JMIR Public Health and Surveillance

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Despite the availability of effective vaccines, uptake remains suboptimal in many settings, including Saudi Arabia, where cultural sensitivities, limited awareness, and vaccine hesitancy have been documented. Educational interventions grounded in behavioral theory, such as the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model, can help address informational and motivational barriers to HPV vaccination.

Child maltreatment is a major public health issue in the United States, with substantial variation in how states define, report, and respond to abuse and neglect. While prior research has examined individual policy components, less is known about how multiple policies jointly shape broader policy environments and relate to maltreatment outcomes.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, over 100 countries successfully deployed smartphone-based exposure notification (EN) apps alongside conventional contact tracing to mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. These systems enabled millions of COVID-19–positive individuals to anonymously alert community members of a potential exposure. Although evidence on EN program implementation is limited, leveraging expertise from public health professionals, academics, and global implementers from various disciplines can contribute to addressing this research gap.

Surveillance of tuberculosis (TB) is challenging given the typically long course of the disease and treatment as well as the often complex socioeconomic factors that are associated with it. In Spain, surveillance is decentralized across autonomous communities (CCAAs), leading to additional challenges in heterogeneity and data quality.

Abortion is a common and safe medical intervention with a long history of practice in the United States. Despite this, inaccurate and misleading information persists, including falsehoods about the accessibility, legality, safety, and lived experience of abortion-related health care. Further, the prevalence and circulation of abortion myths online and offline have intensified following the overturning of Roe vs Wade in May 2022. While myths surrounding abortion have been widely documented, limited research has examined how these myths shape the everyday work of abortion health care providers and advocates, particularly in relation to patient–practitioner shared decision-making (SDM).

Automated outbreak detection can enhance infectious disease surveillance by enabling early identification of outbreaks and supporting timely public health measures. However, information on its current use by national public health institutes remains limited.

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a life-threatening, tick-borne, viral disease with substantial public health importance, particularly in endemic regions. Because no licensed vaccine or specific antiviral treatment is currently available, improving public awareness remains a key strategy for preventing transmission and promoting early diagnosis. However, no standardized instrument has been available to comprehensively assess CCHF awareness among adults.

Malaria remains one of the most significant global health threats, and its control depends on timely, accurate entomological surveillance. In Uganda, routine vector surveillance relies heavily on microscope-based mosquito identification by a limited number of trained entomologists, which can delay reporting. VectorCam is an AI-enabled digital tool to support real-time mosquito identification and can be operated by community health workers, supporting rapid data reporting. After co-designing the implementation package using a human-centered design approach with Uganda’s Ministry of Health, we are implementing a surveillance strategy that incorporates VectorCam into routine work.

Prior studies involving music festivals (including on-site surveys, drug checking, and wastewater-based analyses) suggest that recreational substance use is common among festivalgoers, though preferred substances and usage may be region- and event-specific. However, multiyear, event-specific wastewater surveillance data in the United States are limited.

This research letter compared the prevalence of qualifying conditions among patients certified to use medical cannabis in Florida to population-based prevalence estimates for the same conditions and observed marked discrepancies. These findings highlight conditions that appear to be significant reasons for patients to consider medical cannabis, providing important research priorities for future research on its effectiveness and safety.

Mental health disorders represent a growing global challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where women are disproportionately affected by social and structural inequalities. Although women’s empowerment has been increasingly recognized as a strategy to improve physical health, its relationship with mental health remains less well understood.

Prolonged sitting is an increasingly important public health concern, particularly in occupations that offer few opportunities for conventional exercise. Zero-time exercise (ZTEx) integrates brief muscle-engaging movements into daily routines without requiring dedicated time or equipment and may offer a practical way to interrupt prolonged sitting. However, the motivational, cognitive, and contextual factors associated with intention relevant to ZTEx adoption remain poorly understood.