📄 Category

public and global health

433 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

District-level HIV and TB health system vulnerability to climate and weather hazards in South Africa: a composite index approach

This study develops a composite index to map district-level vulnerability in South Africa, revealing that the convergence of high HIV/TB burdens, limited health system capacity, and socio-economic disadvantage—particularly along the east coast where these factors intersect with extreme weather hazards—creates a critical need for geographically targeted adaptation strategies to ensure service continuity.

Grapsa, E., Craig, M., Mthiyane, N., Khagayi, S., Babashahi, S., Iwuji, C.2026-08-26
📄 public and global health

Household and Maternal Characteristics Associated with Malaria Prevalence Among Children Under Five Years in Ghana: Evidence from the 2019 Malaria Indicator Survey

Using data from the 2019 Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey, this study identifies that children under five in poorer, rural, and Eastern regions, as well as those with severe anaemia or older age, face significantly higher odds of malaria infection, highlighting the critical role of socioeconomic and regional inequalities in driving the disease burden.

Ohemeng, E.2026-08-26
📄 public and global health

Calibrating self-reported BMI in national surveillance: impact on obesity misclassification and socioeconomic inequalities in Portugal

This study demonstrates that applying calibration equations to self-reported anthropometric data in Portugal corrects the systematic underestimation of obesity prevalence and refines the assessment of socioeconomic inequalities, particularly among women, thereby enhancing the validity of national obesity surveillance.

Valente, B., Silva, C. C., Severo, M., Oliveira, A., Gerdtham, U.-G., Araujo, J.2026-08-26
📄 public and global health

Understanding Personal Protective Equipment Use Among Companion Animal Veterinary Staff in the Context of Zoonoses: A Qualitative Study

This qualitative study reveals that veterinary staff's underuse of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is driven by complex social and professional factors, particularly interdisciplinary friction and a culture prioritizing patient care over self-protection, necessitating simplified national guidance and improved communication to enhance zoonosis prevention.

Cohen, C. G., Robin, C., Tulloch, J. S. P.2026-08-26
📄 public and global health

Equity in the reach of community-based health programs in sub-Saharan Africa: A secondary analysis of DHS data from Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi

A secondary analysis of DHS data from four sub-Saharan African countries reveals that while Community Health Worker programs show variable national coverage and wealth-based equity, they consistently fail to reach adolescent women aged 15–19, highlighting an urgent need for targeted strategies to close this age-specific gap.

de la Cruz, K., Haberland, N. A., Kachur, S. P.2026-08-21
📄 public and global health

Continuum of Maternal Healthcare and Neonatal Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa

Analysis of pooled data from 35 Sub-Saharan African countries reveals that while only 13.47% of mothers receive the full continuum of maternal care, adherence to this integrated pathway is independently associated with a significant reduction in neonatal mortality, highlighting the urgent need for equity-focused policies to improve service delivery for marginalized populations.

Senanu, J., Dotse, P. F., Ephson, E. O.2026-08-21
📄 public and global health

Exposure to unhealthy commodity brands in YouTube highlights of English Premier League and FIFA World Cup football matches

This study reveals that while overall brand density is similar in English Premier League and FIFA World Cup YouTube highlights, gambling dominates unhealthy commodity exposure in EPL content—occupying nearly a third of screen time and appearing in most pre-roll ads—suggesting that voluntary front-of-shirt sponsorship bans are insufficient and that tighter central control, as seen in the World Cup, is necessary to effectively restrict such exposure.

Davies, N., Busby, S., Morling, J.2026-08-21
📄 public and global health

"We worked as a team": Frontline providers experiences of a multi-cadre training initiative for early identification, care, and referral for children with developmental disabilities in Kenya

This sequential mixed-methods study demonstrates that a multi-cadre training initiative in Kenya significantly improved healthcare and community workers' knowledge, skills, and confidence in the early identification, care, and referral of children with developmental disabilities, despite challenges related to workload and resources.

Mkubwa, B., Abubakar, A., Washington-Nortey, M., Nasambu, C., Nyambu, S., Mwangome, E., Kisangi, W., Chengo, E., Githinj (…)2026-08-21
📄 public and global health

Residential bird biodiversity and frailty deficit accumulation: a longitudinal cohort study in New York City

This longitudinal cohort study of over 20,000 older adults in New York City found that higher residential bird biodiversity is significantly associated with lower frailty severity, particularly among individuals aged 65 to 74, suggesting that urban biodiversity may serve as a modifiable environmental factor supporting healthy aging.

Knobel, P., Alaasam, V., Krasnov, H., Kloog, I., Midya, V., Federman, A., Ko, F., Yitshak Sade, M.2026-08-21