Vientiane Multigenerational Birth Cohort Project in Lao People's Democratic Republic: Protocol for Establishing a Longitudinal Multigenerational Birth Cohort to Promote Population Health.

Background: Rapid global population growth and urbanization have led to an increase in urban populations in low- and middle-income countries. Although these urban areas have generally better health outcomes than lower-income rural areas, many environmental, social, and health challenges remain. Vientiane, the capital of Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), has approximately 1.

Participation in organised sports and longitudinal development of physical activity in Swiss youth: the population-based SOPHYA cohort.

Background: Maintaining physical activity throughout life is crucial for overall health and wellbeing. Yet the age-related decline in average physical activity, a natural phenomenon also observed in animals, poses a challenge. This study aimed to investigate whether participation in organised sports supported by the Swiss Youth+Sports (Y+S) programme is associated with sustaining or enhancing physical activity among children and adolescents during 5 years of follow-up.

Burden and risk factors of suspected cholangiocarcinoma in high Opisthorchis viverrini endemic rural communities in southern Lao PDR.

Introduction: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a major contributor to hepatobiliary mortality in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Infection with the carcinogenic trematode Opisthorchis viverrini (OV), acquired through consumption of insufficiently-cooked river fish, is a known risk factor for the development of CCA. Together with OV, other risk factors contribute to the pathogenesis of CCA.

Does growing up in a physical activity-friendly neighborhood increase the likelihood of remaining active during adolescence and early adulthood?

Background: The SOPHYA-cohort-study investigated whether the objectively characterized and perceived residential neighborhood of Swiss youth predict accelerometer-measured physical activity and activity in specific domains (participation in a sports club and cycling) five years later.

Methods: At baseline in 2014, 1230 children and adolescents aged 6 to 16 years participated and wore accelerometers for 7 days. Of these children, 447 participated again in the follow-up study in 2019 and provided longitudinal accelerometer measurements.

Elimination of schistosomiasis mekongi in reach for Lao PDR: The last patient with severe disease?

Schistosomiasis mekongi is endemic in a restricted area in Northern Cambodia and the Southern Lao People's Democratic Republic. Severe hepatobiliary morbidity is associated with chronic untreated S. mekongi infection.

The future backbone of nutritional science: integrating public health priorities with system-oriented precision nutrition.

Adopting policies that promote health for the entire biosphere (One Health) requires human societies to transition towards a more sustainable food supply as well as to deepen the understanding of the metabolic and health effects of evolving food habits. At the same time, life sciences are experiencing rapid and groundbreaking technological developments, in particular in laboratory analytics and biocomputing, placing nutrition research in an unprecedented position to produce knowledge that can be translated into practice in line with One Health policies. In this dynamic context, nutrition research needs to be strategically organised to respond to these societal expectations.

Socioeconomic Status and Adherence to Preventive Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Switzerland: A Population Based Digital Cohort Analysis.

Objectives: To assess the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and self-reported adherence to preventive measures in Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: 4,299 participants from a digital cohort were followed between September 2020 and November 2021. Baseline equivalised disposable income and education were used as SES proxies.

Weekend physical activity profiles and their relationship with quality of life: The SOPHYA cohort of Swiss children and adolescents.

Introduction: Quality of life (QoL) is an important health indicator among children and adolescents. Evidence on the effect of physical activity (PA)-related behaviors on QoL among youth remains inconsistent. Conventional accelerometer-derived PA metrics and guidelines with a focus on whole weeks may not adequately characterize QoL relevant PA behavior.

Removable dental prostheses and difficulties with chewing among frail individuals: Results from the Swiss SAPALDIA cohort.

Oral healthcare among the frail is an underestimated geriatric care element. While neglected oral health (OH) is a well-established risk factor for frailty, frailty can be a risk factor for subsequent OH problems. The cross-sectional investigation nested into the SAPALDIA sub-cohort of citizens aged 52 years and older, aims to stimulate longitudinal research into aspects that accelerate poor OH among frail individuals.

Navigating challenges: a socioecological analysis of sexual and reproductive health barriers among Eritrean refugee women in Ethiopia, using a key informant approach.

Objectives: The study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of healthcare providers (HCPs) regarding the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) challenges of Eritrean refugee women in Ethiopia.

Design: A qualitative exploratory design with the key informant approach.

Setting And Participants: The study was conducted in the Afar regional state, North East, Ethiopia.

Pre-pregnancy body mass index and caesarean section in Andean women in Peru: a prospective cohort study.

Background: During the last two decades, Caesarean section rates (C-sections), overweight and obesity rates increased in rural Peru. We examined the association between pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and C-section in the province of San Marcos, Northern Andes-Peru.

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study.

Modelling Europe-wide fine resolution daily ambient temperature for 2003-2020 using machine learning.

To improve our understanding of the health impacts of high and low temperatures, epidemiological studies require spatiotemporally resolved ambient temperature (Ta) surfaces. Exposure assessment over various European cities for multi-cohort studies requires high resolution and harmonized exposures over larger spatiotemporal extents. Our aim was to develop daily mean, minimum and maximum ambient temperature surfaces with a 1 × 1 km resolution for Europe for the 2003-2020 period.

Long-term development of loneliness in older people and associations with stringency of COVID-19 measures: an observational cohort study.

Background: Most longitudinal studies found heightened feelings of loneliness in older people in spring 2020 compared to times before the pandemic. However, longer-term effects are more disputed. We, therefore, investigated changes in loneliness in older people throughout the first 21 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland and examined the association between the stringency of COVID-19 measures and feelings of loneliness.

Steatotic liver disease among lean and non-lean individuals in Southern Lao PDR: a cross-sectional study of risk factors.

Background: Steatotic liver disease (SLD) prevalence is rising worldwide, linked to insulin resistance and obesity. SLD prevalence can surpass 10% even among those with normal weight. In Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), where (OV) trematode infection and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are common, infection related liver morbidity such as cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is high, but data on SLD prevalence is lacking.

Cross-Sectional but Not Prospective Association of Accelerometry-Derived Physical Activity With Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents.

This study aims to quantify the cross-sectional and prospective associations between quality of life (QoL) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). This study was based on the Swiss children's Objectively measured PHYsical Activity cohort. The primary endpoint is the overall QoL score and its six dimensions.

Randomized Trial to Improve Body Composition and Micronutrient Status Among South African Children.

Introduction: Physical activity (PA) promotion combined with multimicronutrient supplementation (MMNS) among school-age children may reduce fat mass accrual and increase muscle mass through different mechanisms and so benefit child health. This study determined the efficacy of combined interventions on body composition among South African schoolchildren and determined if micronutrients mediate these effects.

Study Design: Longitudinal cluster randomized controlled trial of children followed from 2019 to 2021.

Circulating biomarkers of airflow limitation across the life span.

Background: Airflow limitation is a hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which can develop through different lung function trajectories across the life span. There is a need for longitudinal studies aimed at identifying circulating biomarkers of airflow limitation across different stages of life.

Objectives: This study sought to identify a signature of serum proteins associated with airflow limitation and evaluate their relation to lung function longitudinally in adults and children.

Randomised controlled trial on the effect of social support on disease control, mental health and health-related quality of life in people with diabetes from Côte d'Ivoire: the SoDDiCo study protocol.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and its severe complications contribute significantly to disability and, hence, burden of disease. Poor mental health, a frequent DM consequence, may hinder successful diabetes control in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Evidence suggests social support as a cost-effective tool to improve diabetes self-management, behaviour and mental health.

"I could not bear it": Perceptions of chronic pain among Somali pastoralists in Ethiopia. A qualitative study.

Background: Pain is a major public health problem in the Global South, particularly among marginalized communities, such as Somali pastoralists. Yet, the topic of chronic pain has not yet been comprehensively studied in Sub-Saharan Africa, specifically in the Somali region of Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perceptions and notions of chronic pain among Somali pastoralists in this context.

A New Global Air Quality Health Index Based on the WHO Air Quality Guideline Values With Application in Cape Town.

This study developed an Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) based on global scientific evidence and applied it to data from Cape Town, South Africa. Effect estimates from two global systematic reviews and meta-analyses were used to derive the excess risk (ER) for PM, PM, NO, SO and O. Single pollutant AQHIs were developed and scaled using the ERs at the WHO 2021 long-term Air Quality Guideline (AQG) values to define the upper level of the "low risk" range.