Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Public Health
Translating national climate policies to resilience actions at the subnational level in low resource settings: Lessons from Ghana’s health systems.
Published: 2025-11-23
Subjects: Public Health
According to the WHO 2021 Health and Climate Change Global Survey Report, most countries’ climate change and health plans are witnessing low to moderate implementation due to (among other reasons) insufficient funding, evidence, research, and multisectoral collaboration. In Ghana, the national climate change agenda has, for over a decade, consistently prioritized its health systems, but progress [...]
Climate Change Perceptions and Water Security: Evidence from Low-Income Urban Communities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Published: 2025-11-19
Subjects: Public Health
Background Water scarcity is being exacerbated by climate change, especially in low- and middle-income countries with limited adaptation capacity. Methods Between June and October 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 364 households in three districts of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We used structured questionnaires to evaluate the household's demographic characteristics, knowledge of [...]
Anthropogenic Environmental Change and Sexual and Reproductive Health in Southeast Asia: A Scoping Review
Published: 2025-11-19
Subjects: Public Health
While often neglected, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a significant dimension of the health implications of global anthropogenic environmental change, including climate change. However, literature on the topic is scarce and largely neglects low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and regions such as Southeast Asia. We thus aimed to synthesise the literature connecting anthropogenic [...]
Impact of weather and season on stored water contamination and infant diarrhea in climate-vulnerable, urban Mozambique
Published: 2025-11-19
Subjects: Public Health
Background: Diarrhea remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality for children under the age of five, despite reductions in its overall global burden in recent decades. However, climate change, and its associated meteorological conditions - heavy rainfall, temperature, flooding - has the potential to impede or reverse progress that has been made toward alleviating the burden of [...]
Crystalline silica content of natural, engineered, and synthetic stone products and their relation to silicosis policy development
Published: 2025-11-13
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Materials Science and Engineering, Public Health
Crystalline silica minerals – quartz, cristobalite, and tridymite – are hazardous when inhaled. They are at least an order of magnitude more toxic than crystalline silica-free inert mineral dusts. Workplace exposure to hazardous levels of crystalline silica is entirely preventable, yet accelerated silicosis is emerging in developed countries, from the fabrication of crystalline silica-rich [...]
Nutrition in Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenarios: analysis and prevention of malnutrition in low-income regions
Published: 2025-10-13
Subjects: Agriculture, Food Science, Life Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences, Public Health
Purpose: An abrupt sunlight reduction scenario (ASRS) can be triggered by a nuclear war, a large volcanic eruption, or an asteroid strike, resulting in global agricultural collapse. A wide portfolio of resilient food interventions has been developed to address these issues, but even if they succeed in providing sufficient food energy for the global population, economic inequality could still [...]
A City Under Heat: Assessing urban heat island impacts on mortality risk from non-communicable diseases in metropolitan zones of Mexico, 2003-2019
Published: 2025-10-12
Subjects: Public Health
Urban heat island (UHI) has been recognized as a serious health threat in urban cities worldwide, which can contribute to thermal discomfort, and a range of morbidity and mortality outcomes. Using mortality records for five International Classification of Diseases chapters (4, 5, 6, 9, and 10) from 2003–2019 across metropolitan regions in Mexico, and summer and winter daytime/nighttime UHI [...]
Tides of change: an exploratory qualitative study on the health risks of an AMOC collapse in Europe, with a focus on Germany
Published: 2025-10-11
Subjects: Public Health
This qualitative study examines the potential health and societal impacts of an Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) collapse on European populations, with a particular focus on Germany. Through semi-structured interviews with 17 transdisciplinary experts, the research investigates how a weakening AMOC could amplify existing health risks, create new challenges and strain healthcare [...]
Integrated Disaster Nursing Response for Public Healthcare Settings in Pakistan: A Sequential Mixed Method Approach Study Protocol
Published: 2025-07-12
Subjects: Public Health
Abstract Background Natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes pose significant threats to human lives and infrastructure, particularly in low-lying regions of Pakistan. Among the most vulnerable areas are Sanghar and Dadu in the Sindh province, which experience recurrent flooding. These disasters often overwhelm healthcare systems and underscore the urgent need for adequately [...]
Users of a Container-Based Sanitation Service Experience High Sanitation-Related Quality of Life: A Prospective Cohort Study in Cap Haitien, Haiti
Published: 2025-05-25
Subjects: Public Health
Sanitation users often value improved sanitation interventions for social benefits, such as improved safety and dignity. Some sanitation providers have started using well-being measurements to evaluate service impacts beyond infectious disease outcomes. In particular, the Sanitation Quality of Life (SanQoL) Index explores five attributes associated with sanitation wellbeing: health, disgust, [...]
The Role of Climate Services for Health: Theoretical Case Studies on Heat-Health Warning Systems in India
Published: 2025-05-06
Subjects: Public Health
Extreme heat is a growing public health concern across South Asia, with urban populations particularly vulnerable due to high population density, infrastructure gaps, and compounding socioeconomic risks. In this study, we assess the potential health benefits of Heat–Health Warning Systems (HHWS) as a Climate Service for Health (CSH) in urban India and explore their role in enhancing public health [...]
High risk, low concern: The climate perception gap in rural America
Published: 2025-04-26
Subjects: Public Health
Rural communities often demonstrate lower levels of concern and reduced support for climate mitigation and policies. This study examined views of climate risk and political support for climate action in Eastern North Carolina, a largely rural and agricultural region, with limited access to health care, and elevated environmental vulnerability. Understanding climate attitudes in this context is [...]
Interpreting drinking water quality samples: understanding contamination pathways at the point of collection
Published: 2025-04-24
Subjects: Public Health
2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water, with microbiological water quality the major barrier to the achievement of SDG target 6.1. Microbiological water quality is strongly influenced by environmental and hand hygiene. We demonstrate the significant contribution of contamination from hygiene at water collection point localities and at the household level to drinking water [...]
Rural-Urban schism: Access to improved water and sanitation in Sub-Sahara Africa
Published: 2025-04-23
Subjects: Public Health
Abstract Background: Access to potable water and adequate sanitation remains a major public health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where coverage is critically low, especially in rural areas. Despite progress, disparities between urban and rural populations persist, impacting health outcomes and overall well-being. Objective: This study aimed to identify factors influencing [...]
Effects of Salinity on Menstrual and Reproductive Health: Insights from Coastal and Non-Coastal Areas of Bangladesh.
Published: 2025-04-21
Subjects: Public Health
AbstractBackground: Salinity intrusion in coastal regions of Bangladesh is a growing concern due to its potential impact on public health, particularly reproductive health among women. Exposure to saline water may contribute to a variety of health challenges, including menstrual irregularities and pregnancy complications.Objective: This study aimed to assess the reproductive health challenges [...]