Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health最新文献

The past decade has seen a rapidly changing landscape in priority areas for public health globally and, as such, across the teaching and learning curriculum for tertiary education in health sciences. The nature of some of these changes has led to pedagogical challenges in higher education that require transformative, interactive, and virtual modes of delivery and knowledge facilitation not previously seen. The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, increasing health disparities, and a shift to a focus on noncommunicable diseases has merged with the changing nature of social, cultural, and technological preferences of the generations living through such times to see an increasing need in more viable teaching solutions for these "wicked problems." This article outlines key innovations empirically demonstrated to meet these challenges through nuanced responses to increasingly disrupted approaches to linear delivery of content and a shift toward bite-sized, interactive, reflexive modes of achieving learning objectives.

Significant sociocultural barriers to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information influence what is acceptable to discuss and learn within the Malaysian community. To address gaps in their knowledge, adolescents routinely turn to the Internet. This study identifies the ways they navigate SRH information found online. One-on-one interviews were conducted with 17 Malaysian adolescents. The data were analysed with reflexive thematic analysis. Participants navigate SRH information using intuitive strategies, known locally as pandai-pandai. This important cultural concept involves balancing between adherence to social norms and resourcefulness in problem-solving. Pandai-pandai strategies were observed in three domains: (1) navigating SRH sources, (2) evaluating and verifying SRH information, and (3) processing SRH information. Malaysian adolescents' strategies for evaluating SRH information extend beyond traditional critical evaluation models and are driven by emotional, social, and cultural criteria, requiring a reconsideration of what constitutes critical evaluation in this context.

With a significant proportion of the population facing considerable deficits in access to health care and financial protection, progress toward universal health coverage (UHC) continues to be a challenge in South Asia. The objective of this scoping review is to examine the challenges and opportunities for UHC in South Asia. We used the six-stage Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework for investigation and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis extension for Scoping Reviews checklist to structure and report the review. A systematic search retrieved 2776 records from three databases and 13 gray literature sources, of which 27 records were reviewed. Frequently emerging challenges include underfunding of the health system, the nascent stage or inadequate coverage of the social protection or insurance system, fragmentation in the health system, the inability to effectively regulate the private sector, a health system that is unprepared to effectively address non-communicable diseases, and concerns about the quality of and equality of access to health care. While a diversity of challenges, mostly driven by the country-specific context, continue to falter progress toward UHC in the South Asia region, several consistent themes emerge. Considering this as an initial attempt to map the existing literature, we recommend future research to examine how the challenges and priorities evolve over time.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of subjective socioeconomic status (SES) and job satisfaction on psychological symptoms of economically active people with disabilities. Data from the Korean Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled (PSED) from 2016 to 2018 were assessed using a longitudinal analysis. A total of 1591 individuals were included as the study population. To explore the impact of subjective SES and job satisfaction on psychological symptoms, a generalized estimating equation model was applied. People who were dissatisfied with their jobs and perceived themselves to have a low SES were 1.73 times more likely to have stress (95% confidence interval [CI] [1.406, 2.126]). Likewise, people with low job satisfaction and low subjective SES were 3.83 times more likely to have depressive symptoms (95% CI [2.318, 6.339]), and even if subjective SES was high, those dissatisfied with their jobs were 4.24 times more likely to develop depressive symptoms (95% CI [1.736, 10.370]). In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that subjective SES had a greater influence on the psychological health of the economically active disabled population. These results highlight the importance of considering a disabled person's subjective socioeconomic factors and suggest ways to help them achieve a healthier and more fulfilling life.

Leptospirosis and enteric fever are prevalent tropical acute bacterial febrile illnesses in Kelantan, Malaysia, that exhibit overlapping features and shared transmission dynamics, yet their spatial relationship remains understudied. This study aimed to analyze their spatial distribution, investigating potential interactions and intersecting patterns. A total of 212 laboratory-confirmed cases of enteric fever and 1106 of leptospirosis between 2016 and 2022, were retrieved from the national e-Notifikasi registry. Point pattern analysis revealed clustering of both diseases in the northern region, but leptospirosis was predominant in the south, exhibiting higher spatial risk. Seven co-infection cases were identified in overlapping hotspot areas. Spatial dependence between the diseases was identified within 4 km distance on average, with varying patterns over time and regions. Recognizing spatial dependence has implications for accurate diagnosis, timely intervention, and tailored public health strategies. The findings underscore the need for multi-disease interventions to address shared risk factors and co-infections in similar geographical contexts.

Adolescence is a crucial phase of growth and development in the life course, and healthy nutrition is essential during this period. The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions regarding the implementation of relevant nutrition policies for adolescents in Sri Lanka. The study is qualitative, employing a "phenomenology" approach. The study was conducted in the central province of Sri Lanka, with participants including adolescents (n = 18), public health inspectors (n = 3), parents (n = 12), canteen owners (n = 3), schoolteachers (n = 3), and principals (n = 3). Data were collected through interviews and analyzed using the framework analysis method. Results indicated that adolescents' awareness of relevant policy statements is poor. Implementing nutrition policies related to adolescents in school settings and at the community level remains insufficient. In conclusion, future research should further evaluate the overall implementation of nutrition policies directed at adolescents. This will help policymakers to enhance and improve relevant policy guidelines.