scholarly journals Correlation of publication frequency of newspaper articles with environment and public health issues in fire-prone peatland regions of Riau in Sumatra, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masafumi Ohashi ◽  
Akihiro Kameda ◽  
Osamu Kozan ◽  
Masahiro Kawasaki ◽  
Windy Iriana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Radiation Power ◽  
Central Area ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Environment And Public Health ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Newspaper Articles

AbstractForest fires in peatlands emit pollutants to the atmosphere, affecting public health. Though air quality data and epidemiology information are helpful in the management of the environment and public health, they are not always available. We aimed to reveal the utility of newspaper articles for estimating the public health concerns posed by air pollution. Using the database of a local newspaper, Riau Pos, in Riau Province of Sumatra, Indonesia, we have studied spatiotemporal correlations between publication frequency of newspaper articles mentioning search terms relevant to health issues and Fire Radiation Power (FRP) of peatland fires. FRP from one of the NASA satellite databases has been used as an index of air pollution caused by peatland fires. Visibility data for airport operation were also used as an index of particulate matter concentrations. The study regions are primarily the fire-prone Riau Province and nearby areas in the central area of Sumatra, Indonesia, from 2009 to 2018. Newspaper articles related to public health are found to be associated with FRP and visibility, or regional air pollution.

scholarly journals Mining news media for understanding public health concerns

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Maryam Zolnoori ◽  
Ming Huang ◽  
Christi A. Patten ◽  
Joyce E. Balls-Berry ◽  
Somaieh Goudarzvand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Text Mining ◽  
News Media ◽  
Alcohol Drinking ◽  
Topic Modeling ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Qualitative Approaches

Abstract Introduction: News media play an important role in raising public awareness, framing public opinions, affecting policy formulation, and acknowledgment of public health issues. Traditional qualitative content analysis for news sentiments and focuses are time-consuming and may not efficiently convey sentiments nor the focuses of news media. Methods: We used descriptive statistics and state-of-art text mining to conduct sentiment analysis and topic modeling, to efficiently analyze over 3 million Reuters news articles during 2007–2017 for identifying their coverage, sentiments, and focuses for public health issues. Based on the top keywords from public health scientific journals, we identified 10 major public health issues (i.e., “air pollution,” “alcohol drinking,” “asthma,” “depression,” “diet,” “exercise,” “obesity,” “pregnancy,” “sexual behavior,” and “smoking”). Results: The news coverage for seven public health issues, “Smoking,” “Exercise,” “Alcohol drinking,” “Diet,” “Obesity,” “Depression,” and “Asthma” decreased over time. The news coverage for “Sexual behavior,” “Pregnancy,” and “Air pollution” fluctuated during 2007–2017. The sentiments of the news articles for three of the public health issues, “exercise,” “alcohol drinking,” and “diet” were predominately positive and associated such as “energy.” Sentiments for the remaining seven public health issues were mainly negative, linked to negative terms, e.g., diseases. The results of topic modeling reflected the media’s focus on public health issues. Conclusions: Text mining methods may address the limitations of traditional qualitative approaches. Using big data to understand public health needs is a novel approach that could help clinical and translational science awards programs focus on community-engaged research efforts to address community priorities.

scholarly journals Acute Health Impacts of the Southeast Asian Transboundary Haze Problem—A Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 3286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheong ◽  
Ngiam ◽  
Morgan ◽  
Pek ◽  
Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Southeast Asian ◽  
International Strategy ◽  
Regional Air Quality ◽  
The Impact

Air pollution has emerged as one of the world’s largest environmental health threats, with various studies demonstrating associations between exposure to air pollution and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Regional air quality in Southeast Asia has been seasonally affected by the transboundary haze problem, which has often been the result of forest fires from “slash-and-burn” farming methods. In light of growing public health concerns, recent studies have begun to examine the health effects of this seasonal haze problem in Southeast Asia. This review paper aims to synthesize current research efforts on the impact of the Southeast Asian transboundary haze on acute aspects of public health. Existing studies conducted in countries affected by transboundary haze indicate consistent links between haze exposure and acute psychological, respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological morbidity and mortality. Future prospective and longitudinal studies are warranted to quantify the long-term health effects of recurrent, but intermittent, exposure to high levels of seasonal haze. The mechanism, toxicology and pathophysiology by which these toxic particles contribute to disease and mortality should be further investigated. Epidemiological studies on the disease burden and socioeconomic cost of haze exposure would also be useful to guide policy-making and international strategy in minimizing the impact of seasonal haze in Southeast Asia.

scholarly journals Air Pollution Disasters: Liability Issues in Negligence Associated With the Provision of Personal Protective Interventions (Facemasks)

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Fiona McDonald ◽  
Claire J Horwell
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Duty Of Care ◽  
Protective Mechanism ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
Legal Duty

ABSTRACT Disasters may impact air quality through the generation of high levels of potentially pathogenic particulate matter (PM), for example, in a volcanic eruption. Depending on the concentrations of particles in the air, their size and composition, and the duration of exposure, high levels of PM can create significant public health issues. It has been argued that air pollution, in and of itself, is a public health crisis. One possible intervention to reduce exposure to high levels of PM during an air pollution disaster (APD) is using facemasks. However, agencies may be reluctant to recommend or distribute facemasks for community use during APDs for a variety of reasons, including concerns about liability. There has been no analysis of these concerns. This paper analyzes whether agencies may have a legal duty of care in negligence to provide warnings about the health risks associated with APDs and/or to recommend facemasks as a protective mechanism for community use to reduce exposure to PM. It is also the first to examine the potential for liability in negligence, when a decision is made to distribute facemasks for community use during an APD and the receiver alleges that they sustained a personal injury and seeks compensation.

scholarly journals Applying UCD and ZET to Develop a Cloud-Based Real Time Solution for Air Quality Monitoring and Its Effects on Child and Maternal Health in Mongolia

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-99
Author(s):  
Raphael Mendonca da Nobrega ◽  
Kristina De Vera ◽  
Ulziisaikhan Sereeter ◽  
Bataa Chuluunbaatar ◽  
William Abi Abdallah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Child Health ◽  
Maternal And Child Health ◽  
Predictive Analytics ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Child Health

Air pollution is responsible for 4.2 million premature deaths every year. Studies have proven that Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, is one of more polluted cities in the world. As a result, Mongolia is suffering from major public health challenges. Mongolia currently lacks quality data, evidence and information to analyze and understand the full impact of air pollution on maternal and child health. This lack of understand has led to Family Health Centres (FHCs) and hospitals in Mongolia to be overwhelmed and unprepared to adequately treat air pollution related diseases. In response to this problem, UNICEF Mongolia and Ubilab will use User-Centered Design (UCD) and Zero-effort technology to create an online platform that will use predictive analytics to strengthen the understanding of the impact air pollution has on maternal and child health. This platform will better prepare healthcare practitioners to deal with the public health consequences associated with air pollution and the data generated from this platform will be used to inform policy, health care reforms, and develop educational materials. This study is a great opportunity to demonstrate how UCD and ZET can be effective to achieve goals within a global health perspective, but it would be challenging to overcome the economic and cultural barriers in the design and implementation process. However, if successful, this would enhance collaboration between environment and health-related institutions and can be implemented anywhere in the world, especially in areas where air pollution is a major problem.

Public Health Issues Took Center Stage in Election

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (23) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARY ELLEN SCHNEIDER
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Center Stage

Sludge Disposal to Sea in South Africa

1982 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 93-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
D C Macleod
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Industrial Waste ◽  
Domestic Sewage ◽  
Monitoring Programme ◽  
Environment And Public Health ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Sludge Disposal ◽  
Sea Outfalls

The performance of two sea outfalls that have been in operation off the coast of Durban for over 10 years has been monitored for effects on the marine environment and public health. The discharge has been a mixture of domestic sewage and industrial waste from which a large proportion of the sludge has been removed but a 2-year research project, in which the balance of the sludge is also being discharged, has commenced. Performance of the outfalls and details of the monitoring programme are reviewed.

EU Health Law & Policy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anniek de Ruijter
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Division Of Powers ◽  
Legal Principle ◽  
Legal Competence ◽  
The Eu

This book describes the expansion of EU power in health care and public health and analyses the implications of this expansion on EU health values and rights. The main conclusion of the book is that the EU is de facto balancing fundamental rights and values relating to health, implicitly taking on obligations for safeguarding fundamental rights in the field of health and affecting individuals’ rights sometimes without an explicit legal competence to do so. This brings to light instances where EU health policy has implications for fundamental rights and values without the possibility to challenge the exercise of power of the EU in human health. This begs the question of whether subsidiarity is still the most relevant legal principle for the division of powers and tasks among the Member States, particularly when EU policy and law involves the politically sensitive areas of health care and public health. This question draws out the parameter for continuing the debate on the role of the European Union in promoting its own values and the wellbeing of its peoples, in light of its ever-growing role in human health issues.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document