Existence and Implications of Women Who Have Sex with Women in Tanzania: A Public Health Perspective

Women who engage in sexual activities with other women are known existing in all societies around the globe. However, the understanding of the size, trends and implications of female same sex behaviors and practices is generally lacking and vary within and among many countries including Tanzania. As a result, there is limited understanding of the public health importance of this group, which is often cited as the reason for not investing in work targeted at women who have sex with women and other minority groups in the country. It is from this perspective, that we conducted a formative qualitative study that aimed at, among other objectives, to establish the existence of women who have sex with women and the magnitude of female same sex behaviors and practices in Tanzania using a case study of the Dar-es-Salaam administrative region. Our findings prove that women who have sex with women exist mainly in urban areas in the country and for several reasons, their number is perceived rapidly increasing. We recommend further multidisciplinary (public health) research among women who have sex with women in the country to facilitate the availability of comprehensive and informative data on this population group.

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Nitrogen Dioxide, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Transportation in Urban Areas: Lessons From the Covid-19 Pandemic

Frontiers in Environmental Science ◽

10.3389/fenvs.2021.689985 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos E. Restrepo

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Nitrogen Dioxide ◽

Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Public Space ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Ground Level ◽

Health Concern ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

Gas Emissions

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a pollutant of concern in urban areas around the world. The main sources in urban environments are related to the burning of fuel and include transportation, electricity generation, and industrial and residential activities. From a public health perspective NO2 has also been widely associated with respiratory disease, including asthma exacerbation. NO2 also plays a key role in ground-level concentrations of ozone (O3), which is also a public health concern. This policy brief explores the relationships between transportation, climate change mitigation and ambient levels of air pollutants such as NO2. The Covid-19 pandemic has offered a glimpse of how rapid changes in transportation use can result in significant decreases in NO2 concentrations. Data from New York City supports this relationship. Transportation policies aimed at reducing traffic offer an opportunity to both mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality. The implementation of measures to rethink public space and the use of streets in response to Covid-19 also provides insights into an additional policy alternative to achieve these goals.

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Associations of Meeting 24-hour Movement Guidelines with Stress and Self-rated Health among Adults: Is Meeting more Guidelines Associated with Greater Benefits?

10.21203/rs.3.rs-226399/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kaja KASTELIC ◽

Željko PEDIŠIĆ ◽

Dean LIPOVAC ◽

Nika KASTELIC ◽

Si-Tong CHEN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Regression Models ◽

Linear Trend ◽

Movement Behaviour ◽

Public Health Importance ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

The Public ◽

Self Rated Health

Abstract Background: Several countries have recently issued 24-hour movement guidelines for adults. From a public health perspective, it is important to explore the health benefits of meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines. This study, therefore, aimed to explore the associations of meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines with stress and self-rated health among adults, and whether the likelihood of favourable outcomes increases with the number of movement guidelines met.Methods: A total of 2476 adults participated in our survey. The participants were categorised depending on whether they met the combined 24-hour movement guidelines, any combination of two individual guidelines, or any individual guideline. The associations of meeting the movement guidelines with stress and self-rated health were analysed using ordinal logistic regression models.Results: Significantly lower odds of reporting higher frequency of stress were found for those who met the combined 24-hour movement guidelines (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.32, 0.63; p < 0.001), any combination of two guidelines (OR range: 0.48 – 0.63; p < 0.05 for all), and sleep guideline only (OR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.35, 0.75; p = 0.001). Significantly higher odds of reporting better self-rated health were found for those who met the combined 24-hour movement guidelines (OR = 2.94; 95% CI: 2.07, 4.19; p < 0.001), combination of MVPA and SB guidelines (OR = 2.33; 95% CI: 1.57, 3.44; p < 0.001), combination of MVPA and sleep guidelines (OR = 1.78; 95% CI: 1.23, 2.59; p = 0.002), and MVPA guideline only (OR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.50, 3.36; p < 0.001). Meeting more guidelines was associated with greater odds of favourable outcomes (p for linear trend < 0.001). Conclusion: Adults who meet the sleep guideline, any combination of two guidelines, or all three guidelines experience stress less frequently. Meeting the MVPA guideline alone or in combination with any other movement behaviour guideline was associated with better self-rated health. The likelihood of less frequent stress and better self-rated health increases with the number of guidelines met. These findings highlight the public health importance of encouraging adults to meet as many movement behaviour guidelines as possible.

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Heuristic thinking: interdisciplinary perspectives on medical error

Journal of Public Health Research ◽

10.4081/jphr.2013.e22 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 22 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Annegret F. Hannawa

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Medical Errors ◽

Medical Error ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Future Research ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

Disability Adjusted Life ◽

Life Years

Approximately 43 million adverse events occur across the globe each year at a cost of at least 23 million disability-adjusted life years and $132 billion in excess health care spending, ranking this safety burden among the top 10 medical causes of disability in the world.1 These findings are likely to be an understatement of the actual severity of the problem, given that the numbers merely reflect seven types of adverse events and completely neglect ambulatory care, and of course they only cover reported incidents. Furthermore, they do not include statistics on children and incidents from India and China, which host more than a third of the world’s population. Best estimates imply that about two thirds of these incidents are preventable. Thus, from a public health perspective, medical errors are a seri- ous global health burden, in fact ahead of high-profile health problems like AIDS and cancer. Interventions to date have not reduced medical errors to satisfactory rates. Even today, far too often, hand hygiene is not practiced properly (even in developed countries), surgical procedures take place in underequipped operating theaters, and checklists are missing or remain uncompleted. The healthcare system seems to be failing in managing its errors − it is costing too much, and the complexity of care causes severe safety hazards that too often harm rather than help patients. In response to this evolving discussion, the International Society for Quality in Healthcare recently nominated an Innovations Team that is now developing new strategies. One of the emerging themes is that the medical field cannot resolve this problem on its own. Instead, interdisciplinary collaborations are needed to advance effective, evidence-based interventions that will eventually result in competent changes. In March 2013, the Institute of Communication and Health at the University of Lugano organized a conference on Communicating Medical Error (COME 2013) in Switzerland to stimulate such interdisciplinary dialogue. International scholars from eight disciplines and 17 countries attended the congress to discuss interdisciplinary ideas and perspectives for advancing safer care. The team of invited COME experts collaborated in compiling this issue of the Journal of Public Health Research entitled Interdisciplinary perspectives on medical error. This particular issue introduces relevant North American and European theorizing and research on preventable adverse events. The caliber of scientists who have contributed to this issue is humbling. But rather than naming their affiliations and summarizing their individual manuscripts here, it is more important to reflect on the contribution of this special issue as a whole. Particularly, I would like to raise two important take-home messages that the articles yield: i) What new insights can be derived from the papers collected in this issue? ii) What are the central challenges implied for future research on medical error?

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Stroke in the21stCentury: A Snapshot of the Burden, Epidemiology, and Quality of Life

Stroke Research and Treatment ◽

10.1155/2018/3238165 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

Eric S. Donkor

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Consequences ◽

High Morbidity ◽

Public Health Importance ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

Public Health Burden ◽

Demographic Transitions ◽

The Public ◽

Annual Mortality

Stroke is ranked as the second leading cause of death worldwide with an annual mortality rate of about 5.5 million. Not only does the burden of stroke lie in the high mortality but the high morbidity also results in up to 50% of survivors being chronically disabled. Thus stroke is a disease of immense public health importance with serious economic and social consequences. The public health burden of stroke is set to rise over future decades because of demographic transitions of populations, particularly in developing countries. This paper provides an overview of stroke in the21stcentury from a public health perspective.

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The influence of corporate market power on health: exploring the structure-conduct-performance model from a public health perspective

Globalization and Health ◽

10.1186/s12992-021-00688-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Benjamin Wood ◽

Owain Williams ◽

Phil Baker ◽

Vijaya Nagarajan ◽

Gary Sacks

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Market Power ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Antitrust Policy ◽

Performance Model ◽

Limited Attention ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

Diverse Range ◽

The Public ◽

Comprehensive Framework

Abstract Background The detrimental impact of dominant corporations active in health-harming commodity industries is well recognised. However, to date, existing analyses of the ways in which corporations influence health have paid limited attention to corporate market power. Accordingly, the public health implications of concentrated market structures, the use of anti-competitive market strategies, and the ways in which market power mediates the allocation and distribution of resources via market systems, remain relatively unexplored. To address this gap, this paper aimed to identify and explore key literature that could inform a comprehensive framework to examine corporate market power from a public health perspective. The ultra-processed food (UPF) industry was used to provide illustrative examples. Methods A scoping review of a diverse range of literature, including Industrial Organization, welfare economics, global political economy and antitrust policy, was conducted to identify important concepts and metrics that could be drawn upon within the field of public health to understand and explore market power. The Structure-Conduct-Performance (SCP) model, a guiding principle of antitrust policy and the regulation of market power, was used as an organising framework. Results We described each of the components of the traditional SCP model and how they have historically been used to assess market power through examining the interrelations between the structure of industries and markets, the conduct of dominant firms, and the overall ability of markets and firms to efficiently allocate and distribute the scarce resources. Conclusion We argue that the SCP model is well-placed to broaden public health research into the ways in which corporations influence health. In addition, the development of a comprehensive framework based on the key findings of this paper could help the public health community to better engage with a set of policy and regulatory tools that have the potential to curb the concentration of corporate power for the betterment of population health.

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The Emergence and Future of Public Health Data Science

Public Health Reviews ◽

10.3389/phrs.2021.1604023 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

Author(s):

Jeff Goldsmith ◽

Yifei Sun ◽

Linda P. Fried ◽

Jeannette Wing ◽

Gary W. Miller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Research ◽

Data Science ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Health Data ◽

Science Methods ◽

Critical Component ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

Public Health Data ◽

Term Data

Data science is a newly‐formed and, as yet, loosely‐defined discipline that has nonetheless emerged as a critical component of successful scientific research. We seek to provide an understanding of the term “data science,” particularly as it relates to public health; to identify ways that data science methods can strengthen public health research; to propose ways to strengthen education for public health data science; and to discuss issues in data science that may benefit from a public health perspective.

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Values, goals and benefits of university research: The Public health perspective

Bajo Palabra ◽

10.15366/bp2021.27.015 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 291-306

Author(s):

Vladimer Luarsabishvili ◽

Maia Kiladze

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Point Of View ◽

University Research ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

Civic Society ◽

The Public ◽

Research Designs ◽

The University ◽

Selection Of

Public health as a healthcare system discipline is supported by the evidence-based biomedical research. Scientific discoveries or improvements are made by experiments and clinical trials with different research designs, and are analyzed by complex methods of statistical assessment. Research conducted at university is of particular interest, as it is a place with a wide selection of laboratorial and/or clinical facilities and a research staff. University research aims not only to accumulate new data but also to disseminate it among students by teaching. As the university community is based on the creation and extension of certain values admitted by all its members, university research brings into life new perspectives for research and founds the ways to benefit all members of both biomedical and non-biomedical society. Values as the main characteristics of modern civic society are important both from research point of view and of its perspectives. Thus, public health research may be transformed into an effective tool to rethink the assessment of old values and a formation of new ones.

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Women Who Have Sex with Women’s Attitudes and Willingness to Participate in Future Female Same Sex Public Health Research: Opportunity for Disease Prevention and Control in Tanzania

Clinical Immunology & Research ◽

10.33425/2639-8494.1034 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Switbert R Kamazima ◽

Happiness P Saronga ◽

Saidah S Bakar ◽

Jackline V Mbishi

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Research ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Willingness To Participate ◽

City Region ◽

Same Sex ◽

Hidden Populations ◽

Future Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

And Control

Recruitment of acceptable number of participants in a (public) health research with ‘hard to reach’/‘hidden’ populations is an old global problem, mostly challenging public health researchers in resource limited countries like Tanzania. Violence, stigma, criminalization of behaviors practiced by these groups, and potential participants’ suspicion toward the research and the researchers, further limit willingness to voluntarily participate. We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive and retrospective qualitative formative study with women who have sex with women in Dar-es-Salaam City region, Tanzania. The aim, among other objectives, was to understand women who have sex with women’s attitudes and willingness to participate in future female same sex public health research targeting this group. Findings indicate that all women we studied expressed willingness to participate in future health research targeting issues around female same sex relationships in the Tanzania context; an opportunity for (public) health professionals to prevent and control diseases in the country. To attain this goal, we recommend tailoring research protocols’ content, communication messages, and recruitment tactics to recognize, appreciate, and embrace the specific characteristics, backgrounds, and concerns of women who have sex with women in Tanzania.

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Managing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Data for Public Health Research

Online Journal of Public Health Informatics ◽

10.5210/ojphi.v8i3.7055 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Deborah Van Gaans ◽

Sarah Ahmed ◽

Katina D'Onise ◽

Sean Matthew Taylor ◽

R McDermott

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Torres Strait Islander ◽

Population Group ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Quality Data ◽

Quality Information ◽

The Status ◽

Torres Strait ◽

Collection And Management ◽

Good Quality Data

Good quality data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are needed to assess the effectiveness of programs and interventions, and to evaluate policies that are designed to improve the status of, and service delivery to, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Due to the lack of longitudinal data it is difficult to gain knowledge on the specific causes or consequences of changes in indigenous outcomes. Variables such as name, date of birth and address variables for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders may be subject to more variation and be less consistently reported among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians than among other Australians. Improving the collection and management of key identifying variables for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are key to providing more quality information on this population group.

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The development of national indicators for the surveillance of osteoporosis in Canada

Chronic Diseases and Injuries in Canada ◽

10.24095/hpcdp.32.2.06 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 101-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. LeMessurier ◽

S. O’Donnell ◽

P. Walsh ◽

L. McRae ◽

C. Bancej ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Majority Vote ◽

Health Agency ◽

Public Health Importance ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

Public Health Action ◽

Face To Face ◽

The Public ◽

Core Set ◽

The Face

Introduction The Public Health Agency of Canada, in collaboration with bone health and osteoporosis experts from across Canada (n = 12), selected a core set of indicators for the public health surveillance of osteoporosis using a formal consensus process. Methods A literature review identified candidate indicators that were subsequently categorized into an osteoporosis-specific indicator framework. A survey was then administered to obtain expert opinion on the indicators’ public health importance. Indicators that scored less than 3 on a Likert scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high) were excluded from further consideration. Subsequently, a majority vote on the remaining indicators’ level of public health importance was sought during a face-to-face meeting. Results The literature yielded 111 indicators, and 88 were selected for further consideration via the survey. At the face-to-face meeting, more than half the experts considered 39 indicators to be important from the public health perspective. Conclusion This core set of indicators will serve to inform the development of new data sources and the integration, analysis and interpretation of existing data into surveillance products for the purpose of public health action.

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