scholarly journals Illicit Drugs, Infectious Disease and Public Health: A Historical Perspective

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Berridge ◽  
Shawna Bourne

The present report outlines a presentation by Professor Virginia Berridge at the Second Stanier Lecture held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on November 5, 2002. The relationship among public health concepts, illicit drug use prevention and policy, and infection control strategies in England and other locations is paralleled over the course of two centuries. This historical journey analyzes changes in public health and demonstrates how history and public health have intersected at various times to result in the public health approaches used today.

Author(s):  
Aryo Wibisono ◽  
R. Amilia Destryana

This study aims to determine the index of public satisfaction in public health center services in Sumenep Regency and the relationship between the services to the public satisfaction. The analysis measured the index of public satisfaction and logistic regression methods to determine the effect of the relationship on total satisfaction in the health services of Public Health Center. The results of the study are the alignment between interests and patient satisfaction is still not aligned, there are still differences between interests and satisfaction, the pattern of the result is the relationship between the assurance dimension to the service satisfaction of the public health center, and the results of the index of public satisfaction  values show that the results of the community assess the public health center performance is very good by getting an A grade. Keywords: public service, logistic regretion, index of public satisfaction


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Rinaldi ◽  
M P M Bekker

Abstract Background The political system is an important influencing factor for population health but is often neglected in the public health literature. This scoping review uses insights from political science to explore the possible public health consequences of the rise of populist radical right (PRR) parties in Europe, with welfare state policy as a proxy. The aim is to generate hypotheses about the relationship between the PRR, political systems and public health. Methods A literature search on PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar resulted in 110 original research articles addressing 1) the relationship between the political system and welfare state policy/population health outcomes or 2) the relationship between PRR parties and welfare state policy/population health outcomes in Europe. Results The influence of political parties on population health seems to be mediated by welfare state policies. Early symptoms point towards possible negative effects of the PRR on public health, by taking a welfare chauvinist position. Despite limited literature, there are preliminary indications that the effect of PRR parties on health and welfare policy depends on vote-seeking or office-seeking strategies and may be mediated by the political system in which they act. Compromises with coalition partners, electoral institutions and the type of healthcare system can either restrain or exacerbate the effects of the PRR policy agenda. EU laws and regulations can to some extent restrict the nativist policy agenda of PRR parties. Conclusions The relationship between the PRR and welfare state policy seems to be mediated by the political system, meaning that the public health consequences will differ by country. Considering the increased popularity of populist parties in Europe and the possibly harmful consequences for public health, there is a need for further research on the link between the PRR and public health.


Author(s):  
Giovanni Tripepi ◽  
Mario Plebani ◽  
Giorgio Iervasi ◽  
Mercedes Gori ◽  
Daniela Leonardis ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Italy was the second country in the world, after China, to be hit by SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The Italy’s experience teaches that steps to limit people’s movement by imposing “red zones” need to be put in place early by carefully identifying the cities to be included within these areas of quarantine. The assessment of the relationship between the distance from an established outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infection with transmission-linked cases and mortality observed in other sites could provide useful information to identify the optimal radius of red zones. Methods We investigated the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 cases and the distance of each Italian province from the first outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Italy (the city of Lodi placed in the Lombardia region). In 38 provinces of Lombardia and neighboring regions, we performed a breakpoint analysis to identify the radius of the red zone around Lodi minimizing epidemic spread and mortality in neighboring cities. Results In all Italian provinces a non-linear relationship was found between SARS-CoV-2 cases and distance from Lodi. In an analysis including the provinces of Lombardia and neighboring regions, SARS-CoV-2 cases and mortality increased when the distance from Lodi reduced below 92 km and 140 km, respectively, and such relationships were amplified by ozone (O3) pollution. Conclusions The breakpoint analysis identifies the radius around the outbreak of Lodi minimizing the public health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 in neighboring cities. Such an approach can be useful to identify the red zones in future epidemics due to highly infective pathogens similar to SARS-CoV-2.


Author(s):  
Gregory Gutin ◽  
Tomohiro Hirano ◽  
Sung-Ha Hwang ◽  
Philip R. Neary ◽  
Alexis Akira Toda

AbstractHow does social distancing affect the reach of an epidemic in social networks? We present Monte Carlo simulation results of a susceptible–infected–removed with social distancing model. The key feature of the model is that individuals are limited in the number of acquaintances that they can interact with, thereby constraining disease transmission to an infectious subnetwork of the original social network. While increased social distancing typically reduces the spread of an infectious disease, the magnitude varies greatly depending on the topology of the network, indicating the need for policies that are network dependent. Our results also reveal the importance of coordinating policies at the ‘global’ level. In particular, the public health benefits from social distancing to a group (e.g. a country) may be completely undone if that group maintains connections with outside groups that are not following suit.


Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 143 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEPHANIE M. FLETCHER-LARTEY ◽  
GRAZIELLA CAPRARELLI

SUMMARYThe uptake and acceptance of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology has increased since the early 1990s and public health applications are rapidly expanding. In this paper, we summarize the common uses of GIS technology in the public health sector, emphasizing applications related to mapping and understanding of parasitic diseases. We also present some of the success stories, and discuss the challenges that still prevent a full scope application of GIS technology in the public health context. Geographical analysis has allowed researchers to interlink health, population and environmental data, thus enabling them to evaluate and quantify relationships between health-related variables and environmental risk factors at different geographical scales. The ability to access, share and utilize satellite and remote-sensing data has made possible even wider understanding of disease processes and of their links to the environment, an important consideration in the study of parasitic diseases. For example, disease prevention and control strategies resulting from investigations conducted in a GIS environment have been applied in many areas, particularly in Africa. However, there remain several challenges to a more widespread use of GIS technology, such as: limited access to GIS infrastructure, inadequate technical and analytical skills, and uneven data availability. Opportunities exist for international collaboration to address these limitations through knowledge sharing and governance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-104
Author(s):  
Andre Christian Ginting ◽  
Andrico Napolin Lumbantobing

A B S T R A C TIntroduction Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria in the form ofrods (bacilli) known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This disease is included as achronic infectious disease. The causes of the increase in TB cases each year are stillvarious. One of them is smoking behavior. A person who smokes will have twice therisk of contracting TB. This study aims to determine the relationship between smokingbehavior and the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the work area of the MedanSunggal Puskesmas in 2019. Methods This study is an analytical study with a crosssectional design. The population of this study were patients with pulmonary TB in thework area of the Medan Sunggal Public Health Center in 2019. The sample size usedwas 104 people who had met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the second study,the data collection tool was through the Puskesmas medical records. Data analysis wasperformed using the statistical test is chi square. Results the result showed that therewas a relationship between smoking behavior and the incidence of pulmonarytuberculosis in Medan Sunggal Public Health Center with an OR (95% CI) value of105,125 (13,280-832,161), which means that respondents who smoke will have105,125 times the risk of suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis compared to non-smoking respondents. From the results of 95% CI, it can be seen that the lower limitand upper limit values (CI values) not include 1.00, so the results of the study arestatistically significant at the value of α = 0.001. Conclusion. Smoking behavior hasan insignificant relationship with the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis at MedanSunggal Puskesmas in 2019. It is recommended that the primary care should providesupport and sources of information about smoking habits, especially for patients whohave been diagnosed with pulmonary TB.


SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A300-A301
Author(s):  
Rebecca Robbins ◽  
Ralph J DiClimente ◽  
Matthew Weaver ◽  
Catherine Di Gangi ◽  
Isabel Chalem ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Sleep disturbance is associated with poor mental health and may contribute to initiating or continuing use/abuse of alcohol and drugs. Using data from a nationwide survey, we examined the relationship between sleep disturbance and suicide behaviors among youth and adults, including those who report drug/alcohol use and abuse. Methods We analyzed data from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual survey collecting information about the use of illicit drugs and alcohol among non-institutionalized U.S. youth (age 12–17) and adults (age>17). The 2018 survey included 9,398 youth and 43,026 adult respondents. Depression was assessed in adults with the Kessler-6 and in youth with several questions assessing psychological distress. Those who scored at risk for psychological distress were also asked about sleep disturbance and suicidal behaviors (i.e., ideation, planning, attempt). All were asked to report their drug/alcohol use and/or abuse. Our study population included those who reported psychological distress. We conducted binary logistic regression to examine the relationship between suicidal behavior and sleep disturbance in this population. We also conducted sub-analyses to explore the relationship between suicidal behavior and sleep disturbance among those reporting drug/alcohol use and abuse. Results Youth were 29% male and 71% female, adults were 36% male and 64% female. Adult participants, 39% were 18 to 25, 22% were 26 to 34, and 39% were age 35 and older. Among those with psychological distress, suicidal behavior was more likely among those who reported sleep disturbance (youth: OR=2.7, 95%CI:1.8–4.0; adults: OR=1.3, 95%CI:1.2–1.5). Also, among those with psychological distress, suicidal behavior was more likely among those who reported concomitant sleep disturbance and either alcohol abuse/alcoholism (youth: OR:3.3, 95%CI:1.6–7.0; adults: OR=1.4, 95%CI:1.1–1.7); illicit drug abuse (youth: OR=3.5, 95%CI:1.6–7.4; adults: OR=1.3, 95%CI:1.0–1.6); or alcohol and illicit drug abuse (youth: OR=3.2, 95%CI:1.5–6.9; adults: OR=1.4, 95%CI:1.1–1.7). Conclusion Youth and adults with psychological distress and sleep disturbance are more likely to also report suicidal behaviors. Alcohol and drug use or abuse increase their risk for suicidal behavior compared to those who do not report sleep disturbance. Future work should include examination of causality and of interventions. Support (if any) NIH K24-HL105664, P01-AG009975, T32-HL007901, K01HL150339, 1R56HL151637


Author(s):  
Sydne DiGiacomo ◽  
Mohammad-Ali Jazayeri ◽  
Rajat Barua ◽  
John Ambrose

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and its sequelae are among the largest economic and healthcare burdens in the United States and worldwide. The relationship between active smoking and atherosclerosis is well-described in the literature. However, the specific mechanisms by which ETS influences atherosclerosis are incompletely understood. In this paper, we highlight the definition and chemical constituents of ETS, review the existing literature outlining the effects of ETS on atherogenesis and thrombosis in both animal and human models, and briefly outline the public health implications of ETS based on these data.


Author(s):  
Viju Raghupathi ◽  
Wullianallur Raghupathi

The authors use a health analytics approach to investigate the relationship between information and communication technology (ICT) and public health at a country level. The research uses the ICT factors of accessibility, usage, quality, affordability, trade, and applications, as well as the public delivery indicators of adolescent fertility rate, child immunization for DPT, child immunization for measles, tuberculosis detection rate, life expectancy, adult female mortality rate, and adult male mortality rate. ICT data was collected from the International Telecommunication Union ICT Indicator database. The public health data was collected from the World Bank website. Results of the analytics indicate that ICT factors are positively associated with some public health indicators. Nearly all of the ICT factors are positively associated with the public health indicators of immunization rates, TB detection rates, and life expectancy. The association with adult mortality is negative, which is also favorable. However, the association of ICT with fertility rate is negative, which is an unfavorable effect. These results offer insight into the importance of understanding the positive and adverse impacts of ICT on public health so as to guide national policy decisions in the future.


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