Journal of Public Health Policy最新文献

In the United States (US), the policy landscape surrounding marijuana is complex, multijurisdictional, and often messy, if not contradictory-particularly for tribal communities. Currently, tribes may choose to criminalize or legalize marijuana but may be located within a state or adjacent to a city that has opposing policies. With patterns of substance use that are notably different from the US population as a whole, including higher rates of marijuana use and dependence among Native American youth, tribal communities have important policy decisions to make that will directly impact public health. This paper reviews the history and policy background related to marijuana in the United States, associated health concerns for American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and considerations for tribal communities seeking how to best move forward. A community-led public health response that is culturally grounded can more effectively promote Indigenous health and sovereignty worldwide.

Contraceptive use among adolescent girls in Indonesia remains low. This study examined factors associated with contraceptive knowledge and use among urban and rural adolescent girls using data from the 2017 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS), which employed two-stage stratified sampling across all 34 provinces. We applied multivariable binary logistic regression to a weighted sample of 7936 adolescent girls. Factors significantly associated with contraceptive knowledge included awareness of pregnancy prevention methods, condom use, internet access, peer discussions, and exposure to family planning information through media and online sources (p < 0.05). Contraceptive use was linked to fertility awareness, peer discussions, health facility visits, and information from health workers. Improving access to family planning information through school-based programs and community engagement is recommended. This study helps readers understand adolescent contraceptive use and provides insights into the challenges faced within Indonesia's culturally sensitive context.

Chinese migrant workers often face significant health-related social inequalities, particularly in housing, in urban China. However, there is limited research investigating the health impacts of housing inequalities among migrant workers. We examined the accommodation types associated with the prevalence of diarrhea among migrant workers in urban China. We used a nationwide survey data to investigate the overall housing conditions and applied multilevel logistic regression models to analyze the association between diarrhea and housing types. The findings highlight that the prevalence of diarrhea among migrant workers is significantly associated with housing types rather than neighborhood or income levels. Compared with living in private rental properties, migrants living in government-subsidized properties have significantly increased odds of reporting diarrhea episodes (OR = 1.41; 95% CI 1.23-1.61; p < 0.001). This study indicated the need to address the quality and maintenance of housing infrastructure rather than ownership status alone.

Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) pose a global health threat, particularly in tropical and sub-tropical regions like India. This study investigates the capacities and challenges of Puducherry's health system in combating Aedes-borne diseases. A multi-method qualitative approach including reviews of governmental documents and media reports, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with stakeholders, and field observations was used. We performed a thematic stakeholder power-interest analysis using the World Health Organization's "Health System Building Blocks" framework. Key challenges included unsustainable interventions, poor interdepartmental collaboration, limited manpower, and urban-centric facilities causing long waiting times. Furthermore, growing migrant population, limited social media engagement, inefficient primary-level surveillance, and passivity in community responsibility sharing were noted. The findings emphasize the global value of investing in robust healthcare infrastructure, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community empowerment to mitigate VBD risks. The insights are valuable for policymakers and researchers to enhance the effectiveness of vector control programs in diverse settings.

Government entities and health regulators have long used policies to shape public health. Policy surveillance, the process of tracking policies over time, is crucial in evaluating these efforts and can be applied in settings where health and safety regulations are established. Policy text collection, an essential early phase of policy surveillance, is typically feasible for state and federal policies through legislative databases. However, such access to policy text is not as widely available for policies by other organizations-such as schools or workplaces. The primary aim of this case study is to inform the use of policy surveillance in settings outside of federal and state laws by (1) examining the feasibility of policy text collection beyond these settings using a case study of higher education policies, (2) describing the challenges and limitations in collecting text from higher education policies, and (3) providing recommendations for collecting text of organizational policies.

The understanding of relationship between dietary knowledge and dietary behavior starts with defining specific food choice patterns. In this study, we interviewed 4710 residents in eastern China about their dietary knowledge, preferred diet, and cooking methods. We calculated dietary knowledge scores as the percentage of correct answers to each item in the dietary knowledge and applied factor analysis to derive the major dietary and cooking patterns. We then used multivariate linear regression to examine the socio-economic variables and dietary knowledge score associated with the preferred diets and cooking patterns. We showed that dietary knowledge scores were closely and positively correlated with Fruits-vegetables-dairy products, Meat dietary patterns, and Bland cooking patterns, and negatively correlated with Processed food dietary patterns and High-temperature cooking patterns. Therefore, promoting and propagating dietary knowledge is conducive to healthy dietary behavior. Future studies should be conducted on a broader scale to further examine the effects of geographic and cultural differences.

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to analyze the epidemiological profile of 3549 natural hazard-related disasters in Asia between 2000 and 2021. Using data compiled by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), we calculated the average rates of affected individuals, injuries, and deaths per year and per million inhabitants by type of disasters and applied ANOVA test to compare these estimates. Geophysical disasters, which include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mass movements of dry origin, were most severe with the highest average death (5973.236 per million), injury (5808.106 per million), and affected people rates (329 679.2 per million). In contrast, meteorological disasters registered the lowest average rate of deaths (44.377 per million), climatological disasters registered the lowest average rate of people injured (17.351 per million), while biological disasters exhibited the lowest average rate of affected people (2818.505 per million). There were significant decreasing trends in the average rates of the number of deaths (tau = - 0.34; p = 0.028), affected people (tau = - 0.32; p = 0.039), and injured people (tau = - 0.31; p = 0.042). We detected no trend in the frequency of all-natural hazard-related disasters.

In December 2022, under the aegis of the French government, 184 citizens were randomly drawn to address the issue of assisted dying within a Citizen's Convention. Discussions from this type of assembly can reveal gaps or shortcomings in existing policies and thereby strengthen the legitimacy of public health decisions, in this case regarding palliative care. We investigated what motivated these citizens to participate in this health democracy exercise. We conducted a study during the first phase of the Convention (held from December 2022 to January 2023). We collected data through a questionnaire and a direct non-participatory observation. In total, 64% of the participants completed the questionnaire. We found that participation was driven by a desire for intellectual enrichment, social experience, and to fulfill a civic duty. Participants did not come to defend a particular position highlighting the potential value of this type of exercises for stimulating public debate.

Putting health equity into practice requires deliberate, longitudinal work by numerous stakeholders and a multi-sectoral strategy that simultaneously engages academic, governmental, and corporate entities. Corporate social responsibility in healthcare research and product development is a critical step to ensure that everyone benefits from diagnostics and treatments, and that all patients' needs are met. Herein we describe activities ongoing at a global healthcare technology company in order to help close the treatment gap and improve equitable access to care. Published literature was used to inform a framework for organizing the activities into four initiatives: (1) raising awareness of the implications of the status quo; (2) implementing equitable patient-centered innovation; (3) building a more diverse workforce; and (4) generating the evidence base for equitable care. The four ongoing initiatives illustrate specific efforts that healthcare professionals and corporations can make to help close the health equity gap and shape the future of healthcare.

This systematic review examined physical activity recommendations and strategies within clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for preventing overweight and obesity in children aged 5-17. Eighteen guidelines from Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America were identified. Strategies were classified into five categories: individual, family, school, community, and healthcare. Most recommendations aligned with international guidelines, highlighting individual responsibility in increasing daily activity and reducing sedentary time. Families should support active lifestyles and limit screen time, while schools must provide quality physical education and activity opportunities. Communities should ensure safe facilities, and the healthcare sector is tasked with guiding, monitoring, and assessing physical activity levels. Improving clarity regarding sector responsibilities may enhance the effectiveness of CPGs in schools and other health practices, contributing to long-term reductions in childhood overweight and obesity rates.