Modelling COVID-19 in the North American region with a metapopulation network and Kalman filter.

Background: Understanding the dynamics of infectious disease spread and predicting clinical outcomes are critical for managing large-scale epidemics and pandemics, such as COVID-19. Effective modeling of disease transmission in interconnected populations helps inform public health responses and interventions across regions.

Methods: We developed a novel metapopulation model for simulating respiratory virus transmission in the North America region, specifically for the 96 states, provinces, and territories of Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics in Mozambique and Zimbabwe during the first 3 years of the pandemic.

The 2019 emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its rapid spread created a public health emergency of international concern. However, the impact of the pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa, as documented in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, appears far lower than in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Characterization of the transmission dynamics is critical for understanding how SARS-CoV-2 spreads and the true scale of the pandemic.

Smoking Prevention and Cessation Programs for Children and Adolescents Focusing on Parental Involvement: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study aims to determine the effect and equity outcomes of smoking prevention or smoking cessation interventions for children and adolescents involving parents. A systematic literature search was conducted between 24 November 2022 and 27 November 2023 in PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, ClinicalTrials.gov, EU Clinical Trials Register, and the WHO international clinical trials registry.

Effect of a multicomponent school-based intervention with parental involvement on socioeconomic inequalities in smoking initiation: equity impact analysis of the TOPAS study.

Background: As prevalence of tobacco use falls, socioeconomic inequalities in tobacco use are increasing in many high-income countries. Evidence is lacking on the effect of preventive interventions on socioeconomic inequalities in smoking initiation among adolescents. We evaluated whether a multicomponent school-based prevention programme with parental involvement has differential effects on smoking initiation across socioeconomic groups and affects the magnitude of socioeconomic inequalities in smoking initiation.

The association between tobacco use and COVID-19 diagnoses in three Nordic countries: a pooled analysis.

Previous research has suggested an unexpected negative association between smoking and susceptibility to COVID-19. This study, drawing on population-based data from three Nordic countries-Sweden, Norway, and Finland-aims to investigate this association further, capitalizing on diversity introduced by different containment measures. The objective of this research was to examine the association between cigarette smoking and snus (smokeless tobacco) use and the risk of confirmed COVID-19 infection.