Building competency to deal with environmental health challenges: experiences and a proposal.

The global landscape of professional training in environmental health, encompassing ecological public health or environmental public health, lacks consistent global implementation for training programs for public health practitioners, clinical professionals, and individuals across various disciplines, as well as standardized curricula for undergraduates. This training gap is related to the overall lack of capacity in addressing the population impacts of the triple challenge of pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change, impeding the worldwide transition to and development of ecological sustainability. This paper reviews existing approaches and their potential to address implementation challenges within the necessarily tight timescale.

A new environmental public health practice to manage current and future global health challenges through education, training, and capacity building.

Unsustainable globalisation of economic activities, lifestyles and social structures has contributed to environmental degradation, posing major threats to human health at the local and global levels. All these problems including climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss represent challenges that are unlikely to be met with existing approaches, capabilities and tools. This article acknowledges the need for well-prepared practitioners from many walks of life to contribute to environmental public health (EPH) functions thus strengthening society's capacity and capability to respond effectively and in a timely manner to such complex situations and multiple challenges.

Household Food Insecurity Negatively Impacts Diet Diversity in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Healthy, diverse diets are vital for life. In low/middle-income countries, however, the focus is more on food quantity rather than diet quality. This study assessed household diet diversity (HDD) in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta and its associations with household food insecurity (HFI) and household food availability (HFA) controlling for socioeconomic factors.

Assessment of Environmental Impacts on Health: Examples from the Pacific Basin.

Assessing environmental impacts on health in the Pacific Basin is challenged by significantly varying data types - quantities, qualities, and paucities - because of varying geographic sizes, environments, biodiversity, ecological assets, and human population densities, with highly varied and unequal socio-economic development and capacity to respond to environmental and health challenges. We discuss three case-based methodological examples from Pacific Basin environmental health impact assessments. These methods could be used to improve environmental health evidence at all country and regional levels across a spectrum of big data availability to no data.

Household water and food insecurity negatively impacts self-reported physical and mental health in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta.

Introduction: Household food insecurity and inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) contribute to ill health. However, the interactions between household food insecurity, WASH and health have been rarely assessed concurrently. This study investigated compounded impacts of household food insecurity and WASH on self-reported physical and mental health of adults in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta.

Mapping the Morbidity Risk Associated with Coal Mining in Queensland, Australia.

The populations in the vicinity of surface coal mining activities have a higher risk of morbidity due to diseases, such as cardiovascular, respiratory and hypertensive diseases, as well as cancer and diabetes mellitus. Despite the large and historical volume of coal production in Queensland, the main Australian coal mining state, there is little research on the association of coal mining exposures with morbidity in non-occupational populations in this region. This study explored the association of coal production (Gross Raw Output-GRO) with hospitalisations due to six disease groups in Queensland using a Bayesian spatial hierarchical analysis and considering the spatial distribution of the Local Government Areas (LGAs).

The Association of Ambient Temperature with Extremely Preterm Births.

Introduction: Extremely preterm births (EPT), require complex decision making and significant medical interventions. While environmental factors such as ambient temperature extremes have been associated with preterm births, little is known of the environmental associations with EPT births. The objective of this study is to explore whether ambient temperature is associated with increased risk of EPT birth.

Core Competencies for Health Workers to Deal with Climate and Environmental Change.

Rapid, detrimental climate change and environmental degradation pose real threats to the health, environment, social, economic and technological wellbeing of society (HESET). It has become even more imperative that the health workforce (public health and medical healthcare as well as auxiliary and support workers) be 'climate-environment' competent to fulfil their role in managing the environmental public health risks and impacts as climate and environment inevitably continue to change. We developed a broad six-domain competency framework consisting of (1) climate and environment sciences, (2) drivers of climate change (3) evidence, projections and assessments (4) iterative risk management (5) mitigation, adaptation and health co-benefits and (6) collective strategies-harnessing international/regional/local agreements and frameworks.

Applications of Systems Science to Understand and Manage Multiple Influences within Children's Environmental Health in Least Developed Countries: A Causal Loop Diagram Approach.

Least developed countries (LDCs) are home to over a billion people throughout Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Caribbean. The people who live in LDCs represent just 13% of the global population but 40% of its growth rate. Characterised by low incomes and low education levels, high proportions of the population practising subsistence living, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of economic diversity and resilience, LDCs face serious health, environmental, social, and economic challenges.

The association of fractional cover, foliage projective cover and biodiversity with birthweight.

Introduction: Environmental exposures can contribute both benefits and risks to human health. Maternal exposure to green space has been associated with improvements in birthweight, among other birth outcomes. Newer measures of green space have been developed, which allows for an exploration of the effect of different ground covers (green, dry and bare earth), as well as measures of biodiversity.

Using human epidemiological analyses to support the assessment of the impacts of coal mining on health.

The potential impacts of coal mining on health have been addressed by the application of impact assessment methodologies that use the results of qualitative and quantitative analyses to support their conclusions and recommendations. Although human epidemiological analyses can provide the most relevant measures of risk of health outcomes in populations exposed to coal mining by-products, this kind of studies are seldom implemented as part of the impact assessment methods. To review the use of human epidemiological analyses in the methods used to assess the impacts of coal mining, a systematic search in the peer review literature was implemented following the PRISMA protocol.

Development of a questionnaire-based insecticide exposure assessment method and comparison with urinary insecticide biomarkers in young Australian children.

Environmental and behavioural factors assessed via an online questionnaire were compared to insecticide metabolite concentrations in urine collected from 61 children from South East Queensland, Australia. Metabolite concentrations (μg/L urine) were transformed using the natural logarithm prior to regression analysis and adjusted for age and creatinine. A significant dietary association was reported for vegetable intake and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) (β: 1.

Children's Environmental Health in South and Southeast Asia: Networking for Better Child Health Outcomes.

Children are particularly vulnerable to environmental hazards because they receive higher doses of pollutants in any given environment and often do not have equitable access to social protection mechanisms such as environmental and health care services. The World Health Organization established a global network of collaborating centres that address children's environmental health (CEH). The network developed a focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and is broadening its reach by conducting regional workshops for CEH.

Environmental Risk Factors Associated with Child Stunting: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Background: Stunting, a form of malnutrition characterized by impaired linear growth in the first two years of life, affects one quarter of children globally. While nutritional status remains the key cause of stunting, there is evidence that environmental risk factors are associated with stunting.

Objective: The objective of this review is to explore the current literature and compile the environmental risk factors that have been associated with stunting.

Children's Environmental Health Indicators in Context of the Sustainable Development Goals for Small Island Developing States.

The unique environmental vulnerability of small island developing states (SIDS) is likely to impact negatively on children's health. Children's environmental health indicators (CEHI) are standardized measures that can be used to assess the environmental exposures and their resulting health outcomes in children. This study sought to utilize the United Nations (UN) global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with their associated targets and indicators, as a framework for a CEHI proposal for SIDS.

Children's Environmental Health Indicators for Pacific Island Countries.

Healthy environments support the wellbeing of children and the environment thus play a cardinal role in the future of Pacific Island Countries (PICs). Children are more vulnerable and at risk to environmental hazards than adults because they breathe, drink, and eat much more relative to body weight, resulting in greater exposures in the different environments in which children find themselves every day. We examine the role that children’s environmental health indicators (CEHI) can play for PICs to highlight priorities and we prioritise actions to improve children’s environmental health and thus achieve their ‘Healthy Islands’ vision.

Mortality and morbidity in populations in the vicinity of coal mining: a systematic review.

Background: Evidence of the association of coal mining with health outcomes such as increased mortality and morbidity in the general population has been provided by epidemiological studies in the last 25 years. Given the diverse sources of data included to investigate different health outcomes in the exposed populations, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) can be used as a single classification standard to compare the findings of studies conducted in different socioeconomic and geographic contexts. The ICD classifies diagnoses of diseases and other disorders as codes organized by categories and chapters.

The application of system dynamics modelling to environmental health decision-making and policy - a scoping review.

Background: Policy and decision-making processes are routinely challenged by the complex and dynamic nature of environmental health problems. System dynamics modelling has demonstrated considerable value across a number of different fields to help decision-makers understand and predict the dynamic behaviour of complex systems in support the development of effective policy actions. In this scoping review we investigate if, and in what contexts, system dynamics modelling is being used to inform policy or decision-making processes related to environmental health.

Concentrations of organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers in urine from young children in Queensland, Australia and associations with environmental and behavioural factors.

In recent years, the production and usage volumes of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) has increased substantially. Certain OPFRs are suspected reproductive toxins, carcinogenic, and neurotoxic. Insufficient information is available on human exposure pathways to these chemicals, particularly in Australia.

Examination of Child and Adolescent Hospital Admission Rates in Queensland, Australia, 1995-2011: A Comparison of Coal Seam Gas, Coal Mining, and Rural Areas.

Objectives At present, coal seam gas (CSG) is the most common form of unconventional natural gas development occurring in Australia. Few studies have been conducted to explore the potential health impacts of CSG development on children and adolescents. This analysis presents age-specific hospitalisation rates for a child and adolescent cohort in three study areas in Queensland.

Polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardant concentrations in faeces from young children in Queensland, Australia and associations with environmental and behavioural factors.

The aim of our study was to investigate children's exposure to the flame retardants polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) by analysing faecal content, a non-invasive matrix, as well as responses to an exposure-assessment questionnaire. A convenience sample of 61 parents with children (aged >3 months to <2 years) completed an online pre-tested questionnaire and provided faecal samples for analysis by high resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. BDE-209 was the dominant congener in faecal samples adjusted to 8.

Quantification of hookworm ova from wastewater matrices using quantitative PCR.

A quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was used to quantify Ancylostoma caninum ova in wastewater and sludge samples. We estimated the average gene copy numbers for a single ovum using a mixed population of ova. The average gene copy numbers derived from the mixed population were used to estimate numbers of hookworm ova in A.

Comparative prevalence of Escherichia coli carrying virulence genes and class 1 and 2 integrons in sub-tropical and cool temperate freshwater.

Aquatic environments are now recognized secondary habitat of potentially pathogenic Escherichia coli. In this study, PCR-based analyses were used to determine the phylogenetic composition and frequency of occurrence of eight clinically significant virulence genes (VGs) in E. coli isolates from sub-tropical Brisbane and cool temperate Tasmania freshwater in Australia.

Is Increasing Coal Seam Gas Well Development Activity Associated with Increasing Hospitalisation Rates in Queensland, Australia? An Exploratory Analysis 1995-2011.

The majority of Australia's coal seam gas (CSG) reserves are in Queensland, where the industry has expanded rapidly in recent years. Despite concerns, health data have not been examined alongside CSG development. This study examined hospitalisation rates as a function of CSG development activity in Queensland, during the period 1995-2011.