BMC Public Health

As the largest open access public health journal in the world, BMC Public Health is a peer reviewed journal with a broad scope welcoming articles on the ...

List of Papers (Total 40,672)

The Good School Toolkit–Secondary to prevent violence against students: a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial

Schools provide a unique opportunity to address multiple forms of violence against adolescents. Yet, few whole-school interventions to comprehensively address physical, sexual and emotional violence against adolescents from multiple perpetrators have been evaluated in the Global South. We report results of a pilot trial of the Good School Toolkit–Secondary (GST-S), an...

“I think office environments aren’t really conducive to physical activity”: a qualitative interview study with participants of a workplace physical activity programme

There is a wealth of evidence surrounding the positive impacts of exercise on health and wellbeing, however, sedentary behaviour is still prevalent, particularly in the workplace. This has led to the development and popularity of workplace programmes intended to increase activity levels. An example is Step Count Challenge (SCC) available to all workplaces nationwide across...

Delivering optimal weight gain advice to pregnant women by lead maternity carer midwives in a real-world setting to optimise health outcomes (DOT study): a case study protocol

Excess gestational weight gain (GWG) occurs in up to 70% of women who birth. Excess GWG increases the risk of adverse outcomes in both mother and baby including gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, postpartum weight retention, large for gestational age babies, and adiposity among children. Antenatal lifestyle interventions can limit excess GWG. However, successful translation of...

Stunting and its predictors among children aged 6–59 months in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Stunting is a major public health problem in many developing countries. Despite the availability of the studies conducted on stunting, most of the studies were single-centered and with small sample sizes and showed significant variation. Hence this review was conducted to assess the pooled prevalence of stunting and its predictors among 6–59 months of age children. The relevant...

Association between normal-weight central obesity and asymptomatic hyperuricemia in Korean adults: a cross-sectional study

Obesity increases the risk of hyperuricemia. Recent studies have shown that normal-weight central obesity increases the risk of cardiometabolic disease. In this study, we examined the relationship between normal-weight central obesity and asymptomatic hyperuricemia in Korean adults aged > 20 years. This cross-sectional study included 14,501 adults who visited the health checkup...

Prevalence and Socio-demographic determinants of overweight and obesity among females of reproductive age in ghana: an analysis of the 2022 Ghana demographic and health survey

Low- and middle-income countries are experiencing a rising prevalence of overweight and obesity. These trends are concerning given the health risks associated with overweight and obesity. In this study, we assessed the prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity among reproductive aged women in Ghana. This cross-sectional study was conducted using data collected...

Preventive insights and practices of female health professionals regarding cervical cell dysplasia: a cross-sectional study in Egypt

Cervical dysplasia is preventable through screening methods and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Cervical cancer (CC) mortality is disproportionately higher in low-and-middle-income nations, which lack a population-based screening program. Health professionals should promptly counsel and educate females about cervical dysplasia prevention. this work aimed to determine the...

Protocol paper for healthy ageing for Indigenous communities in India and Sweden with focus on nutritious and culturally adequate food provision

The elderly care regime for Indigenous peoples differs between India and Sweden. In India, the family cares for the elderly, while the responsibility in Sweden lies with the authorities. Food insecurity is the main problem in India, while lack of culturally adapted food is a problem in Sweden. In both cases, little knowledge exists on the importance of traditional food in...

Women’s knowledge and practices regarding urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a widespread condition affecting a large population globally. Women are disproportionately affected by UI, with the condition becoming more common with advancing age. UI is characterized as involuntary loss of urine during the bladder storage phase, which can significantly diminish a woman’s quality of life and impose substantial societal costs...

Direct and opportunity costs of comprehensive abortion care for women living in humanitarian settings in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Providing comprehensive abortion care (CAC), including induced abortion and post-abortion care (PAC) to manage complications, poses a financial challenge, particularly in humanitarian settings. Unsafe abortions and the costs of PAC impose a significant health and economic burden on women and society. This study aimed to assess the direct and opportunity costs of CAC for women who...

Workplace relational injustice and authoritarian treatment as risk factors for sexual harassment at a large Swedish university: results from a cross-sectional study

Workplace sexual harassment remains a persistent issue in Sweden. Research about organisational antecedents has been criticised for being limited in scope, possibly overlooking contextual factors relevant for the occurrence of sexual harassment. This study examined two factors capturing aspects of organisational climate, perceived relational justice and authoritarian treatment...

A comparative analysis of the predictive influence of access to malaria messages on utilization of mosquito nets by under-five children in West Africa

In spite of the increase in the number of distributed mosquito nets, and awareness campaigns on its efficacy in malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa with high burden of malaria, there is a dearth of study on the effects of malaria messages on use of mosquito nets by under-five children (U5 children). Thus, the objectives of this study were to compare the use of mosquito nets by...

Current evidence and future directions for social and societal resilience factors in response to societal challenges and crises: an overview of systematic reviews and expert rating

Resilient outcomes are the most common response to societal crises. Resilience factors represent multilevel psychosocial resources that increase the likelihood of resilient responses. While resilience research has predominantly focused on individual factors, social and societal factors have received less attention. This overview of systematic reviews aimed to identify and...

Engaging underrepresented patient groups in specialised treatment – qualitative results from the PROVIDE-C randomised trial on integrated mental health video consultations for depression and anxiety

Mental health specialist video consultations (MHSVC) offer a promising way to address the growing burden of depression and anxiety. However, their acceptance among groups with lower mental health care uptake and limited technology literacy remains underexamined. This study explores how underrepresented patients—elderly, rural, and male individuals with depression or anxiety...

Violations of the right to food during deprivation of liberty: a global socio-legal assessment of United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment mission reporting on selected prisons since 2015

States have a heightened duty of care owed to persons deprived of their liberty extending beyond the prohibition of torture and discrimination. Due to their complete reliance on the State, provision of adequate and quality nutrition in prison is a fundamental human right of those detained. Failure to meet the basic requirements of sustenance or deny/restrict food constitutes...

Associations between walkability and physical activity among children and adolescents: evidence from a gamified intervention

Children and adolescents often do not meet the WHO´s physical activity (PA) recommendations. As many of them live in urban areas, these are important spaces for PA-promotion. Objective measures such as the Walkability Index are often used to assess urban spaces in terms of their PA friendliness. However, it is unclear whether such parameters can predict PA behavior of children...

An unhealthy lifestyle and incident activity-limiting neck and back problems in university students: the Sustainable UNiversity Life (SUN) study

Neck and back pain are common musculoskeletal conditions in university students and associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary habits, smoking and risky alcohol use. Cohort studies have investigated the effect of a healthy lifestyle including several lifestyle behaviors on the risk and prognosis for neck and back pain. Studies of...

HIV screening and associated factors among adolescent girls and young women in Tanzania: analysis of the 2022 demographic and health survey data

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains a significant global challenge, particularly in resource-limited settings where access to healthcare services is constrained. Despite substantial efforts to combat HIV, the uptake of screening among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) remains sub-optimal. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HIV screening and...

Maternal and paternal determinants of infant health: a cross-sectional study in four countries during the COVID-19 era

Infant health is profoundly influenced by socioeconomic factors, parental lifestyle, and prenatal care. Understanding the critical role of all these factors can guide targeted public health interventions to reduce infant morbidity and mortality. To investigate the impact or association of various maternal and paternal factors, including periconceptional care, pregnancy-related...

Burnout among doctors in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The current study was performed to systemically examine the prevalence of burnout, risk factors among Chinese doctors, and possible treatment strategies. Two authors independently conducted literature searches in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Chinese Scientific and Technical Papers and Citation (CSTPC...

Determinants of tuberculosis treatment adherence among patients taking anti-TB drugs in Borama, Somaliland

Tuberculosis (TB) treatment non-adherence poses significant challenges, leading to complications, disease transmission, and drug resistance. This study aimed to identify the determinants of TB treatment adherence among adult patients attending the Borama Regional Hospital (BRH) in Somaliland. A cross-sectional study was conducted at BRH. Data were collected using a structured...

Modern contraceptive methods use behaviour among young married women in Urban Ethiopia: a multilevel mixed-effects binary logistic regression analysis

Based on the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey, low contraceptive utilization has been reported from young married women in Ethiopia, coupled with unmet reproductive health needs heightening the risk of unintended pregnancies and associated poor health outcomes. Consequently, this study was conducted to identify main determinants influencing contraceptive use among young...

Global, regional and national disease burden of neonatal disorders from 2000 to 2021 and the comparison before and during COVID-19: a systematic analysis

Infant and neonatal health is a critical indicator for assessing a country’s well-being and development. This study aimed to systematically analyze the global burden, long-term trends, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impactions and inequalities of neonatal disorders and individual causes between 2000 and 2021. We collected global, reginal and national annual data of neonatal...

MELI-POP Study: MEditerranean LIfestyle in Pediatric Obesity Prevention. Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Childhood obesity is a significant public health challenge, with Mediterranean countries showing high prevalence rates. While genetic factors play a role, diet and physical activity (PA) are critical modifiable influences. Emphasizing healthy dietary patterns, like the Mediterranean diet, and promoting regular PA can help mitigate obesity risk. MELI-POP is a randomized controlled...

Community acceptability of cardiovascular risk screening in faith centres in the Kassena-Nankana districts of Northern Ghana: a qualitative study

This study explored the community acceptability of a faith-based screening programme for cardiometabolic risk factors, specifically type 2 diabetes and hypertension, among faith congregation members in Northern Ghana. The research team conducted 18 in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews and 10 focus groups, with a total of 123 participants, between October 2022 and...