📄 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.

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. R., Heraud, J.-M., Pereyaslov, D., Zhang, W., Kondor, R. J., Azziz-Baumgartner (…)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📄 public and global health

Sociodemographic determinants of maternal health indicators in conflict-affected counties of Kenya: secondary analysis of data from the 2022 Kenya demographic and health survey

A secondary analysis of the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey reveals that maternal health outcomes in conflict-affected regions are significantly hindered by sociodemographic inequities, with adolescents, rural residents, and socioeconomically disadvantaged women facing the greatest barriers to adequate antenatal care, facility delivery, and skilled birth attendance.

Wandji Djouonang, B., Olungah, C. O., Atsali, E., Kihara, A.-B., Omanwa, K., Obimbo, M. M., Ogengo, J.2026-04-24📄 public and global health

Detection of iron and zinc in human skin using non-invasive Raman spectrophotometer - A validation study among children under five years of age living in sub-Saharan Africa

This validation study in rural Burkina Faso and Kenya found that while the non-invasive Cell-/SO-Check Raman spectrophotometer is unsuitable for clinical diagnosis of iron and zinc deficiencies in children under five due to poor agreement with standard biomarkers, it may still be useful for ranking zinc status in population-based studies.

Abidha, C. A., Amevor, B. S., Mank, I., Oguso, J., Mbata, M., Coulibaly, B., Denkinger, C. M., Sorgho, R., Sie, A., Muok, E. M. O., Danquah, I.2026-04-24📄 public and global health

Impact of prescription-free access to sexually transmitted infection screening tests in medical-biological laboratories: cross-sectional analysis of data from clinical laboratories in France.

This cross-sectional analysis of French clinical laboratory data from 2025–2026 demonstrates that the 2024 reform enabling prescription-free STI screening significantly increased testing uptake among young men and improved the detection of bacterial infections like Chlamydia, while prescription-based access remained crucial for identifying viral and chronic infections.

Gil-Salcedo, A., Gazzano, V., Arsene, S., Durand, A., Roger, S., Prots, L., Laurencin, N., Chanard, E., Duez, A., Le Naour, E., Bausset, O., Ghali, B., Strzelecki, A.-C., Felloni, C., Levillain, R., F (…)2026-04-24📄 public and global health

Factors Associated with Malaria Vaccine Hesitancy Among Caregivers of Children 6-59 Months, In Ugenya Sub County, Siaya County, Kenya: A cross - Sectional Mixed Study

This cross-sectional mixed-methods study conducted in Ugenya Sub County, Kenya, reveals that 42.9% of caregivers exhibit malaria vaccine hesitancy, driven by a combination of demographic factors (such as being single or younger), structural barriers like poor facility access, and the persistent influence of social media misinformation despite high general knowledge levels.

Ochieng', E. A., Muita, J. W., Olewe, T.2026-04-23📄 public and global health

Factors influencing repeated decisions to decline cervical cancer screening among women living with HIV in Jos, Nigeria: a qualitative study

This qualitative study of 27 women living with HIV in Jos, Nigeria, reveals that despite recognizing the severity of cervical cancer, repeated decisions to decline screening are driven by multilevel barriers—including misinformation, logistical constraints, emotional fears, and anticipated stigma—that outweigh perceived benefits, suggesting that uptake could be improved through integrated fear-reduction counseling, stigma-sensitive care, and streamlined service delivery.

Abubakar, A., Inuwa, S. M., Ali, M. J., Abdullahi, K. M., Doe, A., Ngaybe, M. G. B., Madhivanan, P., Musa, J.2026-04-23📄 public and global health

The gap between recommendation and reform: Quantifying government compliance with coronial recommendations across all Australian jurisdictions

This study analyzes over 9,000 coronial findings and 2,000 government responses across Australia to reveal that legislative frameworks, rather than case specifics, are the primary drivers of compliance, highlighting the need for standardized, substantive response laws modeled on Queensland's approach to bridge the gap between safety recommendations and government action.

Farquhar, H. L.2026-04-22📄 public and global health