urgently needed to reduce the incidence of PTSS.

This study focused on the TALK Debrief Experience in the prehospital personnel (n = 1521) of a western Spanish healthcare region during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The study aimed to apply the TALK clinical debriefing intervention to out-of-hospital clinical staff during pandemics; identify their emotions, thoughts, coping strategies, and solution proposals; determine their demands for improving well-being and coping ability; and disseminate valuable knowledge for addressing trauma in similar situations. The study employed a qualitative methodology within a participatory action research (PAR) framework, conducting group discussions (n = 375) and employing the TALK clinical debriefing method as the guiding framework for the sessions. The discussion group meetings were facilitated by psychologists (n = 67) who had received training in this intervention technique. Various emotions were identified during the sessions, including fear of contagion, lack of control and security, work-related stress, and ethical dilemmas. Proposed solutions and coping strategies addressed increased security measures, promotion of social distancing, stress and anxiety management, and clarity in procedures and provision of protective equipment. The study also highlighted additional demands such as the need for clear information, psychological support, and changes in work practices like reducing strenuous shifts. In conclusion, despite study limitations, such as the lack of long-term follow-up, it emphasized the importance of comprehensively addressing well-being and working conditions during health crises.