Online journal of public health informatics最新文献

College years represent a pivotal phase as students transition into adulthood, a period marked by heightened vulnerability to mental health challenges. Beyond the high prevalence of common mental health issues, a large treatment gap (driven by both supply-side and demand-side factors) exacerbates the overall burden. Furthermore, students in higher education frequently experience psychological distress and subthreshold symptoms that impair well-being and daily functioning. Globally, technology-based mental health solutions have emerged as an important strategy to address unmet needs, with a growing evidence base across populations. Research has increasingly focused on examining digital mental health interventions for college students. Against this backdrop, we examine the challenges within India's large higher education system-which serves approximately 43 million students-and the expanding role of technology in this sector. We explore the potential for leveraging technology-based solutions to enhance student mental health initiatives within higher education institutions, considering relevant policies and guidelines that provide an impetus to these efforts. We reflect upon challenges and opportunities for implementing digital mental health interventions in Indian higher education, and propose strategic actions at institutional and governmental levels. Key considerations include data governance, safety, transparency, positioning of digital initiatives relative to in-person care, safeguards for content quality, provision of interventions at varying intensities, and recommendations for policy, governmental support, and research to optimize the use of technology for student mental health in institutes of higher education in India.

This research letter describes substance use disparities among online, help-seeking, sexual and gender minoritized people in San Francisco. Our findings emphasize the importance of strengthening public health practice by leveraging digital and online methods to reach communities.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted telehealth adoption among clinical nutritionists globally. However, there is a research gap in Saudi Arabia concerning telehealth's prevalence and effectiveness in dietetics practice.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate telehealth implementation during the pandemic in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a web-based online survey was used and distributed in several Saudi Arabian regions between December 2022 to May 2023. A convenient sample of 306 clinical Registered Dietitians (RDNs) in public and private healthcare facilities who met the study's inclusion criteria were included in this study.

Results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, 56% of RDNs utilized telehealth, showing significant differences in socio-demographics and telehealth knowledge at healthcare facilities (p<0.05). Notable gender disparities were observed in years of experience, with 78% of male dietitians working in public hospitals (p = 0.001, p < 0.004). The main telehealth nutrition services provided included nutrition education (21%), nutrition counseling (19%), and nutrition monitoring (17%). Telenutrition purposes primarily focused on nutrition education (21%) and weight and diet management (17.15%), and management of chronic disease (14%). Common obstacles reported by RDNs using telehealth were internet connectivity issues (46%), difficulties in coordinating with patients (22%), and patient disengagement with a lack of motivation (13%). Among RDNs using telehealth, key interventions included clinical measures on diet recall (34%), weight-related measurements (31%), lab findings (26%), and who reported using telehealth for vital signs were only (8%).

Conclusions: Our findings underscore the increasing adoption of telehealth by RDNs during the pandemic, highlighting its crucial role in nutrition services. It suggests that technology enhancements and training initiatives can improve telehealth effectiveness, highlighting the need for further research in this dynamic field.

Clinicaltrial:

Background: Depression and anxiety affect millions worldwide; yet, many people face barriers to timely and effective mental health care, underscoring the need for scalable, high-quality interventions.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and quality of a centralized, employer-sponsored mental health program in treating depression and anxiety during a period of rapid growth in access to mental health care.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included participants using a digital mental health benefit (Spring Health), sponsored by 589 US employers from 2021 to 2024. Participants had access to therapists, psychiatrists, and care navigators. Primary measures were clinical effectiveness (treatment duration, Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item depression scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale) and clinical outcomes (reliable change, recovery, and remission). Outcomes were benchmarked to meta-analytic results of evidence-based therapy.

Results: A total of 52,929 adult participants started therapy from among 6868 providers during the study period, scored positive for depression or anxiety, and had at least one mental health assessment before and during treatment. Depression symptoms decreased with each log-day in treatment, resulting in a total reduction of 6.91 (95% CI -6.84 to -6.98) points at one-week post treatment, corresponding to a large effect size (d=1.61; 95% CI 1.60-1.63), significantly greater than the meta-analytic pre-post benchmark for psychotherapy (effect size difference=0.13, z=15.6, P<.001). Anxiety symptoms also decreased, resulting in a total reduction of 6.01 points (95% CI -5.95 to -6.08), corresponding to a large effect size (d=1.82; 95% CI 1.80 to 1.84), significantly greater than the meta-analytic benchmarks (effect size difference=0.64, z=61.9, P<.001). White participants and participants of color had similar outcomes. Logistic regression showed 92.3% (95% CI 92.0% to 92.5%) of participants' symptoms (in depression or anxiety) reliably improved, and 61.7% (95% CI 61.1% to 62.4%) achieved remission by 1-week posttreatment.

Conclusions: Among a large and diverse sample, using a digital mental health benefit with a centralized system of care produces clinical outcomes in depression and anxiety significantly greater than what is typically observed through meta-analyses of psychotherapy. By using data to monitor, incentivize, and improve quality of care, the clinical outcomes outperform or equal benchmarks as a growing number of individuals across race, gender, and age access mental health care.

Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common cause of vaginal discharge in people of childbearing age in the United States. More information about what patients do and do not like about the most common BV products and the extent to which they reduce BV symptoms is important for understanding patients' health and the current treatment landscape for BV.

Objective: Using data from online drug review forums, this study's objectives were to (1) quantitatively characterize the patient voice via sentiments (positive to negative) and emotions about the three most common Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments for BV-oral metronidazole (OM), vaginal metronidazole (VM), vaginal clindamycin (VC)-and (2) qualitatively summarize themes characterizing the patient-perceived impact of BV and BV products.

Methods: Data for this mixed methods descriptive study came from 1645 users' reviews of BV products posted on WebMD.com and Drugs.com. Reviewer attributes, reviewer-submitted star ratings, and sentiment analysis (SA) using word-emotion association were analyzed with descriptive statistics and bivariate associations. A traditional qualitative analysis using qualitative description was also performed.

Results: Most reviewers were female (n=629, 99.4%), between the ages of 18 and 44 years, and reported using BV products for less than 1 month, though qualitative results suggested most reported recurrent BV infections. Quantitative results revealed reviewers' preference for vaginal products. The mean star ratings for VC were significantly higher when compared to OM and VM. VC reviews had the highest proportion of positive emotion words compared to OM and VM. Qualitative results for VC supported the quantitative findings: favorable themes related to perceptions of value, effectiveness in alleviating symptoms, and minimal side effects. Additionally, despite some concerns related to the cost of VC, reviewers said they would use the medication again. Other qualitative findings supported BV medical education campaigns for patients and providers on BV treatment.

Conclusions: Overall, people want a BV treatment that is easy to use, quickly alleviates symptoms, and has minimal side effects. Patients use product reviews to inform their decision-making about BV treatment, ask and seek answers to health-related questions, and share their experiences, presenting a unique opportunity for comprehensive patient education through clinical encounters or public health outreach efforts.

Background: Disaster medicine education increasingly emphasizes situational awareness and a proactive disaster mindset as crucial competencies for effective response. Situational awareness involves comprehending the disaster environment to make informed decisions under pressure, while a disaster mindset encompasses psychological resilience and effective functioning amid chaos. Integrating technologies into simulation training allows experiential learning that bridges these theoretical concepts with practical application.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the current status of teaching these concepts and the use of technology in fostering situational awareness and a disaster mindset within disaster medicine education by reviewing the existing literature.

Methods: This study used a scoping review of scientific studies (2005-2025), obtained from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, complemented by a Google Scholar search. From December 1, 2024, to the end of January 2025, 3 reviewers searched, compiled, reviewed, and selected eligible studies in English, discussing the use of technology in fostering situational awareness and disaster mindset.

Results: Out of 217 initially identified records, 49 studies met the inclusion criteria after a 2-stage screening and full-text review process. Of these, 42 were peer-reviewed scientific articles and 7 were official documents. Approximately 86% (42/49) of the studies addressed situational awareness, while only 2% (1/49) explicitly focused on the concept of disaster mindset. Most of the included studies highlighted the use of immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, geographic information systems, and artificial intelligence-driven tools to enhance real-time information processing and decision-making in disaster education contexts. By strategically incorporating these advanced tools into educational frameworks, the divide between theoretical knowledge and practical application can effectively be bridged, fostering essential experiential learning and developing robust psychological readiness for future challenges.

Conclusions: Simulation training enhances situational awareness and disaster mindset, bridging the gap between theory and practice through experiential learning. The findings from this review highlight current pedagogical approaches and technological applications, identifying gaps and future directions for enhancing disaster medicine education.

Background: With the increasing use of social media, platforms like Twitter (rebranded as X in 2023) have become popular channels for disseminating health information. In Saudi Arabia, Twitter is widely used, making it an effective tool for health awareness. However, the accuracy of nutrition-related content on social media is often questioned.

Objective: The study aims to evaluate the accuracy and evidence-based quality of nutrition-related tweets posted by reputable Saudi health and nutrition awareness providers.

Methods: A mixed methods content analysis was conducted on tweets published by 7 Saudi health organizations, examining content in Arabic and English over 12 months. Nutrition-related tweets were analyzed for accuracy, popularity, and evidence inclusion by a panel of experts in clinical nutrition, food science, and technology.

Results: A total of 531 nutrition-related tweets were included in the study. Findings indicate that 445 (84%) of the tweets were accurate, of which only 17 (4%) included cited evidence. Yet, only 13 (2%) were inaccurate. The highest number of tweets are from Saudi Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) 96 (18%), Gulf Health Council (GHC) 91 (17%), Saudi Society for Clinical Nutrition (SSCN) 89 (16%), Kayl Association for Combating Obesity 83 (16%) and National Nutrition Committee (NNC) 80 (15%) and the lowest is Ministry of Health (MOH) 31 (5%). Significant relationships were observed between tweet accuracy and the source organization (P=.009, 95% CI 0.008-0.01), content type (P=.03, 95% CI 0.03-0.03), and tweet timing (P=.04, 95% CI 0.04-0.04). Governmental sources had higher popularity and were more frequently accurate compared to nongovernmental sources.

Conclusions: Reputable Twitter accounts in Saudi Arabia generally provide accurate nutrition-related content, though evidence citation is minimal. Users are encouraged to rely on reputable accounts for health information, and further research is suggested to explore the quality of evidence in such posts.

Unlabelled: This viewpoint highlights the critical need for proactive and strategic integration of digital health tools into heat-health action plans (HHAPs) across Europe. Drawing insights from the digital health surge during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent heat-related health impacts, we identify response gaps and suggest specific strategies to strengthen current plans. Key recommendations include leveraging mobile health communication, expanding telemedicine usage, adopting wearable health monitoring devices, and using advanced data analytics to improve responsiveness and equity. This perspective aims to guide policymakers, health authorities, and health care providers in systematically enhancing heat-health preparedness through digital health innovation.