Adoption of a preventive health program via website versus mobile phone app across neighborhoods with different socioeconomic conditions in the Netherlands: cross-sectional study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Socioeconomic disparities in the adoption of preventive health programs represent a well-known challenge, with programs delivered online serving as a potential solution. The preventive health program examined in this study is a large-scale, open access online platform operating in the Netherlands, aimed at improving the health behaviors and wellness of its participants. OBJECTIVE This study examines differences in adoption of an online preventive health program across socioeconomic groups, whereby comparing between its two delivery means: website versus mobile phone app. METHODS The 83,466 participants in this cross-sectional, non-experimental study are individuals who have signed up for the health program between July 2012 and September 2019. The rate of program adoption per delivery means is estimated using the Prentice, Williams and Peterson Gap-Time model (PWP-GT), with the measure of neighborhood socio-economic status (NSES) employed to distinguish between population segments with different socioeconomic characteristics. Registration to the health program is voluntary and free, not within a controlled study setting, allowing for observing the true rate of adoption. RESULTS The estimation results indicate that program adoption across socioeconomic groups varies depending on program’s delivery means. For the website version, higher NSES groups have a higher likelihood of program adoption compared to the lowest NSES group (hazard ratio [HR]=1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.01, 1.05). For the mobile phone app version, the opposite holds: higher NSES groups have a lower likelihood of program adoption compared to the lowest NSES group (HR=0.94; 95% CI=0.91, 0.97). CONCLUSIONS Promoting preventive health programs using mobile phone apps can help increase program adoption among the lowest socioeconomic segment. Given the increasing usage of mobile phones among the disadvantaged population groups, structuring future health interventions to include mobile phone apps as means of delivery can support the stride towards diminishing health disparities.

Physical Fighting Among Adolescents in Eastern Ethiopia: A Cross-sectional Study

Objective: To assess the magnitude and factors associated with physical attack and fighting among adolescents in Eastern Ethiopia.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,424 adolescents in eastern Ethiopia in 2016. Random sampling was used to recruit study participants. Data were collected by trained interviewers using an adapted, structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, binary and multivariable logistic regression were performed. Statistical associations were determined using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) at 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CIs) and P-value<0.05. Results: Prevalence of physical attack and physical fights was 5.8%, and 26.4%, respectively. Adolescents who attended school (AOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.9) and who chewed Khat (AOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.8) were less likely to experience physical attack. Male adolescents were two times more likely to engage in physical fights than female adolescents (AOR 2.4; 95% CI 1.8-3.2). In-school adolescents who attended secondary (AOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.7) or tertiary level of education (AOR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.7) were less likely to participate in physical-fighting than those with primary level education. Adolescents who had ever engaged in physical work to earn money for food or drink were 1.9 times more likely to be physically attacked compared to those who had not (AOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.0-3.5).Conclusion: Physical attacks and fights were found to be common experiences of adolescents in eastern Ethiopia. Future research and programs should emphasize preventive health programs for reducing violence and promoting school enrolment and retention.

Public Health at the Public Library: Preventive Health Programs Implemented in Large Public Libraries

Amid the opioid epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic, the public sector is consumed with health promotion and disease prevention. Preventive programs serve a significant purpose in ensuring population health and reducing burden on the healthcare system (Cohen et al., 2008; Neumann & Cohen, 2009). People are increasingly turning to educational resources outside of the traditional healthcare sector to ward off diseases or alleviate pre-existing conditions (Eakin et al., 1980; Eng et al., 1998). Public library systems often carry such resources, in print and multimedia form, at no cost. Some libraries are providing health programming to supplement, contextualize, or incentivize the use of such resources (Murray, 2008; National Network of Libraries of Medicine, 2014). This study examines preventive health programming offered in the largest public library systems nationwide.

Cardiovascular Risk Reduction in the Workplace With CAMMPUS (Cardiovascular Assessment and Medication Management by Pharmacists at the UBC Site)

Background: Cardiovascular (CV) disease is a leading cause of death despite being largely preventable. Employers increasingly offer preventive health programs in the workplace, and pharmacists are well suited to provide these programs. Objective: To evaluate the impact of a pharmacist-led service on CV risk in University of British Columbia (UBC) employees. Methods: This was a prospective observational pre-and-post design study, with participants as their own controls. Employees >18 years of age in the UBC health plan with a Framingham Risk Score (FRS) ≥10% or ≥1 medication-modifiable CV risk factor were included. Participants received a baseline assessment, individualized consultation for 12 months, and a final assessment by a pharmacist at the UBC Pharmacists Clinic. The primary end point was FRS reduction. Results: Baseline assessment of 512 participants between September 2015 and October 2016 yielded 207 (40%) participants, of whom 178 (86%) completed the 12-month intervention. Participants were 54% female and 55% Caucasian, with an average age of 51 (SD = 9.1) years. FRS at baseline was <10 in 45.8%, 10 to 19.9 in 37.9%, and ≥20 in 16.4% of participants. Over 12 months, significant reductions in average FRS (from 11.7 [SD = 7.7] to 10.7 [SD = 7.3]; P = 0.0017) and other parameters were observed. Significant improvements in quality of life (EQ5D change of 0.031 [95% CI = 0.001, 0.062] P = 0.023) and medication adherence (MMAS-8 change of 0.42 [ P = 0.019]) were also noted. Conclusions and Relevance: UBC employees had improvements in health markers, self-reported quality of life, and medication adherence after receiving a 12-month pharmacist-led intervention. Pharmacists are encouraged to provide CV risk reduction services in workplaces.

Rural workers` health related to the use of pesticides in developing and developed countries

This review aims to examine the issue rural workers' health and the use of pesticides in its various aspects, especially emphasizing how that is doing in developing and developed countries. We found than the rural workers pesticide contamination problems occur both in developing countries as in developed countries. We concluded than to ensure the rural workers’ health when they use pesticides becomes necessary to increase the training of workers. It is also important to build political agendas and actions in the health of agricultural workers, with implementation of preventive health programs with greater oversight and monitoring on pesticide use.

Możliwości kształtowania postaw zdrowotnych dzieci i młodzieży w Polsce

Lifestyle, environment, genetics and usage of health care are the classical health determinants. Each of these factors influences personal health to certain degree. Lifestyle has the biggest impact (50–52%), followed by environment (18–20%), genes (15–20%) and finally usage of health care (10–15%). Acknowledgement of negative health behaviours as key reason for diseases of modern civilization formed the basis for many preventive actions. Implementation of preventive health programs is aimed at shaping healthy lifestyle and healthy behaviours in society. The objective of this article is to present links between social marketing and possibilities to influence healthy behaviours of kids and youth. Necessity for holistic approach to health and examples of healthy behaviours of kids and young people in Poland are discussed.