BMC Public Health最新文献

Malnutrition continues to be a significant issue for children under the age of five years in rural areas of India, leading to serious impacts on their health, mental development, and future opportunities. This study sought to thoroughly evaluate concurrent undernutrition by employing a composite index method utilizing data from the National Family Health Survey (2019-2021). A Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) was constructed, encompassing three conventional indices (stunting, wasting, and underweight), to identify key determinants and risk factors associated with malnutrition in rural areas. This study included 177,978 children aged < 60 months (91,881 males and 86,097 females). The results revealed that more than half (59.15%) of the children had at least one form of malnutrition, with stunting being the most prevalent (33.58%). Socio-demographic factors such as caste, religion, wealth quintile, and maternal education were strongly associated with child malnutrition. Children from SC/ST groups, Hindu and Muslim religions, the poorest wealth quintile, and mothers with no education experienced higher rates of anthropometric failure than their counterparts did. Low birth weight, higher birth order, and recent diarrhoeal episodes were also associated with poorer nutritional outcomes. Maternal factors, including younger age at first delivery, lower education level, and BMI, were significant predictors of child malnutrition. These findings highlight the multifaceted nature of malnutrition in rural India and emphasize the need for targeted interventions and evidence-based policies to effectively address this critical public health issue.

Background: This study investigates intrinsic and extrinsic motivation among university students, focusing on how these types of motivation are shaped by a complex interaction of health, lifestyle, emotional, and psychological factors.

Methods: Data were collected through an online questionnaire from 406 first- and second-year students across various universities in Lithuania, assessing their physical health indicators, lifestyle habits, personality traits, and emotional intelligence. The study was conducted from October 13, 2022 to April 17, 2023.

Results: Depression was the strongest predictor of motivation outcomes. Higher depression levels were associated with increased amotivation (β = 0.241, 95% CI: 0.148-0.334, p < .001) and decreased intrinsic motivation (β = -0.203, 95% CI: -0.286 to - 0.121, p < .001). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was positively related to amotivation (β = 0.179, 95% CI: 0.072-0.285, p = .001), while higher math achievement predicted less amotivation (β = -0.121, 95% CI: -0.225 to - 0.018, p = .021). Intrinsic motivation was also influenced by higher self-esteem (β = 0.199, 95% CI: 0.071-0.277, p < .001). All other demographic, emotional, lifestyle, personality, sleep, and dietary factors were not significant.

Conclusions: Depression was the strongest factor associated to academic motivation, leading to increased amotivation and decreased intrinsic motivation, while self-esteem, physical activity, and mathematics performance showed smaller but significant effects. Most demographic, lifestyle, emotional, personality, sleep, and dietary factors were unrelated to motivation. These results emphasize the importance of psychological well-being and academic support in boosting student motivation in higher education.

Background: Poor nutrition and inadequate WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) practices significantly impact children's health, nutrition, and cognitive development, especially in low-income settings. These factors further aggravate the incidence of undernutrition, weaken the immune system, increase susceptibility to illnesses and reduce cognitive performance. Evidence on the effectiveness of existing WASH interventions is needed.

Objective: This review evaluated the effectiveness of nutritional and WASH interventions on the academic performance of children in Ethiopia.

Methods: A systematic search of Cochrane, DOAJ, Google Scholar, and PubMed (2010-2024) was conducted using MeSH terms and keywords related to WASH. Two independent reviewers screened studies and extracted data. Eligible studies included cross-sectional and cohort studies on Ethiopian schoolchildren with quantifiable academic outcomes. The JBI SUMARI was used to assess bias, and the GRADE approach was used to evaluate evidence quality. The meta-analysis used a random-effects model in Stata and reported pooled RRs with 95% CIs. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses examined moderators such as study design, intervention type, and sample size.

Results: A total of 19 studies, 16 cross-sectional (n = 16) and three prospective (n = 3) cohort studies with a total of 9034 participants, were included. The random effects model revealed a significant improvement in academic performance among students receiving both nutrition and WASH, with a pooled large positive effect size of 2.05 (95% CI: 1.26, 2.28; I2=). In the subgroup meta-analysis, the effect of the intervention was more positive among those who skipped breakfast (3.47, 95% CI: 0.47, 6.47), chronic iodine deficiency (4.49, 95% CI: 4.08, 4.90), food insecurity (2.810, 95% CI: 1.281, 4.339), and underweight (0.61, 95% CI: 0.46, 0.75).

Conclusion: Despite moderate variability and some risk of bias, the evidence supports the integration of comprehensive nutrition and WASH programs into school health initiatives. Future research should focus on long-term effects and cost-effectiveness.

Trial registration: This systematic review and meta-analysis were registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) under the ID CRD42024567265.

Background: To explore the associations of depression and anxiety with cognitive function in older adults, and the potential mediating role of mental health.

Methods: Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of community-dwelling older adults in Guangxi, China, conducted between July 2022 and July 2023. Valid data from 10,370 participants aged 60 years and older were analyzed. Cognitive function was assessed using the Memory Impairment Screen (AD8), while depression and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7), respectively. Linear regression, correlation analysis, and chain mediation analysis were employed to investigate the relationships among age, mental health, and cognitive function.

Results: Among the 10,370 participants (4,590 males and 5,780 females, aged 65-103 years, mean age: 73.41 ± 6.67 years), 23.95% had mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 16.44% had major cognitive impairment (dementia-level), and there were 233 participants (2.25%) with co-existing anxiety and depression. Multiple analysis revealed that gender, age, education, marital status, depression (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7) significantly influenced cognitive function (P < 0.05). Both depression and anxiety symptoms were positively correlated with cognitive impairment (r = 0.361 and r = 0.287, respectively, P < 0.001). Age was also positively associated with cognitive decline (r = 0.213, P < 0.001). Mediation analysis indicated that mental health partially mediated the relationship between age and cognitive function, with a significant total effect (0.055, P < 0.001) and direct effect (0.04, P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Mental health partially mediates the link between age and cognitive decline, offering new insights for developing interventions to support cognitive function and quality of life in older adults.

Objective: To systematically evaluate the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) detection status in Chinese children (0-14 years) via meta-analysis, clarify its epidemiological and clinical correlations, and support childhood respiratory infection prevention.

Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, PubMed, and Web of Science for studies (January 2015-July 2025) on childhood HMPV infection in China. Statistical analysis was performed with R 4.5.1's Meta package.

Results: Seventy-eight eligible studies (334,901 participants; 15,612 HMPV-positive) were included. The overall HMPV detection rate was 4.56% (95% CI: 3.83%-5.43%). Subgroup analysis revealed the highest rate in 1-year-olds (6.02%), no significant sex difference (boys: 4.93%, girls: 4.86%), epidemic peaks in spring (4.48%) and winter (4.12%), a higher rate of acute lower respiratory tract infection (4.58%) than upper respiratory tract infection (2.92%), with bronchiolitis having the highest rate (14.11%, 95% CI: 7.73%-24.37%), similar rates in outpatients (4.70%) and inpatients (4.59%), and higher rates in Northeast China (10.84%) and Southwest China (10.16%). The overall HMPV-other respiratory virus coinfection rate was 28.72% (95% CI: 20.17%-39.13%), most commonly with RSV (21.87%) and HRV (21.44%).​ CONCLUSION: The overall HMPV detection rate in Chinese children (0-14 years) is 4.56%. The high-risk groups included 1-year-olds; the epidemic seasons were spring/winter; and the high-incidence regions were Northeast China/Southwest China. The HMPV coinfection rate was 28.72% (mainly RSV/HRV), and its strong association with bronchiolitis (14.11%) provides a reference for targeted prevention.