JMIR Public Health and Surveillance

Oral health significantly influences overall well-being, health care costs, and quality of life. In Saudi Arabia, the burden of oral diseases, such as dental caries and periodontal disease, has increased over recent decades, driven by various lifestyle changes.

In-flight medical emergencies (IMEs) might cause severe outcomes, including the deaths of passengers and aircraft diversion. Information is lacking regarding the incidence and characteristics of IMEs in most countries, especially in mainland China.

Despite high prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in adults in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Lao healthcare workers (HCWs) were previously been shown to have low levels of protection against infection. Furthermore, the prevalence of hepatitis D virus (HDV; which increases disease severity in HBV infected individuals) is not known in Lao PDR.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a highly contagious viral illness. Understanding the long-term trends of HFMD incidence and the epidemic characteristics under the circumstances of the vaccination program and the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease is crucial for effective disease surveillance and control.

The rapid rise of myopia worldwide, particularly in East and Southeast Asia, has implied environmental influences beyond genetics. To address this growing public health concern, the World Health Organization and International Telecommunication Union launched the MyopiaEd program. South Korea, with its high rates of myopia and smartphone use, presented a suitable context for implementing and evaluating the MyopiaEd program.

China is a country with a high burden of hepatitis B (Hep B) but a low treatment rate. One of the key reasons for the low treatment rate is inadequate health literacy (HL) of the people, which may affect the awareness and knowledge of Hep B and the treatment, as well as the ability to actively and correctly seek medical resources.

Unobtrusive observation is a promising method for assessing physical activity and other well-being behaviors (eg, social interactions) in urban environments, without participant burden and biases associated with self-report. However, current methods require multiple in-person observers. Using video cameras instead could allow for more accurate observations at lower cost and with greater flexibility in scheduling.

Recently, the phase angle (PhA) emerged as an essential indicator of cellular health. Most studies examined its association with physiological conditions, such as sarcopenia, frailty, and physical function in older populations. Simultaneously, growing attention is being paid to the clinical relevance of segmental PhA for future applications. However, few studies explored the relationship between PhA, especially segmental PhA, and the psychological aspects of health, particularly cognitive function.

COVID-19 has not only resulted in acute health issues but also led to persistent symptoms known as long COVID, which have been linked to disruptions in sleep quality.

From medication usage to the time-of-day, a number of external factors are known to alter human body temperature (BT), even in the absence of underlying pathology. In select cases, clinical guidance already suggests the consideration of clinical and demographic factors when interpreting BT, for example decreased threshold for fever as age increases. Recent work has indicated factors impacting BT extend to environmental conditions including ambient temperature. However, the effect sizes of these relationships are often small, and it remains unclear if such relationships result in a meaningful impact to real-world healthcare practices.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder that affects approximately 100,000 individuals in the U.S., with the highest prevalence among Black or African American populations. While advances in care have improved survival, comprehensive state-level data on the prevalence of SCD remain limited, which hampers efforts to optimize healthcare services. To address this gap, the Colorado Sickle Cell Data Collection (CO-SCDC) program was established in 2021 as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s initiative to enhance surveillance and public health efforts for SCD.

Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is the current standard for sampling key populations at risk for HIV infections but is usually limited to local implementation in single towns or cities. Web-based sampling eliminates this spatial constraint but often relies on self-selected convenience samples. We piloted an online RDS survey with biomarker collection among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Thailand.