📄 Category

public and global health

223 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.

Socioeconomic profile of people affected by skin neglected tropical diseases in the communes of Zagnanado and Allada, Benin: a mixed-methods cross-sectional study

This mixed-methods study in Benin reveals that skin neglected tropical diseases disproportionately affect impoverished rural populations, with care-seeking hindered by commune-specific financial and infrastructural barriers as well as a critical "nosological dissociation" between biomedical diagnoses and local cultural interpretations that necessitates targeted, context-specific interventions and collaboration with traditional practitioners.

Houngnihin, R., BIAO, M. Y. L., Gbebioho, B., Togonou, F., Azonchiga, D.2026-05-05📄 public and global health

Beyond malaria prevention: sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine treatment in pregnancy selectively remodels the maternal gut microbiome to increase gestational weight gain and improve birthweight

This study reveals that sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) treatment during pregnancy improves birthweight and gestational weight gain not only by preventing malaria but also by selectively remodeling the maternal gut microbiome to suppress pathobionts and enrich beneficial anaerobic commensals, a mechanism distinct from conventional antibiotic dysbiosis.

Waltmann, A., Puerto-Meredith, S. M., Chinkhumba, J., Mzembe, E., Kayange, M., Carroll, I., Roach, J., Mathanga, D. P., Gutman, J. R., Juliano, J. J.2026-05-05📄 public and global health

Contextual Barriers and Facilitators Influencing Implementation Fidelity of School-Based Preventive Chemotherapy for Schistosomiasis: A Qualitative Study in Two Endemic Districts in the Central Region, Ghana.

This qualitative study in Ghana identifies that the implementation fidelity of school-based schistosomiasis preventive chemotherapy is shaped by a complex interplay of sociocultural, organizational, and health system factors, necessitating a shift toward community-centered strategies that prioritize engagement, logistical support, and intersectoral collaboration to achieve sustained disease control.

Moshi, H., Msugupakulya, B. J., Vahedi, M., Glozah, F. N.2026-05-04📄 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, M., Obua, C., Siedner, M. J., Matthews, L. T.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-Riemenschneider, F.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., Morfino, R. C., Guagliardo, S. A. J., Ruskey, I., Walker, A. T., Ward, P., Ernst, E (…)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