Public Health News and Research

RSS

Men see traditional dieting as restrictive and female-focused, study finds

A new study has identified why many men struggle with weight loss, finding that traditional diet programmes are often perceived as too restrictive and primarily aimed at women.

26 Aug 2026

Children bear the greatest burden of climate-driven heat exposure

New research by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) shows that globally up to 560 million children aged 0 to 9 years old (43% of all children in this age group) are living through at least one additional month (30 or more days) of heat stress per year due to human-induced climate change.

26 Aug 2026

Visual impairment may limit kitchen independence despite skills

A recent study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (JNEB), published by Elsevier, examined culinary skills and related barriers among adults with visual impairment.

26 Aug 2026

New study tracks global colorectal cancer risk across 185 nations

Colorectal cancer has long been recognized as a major global health threat, but its burden is far from evenly distributed. Incidence and mortality rates vary dramatically across countries, and these differences are closely tied to socioeconomic development, dietary transitions, and the adoption of screening programs.

26 Aug 2026

Climate-warming shifts habitat risks for schistosomiasis-transmitting snails

Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by Schistosoma worms, affects more than 240 million people, while over 800 million live in areas at risk. In China, Schistosoma japonicum depends on the amphibious snail Oncomelania hupensis.

26 Aug 2026

Experimental vaccine protects against Zika virus through T cells alone

Zika virus has been spreading for decades, but it first grabbed worldwide headlines in 2016. That February, with an outbreak sweeping the Americas, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the surge in Zika-linked birth defects a "public health emergency of international concern"-a designation which lasted until that November.

26 Aug 2026

Hospital intervention reduces stillbirths and newborn deaths in Africa

A combination of training, quality improvement and leadership support in hospitals across four countries in sub-Saharan Africa is linked to fewer stillbirths and deaths among newborns during the first 24 hours of life.

26 Aug 2026

Chronic illnesses are more common in high-income, contaminated California area

Superfund sites typically cluster in low-income communities, where 62% of households earn less than $50,000 annually.

26 Aug 2026

Sewage monitoring may provide earlier warning of pertussis outbreaks

Pertussis, or whooping cough, continues to cause periodic outbreaks worldwide and can be especially dangerous for infants who have not completed vaccination.

26 Aug 2026

Nicotine e-cigarettes help more smokers quit than conventional methods

Nicotine e-cigarettes are more effective in helping people quit smoking than many conventional methods such as nicotine gums and patches and quitting with behavioural support or no support at all, an updated Cochrane review finds.

25 Aug 2026

Why living to 100 may depend on far more than diet and exercise

A critical narrative review found that healthy diets, regular physical activity, strong social ties, and psychological well-being can support healthier aging and reduce premature mortality, but none has been shown to reliably determine who reaches 100. The authors argue that exceptional longevity arises from complex interactions among biological resilience, genetics, social and environmental conditions, lifelong exposures, and chance rather than any universal lifestyle formula.

25 Aug 2026

Sugar tax could prevent millions of cases of tooth decay in Australia

Millions of cases of tooth decay could be prevented if Australia introduced a 20 per cent tax on sugar, new Griffith University research has found.

25 Aug 2026

Anti-immigrant policies linked to rising HIV cases among Hispanic populations

Following the Trump administration's 2018 announcement of changes to the public charge rule that would penalize immigrants for using public benefit programs, antisanctuary counties in the US saw a 16.8-percent increase in HIV cases among Hispanic populations, compared to baseline counties.

25 Aug 2026

NIH grants support research on whether PFAS exposure increases risk of liver and endometrial cancers

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center have received two grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaling $7.5 million to study whether exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the synthetic compounds known as "forever chemicals," increases the risk of liver cancer and endometrial cancer.

25 Aug 2026

PAHO/WHO assists Colombia with recovery following major earthquake

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), is providing technical cooperation to Colombian authorities to support the health response following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on August 10.

25 Aug 2026

Loneliness can reprogram the brain to increase alcohol use

Loneliness can reprogram the brain in ways that push alcohol consumption, reports a new preclinical study led by Northwestern University and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

25 Aug 2026

Visual storytelling transforms scientific evidence into meaningful public health action

Even as the scientific community has reached broad consensus that infectious pathogens, such as viruses, can spread through airborne transmission in virus-laden aerosols, one fundamental challenge remains.

25 Aug 2026

What decades of wine research can, and cannot, tell us about health

A narrative review found that moderate wine intake has repeatedly been associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, with proposed mechanisms involving ethanol and grape-derived polyphenols, but the evidence remains largely observational and cannot establish causation. The authors argue that drinking pattern, beverage type, age, cancer risk, and risk-modeling choices all influence how the J-shaped association should be interpreted and how alcohol guidelines are developed.

25 Aug 2026

Researchers link GLP-1 drugs to lower tuberculosis risk in type 2 diabetes

A large retrospective cohort study found that GLP-1 receptor agonist use was associated with a lower risk of tuberculosis in people with type 2 diabetes compared with sulfonylureas, metformin, DPP-4 inhibitors, and SGLT2 inhibitors. The observational findings suggest a possible benefit beyond metabolic control, but the authors emphasize that prospective and mechanistic studies are needed to determine whether GLP-1 therapies themselves reduce TB risk.

24 Aug 2026

Understanding of palliative care drives end-of-life preferences

People with a comprehensive understanding of palliative care are more likely to prefer end-of-life care at home or in a hospice. Among individuals with less understanding about palliative care, hospital care is preferred.

24 Aug 2026