Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers

Abstract Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing threat to global health. There are > 14 million cases of enteric fever every year and > 135,000 deaths. The disease is primarily controlled by antimicrobial treatment, but this is becoming increasingly difficult due to AMR. Our objectives were to assess the prevalence and geographic distribution of AMR in Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A infections globally, to evaluate the extent of the problem, and to facilitate the creation of geospatial maps of AMR prevalence to help targeted public health intervention. Methods We performed a systematic review of the literature by searching seven databases for studies published between 1990 and 2018. We recategorised isolates to allow the analysis of fluoroquinolone resistance trends over the study period. The prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR) and fluoroquinolone non-susceptibility (FQNS) in individual studies was illustrated by forest plots, and a random effects meta-analysis was performed, stratified by Global Burden of Disease (GBD) region and 5-year time period. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistics. We present a descriptive analysis of ceftriaxone and azithromycin resistance. Findings We identified 4557 articles, of which 384, comprising 124,347 isolates (94,616 S. Typhi and 29,731 S. Paratyphi A) met the pre-specified inclusion criteria. The majority (276/384; 72%) of studies were from South Asia; 40 (10%) articles were identified from Sub-Saharan Africa. With the exception of MDR S. Typhi in South Asia, which declined between 1990 and 2018, and MDR S. Paratyphi A, which remained at low levels, resistance trends worsened for all antimicrobials in all regions. We identified several data gaps in Africa and the Middle East. Incomplete reporting of antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and lack of quality assurance were identified. Interpretation Drug-resistant enteric fever is widespread in low- and middle-income countries, and the situation is worsening. It is essential that public health and clinical measures, which include improvements in water quality and sanitation, the deployment of S. Typhi vaccination, and an informed choice of treatment are implemented. However, there is no licenced vaccine for S. Paratyphi A. The standardised reporting of AST data and rollout of external quality control assessment are urgently needed to facilitate evidence-based policy and practice. Trial registration PROSPERO CRD42018029432.

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Magnitude of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases throughout the course of infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0249090 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. e0249090

Author(s):

Muluneh Alene ◽

Leltework Yismaw ◽

Moges Agazhe Assemie ◽

Daniel Bekele Ketema ◽

Belayneh Mengist ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Public Health Practice ◽

Scale Up ◽

Public Health Intervention ◽

Forest Plot ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

High Risk Populations ◽

Leave One Out

Background Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections are responsible for potentially significant transmission of COVID-19. Worldwide, a number of studies were conducted to estimate the magnitude of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. However, there is a need for more robust and well-designed studies to have a relevant public health intervention. Synthesis of the available studies significantly strengthens the quality of evidences for public health practice. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the overall magnitude of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases throughout the course of infection using available evidences. Methods We followed the PRISMA checklist to present this study. Two experienced review authors (MA and DBK) were systematically searched international electronic databases for studies. We performed meta-analysis using R statistical software. The overall weighted proportion of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases throughout the course infection was computed. The pooled estimates with 95% confidence intervals were presented using forest plot. Egger’s tests were used to assess publication bias, and primary estimates were pooled using a random effects model. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to assure the robustness of the result. Results A total of 28 studies that satisfied the eligibility criteria were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Consequently, in the meta-analysis, a total of 6,071 COVID-19 cases were included. The proportion of asymptomatic infections among the included studies ranged from 1.4% to 78.3%. The findings of this meta-analysis showed that the weighted pooled proportion of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases throughout the course of infection was 25% (95%CI: 16–38). The leave-one out result also revealed that the weighted pooled average of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection was between 28% and 31.4%. Conclusions In conclusion, one-fourth of SARS-CoV-2 infections are remained asymptomatic throughout the course infection. Scale-up of testing, which targeting high risk populations is recommended to tackle the pandemic.

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Mental Health First Aid is an effective public health intervention for improving knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour: A meta-analysis

International Review of Psychiatry ◽

10.3109/09540261.2014.924910 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 467-475 ◽

Cited By ~ 151

Author(s):

Gergö Hadlaczky ◽

Sebastian Hökby ◽

Anahit Mkrtchian ◽

Vladimir Carli ◽

Danuta Wasserman

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Mental Health ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Public Health Intervention ◽

First Aid ◽

Health Intervention ◽

Mental Health First Aid ◽

Effective Public Health

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Framing the evidence for health smart homes and home-based consumer health technologies as a public health intervention for independent aging: A systematic review

International Journal of Medical Informatics ◽

10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2013.03.007 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 82 (7) ◽

pp. 565-579 ◽

Cited By ~ 90

Author(s):

Blaine Reeder ◽

Ellen Meyer ◽

Amanda Lazar ◽

Shomir Chaudhuri ◽

Hilaire J. Thompson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Public Health Intervention ◽

Smart Homes ◽

Health Intervention ◽

Consumer Health ◽

Health Technologies ◽

Home Based

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Protocol for a systematic review of the use of qualitative comparative analysis for evaluative questions in public health research

Systematic Reviews ◽

10.1186/s13643-019-1159-5 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Benjamin Hanckel ◽

Mark Petticrew ◽

James Thomas ◽

Judith Green

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Comparative Analysis ◽

Health Research ◽

Citation Index ◽

Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽

Public Health Intervention ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Intervention Research ◽

Health Intervention

Abstract Background There is an increasing recognition that health intervention research requires methods and approaches that can engage with the complexity of systems, interventions, and the relations between systems and interventions. One approach which shows promise to this end is qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), which examines casual complexity across a medium to large number of cases (between 10 and 60+), whilst also being able to generalise across those cases. Increasingly, QCA is being adopted in public health intervention research. However, there is a limited understanding of how it is being adopted. This systematic review will address this gap, examining how it is being used to understand complex causation; for what settings, populations and interventions; and with which datasets to describe cases. Methods We will include published and peer-reviewed studies of any public health intervention where the effects on population health, health equity, or intervention uptake are being evaluated. Electronic searches of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science (incorporating Social Sciences Citation Index and Arts & Humanities Citation Index), Microsoft Academic, and Google Scholar will be performed. This will be supplemented with reference citation tracking and personal contact with experts to identify any additional published studies. Search results will be single screened, with machine learning used to check these results, acting as a ‘second screener’. Any disagreement will be resolved through discussion. Data will be extracted from full texts of eligible studies, which will be assessed against inclusion criteria, and synthesised narratively, using thematic synthesis methods. Discussion This systematic review will provide an important map of the increasing use of QCA in public health intervention literature. This review will identify the current scope of research in this area, as well as assessing claims about the utility of the method for addressing complex causation in public health research. We will identify implications for better reporting of QCA methods in public health research and for reporting of case studies such that they can be used in future QCA studies. Systematic review registration PROSPERO, CRD42019131910

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Systematic review of epidemiology and public health intervention on MERS

International Journal of Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1016/j.ijid.2018.04.3837 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 73 ◽

pp. 187

Author(s):

H. Lee ◽

J.H. Park

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Public Health Intervention ◽

Health Intervention ◽

Epidemiology And Public Health

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A review of the quantitative effectiveness evidence synthesis methods used in public health intervention guidelines

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10162-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ellesha A. Smith ◽

Nicola J. Cooper ◽

Alex J. Sutton ◽

Keith R. Abrams ◽

Stephanie J. Hubbard

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Decision Making ◽

Evidence Synthesis ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Public Health Intervention ◽

Health Intervention ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Synthesis Methods ◽

Public Health Interventions ◽

Guidance Documents

Abstract Background The complexity of public health interventions create challenges in evaluating their effectiveness. There have been huge advancements in quantitative evidence synthesis methods development (including meta-analysis) for dealing with heterogeneity of intervention effects, inappropriate ‘lumping’ of interventions, adjusting for different populations and outcomes and the inclusion of various study types. Growing awareness of the importance of using all available evidence has led to the publication of guidance documents for implementing methods to improve decision making by answering policy relevant questions. Methods The first part of this paper reviews the methods used to synthesise quantitative effectiveness evidence in public health guidelines by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) that had been published or updated since the previous review in 2012 until the 19th August 2019.The second part of this paper provides an update of the statistical methods and explains how they address issues related to evaluating effectiveness evidence of public health interventions. Results The proportion of NICE public health guidelines that used a meta-analysis as part of the synthesis of effectiveness evidence has increased since the previous review in 2012 from 23% (9 out of 39) to 31% (14 out of 45). The proportion of NICE guidelines that synthesised the evidence using only a narrative review decreased from 74% (29 out of 39) to 60% (27 out of 45).An application in the prevention of accidents in children at home illustrated how the choice of synthesis methods can enable more informed decision making by defining and estimating the effectiveness of more distinct interventions, including combinations of intervention components, and identifying subgroups in which interventions are most effective. Conclusions Despite methodology development and the publication of guidance documents to address issues in public health intervention evaluation since the original review, NICE public health guidelines are not making full use of meta-analysis and other tools that would provide decision makers with fuller information with which to develop policy. There is an evident need to facilitate the translation of the synthesis methods into a public health context and encourage the use of methods to improve decision making.

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The Affective Politics of Karma among Buddhist Cancer Charities in Vietnam

Journal of Vietnamese Studies ◽

10.1525/vs.2020.15.4.33 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 33-62

Author(s):

Sara Swenson

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Global Existence ◽

Food Production ◽

Public Health Intervention ◽

Health Intervention ◽

Moral Failure ◽

Cancer Rates ◽

Charity Work

In this article, I explore how Buddhist charity workers in Vietnam interpret rising cancer rates through understandings of karma. Rather than framing cancer as a primarily physical or medical phenomenon, volunteers state that cancer is a product of collective moral failure. Corruption in public food production is both caused by and perpetuates bad karma, which negatively impacts global existence. Conversely, charity work creates merit, which can improve collective karma and benefit all living beings. I argue that through such interpretations of karma, Buddhist volunteers understand their charity at cancer hospitals as an affective and ethical form of public health intervention.

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