📄 Category

public and global health

384 papers

Public and global health examines how we protect communities from disease, manage outbreaks, and improve well-being across the world. This vital field connects diverse research on everything from infectious disease control and vaccination strategies to the social factors that shape our collective health. Because these studies often impact policy and daily life, understanding them quickly is more important than ever.

At Gist.Science, we track every new preprint published in this category on medRxiv to ensure you never miss a breakthrough. We process each submission to provide both plain-language explanations for general readers and detailed technical summaries for experts, making complex findings accessible to everyone.

Below are the latest papers in public and global health, freshly summarized from the most recent medRxiv releases.

📄 public and global health

Disease Burden and Direct Health-Care Spending on Brain Conditions in Switzerland: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2023 Study for the Implementation of the Swiss Brain Health Plan

This study analyzes the Global Burden of Disease 2023 data to reveal that brain disorders in Switzerland impose a significant and concentrated health and economic burden, particularly from dementia, yet exhibit a limited temporal association between disease burden and health-care spending, thereby underscoring the need for strategic, burden-informed financing to guide the Swiss Brain Health Plan.

Begue, I., Sinanaj, L., Steele, X., Guzman, R., Crivelli, L., Datta, A. N., Bassetti, C. L. A.2026-05-03
📄 public and global health

An mHealth-based social support program to improve antenatal care engagement and facility-based births in Uganda: A type I hybrid effectiveness-implementation clinical trial

This type I hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial demonstrates that an mHealth-based social support intervention (Support-Moms) significantly improved antenatal care engagement, skilled birth attendance, and various maternal and neonatal health outcomes compared to standard care among pregnant women in rural Uganda.

Atukunda, E. C., Mugyenyi, G. R., Haberer, J., Nghiem, V. T., Atuhumuza, E. B., Waiswa, P., Musiimenta, A., Kanyesigye (…)2026-05-01
📄 public and global health

Beyond the pandemic: vaccine hesitancy among youth in rural Malawi as a standing challenge for immunization programming in sub-Saharan Africa - a cross-sectional analytical study

This cross-sectional study of rural Malawian youth reveals that high COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is driven primarily by trust deficits and safety concerns rather than information gaps, underscoring the urgent need for immunization programs in sub-Saharan Africa to prioritize trust-building and age-targeted messaging over mere information dissemination.

Nyirenda, L., Chirwa, E., Mbakaya, B. C.2026-05-01
📄 public and global health

Hybrid digital intervention cohort in university students: feasibility pilot study using smartphone- and smartwatch-based monitoring and ecological momentary interventions

This feasibility pilot study demonstrates that a hybrid digital intervention design combining passive smartwatch/smartphone monitoring with sequential ecological momentary interventions is feasible and acceptable for promoting healthy sleep, physical activity, and screen time behaviors among university students, despite observed declines in engagement over time.

Chen, M., Movia, M., Chua, X. H., Tan, S. Y. X., Zheng, S., Jin, K., Topothai, T., Padmapriya, N., Edney, S., Müller-Ri (…)2026-04-30
📄 public and global health

Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance: A Scalable Approach to Early Pathogen Detection and Global Biosecurity

The CDC's Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program, implemented from 2021 to 2024, successfully utilized anonymous nasal samples from international travelers and aviation wastewater to enable early, scalable detection and genomic monitoring of global infectious threats like SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and monkeypox before they spread widely within the U.S.

Bart, S. M., Smith, T. C., Rothstein, A. P., Appiah, G. D., Loh, S. M., Gratalo, D., Simen, B. B., Philipson, C. W., Mor (…)2026-04-29
📄 public and global health

Pediatric HIV Hotspots in Kenya: Machine Learning and Geostatistical Analysis for Enhanced Case Finding

This study developed and validated a framework combining machine learning and geostatistical analysis to predict pediatric HIV incidence and identify statistically significant hotspots across Kenya, thereby enabling more equitable and data-driven resource allocation for case finding.

ONOVO, A. A., Omoro, G., Maswai, J., Owuoth, J., Kirui, D., Odero, L., Makone, B., Miruka, F., Obat, E., Yegon, P.2026-04-27
📄 public and global health

Pharmacist Led Nutritional Counselling as a Community Intervention for Obesity, Undernutrition, and Anaemia: Evidence from a 1135 Participant Prospective Interventional Study in India

A prospective study of 1,135 participants in semi-urban India demonstrates that three monthly pharmacist-led nutritional counselling sessions produce measurable, progressive improvements in anthropometric and haematological parameters, with adolescents showing the greatest responsiveness and haemoglobin levels increasing nearly five-fold without pharmacological supplementation.

Duddu, R.2026-04-27
📄 public and global health

Hematological and Molecular Spectrum of Hemoglobinopathies in the Tharu Population of Nepal

This cross-sectional study of 1,400 Tharu individuals in western Nepal revealed a significant prevalence of hemoglobinopathies (14.43%), primarily driven by sickle cell trait and β\beta-thalassemia trait, highlighting an urgent need for targeted screening and genetic counseling in the region.

Gupta, U. P., Pokharel, A., Jadhav, K., Jadhav, I., BC, R. K., Subedi, S., Gupta, M.2026-04-26
📄 public and global health

Defining influenza epidemic zones through temporal clustering of global surveillance data

By analyzing global influenza surveillance data from 2011 to 2024 using temporal clustering and generalized additive models, this study defines five distinct epidemic zones with specific seasonal patterns to optimize global surveillance, vaccine timing, and public health preparedness.

Hassell, N., Marcenac, P., Bationo, C. S., Hirve, S., Tempia, S., Rolfes, M. A., Duca, L. M., Hammond, A., Wijesinghe, P (…)2026-04-25
📄 public and global health

Assessing the efficacy of behaviourally informed invitation messaging in increasing attendance at the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check: A randomised experimental study

This randomized experimental study found that behaviorally informed invitation messages failed to significantly increase intention to attend NHS Targeted Lung Health Checks compared to a control message, highlighting the need for future interventions to directly address emotional barriers like fear and better align message content with empirically identified behavioral influences.

Tan, X., Danka, M. N., Urbanski, S., Kitsawat, P., McElvaney, T. J., Jundi, S., Porter, L., Gericke, C.2026-04-24