Blogs - This Week In Public Health

Epi

SVI vs. ADI: What Public Health Practitioners Need to Know Since the CDC Removed SVI

TLDR; SVI and ADI overlap but measure different concepts: vulnerability vs deprivation Public health professionals often rely on composite indices to identify disadvantaged communities and guide interventions. Two prominent tools in this space are the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). Both indices measure socioeconomic and demographic disadvantage, but they were […]

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Communication

Beyond “Trust the Science”: How Public Health Must Relearn How to Engage Communities

Public health is facing a paradox. On the one hand, never before has scientific evidence played such a visible role in public life. During COVID-19, epidemiological models shaped national policy. Scientists became household names. Research moved at historic speed. On the other hand, trust fractured. Scientists were harassed. Communities disengaged. Evidence was reframed as ideology. […]

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Global

Over Half of Senegalese Face Violence—And the Costs Are Deadly

What Senegal’s First Nationwide Survey Reveals About Mental Health, Harm, and Prevention On a hot afternoon in Dakar, a community health worker knocks on doors—not to vaccinate or screen for malaria, but to ask harder questions. Has anyone here experienced violence? Have you felt so overwhelmed that life no longer feels worth living? For years, […]

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Workforce

Boost Preventive Medicine Awareness: A Proven Approach

The bustling corridors of the University of Maryland School of Medicine recently witnessed a significant transformation. As students exchanged notes and discussed upcoming exams, a new topic began to pique their interest: preventive medicine. What sparked this shift in attention was a pioneering educational intervention aimed at addressing a pressing issue in medical education. Raising […]

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Health tips

Cannabis Smoke’s Impact on Pregnancy: New Findings Unveiled

The morning sunlight filters through the windows of a community health center, casting a warm glow in the room where Dr. Emily, a health professional, meets with expectant mothers. Her goal is to discuss healthy practices during pregnancy, but today, there’s an additional topic of concern on the agenda: the prevalence of cannabis use among […]

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Policy

The Youth Vaping Shift Few Policies Were Ready For

On a school afternoon in 2023, a group of 13-year-olds gather outside a corner shop. One teen pulls a slim, brightly colored device from their pocket. It smells like candy. It doesn’t look dangerous. And, to many young people, it doesn’t feel like “smoking.” That moment—now increasingly common—is exactly what new research in Frontiers in […]

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Society

Work Stress: Young Public Health Workers’ Silent Struggle

In a bustling township clinic, you find Lisa, a fresh graduate, diving into her new role as a public health worker. Faced with overwhelming job demands and endless emotional interactions, Lisa struggles to maintain her mental health amidst palpable burnout signs. Her story is a mirror reflecting a disturbing trend across young public health workers—an […]

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Global

Sudan’s Humanitarian Health Crisis:

Sudan is currently facing one of the most severe humanitarian and health crises in the world. Ongoing conflict has plunged the nation into chaos, leaving millions of civilians in desperate need of aid. The World Health Organization has reported that over 20 million people in Sudan now require humanitarian assistance, with the healthcare system on […]

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Mental health

Depression and Academic Self-Efficacy: Hidden Influences

Imagine a young college student, Alex, feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of exams, living away from home, and new responsibilities. Alex, like many others, finds himself slipping into a state of depression, which begins to affect his confidence in handling academic tasks. The narrative is all too common in universities around the world. A recent […]

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Workforce

The Role of Gossip in Nurse Burnout and Care

A Public Health Lens on an Overlooked Workplace Risk At the end of a long shift, a nurse quietly asks a colleague, “Have you heard what’s really going on with the new staffing policy?” The conversation lasts two minutes. No chart is opened. No formal meeting happens. But what’s exchanged—fear, partial information, emotional relief—can ripple […]

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