Impact of Air Pollution on Global Burden of Disease in 2019

Air pollution consisting of ambient air pollution and household air pollution (HAP) threatens health globally. Air pollution aggravates the health of vulnerable people such as infants, children, women, and the elderly as well as people with chronic diseases such as cardiorespiratory illnesses, little social support, and poor access to medical services. This study is aimed to estimate the impact of air pollution on global burden of disease (GBD). We extracted data about mortality and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to air pollution from 1990 to 2019. The extracted data were then organized and edited into a usable format using STATA version 15. Furthermore, we also estimated the impacts for three categories based on their socio-demographic index (SDI) as calculated by GBD study. The impacts of air pollution on overall burden of disease by SDI, gender, type of pollution, and type of disease is estimated and their trends over the period of 1990 to 2019 are presented. The attributable burden of ambient air pollution is increasing over the years while attributable burden of HAP is declining over the years, globally. The findings of this study will be useful for evidence-based planning for prevention and control of air pollution and reduction of burden of disease from air pollution at global, regional, and national levels

Hypertension screening, awareness, treatment, and control: a study of their prevalence and associated factors in a nationally representative sample from Nepal

Background: The growing burden of hypertension is emerging as one of the major healthcare challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as Nepal. Given that they are struggling to deliver adequate health services, some LMICs have significant gaps in the cascade of hypertension care (including screening, awareness, treatment, and control). This results in uncontrolled hypertension, placing a high burden on both patients and healthcare providers. Objective: The objective of this study was to quantify the gaps in hypertension screening, awareness, treatment, and control in the Nepalese population. Methods: We used the data from a pooled sample of 9682 participants collected through two consecutive STEPwise approach to Surveillance (STEPS) surveys conducted in Nepal in 2013 and 2019. A multistage cluster sampling method was applied in the surveys, to select nationally representative samples of 15- to 69-year-old Nepalese individuals. Prevalence ratios were calculated using multivariable Poisson regression. Results: Among the hypertensive participants, the prevalence of hypertension screening was 65.9% (95% CI: 62.2, 69.5), the prevalence of hypertension awareness was 20% (95% CI: 18.1, 22.1), the prevalence of hypertension treatment was 10.3% (95% CI: 8.8, 12.0), and the prevalence of hypertension control was 3.8% (95% CI: 2.9, 4.9). The unmet need of hypertension treatment and control was highest amongst the poorest individuals, the participants from Lumbini and Sudurpaschim provinces, those who received treatment in public hospitals, the uninsured, and those under the age of 30 years. Conclusions: The gaps in the cascade of hypertension care in Nepal are large. These gaps are particularly pronounced among the poor, persons living in Lumbini and Sudurpaschim provinces, those who sought treatment in public hospitals, those who did not have health insurance, and young people. National- and local-level public health interventions are needed to improve hypertension screening, awareness, treatment, and control in Nepal

Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of a national multisectoral action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in Nepal:perspectives of stakeholders

BACKGROUND: Nepal adopted the Multisectoral Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (MSAP) in 2014. Implementation of the plan has been challenging, with limited participation from non-health sectors. OBJECTIVES: The overall aim of the study was to gain the perspectives of key stakeholders involved in the Nepal MSAP on the barriers and facilitators to its implementation, through the participation of relevant sectors in the plan. METHODS: We held face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 12 stakeholders working in sectors involved in the MSAP. These sectors included the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministries; Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP); Ministry of Education, Science and Technology; Ministry of Forest and Environment; academia; and professional organizations. Thematic analysis of transcripts was used to identify themes on awareness of NCDs, awareness of the MSAP, and barriers and facilitators to participation in the MSAP. RESULTS: Participants recognised NCDs as a growing and major burden in Nepal. However, a number of participants were not familiar with the MSAP, identifying a lack of leadership and poor dissemination. Political and systemic transformation, since the adoption of the MSAP, was seen as a key barrier to implementation. International commitments to develop multisectoral action made by the Government of Nepal were identified as drivers. The recent establishment of a separate section for NCDs and Mental Health within the Department of Health Services of MOHP and the promotion of a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach in recent national documents, were both considered to support implementation. CONCLUSIONS: The establishment of permanent multisectoral or multistakeholder mechanisms has been challenging despite strong political calls for their development. Moving beyond 2020, multisectoral action plans should engage with stakeholders from federal, provincial and local governments in order to develop costed action plans with specific roles and responsibilities for each sector

Mitigating losses: how scientific organisations can help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early-career researchers.

Scientific collaborations among nations to address common problems and to build international partnerships as part of science diplomacy is a well-established notion. The international flow of people and ideas has played an important role in the advancement of the 'Sciences' and the current pandemic scenario has drawn attention towards the genuine need for a stronger role of science diplomacy, science advice and science communication. In dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, visible interactions across science, policy, science communication to the public and diplomacy worldwide have promptly emerged. These interactions have benefited primarily the disciplines of knowledge that are directly informing the pandemic response, while other scientific fields have been relegated. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on scientists of all disciplines and from all world regions are discussed here, with a focus on early-career researchers (ECRs), as a vulnerable population in the research system. Young academies and ECR-driven organisations could suggest ECR-powered solutions and actions that could have the potential to mitigate these effects on ECRs working on disciplines not related to the pandemic response. In relation with governments and other scientific organisations, they can have an impact on strengthening and creating fairer scientific systems for ECRs at the national, regional, and global level

A collaboratively derived international research agenda on legislative science advice

The quantity and complexity of scientific and technological information provided to policymakers have been on the rise for decades. Yet little is known about how to provide science advice to legislatures, even though scientific information is widely acknowledged as valuable for decision-making in many policy domains. We asked academics, science advisers, and policymakers from both developed and developing nations to identify, review and refine, and then rank the most pressing research questions on legislative science advice (LSA). Experts generally agree that the state of evidence is poor, especially regarding developing and lower-middle income countries. Many fundamental questions about science advice processes remain unanswered and are of great interest: whether legislative use of scientific evidence improves the implementation and outcome of social programs and policies; under what conditions legislators and staff seek out scientific information or use what is presented to them; and how different communication channels affect informational trust and use. Environment and health are the highest priority policy domains for the field. The context-specific nature of many of the submitted questions—whether to policy issues, institutions, or locations—suggests one of the significant challenges is aggregating generalizable evidence on LSA practices. Understanding these research needs represents a first step in advancing a global agenda for LSA research.Fil: Akerlof, Karen. George Mason University; Estados UnidosFil: Tyler, Chris. University College London;Fil: Foxen, Sarah Elizabeth. University College London;Fil: Heath, Erin. American Association for the Advancement of Science; Estados UnidosFil: Gual Soler, Marga. American Association for the Advancement of Science; Estados UnidosFil: Allegra, Alessandro. University College London;Fil: Cloyd, Emily T.. American Association for the Advancement of Science; Estados UnidosFil: Hird, John A.. University of Massachussets; Estados UnidosFil: Nelson, Selena M.. George Mason University; Estados UnidosFil: Nguyen, Christina T.. George Mason University; Estados UnidosFil: Gonnella, Cameryn J.. Herndon; Estados UnidosFil: Berigan, Liam A.. Kansas State University; Estados UnidosFil: Abeledo, Carlos R.. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Al Yakoub, Tamara Adel. Yarmouk University; JordaniaFil: Andoh, Harris Francis. Tshwane University Of Technology; Sudáfrica. Tshwane University of Technology; GhanaFil: dos Santos Boeira, Laura. Veredas Institute; BrasilFil: van Boheemen, Pieter. Rathenau Instituut; Países BajosFil: Cairney, Paul. University of Stirling; Reino UnidoFil: Cook Deegan, Robert. Arizona State University; Estados UnidosFil: Costigan, Gavin. Foundation For Science And Technology; Reino UnidoFil: Dhimal, Meghnath. Nepal Health Research Council; NepalFil: Di Marco, Martín Hernán. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Instituto de Investigaciones "Gino Germani"; ArgentinaFil: Dube, Donatus. National University of Science and Technology; Zimbabu

Evaluating progress and accountability for achieving COP26 Health Programme international ambitions for sustainable, low-carbon, resilient health-care systems.

A global initiative to develop low-carbon, resilient health systems-the COP26 Health Programme-launched at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) in 2021. As of May, 2024, 83 nations have committed to participate in this initiative. This analysis evaluates the effectiveness of existing and proposed indicators towards public monitoring and accountability to these commitments. Our findings reveal substantial gaps in data availability and indicator relevance, with many countries reporting process indicators that do not reflect actual progress towards achieving sustainable health-care systems. We found a dearth of suitable indicators and an urgent need to develop robust ones that are adaptable to different health-care system contexts. These indicators should be designed to capture tangible outcomes, support policy making, and prevent greenwashing. Integration of more robust indicators into independent scientific monitoring can support systematic inclusion of health care in global climate strategies, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of the COP26 Health Programme

Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding dengue virus infection among inhabitants of Aceh, Indonesia: A cross-sectional study

Background: The Indonesian region of Aceh was the area most severely affected by the earthquake and tsunami of 26 December 2004. Department of Health data reveal an upward trend of dengue cases in Aceh since the events of the tsunami. Despite the increasing incidence of dengue in the region, there is limited understanding of dengue among the general population of Aceh. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding dengue among the people of Aceh, Indonesia in order to design intervention strategies for an effective dengue prevention program. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Aceh between November 2014 and March 2015 with a total of 609 participants living in seven regencies and two municipalities. Information on the socio-demographic characteristics of participants and their KAP regarding dengue was collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. The KAP status (good vs. poor) of participants with different socio-demographic characteristics was compared using Chi Square-test, ANOVA or Fisher's exact test as appropriate. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of each KAP domain. Results: We found that 45% of participants had good knowledge regarding dengue and only 32% had good attitudes and good dengue preventive practices. There was a significant positive correlation between knowledge and attitudes, knowledge and practice, and attitudes and practice. In addition, people who had good knowledge were 2.7 times more likely to have good attitudes, and people who had good attitudes were 2.2 times more likely to have good practices regarding dengue. The level of education, occupation, marital status, monthly income, socioeconomic status (SES) and living in the city were associated with the knowledge level. Occupation, SES, and having experienced dengue fever were associated with attitudes. Education, occupation, SES and type of residence were associated with preventive practices. Conclusion: Our study suggests that dengue prevention programs are required to increase KAP levels regarding dengue in the communities of Aceh