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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 13525

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Paul A. Scuffham

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Guest Editor

1. Centre for Applied Health Economics, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
2. Menzies Health Institutte Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4215, Australia
Interests: economic evaluation of healthcare interventions; modelling; elicitation of preferences; health policy; health services research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Clifford Afoakwah

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Guest Editor

1. Centre for Applied Health Economics, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
2. Menzies Health Institutte Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4215, Australia
Interests: health economics; environmental and cardiac health; economic evaluation of healthcare interventions

Dr. Son Nghiem

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Centre for Applied Health Economics, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
2. Menzies Health Institutte Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4215, Australia
Interests: health economics; applied econometrics; data linkage; big data analytics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, loss of biodiversity, changes in hydrological systems and the supplies of freshwater, land degradation, and stresses on food-producing systems continue to pose threats to human lives making it a major public health concern. For example, it is estimated that between 2030 and 2050, nearly 250,000 lives per year will be lost due to climate change alone. Also, since the 1950s, frequent heat waves have been observed globally, particularly in Europe, Asia, and Australia (IPCC, 2014). The rapid change in the environment over the past decades calls for recognition and appreciation of the complexity of the ecosystems upon which human lives depend. This Special Issue focuses on the advances made in the research landscape on the impact of climate change, ozone depletion, biodiversity, hydrological systems, and the supplies of freshwater, urbanization, land degradation, and food production systems on public health. High quality studies that use a rigorous analytical approach and focus on any of these issues are invited for submission. Particularly, studies that focus on the impacts of environmental changes on vulnerable groups such as people with chronic diseases are highly welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Paul Scuffham
Dr. Clifford Afoakwah
Dr. Son Nghiem
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

environment
climate change
well-being
public health
pollution
health outcomes
healthcare use
economic development

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 355 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence of Antibiotic Use and Disposal at Household Level in Informal Settlements of Kisumu, Kenya

by Kellen J. Karimi, Aijaz Ahmad, Adriano Duse, Mutuku Mwanthi and Richard Ayah

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010287 - 24 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1672

Abstract

The use and abuse of antibiotics are directly related to the development of drug resistance, a global public health problem. Whereas the majority of research focus is on the use and misuse of antibiotics in drug resistance development, little is known about improper disposal, as a source of contamination in the environment that includes groundwater, especially in informal settlements. This study sought to determine antibiotic use and disposal in informal settlements in Kisumu, Kenya. A random cross-sectional sample of 447 households in selected informal settlements of Kisumu, Kenya was studied. A structured questionnaire was issued to persons heading households. The prevalence of antibiotic use was 43% (n = 193). Among these people, 74% (n = 144) had consulted a health worker in a healthcare facility for a prescription. Respondents did not always complete doses but kept the remainder for the next time they would become ill (54%). About 32% disposed of the remainder of the antibiotics in pit latrines and compost pits (10%) while 4% disposed through burning. Antibiotic use was fairly high despite a low level of awareness of the health effects of consuming water contaminated with antibiotics (35%) (n = 156); p = 0.03. Misuse and inappropriate disposal of antibiotics as identified may lead to a higher risk of antibiotic resistance, increasing the disease burden in the informal settlements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Environmental and Public Health)

20 pages, 9410 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prediction of Particulate Concentration Based on Correlation Analysis and a Bi-GRU Model

by He Xu, Aosheng Zhang, Xin Xu, Peng Li and Yimu Ji

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13266; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013266 - 14 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1173

Abstract

In recent decades, particulate pollution in the air has caused severe health problems. Therefore, it has become a hot research topic to accurately predict particulate concentrations. Particle concentration has a strong spatial–temporal correlation due to pollution transportation between regions, making it important to understand how to utilize these features to predict particulate concentration. In this paper, Pearson Correlation Coefficients (PCCs) are used to compare the particle concentrations at the target site with those at other locations. The models based on bi-directional gated recurrent units (Bi-GRUs) and PCCs are proposed to predict particle concentrations. The proposed model has the advantage of requiring fewer samples and can forecast particulate concentrations in real time within the next six hours. As a final step, several Beijing air quality monitoring stations are tested for pollutant concentrations hourly. Based on the correlation analysis and the proposed prediction model, the prediction error within the first six hours is smaller than those of the other three models. The model can help environmental researchers improve the prediction accuracy of fine particle concentrations and help environmental policymakers implement relevant pollution control policies by providing tools. With the correlation analysis between the target site and adjacent sites, an accurate pollution control decision can be made based on the internal relationship. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Environmental and Public Health)

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23 pages, 687 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improving the Environmental Footprint through Employees: A Case of Female Leaders from the Perspective of CSR

by Shilong Wei, Muhammad Safdar Sial, Wenxia Zhou, Alina Badulescu and Daniel Badulescu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13082; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413082 - 11 Dec 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2770

Abstract

Environmental quality strongly depends on human behavior patterns. Many environmental challenges are rooted in human actions, and thus, it is believed that these problems can be reduced through the promotion of pro-environmental behaviors (PB). Owing to this reality, the current study aims to reduce the environmental footprint of a hospital by promoting its employees’ environment-specific behavior via corporate social responsibility (CSR) and ethical leadership (EL). More importantly, the study also considered the role of female leaders in the proposed relationship. The current study collected the data from the respondents employed in different hospitals of a developing economy through a questionnaire (paper-pencil method). A total of 489 valid responses were collected, which were analyzed by employing the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. As per the current study’s findings, there is a positive relationship between CSR, while EL mediates between CSR and PB. Likewise, the moderating role of female leaders in the proposed relationship was more significant than that of male leaders. More specifically, the study’s findings have considerable theoretical and practical implications, as it opens paths for researchers to further investigate the applicability of different dimensions of CSR and the role of gender in environmental sustainability. It provides insight to policymakers on how to restructure their CSR preferences, priorities on the environment, and gender differences. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Environmental and Public Health)

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16 pages, 934 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identifying the Predictors of Community Acceptance of Waste Incineration Plants in Urban China: A Qualitative Analysis from a Public Perspective

by Yanbo Zhang, Yong Liu and Keyu Zhai

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(19), 10189; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910189 - 28 Sep 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1891

Abstract

Due to concerns about consequences to public health, the ecosystem, the natural landscape etc., the planning and construction of waste incineration plants always gives rise to a reaction and even protests from local communities. This study aims to investigate the determinants affecting public acceptance of waste incinerators. We contribute to the existing knowledge in the following ways: (1) this study undertook a qualitative analysis on community acceptance of nimby facilities in the context of China for the first time; (2) through qualitative interview analysis, we emphasize the impact of interactions among multiple factors regarding the acceptance of waste incinerators; (3) we finally construct a framework to systematically explain the formation mechanism of community acceptance of waste incineration plants. Employing in-depth interviews with 22 representative residents, the results indicate that from the perspective of externality, risk perception has a significant negative impact, whereas the effects of benefit perception are positive. In terms of interaction between government and citizen, both justice perception and political efficacy are positive. Social situational factors positively promote community acceptance. Lastly, the impact of individual cognition is mixed. This study has the potential to make a significant difference in better community governance and environment-friendly cities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Environmental and Public Health)

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9 pages, 1438 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Weather Trumps Festivity? More Cardiovascular Disease Events Occur in Winter than in December Holidays in Queensland, Australia

by Clifford Afoakwah, Son Nghiem, Paul Scuffham, Simon Stewart and Joshua Byrnes

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(19), 10158; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910158 - 27 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1671

Abstract

Objective: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of hospitalisations and deaths in Australia. This study estimates the excess CVD hospitalisations and deaths across seasons and during the December holidays in Queensland, Australia. Methods: The study uses retrospective, longitudinal, population-based cohort data from Queensland, Australia from January 2010 to December 2015. The outcomes were hospitalisations and deaths categorised as CVD-related. CVD events were grouped according to when they occurred in the calendar year. Excess hospitalisations and deaths were estimated using the multivariate ordinary least squares method after adjusting for confounding effects. Results: More CVD hospitalisations and deaths occurred in winter than in summer, with 7811 (CI: 1353, 14,270; p < 0.01) excess hospitalisations and 774 (CI: 35, 1513; p < 0.01) deaths compared to summer. During the coldest month (July), there was an excess of 42 hospitalisations and 7 deaths per 1000 patients. Fewer CVD hospitalisations (−20 (CI: −29, −9; p < 0.01)) occurred during the December holidays than any other period during the calendar year. Non-CVD events were mostly not statistically significant different between periods. Conclusion: Most CVD events in Queensland occurred in winter rather than during the December holidays. Potentially cost-effective initiatives should be explored such as encouraging patients with CVD conditions to wear warmer clothes during cold temperatures and/or insulating the homes of CVD patients who cannot otherwise afford to. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Environmental and Public Health)

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21 pages, 2889 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Particulate Matter and Premature Mortality: A Bayesian Meta-Analysis

by Nilakshi T. Waidyatillake, Patricia T. Campbell, Don Vicendese, Shyamali C. Dharmage, Ariadna Curto and Mark Stevenson

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(14), 7655; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147655 - 19 Jul 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3296

Abstract

Background: We present a systematic review of studies assessing the association between ambient particulate matter (PM) and premature mortality and the results of a Bayesian hierarchical meta-analysis while accounting for population differences of the included studies. Methods: The review protocol was registered in the PROSPERO systematic review registry. Medline, CINAHL and Global Health databases were systematically searched. Bayesian hierarchical meta-analysis was conducted using a non-informative prior to assess whether the regression coefficients differed across observations due to the heterogeneity among studies. Results: We identified 3248 records for title and abstract review, of which 309 underwent full text screening. Thirty-six studies were included, based on the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies were from China (n = 14), India (n = 6) and the USA (n = 3). PM_2.5 was the most frequently reported pollutant. PM was estimated using modelling techniques (22 studies), satellite-based measures (four studies) and direct measurements (ten studies). Mortality data were sourced from country-specific mortality statistics for 17 studies, Global Burden of Disease data for 16 studies, WHO data for two studies and life tables for one study. Sixteen studies were included in the Bayesian hierarchical meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that the annual estimate of premature mortality attributed to PM_2.5 was 253 per 1,000,000 population (95% CI: 90, 643) and 587 per 1,000,000 population (95% CI: 1, 39,746) for PM₁₀. Conclusion: 253 premature deaths per million population are associated with exposure to ambient PM_2.5. We observed an unstable estimate for PM₁₀, most likely due to heterogeneity among the studies. Future research efforts should focus on the effects of ambient PM₁₀ and premature mortality, as well as include populations outside Asia. Key messages: Ambient PM_2.5 is associated with premature mortality. Given that rapid urbanization may increase this burden in the coming decades, our study highlights the urgency of implementing air pollution mitigation strategies to reduce the risk to population and planetary health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Environmental and Public Health)

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