Why a new journal in Public Health?

Why a new journal? Because it’s a Journal of Public Health Research. When we decided to launch a new journal, we thought a lot about the topics readers would like to see and read about. The most important thing was that the new journal had to fit the modern concept of public health

Misuse (and abuse?) of the concept of empowerment: the case of online offer of predictive direct-to-consumer genetic tests

oai:ojs.www.jphres.org:article/2Using the field of direct-to-consumer genetic tests as a case in point, this paper argues against the misuse of the term empowerment, and calls for a regulation of its usage. The misleading assumption under certain current usages of the concept of empowerment is that it is enhanced by the provision of health information. While the ‘information-empowerment’ correlation is misleading, if not wrong, the feeling of being empowered imposes an increasing burden of critical thinking on those people (patients and consumers) who have to evaluate that information and act for the benefit of their health

Polychlorinated biphenyl serum levels in subjects with hepatocellular carcinoma as compared with the general population

Background. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been recognized as human carcinogens and cause liver cancer in animal experimental studies. However, no study investigated their association with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) so far. This study aimed to evaluate the serum PCB concentration in HCC patients and in healthy subjects of the general population living in Brescia, North Italy, a highly industrialized area with heavy PCB environmental pollution due to the presence of a PCB producing factory. Methods. Lipid-adjusted PCB concentrations, computed as the sum of 24 congeners, were measured in the serum of 101 HCC patients and in 101 healthy subjects of the same age and gender. Results. Hepatitis B and C virus infection and history of heavy alcohol intake were found, alone and combined, in 87% of HCC patients. No difference was found in PCB serum concentration of HCC patients with and without, and according to, the major risk factors for liver disease. No significant difference was observed in serum total PCB concentration between HCC patients (median: 1081; range: 287.0-3182.0 ng/g lipid) and healthy subjects (median: 1199.3; range: 225.7-22825 ng/g lipid). PCB congeners 118, 138, 153, 156, 180 and 194 were the only ones found over the detection limit in at least 30% of HCC patients. The serum level of PCB 118, but not that of other congeners, was higher in HCC patients than in healthy subjects. Conclusion. These findings do not support the hypothesis that PCBs play an important role in HCC development, although a contribution by some specific congeners cannot be ruled ou

Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy: A mixed-methods study of attitudes in a sample of Italian women and the role of health professionals’ communication

Objectives: We examined Italian pregnant women’s attitudes about the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine, seasonal influenza, and Covid-19 vaccines, healthcare professionals’ (HP) communication, reasons and potential predictors for non-adherence. Methods: From August 2021 to January 2022, we carried out a cross-sectional study in Italy using an online self administered questionnaire addressed to women of age and pregnant, designed using LimeSurvey and dissem inated through social media. Questions explored vaccination attitude/perceptions, satisfaction, and trust in HPs’ information. Thematic analysis of free-text responses was performed using MaxQDA 2022. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA. Results: 1594 responses were obtained. 52% of women hesitated to be vaccinated against Covid-19 while pregnant. Information received by HPs was deemed incomplete by 56% of participants, unclear by 52%, and untrustworthy by 46%; 49% felt unsupported in their decision-making process. This variable was one predictor of vaccine hesitancy together with concern about vaccine safety in the multivariate model. The analysis of open ended questions revealed a pervasive feeling of dissatisfaction. Conclusion: The perceived lack of adequate communication and support by HPs affected pregnant women’s decision-making process on Covid-19 vaccination. Practice implications: HPs need to understand and communicate the importance of vaccination during pregnancy, learning to better tailor their messages

Cyberdrugs: a cross-sectional study of online pharmacies characteristics

As e-commerce and online pharmacies (OPs) arose, the potential impact of the Internet on the world of health shifted from merely the spread of information to a real opportunity to acquire health services directly. Aim of the study was to investigate the offer of prescription drugs in OPs, analysing their characteristics, using the content analysis method. The research performed using the Google search engine led to an analysis of 118 online pharmacies. Only 51 (43.2%) of them stated their precise location. Ninety-six (81.4%) online pharmacies did not require a medical prescription from the customer's physician. Online pharmacies rise complex issues in terms of patient-doctor relationship, consumer empowerment, drug quality, regulation and public health implication

Ecotoxicity Evaluation of Industrial Waste and Construction Materials: Comparison Between Leachates from Granular Steel Slags and Steel Slags-Containing Concrete Through a Plant-Based Approach

Steel slags, the main waste product from the steel industry, may have several reuse possibilities. Among others, building applications represent a crucial field. However, the potential impact of harmful substances on the environment should be assessed. The aim of this study was to assess the phytotoxicity of steel slags (SS) and concrete mixtures cast with a partial replacement of SS (CSS). Leaching tests were carried out on four SS and four CSS according to EN 12457-2 and UNI EN 15863, respectively. Each leachate was assayed using root elongation tests on 30 seeds of Allium cepa, Cucumis sativus, and Lepidium sativum, respectively, and on 12 bulbs of A. cepa. The latter also allowed the analysis of other macroscopic parameters of toxicity (turgidity, consistency, colour change and root tip shape) and the evaluation of the mitotic index on 20,000 root tip cells per sample. None of the samples induced phytotoxic effects on the organisms tested: all samples supported seedlings emergence, verified by root elongation comparable to, or even greater than, that of the negative controls, and did not affect cell division, as evidenced by mitotic index values. The absence of phytotoxicity demonstrated by the leachates allows SS and SS-derived concrete to be considered as reliable materials suitable for use in civil constructions or in other engineering applications, with economic and environmental advantages, such as the reduction of the final disposal in landfills as well as the consumption of natural resources

Crisis communication in the area of risk management: the CriCoRM project

Background. During the last H1N1 pandemic has emerged the importance of crisis communication as an essential part of health crisis management. The Project aims specifically to improve the understanding of crisis communication dynamics and effective tools and to allow public health institutions to communicate better with the public during health emergencies.Design and Methods. The Project will perform different activities: i) state of the art review; ii) identification of key stakeholders; iii) communicational analysis performed using data collected on stakeholder communication activities and their outcomes considering the lessons learnt from the analysis of the reasons for differing public reactions during pandemics; iv) improvement of the existing guidelines; v) development of Web 2.0 tools as web-platform and feed service and implementation of impact assessment algorithms; vi) organization of exercises and training on this issues.Expected impact of the study for public health. In the context of health security policies at an EU level, the project aims to find a common and innovative approach to health crisis communication that was displayed by differing reactions to the H1N1 pandemic policies. The focus on new social media tools aims to enhance the role of e-health, and the project aims to use these tools in the specific field of health institutions and citizens. The development of Web 2.0 tools for health crisis communication will allow an effective two-way exchange of information between public health institutions and citizens. An effective communication strategy will increase population compliance with public health recommendations

Air pollution: a study of citizen's attitudes and behaviors using different information sources

Background: From November 2015 to January 2016, the routine air monitoring showed a peak of air pollution (in particular of PM10) that caused alarm in many Italian cities and was widely reported by mass media. After some weeks from this alarm, we tried to evaluate the citizen awareness and interest towards air pollution together with their positive behaviors, using different information sources. Methods: From September 2015 to March 2016, in parallel with the number of exceedances of the PM10 in Italy we evaluated the press coverage, the average monthly searches on Google and the interest on Twitter. Moreover, a qualitative content analysis on daily newspapers was conducted and a self-compiled questionnaire on the attitudes and behaviors about environmental issues and their determinants was administered to 598 parents involved in the project MAPEC_LIFE (LIFE12 ENV/IT/00614). Results: The media coverage of the theme of air pollution was very high from the end of 2015 to the beginning of 2016, as well as internet searches and twitter messages. Our qualitative analysis highlighted that only a small portion of articles included information about positive behaviors and environmental awareness. Despite the high media coverage and the satisfactory self-perceived knowledge, the majority of respondents judged negatively the received information (as untrue and incomplete) and declared a limited adoption of pro-environmental behaviors.  Conclusion: The parallel study of mass media information and people’s attitudes and behaviors seem to indicate that the high media coverage was not followed by a very high motivation towards pro-environmental behaviors

Improving awareness of health hazards associated with air pollution in primary school children: Design and test of didactic tools

One of the objectives of the MAPEC-Life project is raising children’s awareness on air quality and its health effects. To achieve this goal, we designed didactic tools for primary school students, including leaflets with more information for teachers, a cartoon, and three educational videogames. The tools were then tested with 266 children who attended six primary schools in four Italian cities. A control group of 51 children received only explanations from teachers. An improvement in knowledge after using the audiovisual package was demonstrated, with higher efficacy compared with the control group. In addition, the use of videogames was greatly appreciated