Journal of Public Health Policy最新文献

This study aims to identify the level and trend of alcohol imagery in popular films in China from 2001 to 2020. We divided the running time of the annual 20 top-grossing films in China into 5-min intervals and coded those containing alcohol imagery, the presence of warnings, whether the imagery was related to minors and alcohol brands. Results showed that alcohol imagery occurred in 90.75% (363/400) of the films and 25.26% (2380/9423) of the intervals; these proportions remained stable over time. No film containing alcohol imagery had warnings, alcohol imagery related to minors appeared each year, and 103 alcohol brands were present in 185 intervals across 93 of the 400 films. Chinese films contained more alcohol imagery than international films. National policies are required to restrict alcohol imagery in films and to reduce the availability of such films for viewing by young people.

In 1994, the United States approved the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test as a screening tool for prostate cancer. It did so despite the test's inherent weakness: not being prostate cancer specific. Subsequent randomized trials yielded conflicting results as to its benefits. Medical guideline organizations are concerned that PSA screening results in the diagnosis and treatment of clinically indolent prostate cancer. Nevertheless, PSA screening is prevalent in North America and Europe with PSA screening increasing in other regions. We provide a critical review of the major factors that led to the prevalence of PSA screening in the United States despite the debate about its benefits. Public advocacy in favor of the test and failure of the medical community to appreciate its inherent weakness led to widespread adoption. These factors persist today. Other countries need to carefully analyze the utility of the PSA test before adopting it.

We construct comparable indicators that measure the prevalence of recent intimate partner violence (IPV) using publicly available, integrated microdata within the IPUMS data collections across many countries. The objective of this work is to increase opportunities for comparative research by leveraging vast quantities of harmonized data. We use consistent and comparable variables that measure domestic violence in international health surveys. The most consistent indicators of domestic violence measure physical, psychological, and sexual IPV in the last 12 months. We imposed a consistent reference period and restricted to a comparable subpopulation where these differed across surveys. Aggregating IPV variables across surveys, without careful attention to question wording and subpopulations, may produce inconsistent measures leading to bias, over- or under-estimation of IPV prevalence, or spurious trends and associations. Using comparable indicators in microdata and studying the level, distribution, and covariates of IPV in multiple settings over time, we can better understand these phenomena and identify effective policy interventions.

Carceral conditions in the United States may serve as a proxy for crises within justice and health systems. This study seeks to consider and measure prison climate from the perspective of incarcerated people. By examining within-facility differences in carceral experiences, results shed light on the complex nexus between the carceral context, health, and justice. We administered the Prison Climate Questionnaire (PCQ) to the complete population of incarcerated men in a correctional facility located in the Eastern United States. In this facility, housing units hold distinct populations, fulfill different functions, and can offer unique programming. We regress select items from the PCQ on a set of dummies corresponding to different residential units within the facility. Responses indicate low but relatively uniform perceptions of overall personal health, as well as access to, and satisfaction with, medical care. Between-unit differences emerge regarding staff relationships, experiences of discrimination, and levels of isolation. The perspectives of incarcerated people can, and should, play a role in understanding and conceptualizing the nature of the prison environment. Policy responses, especially those that impact the health and well-being of currently and formerly incarcerated people, can be informed by these perspectives.

In 2019, 1.74 billion people worldwide had anemia. In Nigeria, women of reproductive age are the most affected. Domestic violence affects the anemia prevalence, but few studies have examined the influence of urbanization on women in heterosexual unions (currently married, and cohabiting between). Using the social determinants of health framework, we argue that food-based violence and anemia vary among women residing in rural and urban areas. We used the Chi-square test and logistic regression to analyze the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey records (n = 10,499). The study showed that anemia occurs more among women in rural (66%) than in urban (34%) areas. In rural areas, anemia was 29% higher among women who approved food-based domestic violence (OR: 1.29, CI 1.15-1.57) than those who did not. In urban areas, food-based domestic violence was not significantly associated with anemia. This study emphasizes the urgent need for culturally sensitive maternal health interventions aimed at re-orienting individuals and families on violence in rural areas.

Household food insecurity is associated with both low income and high cost of living, it is a potentially better measure for consumption compared to income. We use data on food insecurity and income from 10 years of the Canadian Community Health Survey (2007-2017) of single-person households (n = 145,044) to estimate the probability of being food insecure at the Canadian poverty thresholds (Market Basket Measure thresholds, or MBMs), and determine the income required to reach that probability in each MBM region, aggregated by province and rural/urban status. A regression model shows the probability of being food insecure at the MBM is approximately 30% which we call the Food Insecurity Poverty Line (FIPL). The income required to meet the FIPL is substantially different from the MBM, sometimes 1.25 times the MBM. This implies that food insecurity is a potential sentinel measure for poverty.