Insights from the front line: uplifting stories of the COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of the public health workforce in Iowa.

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 was declared a pandemic in March 2020. Studies have characterized some of the negative impact of the pandemic on public health workers (PHW), but few have explored the strength and coping strategies used. Our study documents the experiences of PHW in Iowa during the pandemic.

A qualitative inquiry into the lived experiences of menstrual health and hygiene in the transgender and non-binary people in urban areas of India.

Significance: Most global research on menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) focuses on cisgender women and girls, with limited evidence on the experiences of transgender and non-binary (TNB) people. This study aimed to document the lived experiences of menstruation management among TNB people in urban India.

Methods: We conducted 13 semi-structured interviews with TNB adults aged 19-40 years in three major Indian cities in collaboration with community organizations.

"I feel like my job is to give patients hope" - perspectives of Community Health Workers and employers in Iowa: a mixed methods study.

Introduction: Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a crucial role in extending health services, particularly for people who are medically underserved. Despite efforts to expand CHW programs nationally and in Iowa, challenges persist in defining their roles and responsibilities. Few studies have considered the perspectives of both CHWs and CHW employers simultaneously.

Structural and political determinants of health among Syrian refugee young adults in the Bekaa, Lebanon: a prospective cohort study of the impact of security raids on perceived discrimination and well-being.

Objectives: In this work, which forms part of a larger study of a longitudinal intervention focused on empowering Community Mental Health Workers in a humanitarian context, we examine changes in and correlates of well-being of refugees as a result of discriminatory practices by the State, with comparisons motivated by a mechanistic model of well-being.

Design: This cohort study examines well-being at a single follow-up time as predicted by baseline characteristics in response to a changing social conditions including security raids on our participants; the parent interventional randomised trial focuses on a population of youth in a refugee context, but the present work precedes the main intervention period.

Setting: Refugee populations are among the most vulnerable globally, and the total refugee population is growing dramatically.

Syrian refugee young adults as community mental health workers implementing problem management plus: Protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial to measure the mechanisms of effect on their own wellbeing, stress and coping.

Unlabelled: This pilot randomized controlled trial protocol aims to (1) assess the impact on the wellbeing of Syrian refugee young adults (18-24 years) of being a community mental health worker (CMHW) implementing WHO's evidence-based psychosocial intervention - Problem Management Plus (PM+) - with adults in their community, and (2) identify the mechanisms associated with the outcomes of enhanced wellbeing and coping, and reduced stress among these CMHWs. Over 108 million people have been forcibly displaced as of the end of 2022. Mental health consequences of these displacements are significant, yet human resources for health are not sufficient to meet the needs.

E-cigarettes in college: Associations between mental health and e-cigarette use with other substances.

Introduction: College students are a priority population for substance use prevention, and other studies have reported associations between mental health and e-cigarette use. This study described the association of mental health to e-cigarette and other substance use (ECIG+ use) among US college students.

Methods: We used Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 National College Health Assessment data among undergraduate students aged 18-24 years (n=55654) at 138 institutions.

Parenting a High and Growing Population of Youth in the Arab Region: A Scoping Review for an Evidence-Informed Research Agenda.

The Arab region is experiencing the largest youth cohort in its history. Parental influence is a clear factor in the well-being of this demographic. This scoping review serves as the first consolidated synthesis of existing research on parenting in the Arab world, aimed at identifying research gaps and informing future research agendas.

The "dirty work" of last responders: Occupational stigma risk and protective factors.

Last responders constitute an occupational category that includes all those who are involved in the postmortem care of deceased persons and their families. The work of last responders is often considered "dirty work" and, as a result, stigmatized. Last responders are aware of this stigma, and stigma consciousness has been associated with negative health outcomes.

Community and Organizational Readiness to Adopt a Physical Activity Intervention in Micropolitan Settings.

BackgroundAssessing community and organizational readiness is key to successfully implementing programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the baseline readiness of micropolitan communities to adopt an evidence-based physical activity (PA) intervention by exploring three dimensions: (1) attitudes and current efforts toward prevention, (2) community and organizational climate that facilitates (or impedes) change, and (3) capacity to implement change.MethodData were collected from community leaders in 14 communities through an online survey in June 2021 (n = 149).

Ignored and distressed: a cross-sectional study of the impact of COVID-19 on last responders.

Background: Last responders constitute an occupational category that includes all those that are involved in the postmortem care of deceased persons and their families. Last responders are exposed to several categories of work-related stressors that affect their health and well-being. COVID-19 exacerbated these stressors.

Conceptual framework for systemic capacity strengthening for health policy and systems research.

Health policy and systems research (HPSR) is critical in developing health systems to better meet the health needs of their populations. The highly contextualised nature of health systems point to the value of local knowledge and the need for context-embedded HPSR. Despite such need, relatively few individuals, groups or organisations carry out HPSR, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries.

Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) control policies: global analysis of available legislation and equity considerations.

Introduction: The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) offers guidance on evidence-based policies to reduce tobacco consumption and its burden of disease. Recently, it has provided guidance for alternative tobacco products, such as the waterpipe. Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) is prevalent worldwide and policies to address it need to take into consideration its specificities as a mode of smoking.

Integrating user experience evaluation in the development of a web-based Community Engagement Toolkit.

Current advances in technology have allowed programs to become more innovative and provide web-based services and products for their participants. This requires evaluators to expand their evaluation repertoire to continue to provide useful and actionable information. Our study illustrates the application of user experience evaluation as part of the formative evaluation of the Community Engagement Toolkit (CETK), developed by the Network of the National Library of Medicine.

Does knowing about the long-term health effects of alcohol matter? Evidence from a university sample in Lebanon.

Background: Research linking awareness of health effects of alcohol and harmful alcohol drinking status is limited.

Aims: To investigate the association between awareness of long-term alcohol effects and alcohol use disorders.

Methods: University students aged 18-25 years (n = 1155) completed a self-filled survey.

"I Like to Try My Hardest to Keep My Small Family Together": Housing as a Key Resource for Academic Success of Pregnant and Parenting College-Aged Students.

Pregnant and/or parenting students (PPS) face unique challenges to attending college. The prevalence of housing insecurity may be higher among college PPS. Adding to the limited research in this area, our study explores how housing could be a barrier to attending and maintaining academic success in college for PPS.

Attitudes and practices of public health academics towards research funding from for-profit organizations: cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: The growing trend of for-profit organization (FPO)-funded university research is concerning because resultant potential conflicts of interest might lead to biases in methods, results, and interpretation. For public health academic programmes, receiving funds from FPOs whose products have negative health implications may be particularly problematic.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey assessed attitudes and practices of public health academics towards accepting funding from FPOs.

Implementing Community-Based Participatory Research with Communities Affected by Humanitarian Crises: The Potential to Recalibrate Equity and Power in Vulnerable Contexts.

Worldwide, over 70.8 million people are forcibly displaced from their homes as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violation. In humanitarian crises, protection and the provision of basic needs are often prioritized.

The impact of DSM classification changes on the prevalence of alcohol use disorder and 'diagnostic orphans' in Lebanese college youth: Implications for epidemiological research, health practice, and policy.

Background: Studies comparing prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) using DSM-IV and DSM-5 diagnostic criteria in college students are limited. This study examines changes in AUD prevalence estimates using DSM-IV versus DSM-5 and characterizes the profile of DSM-5 "diagnostic orphans."

Methods And Findings: A college student sample (n = 1,155; mean age: 21 ±1.

'When I smoked it, it was like a slap in the face but it felt really good': exploring determinants of midwakh use among young adults in Lebanon.

Background: Dokha ('dizziness' in English) is a type of alternative tobacco product (ATP) increasing in popularity in the Arab world; and smoked in a pipe called a midwakh. Midwakh use is common among nationals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); yet, evidence indicates its spread among expats in the UAE as well as beyond the UAE. Research on midwakh use is nascent, and no qualitative research has been published.

Lessons learned in the provision NCD primary care to Syrian refugee and host communities in Lebanon: the need to 'act locally and think globally'.

Background: Prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) remain inadequate in resource-scarce countries, particularly in conflict situations. This paper describes a multicomponent intervention for management of hypertension and diabetes among older adult Syrian refugees and the Lebanese host community and reflects on challenges for scaling up NCD integration into primary care in humanitarian situations.

Methods: Using a mixed method approach, the study focused on monitoring and evaluation of the three components of the intervention: healthcare physical facilities and documentation processes, provider knowledge and guideline-concordant performance, and refugee and host community awareness.