Nevin Manimala

Front Public Health. 2025 Oct 15;13:1551907. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1551907. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected healthcare systems in Africa, revealing urgent Challenges in resource-limited settings and the need for effective diagnostic strategies. This study examines the factors influencing the rollout and uptake of COVID-19 antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) in six African countries: Cameroon, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger, Sierra Leone, and the Republic of Congo.

METHODS: Utilizing qualitative methodologies, we conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) with healthcare personnel, community health workers, and community members to explore barriers and facilitators affecting decentralized testing efforts.

RESULTS: Key barriers identified include misinformation, distrust in government intentions, staff demotivation, and stigma surrounding positive test results. In contrast, facilitators such as community engagement, short turn around turn, international travel requirement and the involvement of community health workers in testing process emerged as strong motivators for testing uptake. Findings emphasize the critical importance of coherent communication strategies and community sensitization efforts to combat misinformation and foster acceptance of testing. Moreover, Integrating COVID-19 testing into routine healthcare surveillance and strengthening community health systems through capacity building are essential for improving overall public health responses. Stakeholders highlighted government policies, including public awareness campaigns, Media engagement and decentralisation of testing services, as essential in improving testing coverage.

CONCLUSION: This study underscores the need for targeted interventions that respect local contexts, enhancing the resilience and strength of healthcare systems and pandemic preparedness in Africa against current and future public health challenges.

PMID:41170491 | PMC:PMC12568697 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1551907

Front Public Health. 2025 Oct 15;13:1679219. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1679219. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether fascia knife release therapy combined with exercise for treating neck and shoulder pain administered over a period of 12 weeks enhanced the visual analog scale (VAS), cervical muscle endurance test (CMET) score and neck disability index (NDI) score in adolescent table tennis players.

METHODS: This study adopted a prospective, exploratory design with a small sample size. The sample size was determined on the basis of the minimum requirements suggested by the relevant literature and feasibility considerations. Accounting for a potential 10% attrition rate, the study ultimately enrolled 40 adolescent table tennis players who were randomized to a control group or treatment group during the recovery period at the Anhui Sports Rehabilitation Clinic (Hefei, Anhui, China) in 2024. The subjects were divided into a medication group (n = 20, control group; CON) and a fascia knife release therapy combined with exercise group (n = 20, experimental group; EXP). A recovery exercise was applied to the control group for 12 weeks, whereas fascia knife release therapy combined with exercise was applied to the treatment group within the recovery empty period. The visual analog scale (VAS), cervical muscle endurance test (CMET) and neck disability index (NDI) were used to assess recovery before and after 12 weeks.

RESULTS: Comparisons of the visual analog scale (p = 0.854), cervical muscle endurance test (p = 0.393) and neck disability indices (p = 0.828) scores revealed no statistically significant differences between the CON group and the EXP group before the intervention. Compared with the control group, the EXP group presented significantly lower VAS (p = 0.001) and NDI (p = 0.001) scores following 12 weeks of fascia knife release therapy combined with exercise. There was a statistically significant increase in CMET in the treatment group (p = 0.001) compared with that in the CON group.

CONCLUSION: Fascia knife release therapy combined with functional exercise enhances cervical muscle endurance (CMET) while significantly reducing pain (VAS) and functional disability (NDI) in adolescent table tennis players with neck and shoulder pain. Thus, this combined approach not only addresses immediate symptoms but also strengthens the muscles around the neck and shoulders, providing improved support and stability.

PMID:41170490 | PMC:PMC12568588 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1679219

Front Public Health. 2025 Oct 15;13:1620863. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1620863. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To examine the association between the social unacceptability of vaping and the main correlate, country of residence, as well as other sociodemographic variables in three Middle Eastern countries.

METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey study of a convenience sample of regular vapers in Middle Eastern countries was recruited. Recruitment took place through paid advertisements on social media, regular e-cigarette users, completed an online survey. Vapers responded to socio-demographic and social unacceptability questions. Ordinal logistic regression was used for analysis.

RESULTS: N = 428 vapers completed the survey. Male vapers and vapers who currently smoke had lower odds for social unacceptability perceptions relative to females and never smoker counterparts. Vapers in Qatar, experiencing pressure to vape from friends, encountering negative effects, and mod and e-cigarette use was associated with higher odds of social unacceptability perceptions relative to vapers in Egypt, not experiencing pressure from friends, not encountering negative effects, and pod use, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Relative to vapers in Egypt, those in Qatar reported higher social unacceptability levels, likely due to restrictive legislations, and calls for similar restrictions in Egypt. More awareness is needed to increase social unacceptability among vapers who are males and current smokers. Highlighting potential negative effects from vaping in education campaigns and regulatory restrictions on pod design (compact, sleek, and concealable features) may help increase the social unacceptability of vaping.

PMID:41170488 | PMC:PMC12568529 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1620863

Front Public Health. 2025 Oct 15;13:1670698. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1670698. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cancer patients experience significant psychological and physiological challenges, affecting their treatment outcomes and overall wellbeing. Traditional gardening benefits mental health and quality of life but is often impractical, requiring alternatives. This pilot study evaluated the impact of indoor hydroponic gardening on cancer patients’ mental health and quality of life.

METHODS: A case-crossover pilot study included 36 adult cancer patients from the Houston Methodist Cancer Center, with participants serving as their own control through repeated measurements. Participants received AeroGarden hydroponic systems and engaged in an 8-week gardening intervention. Mental wellbeing, mental distress, quality of life, fruit and vegetable consumption, and pain management were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks using validated scales. Data were analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) to account for within-subject correlations over time.

RESULTS: The study included 36 cancer patients with a mean age of 57.5 years. Significant improvements were observed in mental wellbeing scores (p-trend = 0.042), depression subscale scores (p-trend = 0.003), and global quality of life (p-trend < 0.001) over the 8 weeks. Emotional and social functioning scores also improved significantly (p-trend = 0.001 and p-trend = 0.010, respectively), along with increased fruit and vegetable intake (p-trend = 0.028). While overall pain management scores showed a decreasing trend, these changes were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that indoor hydroponic vegetable gardening can significantly improve mental health and quality of life in cancer patients, suggesting it as an alternative to traditional gardening. Future studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm these findings and explore long-term benefits.

PMID:41170487 | PMC:PMC12568356 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1670698

Front Public Health. 2025 Oct 15;13:1602761. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1602761. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To analyze the results of seafarers’ health checkups, to understand the physical health status of seafarers and the high incidence of diseases, and to investigate the factors related to the abnormalities of electrocardiograms (ECG) of seafarers, so as to provide theoretical basis for improving the health level of seafarers and formulating the health intervention plan for seafarers.

METHODS: 10,174 seafarers who underwent health checkups at the Yangtze River Shipping General Hospital from January 2024 to December 2024 were selected as the survey subjects, and clinical data such as their general conditions, ECG and other functional examinations, and biochemical indicators were extracted. SPSS 26.0 software was used for statistical analysis to understand the disease composition of seafarers’ health checkups, and single-factor analysis and multifactor logistic regression analysis were used to explore the influencing factors of seafarers’ abnormal ECG results.

RESULTS: Abnormal body mass index (BMI), abdominal obesity, refractive error, liver function abnormality, ECG abnormality, high blood pressure, high fasting blood glucose and other abnormalities were more common in the health checkup of seafarers. Among them, abnormal ECG is mainly classified into myocardial ischemia/infarction and arrhythmia. Fatty liver and urinary stones were common in ultrasound examination of seafarers over 40 years old. High blood pressure, high fasting blood glucose and smoking were risk factors for abnormal ECG results.

CONCLUSION: Carrying out the health management of seafarers, strengthening the health education of seafarers with high prevalence of diseases, dynamically tracking the abnormal results of seafarers’ physical examination, and increasing the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases in seafarers’ group can effectively improve the comprehensive health level of seafarers’ group.

PMID:41170486 | PMC:PMC12568659 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1602761

Front Public Health. 2025 Oct 15;13:1677690. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1677690. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to explore the causal relationship between nutritional status, life-space mobility (LSM), and cognitive function in community-dwelling older stroke patients, investigate the longitudinal mediating role of life-space mobility in the relationship between nutritional status and post-stroke cognitive function.

METHODS: A total of 284d ischemic stroke patients aged ≥60 years were recruited from the neurology inpatient department of a tertiary hospital, with follow-up assessments conducted at 3-, 6-, and 9- months post-stroke. Mini Nutrition Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) were used to assess nutritional status, the Life Space Assessment (LSA-C) was used to measure life-space mobility and the global cognitive function was assessed with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Linear mixed-effects model and cross-lag-panel model was applied to examine the longitudinal relations among the variables.

RESULTS: LMM analysis revealed a significant total effect of nutritional status on post-stroke cognitive function (Estimate = 0.026, 95%CI [0.022, 0.030], p < 0.001). A significant indirect effect through LSM was identified (Estimate = 0.006, 95% CI [0.004, 0.008], p < 0.001), accounting for 24.94% of the total effect. After controlling for the longitudinal influence of LSM, the direct effect remained significant (Estimate = 0.019, 95%CI [0.015, 0.023], p < 0.001), indicating a partial mediating role of LSM. In contrast, the CLPM revealed a complete mediation effect for the T2-T3 pathway, with a significant indirect effect (β = 0.029, 95%CI [0.004, 0.061], p < 0.05) and a non-significant direct effect, providing complementary evidence for the mediating role of life-space mobility through a different analytical approach.

CONCLUSION: In the chronic rehabilitation phase of older stroke patients, malnutrition can indirectly influence the development or exacerbation of post-stroke cognitive impairment via limited life-space mobility. This underscores the importance for early malnutrition identification and intervention and life-space mobility improvement to enhance long-term cognitive function in post-stroke care.

PMID:41170485 | PMC:PMC12568339 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1677690

Front Public Health. 2025 Oct 15;13:1659996. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1659996. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

This perspective article examines public health concerns related to herbicide exposure among children living in an agricultural and fishing village on the shores of Lake Chapala in Jalisco, Mexico. The discussion draws on published research comprising four pesticide exposure assessments conducted on children aged 0-14 years between 2016 and 2018. These assessments involved the collection of first-morning urine samples, which were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The findings are as follows: November 2016 (n = 347; 24.2% positive; 7 herbicides detected), October 2017 (n = 187; 86.6% positive; 6 herbicides detected), May 2018 (n = 347; 52.2% positive; 4 herbicides detected), and October 2018 (n = 347; 12% positive; 4 herbicides detected). A total of three herbicides-glyphosate, 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), and molinate-were detected in each of the four assessments. These results may represent the first evidence of persistent herbicide exposure in children in the Lake Chapala region. Further epidemiological studies are required to deepen the understanding of these findings.

PMID:41170484 | PMC:PMC12568689 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1659996

Front Public Health. 2025 Oct 15;13:1667726. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1667726. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Mental health conditions are the second leading cause of disability in Indonesia, accounting for 13 percent of total years lived with disability. However, little is known about their broader economic impact. This study estimates the economic burden of anxiety and depression in adults, including healthcare costs and productivity losses, using a low-cost web panel approach that can be replicated in countries lacking data.

METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 5,828 Indonesian adults via a web panel. Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) for themselves and household members, providing data on 16,096 individuals. Participants who screened positive for anxiety and/or depression symptoms based on the PHQ-4 (N = 438) were then asked about their healthcare utilization, days missed from work, and reduced productivity due to these symptoms. These responses were monetized and extrapolated based on the prevalence rate and population counts to generate per person and total annual costs.

RESULTS: Overall, 14.7 percent reported symptoms consistent with anxiety or depression, yet over 60 percent were never formally diagnosed, highlighting a large diagnosis gap. Direct healthcare costs averaged IDR 2,111,020 per person annually. Employees reported 34 missed workdays per year and were 51 percent less productive while working. Indirect costs via absenteeism and presenteeism averaged IDR 5,178,312 and IDR 11,021,700 per person. The total annual economic burden was IDR 463,811.33 billion (USD $29.22 billion), or 2.1 percent of Indonesia’s GDP, with labor market productivity losses accounting for 88.5 percent of the total.

CONCLUSION: Anxiety and depression impose substantial health and economic costs in Indonesia. Low-cost, evidence-based interventions-particularly workplace-focused programs-could generate significant health and economic benefits.

PMID:41170482 | PMC:PMC12570936 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1667726

Child Health Nurs Res. 2025 Oct;31(4):248-256. doi: 10.4094/chnr.2025.028. Epub 2025 Oct 31.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine whether perceived parental alienation mediates the relationship between parental and adolescent depressive symptoms, and, if so, whether parents’ subjective health moderates this indirect effect.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study utilized secondary data from the 2021 wave of the Panel Study on Korean Children, enrolling 541 parent-child dyads. Parental depression was measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-6, a self-rated health item, the Korean version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children, and a 6-item perceived alienation scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and variance inflation factor checks were conducted, followed by mediation and moderated mediation analyses using PROCESS Models 4 and 7 with 10,000 bootstraps in IBM SPSS ver. 27.0.

RESULTS: Parental depression did not directly predict adolescent depression (B=.02, t=.87) but was significantly related to perceived alienation (B=.16, p<.001), which in turn predicted higher adolescent depression (B=.20, p<.001). The indirect effect of alienation was also significant (B=.039; 95% confidence interval, 0.005-0.066). Subjective health moderated the depression-alienation link (interaction B=.19, p<.001), with stronger indirect effects observed among parents with better health.

CONCLUSION: Parental depression symptoms indirectly increase adolescent depression through perceived alienation, particularly when parents viewed their health positively. These results suggest that interventions targeting parental mental health and fostering open-family communication may help reduce adolescent depression.

PMID:41168116 | DOI:10.4094/chnr.2025.028

Child Health Nurs Res. 2025 Oct;31(4):237-247. doi: 10.4094/chnr.2025.024. Epub 2025 Oct 31.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Because fever is a common symptom in children, parents must have accurate knowledge and management ability about it to be able to provide appropriate management. This study aimed to develop a fever management education program, incorporating case-based simulation practice for parents of hospitalized children, and examine its effects on knowledge of fever in children, anxiety related to fever, and self-efficacy in child fever management.

METHODS: A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was employed. A total of 50 parents participated, with 24 and 26 in the experimental and control groups, respectively. The experimental group received both theoretical lectures and case-based simulation practice, whereas the control group received only theoretical lectures.

RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups regarding knowledge of fever or anxiety related to fever immediately after the intervention or at the 4-week follow-up. However, the experimental group showed a significant improvement in self-efficacy in fever management from pre- to post-intervention.

CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that fever management education incorporating case-based simulation practice, in addition to theoretical instruction, could potentially enhance parents’ confidence in managing childhood fever. Developing simulation-based educational interventions that enhance long-term effectiveness, can be feasibly integrated into hospital settings, and provide practical and accessible approaches is essential to support parents in effectively managing fever in real-life situations.

PMID:41168115 | DOI:10.4094/chnr.2025.024