research topics in public health pdf

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What are the trending topics in Public Health and related disciplines?

You can identify some of the most discussed and influential topics with the help of Altmetric attention scores, which take into account several outlets including social media, news articles, and policy documents.

Drawing from a selection of Public Health and Medicine journals, we have compiled a list of the articles that have been mentioned the most over the past few months.

Discover the articles that are trending right now, and catch up on current topics in Public Health and related disciplines. We will update our collection every few weeks; come back to this page to be on top of the latest conversations in Public Health and Medicine. Previously featured articles are listed here .

You can also sign up for e-alerts to make sure you never miss the latest research from our journals.

*Last updated October 2021*

Age and Ageing

Alcohol and alcoholism, american journal of epidemiology, annals of work exposures and health, epidemiologic reviews, european journal of public health, family practice, health education research, health policy and planning, health promotion international, international health, international journal of epidemiology, international journal for quality in health care, journal of public health, journal of travel medicine, journal of tropical pediatrics, nicotine & tobacco research, transactions of the royal society of tropical medicine & hygiene.

There is moderate-certainty evidence that behaviour change interventions are associated with increased physical activity levels among older hospitalised patients.

This study from Canada found that one in three young adults with ADHD had a lifetime alcohol use disorder, and that young adults with ADHD were also three times more likely to develop a substance use disorder. Targeted outreach and interventions for this extremely vulnerable population are warranted.

According to this study, resuming evictions in summer 2020 was associated with increased COVID-19 incidence and mortality in US states, with an estimated 433,700 excess cases and 10,700 excess deaths. Explore more research on COVID-19 in a curated collection from the AJE: https://academic.oup.com/aje/pages/covid-19

The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) developed a control banding matrix for employers and others to help assess the risks of COVID-19 infection, and calls for further work to validate the reliability of the tool. Browse the Annals' collection on occupational hygiene for virus protection: https://academic.oup.com/annweh/pages/covid-19 

In 1777, George Washington ordered a mandatory inoculation program for his troops, in what would become the first mass immunization mandate in the US. This archival article discussess and contextualizes immunization practices for US Armed Forces.

Responding to concerns that that face mask use could elicit a false sense of security and lead to riskier behaviours, this study from Denmark found that mask use overall correlated positively with protective behaviours.

While medical practice is often undermined by subsequent investigation, randomized trials relevant to primary care generally hold up over time.

This study shows the potential for using social media influencers to inspire positive engagements on pro-vaccine health messaging. For more content on accurate information's importance for public health, browse the latest article collection from HER: https://academic.oup.com/her/pages/covid-19

Current emergency response planning does not have adequate coverage to maintain health systems functionality for essential health service delivery alongside emergency-specific interventions and healthcare. The findings from this study can help align health emergency planning with broader population health needs.

This case study shows that that ongoing efforts are needed to improve sustainability of nutrition policy and programmes to address all diet-related diseases.

This review article outlines evidence for a range of institutional measures and behaviour-change measures, and highlights research and knowledge gaps.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered significant mortality increases in 2020 of a magnitude not witnessed since World War II in Western Europe or the breakup of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe.

The authors propose an update to the Equator’s Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist, with the aim of enhancing inclusivity.

This study confirms previous findings on a low risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. If confirmed, these findings suggest that more targeted restriction policies can be applied to the subjects that recovered after a first infection. Read highly cited papers on COVID-19 from the Journal of Public Health: https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/pages/covid-19

Given the Delta variant's high reproductive number associated with higher transmissibility, in a context of globally still low vaccine coverage rates and lower vaccine effectiveness, public health and social measures will need to be substantially strengthened. A high reproductive number also means that much higher vaccine coverage rates need to be achieved compared to the originally assumed.

Neurological complications are rare in children suffering from COVID-19. Still, these children are at risk of developing seizures and encephalopathy, more in those suffering from severe illness.

The researchers examined support for and perceived impact of e-cigarette sales restrictions. Findings suggest that bans on flavored vape products could have a positive impact on lower-risk users, but that other young adult user subgroups may not experience benefit.

An editorial from the earlier stages of the pandemic highlights the importance of properly fitted respirators for worker safety and outlines occupational hygiene measures.

Guidelines for safe mass drug administration for neglected tropical diseases were developed in a COVID-19 context; training and implementation were assessed through an observation checklist.

For more research on the impact of COVID-19 on NTDs, explore the March 2021 special issue: https://academic.oup.com/trstmh/issue/115/3

Previously featured

Age and frailty are independently associated with increased COVID-19 mortality and increased care needs in survivors: results of an international multi-centre study

Trajectories of Alcohol Use and Related Harms for Managed Alcohol Program Participants over 12 Months Compared with Local Controls: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Estimating the Effect of Social Distancing Interventions on COVID-19 in the United States

Selecting Controls for Minimizing SARS-CoV-2 Aerosol Transmission in Workplaces and Conserving Respiratory Protective Equipment Supplies

What Do We Know About the Association Between Firearm Legislation and Firearm-Related Injuries?

Denialism: what is it and how should scientists respond?

Acute cooling of the feet and the onset of common cold symptoms

The effect of falsely balanced reporting of the autism–vaccine controversy on vaccine safety perceptions and behavioral intentions

Climate change: an urgent priority for health policy and systems research

Power, control, communities and health inequalities I: theories, concepts and analytical frameworks

Research ethics in context: understanding the vulnerabilities, agency and resourcefulness of research participants living along the Thai–Myanmar border

Tobacco smoking and mortality among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults in Australia

Quality and safety in the time of Coronavirus: design better, learn faster

Years of life lost associated with COVID-19 deaths in the United States

In-flight transmission of SARS-CoV-2: a review of the attack rates and available data on the efficacy of face masks

Stability of the Initial Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder by DSM-5 in Children: A Short-Term Follow-Up Study

Impact of Tobacco Smoking on the Risk of COVID-19: A Large Scale Retrospective Cohort Study

Mental health of staff working in intensive care during COVID-19

The benefits and costs of social distancing in high- and low-income countries

A classification tree to assist with routine scoring of the Clinical Frailty Scale

Recent Advances in the Potential of Positive Allosteric Modulators of the GABAB Receptor to Treat Alcohol Use Disorder

The recent oubreak of smallpox in Meschede, West Germany

Your Hair or Your Service: An Issue of Faith for Sikh Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Emerging Infections: Pandemic Influenza

Identifying the views of adolescents in five European countries on the drivers of obesity using group model building 

Novel multi-virus rapid respiratory microbiological point-of-care testing in primary care: a mixed-methods feasibility evaluation

Public health crisis in the refugee community: little change in social determinants of health preserve health disparities

In search of ‘community’: a critical review of community mental health services for women in African settings

COVID-19, a tale of two pandemics: novel coronavirus and fake news messaging 

Disrupting vaccine logistics

Use of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to identify confounders in applied health research: review and recommendations

Measurement and monitoring patient safety in prehospital care: a systematic review

Black Lives Matter protests and COVID-19 cases: relationship in two databases

The positive impact of lockdown in Wuhan on containing the COVID-19 outbreak in China

Severe Malnutrition and Anemia Are Associated with Severe COVID in Infants

A Single-Arm, Open-Label, Pilot, and Feasibility Study of a High Nicotine Strength E-Cigarette Intervention for Smoking Cessation or Reduction for People With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Who Smoke Cigarettes

Healthcare workers and protection against inhalable SARS-CoV-2 aerosols

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Digital Commons @ USF > USF Health > College of Public Health > Public Health Practice > Theses and Dissertations

Public Health Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Linking Shared Decision Making to Outcomes in Simulated Prenatal Genetic Counseling Sessions , Raquel C. Chavarria

Interrelationships Among Local Values of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, Heat Index, and Adjusted Temperature , Andrea Giraldo

Evaluation of Pediatric Genetics Clinics’ Workflows, Efficiencies, & Genetic Counselor Job Satisfaction , Ashlyn M. Keziah

Analyzing the Relationship Between Preeclamptic Severity and Placental Methylation , Mackenzie C. Maggio

A Differentially Methylated Region Analysis Between Three Disease States of Major Depressive Disorder in Primarily African-American Cohorts , Lanie KateLynn Mullins

Preliminary investigation of differences in host mitochondria membrane potential during Toxoplasma gondii infection , Bryan L. Ortega

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Needs Assessment for a Web-Based Support Resource for Patients with a Pathogenic Variant in LMNA , Dylan M. Allen

Evaluation of a Story-telling Approach to Educate Minority Populations About Inherited Cancer , Celestyn B. Angot

Using the Genetic Counseling Skills Checklist to Characterize Prenatal Genetic Counseling , David A. Cline

Reframing Resistance, Resilience, and Racial Equity in Maternal Health: A Mixed Methods Exploration of Paternal Involvement and the Racial Disparity in Severe Maternal Morbidity , Marshara G. Fross

Student Perceptions of the Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants and Preferences for Health Education , Ana Gutierrez

Relationships between Leading and Trailing Indicators at Construction Sites in Yanbu Industrial City, Saudi Arabia , Anas H. Halloul

Variability of Air Sampling Results Using Air-O-Cell Cassettes , Christina M. Haworth

Use of Silica Dust and Lunar Simulants for Assessing Lunar Regolith Exposure , Layzamarie Irizarry-Colon

The Aging Workforce: How it Relates to Incident Rates within a Distribution Warehouse and a Chemical Manufacturing Building , Elisabeth V. Jones

Fuzzy KC Clustering Imputation for Missing Not At Random Data , Markku A. Malmi Jr.

Piloting a Spanish-language Web-based Tool for Hereditary Cancer Genetic Testing , Gretter Manso

Development of a ddPCR Multiplex to Measure the Immune Response to Borrelia burgdorferi. , Kailey Marie McCain

A Healthcare Claims Investigation of Parasomnia Epidemiology, Associations with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Correlates , Anh Thy Ha Nguyen

Diet and Salivary Microbiome on Cardiovascular Risk and Glycemic Control in Participants with and without Type 1 Diabetes: The CACTI Study , Tiantian Pang

Evaluation of Two Methods to Estimate Wet Bulb Globe Temperature from Heat Index , Stephi Pofanl

Intimate Conversations: A Mixed-Methods Study of African American Father-Adolescent Sexual Risk Communication , Shanda A. Vereen

Assessment of ISO Heart Rate Method to Estimate Metabolic Rate , Karl Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Outcomes of a Periodic Exposure Assessment of Workers at a University Campus , Logan M. Armagast

Evaluating the Effect of Public Health Governance Structure and Public Opinion on COVID-19 Disease Control Interventions , Daniel Chacreton

Alpha Synuclein: A therapeutic target and biomarker for Parkinson’s Disease , Max Chase

A Study of Noise Exposures for Amusement Park Employees by Positions and Ride Categories , Danielle M. Dao

Bayesian Network-based Diagnostic Support Tool with Limited Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Work-related Elbow Injuries , Cristina Maria Franceschini Sánchez

Understanding Food Insecurity as a Multidimensional Construct: A Mixed Methods Approach to Assess Changes in Food Insecurity Status among People Seeking Emergency Food Assistance , Whitney M. Fung Uy

Host-Pathogen Coevolution Between Tasmanian Devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) and Devil Facial Tumor Disease , Dylan Garret Gallinson

Joint Models for Repeated Measured, Non-Normally Distributed Multilevel Data , Weiwei He

Crosswalking Wet Bulb Globe Temperature and Heat Index , Paul Irvin

Impact of Perinatal Exposure Counseling on Patient Reported Emotional Outcomes and Decisional Empowerment , Madison J. Lake

Measurements of Generalizability and Adjustment for Bias in Clinical Trials , Yuanyuan Lu

Examining the Relationship between Racial Respect among Black Early Childhood Professionals and their Perceptions of Black Children , Kayla Nembhard

Etiology of sterile intra-amniotic inflammation: An exploratory study , Zoe M. Taylor

Evaluating and Improving a Novel Toolkit for Implementation and Optimization of Lynch Syndrome Universal Tumor Screening , Tara M. Wolfinger

Assessing Reported Use of Clinical Genetic Counseling Skills , Nicole M. Wright

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Exploring Adult Attachment in Intimate Relationships among Women who Were Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence in Childhood: A Convergent Mixed Methods Approach , Ngozichukwuka C. Agu

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Disinfectant-Impregnated Wipes Versus Detergent Wipes for Surface Decontamination , Jacob Amadin

Limited Point of Care Ultrasound Clinical Decision Support Model for Work-related Injuries of the Shoulder Utilizing Bayesian Network , Gwen Marie Ayers

Synthesis of a Multimodal Ecological Model for Scalable, High-Resolution Arboviral Risk Prediction in Florida , Sean P. Beeman

Feasibility of a Virtual Group Nutrition Intervention for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Acadia W. Buro

Defining Codes Based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research in the Context of the Implementing Universal Lynch Syndrome Screening , Jasmine A. Burton-Akright

Americans’ Familiarity, Interest, and Actions with Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing , Riley L. Carroll

Does Better A1C Control Worsen Osteoarthritis? An Electronic Health Record Cross-Sectional Study , Sarah C. Cattaneo

Analysis of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Gene Expression Profiles in a Prospective, Community-based Cohort , Jan Dahrendorff

Differential Privacy for Regression Modeling in Health: An Evaluation of Algorithms , Joseph Ficek

Does Time-Weighted Averaging for WBGT and Metabolic Rate Work for Work-Recovery Cycles? , John W. Flach

Screening of Pregnant Women with Opioid Use Disorder: Identifying Factors Impacting Implementation of Screening Recommendations Using the Theoretical Domains Framework , Tara R. Foti

Epigenetic Potential in an Introduced Passerine , Haley E. Hanson

Face Mask Use to Protect Against COVID-19; Importance of Substrate, Fit, and User Tendencies , Evelyn Kassel

Novel Educational Material for Patients with a Variant of Uncertain Significance (VUS) in a Cancer Risk Gene , Meghan E. Kelley

Mechanisms and Mitigation: Effects of Light Pollution on West Nile Virus Dynamics , Meredith E. Kernbach

Seasonality in Competence to Transmit West Nile Virus for a Widespread Reservoir , Kyle L. Koller

Mealtimes in Early Childhood Education Centers During COVID-19: A Mixed-Methods Assessment of Responsibilities, Interactions, and Best Practices , Joanna Mackie

Development and Validation of an Isothermal Amplification Assay for Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus , Mikayla D. Maddison

Evaluating the Development and Implementation of Campus-based Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Prevention Programming , Robyn Manning-Samuels

Bait-and-Kill: Targeting a Novel Heme Biochemical Pathway in Hundreds of Cancers , Christopher G. Marinescu

Acclimatization Protocols and Their Outcomes , Ayub M. Odera

Promoting HPV vaccination with vaccine-hesitant parents using social media: a formative research mixed-method study , Silvia Sommariva

Sleep Diagnoses and Low Back Pain in U.S. Military Veterans , Kenneth A. Taylor

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Journey Mapping the Minority Student’s Path Toward Genetic Counseling: A Holistic Picture , Tatiana E. Alvarado-Wing

Using Observations from the UAW-Ford Ergonomic Assessment Tool to Predict Distal Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders , Zachariah T. Brandes-Powell

Do Similar Exposure Groups (SEG) differ from Air Force base to Air Force base? A Combat Arms Training and Maintenance (CATM) noise exposure comparison of Moody AFB and MacDill AFB. , Miriam F. Escobar

Predictors of Premature Discontinuation from Behavioral Health Services: A Mixed Methods Study Guided by the Andersen & Newman Model of Health Care Utilization , Shawna M. Green

Non-invasive Sex Determination and Genotyping of Transgenic Brugia malayi Larvae , Santiago E. Hernandez Bojorge

Does Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Increases the Risk of Preeclampsia Among Primigravid Women? , Astha Kakkad

Evaluating Effects of Cancer Genetic Counseling on Several Brief Patient Impact Measures , Alyson Kneusel

Impact of Heat-Related Illness and Natural Environments on Behavioral Health Related Emergency and Hospital Utilization in Florida , Natasha Kurji

The Quantification of Heavy Metals in Infant Formulas Offered by the Florida WIC Program , Naya Martin

Differences in Knowledge Acquisition, Perceived Engagement and Self-Efficacy in Latino Promotores Delivering the Heart Disease Prevention Program Su Corazόn, Su Vida , Samuel Matos-Bastidas

Spatial and Temporal Determinants Associated with Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus Activity in Florida , Kristi M. Miley

Using Observations from the UAW-Ford Ergonomic Assessment Tool to Predict Low Back Musculoskeletal Disorders , Colins Nwafor

On the Importance of Context: Examining the Applicability of Infertility Insurance Mandates in the United States Using a Mixed-Methods Study Design , Nathanael B. Stanley

Exploration of Factors Associated with Perceptions of Community Safety among Youth in Hillsborough County, Florida: A Convergent Parallel Mixed-Methods Approach , Yingwei Yang

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

The Ability of the U.S. Military’s WBGT-based Flag System to Recommend Safe Heat Stress Exposures , David R. Almario

The Relationship between Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) Derived Metrics and Indices of Glycemic Control , Ryan Bailey

“Man plans but ultimately, God decides”: A Phenomenological Investigation of the Contextual Family Planning Beliefs of Recently Resettled Congolese Refugee Women in West Central Florida. , Linda Bomboka Wilson

‘If He Hits Me, Is That Love? I Don’t Think So’: An Ethnographic Investigation of the Multi-Level Influences Shaping Indigenous Women’s Decision-Making Around Intimate Partner Violence in the Rural Peruvian Andes , Isabella Li Chan

An Assessment of the Role of Florida Pharmacists in the Administration of Inactivated Influenza Vaccine to Pregnant Women , Oluyemisi O. Falope

Epidemiological Analysis of Malaria Decrease in El Salvador from 1955 until 2017 , Tatiana I. Gardellini Guevara

Self-Collected Sampling Methods for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Screening Among College Women: Exploring Patient-Centered Intervention Characteristics , Stacey B. Griner

The Relationship Between Hand and Wrist Musculoskeletal Disorders and Hand Activity and Posture , Warren M. Henry

Speeding Diagnosis and Saving Money Using Point of Care Ultrasound Rather Than MRI for Work-related MSK Injuries , Jared A. Jeffries

Mitigating Barriers to Chronic Disease Risk Factor Prevention and Management in Disadvantaged Communities , Krys M. Johnson

Comparing Family Sharing Behaviors in BRCA Carriers with PALB2 Carriers , Joy E. Kechik

Investigating Air Pollution and Equity Impacts of a Proposed Transportation Improvement Program for Tampa , Talha Kemal Kocak

Exploring Young Women’s Choice to Initiate Use of Long-acting Reversible Contraception: A Mixed Methods Approach , Helen Mahony

Evaluation of Clinical Practices and Needs about Variants of Uncertain Significance Results in Inherited Cardiac Arrhythmia and Inherited Cardiomyopathy Genes , Reka D. Muller

Effects of Medications with Anticholinergic Properties and Opioids on Cognitive Function and Neural Volumetric Changes in Elderly Australians , Malinee Neelamegam

Sundaas Story: A Mixed-Methods Study of Household Sanitation Provisioning in Urban Informal Housing in India , Sarita Vijay Panchang

A Retrospective Study of the Opioid Epidemic and Fentanyl Related Overdose Fatality Cases in a Florida West Coast Medical Examiner District Population , Anne Terese Powell

Using Predicted Heat Strain to Evaluate Sustainable Exposures , Samantha L. Thacker

Isokinetic Sampling Efficiency Differences for Blunt Edge vs Sharp Edge Sampling Probes , Cory A. Treloar

Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to Investigate Daily Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (emtricitabine/tenofovir DF) Implementation via Community-based HIV Testing Sites in Florida , Deanne E. Turner

“We can learn some things from them, but they can learn some things from us too”: Intergenerational Perceptions of Shared Infant Feeding Information , Alexis L. Woods Barr

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Comparison of Modeled and Measured Pesticide Concentrations in Air , Trenell Davis Boggans

Effectiveness of Biocide Substitution and Management Plan Implementation for the Control of , Adelmarie Bones

Design, Construction, and Characterization of the University of South Florida Wind Tunnel , Jason S. Garcia

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Page 1 of 522

A qualitative study of experiences among young adults who increased their cannabis use during the COVID-19 pandemic

Young adults face unique vulnerabilities during major life disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic contributed to increases in mental health challenges and substance use among young adults. This s...

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Prevalence, spatial distribution and determinants of complete childhood pneumococcal conjugate vaccination in Ethiopia: spatial and multilevel analyses

Pneumococcal disease is a serious global public health concern. The primary causative agent of severe illnesses such as pneumonia, meningitis, acute otitis media, and bacteremia is the pneumococcus bacterium. ...

Beliefs, taboos, usages, health perceptions, and practices toward wildlife among different ethnicities in Tak and Mae Hong Son Provinces, Thailand

This concurrent qualitative study was carried out with the main objective to determine wildlife beliefs, taboos, usages, health perceptions, and practices among ten ethnic groups in four communities in Tak and...

Association between the atherogenic index of plasma and abdominal aortic calcification in adults: a cross-sectional study

Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) index is an important marker of insulin resistance and a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is significantly associated w...

Effectiveness of malaria chemoprevention in the first two years of life in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire compared to standard of care: study protocol for a population-based prospective cohort impact evaluation study

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• v.110(3); 2019 Jun

Language: English | French

Why public health matters today and tomorrow: the role of applied public health research

Lindsay mclaren.

1 University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

Paula Braitstein

2 University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

David Buckeridge

3 McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Damien Contandriopoulos

4 University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada

Maria I. Creatore

5 CIHR Institute of Population & Public Health and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Guy Faulkner

6 University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

David Hammond

7 University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada

Steven J. Hoffman

8 CIHR Institute of Population & Public Health and York University, Toronto, Canada

Yan Kestens

9 Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada

Scott Leatherdale

Jonathan mcgavock.

10 University of Manitoba and the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

Wendy V. Norman

11 University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Candace Nykiforuk

12 University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

Valéry Ridde

13 IRD (French Institute For Research on Sustainable Development), CEPED (IRD-Université Paris Descartes), ERL INSERM SAGESUD, Université Paris Sorbonne Cités, Paris, France

14 University of Montreal Public Health Research Institute (IRSPUM), Montreal, Canada

Janet Smylie

Public health is critical to a healthy, fair, and sustainable society. Realizing this vision requires imagining a public health community that can maintain its foundational core while adapting and responding to contemporary imperatives such as entrenched inequities and ecological degradation. In this commentary, we reflect on what tomorrow’s public health might look like, from the point of view of our collective experiences as researchers in Canada who are part of an Applied Public Health Chairs program designed to support “innovative population health research that improves health equity for citizens in Canada and around the world.” We view applied public health research as sitting at the intersection of core principles for population and public health: namely sustainability, equity, and effectiveness. We further identify three attributes of a robust applied public health research community that we argue are necessary to permit contribution to those principles: researcher autonomy, sustained intersectoral research capacity, and a critical perspective on the research-practice-policy interface. Our intention is to catalyze further discussion and debate about why and how public health matters today and tomorrow, and the role of applied public health research therein.

Résumé

La santé publique est essentielle à une société saine, juste et durable. Pour donner forme à cette vision, il faut imaginer une communauté de la santé publique capable de préserver ses valeurs fondamentales tout en s’adaptant et en réagissant aux impératifs du moment, comme les inégalités persistantes et la dégradation de l’environnement. Dans notre commentaire, nous esquissons un portrait possible de la santé publique de demain en partant de notre expérience collective de chercheurs d’un programme canadien de chaires en santé publique appliquée qui visent à appuyer « la recherche innovatrice sur la santé de la population en vue d’améliorer l’équité en santé au Canada et ailleurs ». Nous considérons la recherche appliquée en santé publique comme se trouvant à la croisée des principes fondamentaux de la santé publique et des populations, à savoir : la durabilité, l’équité et l’efficacité. Nous définissons aussi les trois attributs d’une solide communauté de recherche appliquée en santé publique nécessaires selon nous au respect de ces principes : l’autonomie des chercheurs, une capacité de recherche intersectorielle soutenue et une perspective critique de l’interface entre la recherche, la pratique et les politiques. Nous voulons susciter des discussions et des débats approfondis sur l’importance de la santé publique pour aujourd’hui et pour demain et sur le rôle de la recherche appliquée en santé publique.

Introduction

Public health is critical to a healthy, fair, and sustainable society. Public health’s role in this vision stems from its foundational values of social justice and collectivity (Rutty and Sullivan 2010 ) and—we argue—from its position at the interface of research, practice, and policy.

Realizing this vision requires imagining a public health community that can maintain that foundational core, embrace opportunities of our changing world, and predict and adapt to emerging challenges in a timely manner. Unprecedented ecosystem disruption creates far-reaching health implications for which the public health community is unprepared (CPHA 2015 ; Whitmee et al. 2015 ). Human displacement is at its highest levels on record; those forced from home include “stateless people,” who are denied access to basic rights such as education, health care, employment, and freedom of movement ( http://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html ). Significant growth in urban populations creates an urgent need to improve urban environments, including policies to reduce air pollution and prevent sprawl (CPHA 2015 ; Frumkin et al. 2004 ), to reduce the substantial burden of morbidity and mortality attributable to behaviours such as physical inactivity, which negatively impact quality and quantity of life (Manuel et al. 2016 ). Significant and entrenched forms of economic, social, political, and historical marginalization and exclusion (TRC 2015 ), coupled with inequitable and unsustainable patterns of resource consumption and technological development (CPHA 2015 ; Whitmee et al. 2015 ), cause and perpetuate health inequities. These inequities underlie the now longstanding recognition that the unequal distributions of health-damaging experiences are the main determinants of health (CSDH 2008 ; Ridde 2004 ).

These imperatives demand a broadly characterized public health community. A now classic definition of public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organized efforts of society (Last 2001 ). Public health, conceptualized in this manner, engages multiple sectors, embraces inclusion and empowerment (Ridde 2007 ), and demands navigating diverse political and economic agendas. Across Canada, a large and growing proportion of provincial spending is devoted to health care, while the proportion devoted to social spending (i.e., the social determinants of health) is small, flat-lining, and in some places declining (Dutton et al. 2018 ). Recent discourse has highlighted a weakening of formal public health infrastructure (Guyon et al. 2017 ) and points of fracture within the field (Lucyk and McLaren 2017 ). Efforts to strengthen public health, in its broadest sense, and to work towards unity of purpose (Talbot 2018 ) are needed now more than ever. What might such efforts look like?

We reflect on this question from our perspectives as researchers who are part of an Applied Public Health Chairs (APHC) program designed to support “innovative population health research that improves health equity for citizens in Canada and around the world.” 1 The applied dimension 2 is facilitated through the program’s focus on “interdisciplinary collaborations and mentorship of researchers and decision makers in health and other sectors” ( http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/48898.html ). The APHC program (Box 1) is part of a broader set of efforts to address gaps in public health capacity, including research. Cross-cutting themes for the 2014 cohort (Box 2) include the following: healthy public policy, supportive environments (e.g., cities), diverse methodological approaches, global health, and health equity; many of which 3 align with a Public Health Services and Systems Research perspective in that they “identif[y] the implementation strategies that work, building evidence to support decision-making across the public health sphere” ( http://www.publichealthsystems.org/ ). Applied public health research is broad and could span CIHR Pillars 4 (social, cultural, environmental, and population health research) and 3 (health services research); the 2014 APHC cohort is predominantly aligned with Pillar 4.

The APHC program represents a significant Canadian investment in public health, and thus provides an important vantage point from which to reflect on why public health matters today, and tomorrow.

Box 1 The Applied Public Health Chairs program

Box 2 2014 cohort of Applied Public Health Chairs

More details available at: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/48898.html

Our proposal

We propose that applied public health research is a critical component of a robust population and public health community. As illustrated in Fig.  1 , we view applied public health research as sitting at the nexus of three core principles: (1) sustainability, (2) equity, and (3) effectiveness, which align with a vision of public health as critical to a healthy, fair, and sustainable society. By sustainability , we mean an approach or way of thinking, about public health in particular (e.g., Schell et al. 2013 ) and population well-being more broadly ( https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs ) that emphasizes “meet[ing] the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland et al. 1987 ). Sustainability has social, economic, environmental, and political dimensions. We define equity as a worldview concerned with the embedded or systemic—and often invisible—drivers of unfair distributions of health-damaging experiences. In Canada and elsewhere, inequity is entrenched in legacies of colonial, structural racism designed to sustain inequitable patterns of power and wealth. Equity transcends diverse axes and perspectives, and an equity lens is action-oriented (Ridde 2007 ). Finally, effectiveness refers to impact or benefits for population well-being, as demonstrated by rigorous research. Explicit core values (e.g., equity), while important, are insufficient without translation to demonstrable outcomes (Potvin and Jones 2011 ). These core principles—sustainability, equity, and effectiveness—overlap and are mutually reinforcing; for example, the inequitable concentration of power, wealth, and exploitation of resources precludes sustainability.

Visual depiction of the role and attributes of applied public health research, vis-à-vis core population and public health principles of equity, sustainability, and effectiveness

Although these principles are applicable to the public health community broadly (i.e., including but not limited to researchers), applied public health researchers are uniquely situated to embrace sustainability, equity, and effectiveness when asking questions and generating policy- and practice-relevant knowledge, as illustrated below. Drawing on our collective experiences, we describe three necessary attributes of applied public health research that support our model in Fig.  1 : researcher autonomy, sustained intersectoral research capacity; and a critical perspective on the research-practice-policy interface. We assert that applied public health research is best positioned to contribute meaningfully to the principles of sustainability, effectiveness, and equity if the attributes described below are in place.

Researcher autonomy

Researcher autonomy is a precondition for innovation and independent thinking, and for building and sustaining the conditions for collective efforts. Our working definition of researcher autonomy is the capacity to devote time and energy to activities that, at the researcher’s discretion, facilitate research that embraces principles of sustainability, effectiveness, and equity. Autonomy, beyond the scope of general academic independence, provides the freedom to build and nurture partnerships, and to navigate among universities, health care systems, governments, communities, and across sectors. Effective and respectful partnerships are critical to rigorous intersectoral work and can provide an important platform to discuss systemic forms of inequity (e.g., Olivier et al. 2016 ; Morton Ninomiya et al. 2017 ). Recognizing a potential tension around the role of the researcher in an applied public health context, we deliberately selected the word “autonomy,” which we view as conducive to meaningful collaboration (although that may be experienced differently by different researchers), rather than “independence” which can be seen as contrary to such collaboration. Yet despite their importance, the time and resources to form and sustain those relationships are often not accommodated within funding and academic structures.

Autonomy, when coupled with resources and recognition, permits applied public health researchers to balance foundations of public health with current policy relevance. Although many of us have research programs with particular thematic foci (e.g., physical activity, dental health, HIV), autonomy provides space and credibility to connect those focal issues to enduring and evolving problems in public health (e.g., determinants of population well-being and equity), and to inform the contemporary policy context. Examples include research on health implications of neighbourhood gentrification in urban settings (Steinmetz-Wood et al. 2017 ); using community water fluoridation as a window into public and political understanding and acceptance of public health interventions that are universal in nature (McLaren and Petit 2018 ); and using innovative sampling methods to identify how census methods can perpetuate exclusion (Rotondi et al. 2017 ). That latter work, which estimated that the national census undercounts urban Indigenous populations in Toronto by a factor of approximately 2–4, provides impetus to work towards an inclusive system that respects individual and collective data sovereignty, and that is accountable to the communities from whom data are collected.

These implications of autonomy are consistent with calls for greater reflexivity in public health research (Tremblay and Parent 2014 ).

Insight : To strengthen applied public health research in Canada, researcher autonomy – whereby researchers have the credibility and protected time to set their own agendas in partnerships with the communities they serve – must be privileged.

Sustained intersectoral research capacity

Applied public health research requires funding for resources and infrastructure that are essential to sustain an intersectoral research program, but for which operating funds are otherwise not readily available. Examples include ongoing cohort studies (e.g., Leatherdale et al. 2014 ), research software platforms (e.g., Shaban-Nejad et al. 2017 ), meaningful public sector engagement in developing public health priorities, and knowledge translation activities.

Partnerships, also considered under researcher autonomy above, are one form of intersectoral research capacity. In applied public health research, having strong partnerships in place permits timely response to research opportunities that arise quickly in real-world settings. Examples in our cohort include instances where researchers were able to mobilize for rapid response funding competitions in areas of environment and health, communicable disease in the global South, and Indigenous training networks, because collaborative teams and potential for knowledge co-creation and transfer were already in place.

Insight : A robust applied public health research community requires sustained funding to support foundations of a credible and internationally-competitive research program (e.g., cohort studies, research software platforms, meaningful public sector engagement) that are difficult to resource via usual operating grant channels.

A critical perspective on the research-practice-policy interface

One barrier to evidence-based policy in applied public health is an assumption that evidence is the most important factor in making policy decisions, versus a more holistic view of the policymaking process where evidence is one of many factors, as discussed in recent work (Fafard and Hoffman 2018 ; O’Neill et al. 2019 ; Ridde and Yaméogo 2018 ).

Applied public health research is ideally positioned to embrace a critical perspective on the research-practice-policy interface. Several recent trends are promising in that regard. These include the following: substantive efforts to bridge public health and social science scholarship ( http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/50604.html ), growing success by Pillar 4 researchers (including applied public health) in CIHR’s open funding competitions ( http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/50488.html ), and the CIHR Health System Impact Fellowship initiative ( http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/50612.html ), which could facilitate the placement of doctoral and post-doctoral academic researchers within the public health system and related (e.g., public, NGO) organizations.

Insight : Applied public health researchers are ideally positioned to embrace and model a sophisticated and interdisciplinary perspective on the research-practice-policy interface. To do so, opportunities for researchers (including trainees) to gain skills and experience to navigate the policy context are needed.

Against the backdrop of discourse about a weakening of public health infrastructure and fracture within the field (Guyon et al. 2017 ; Lucyk and McLaren 2017 ), we believe that there is value in working towards a unity of purpose (Talbot 2018 ). This commentary was prompted by a shared belief that through our experience with the Applied Public Health Chair Program, we have seen a glimpse of what is needed to achieve a population and public health community that is positioned to tackle societal imperatives, which includes an important role for applied public health research, spanning CIHR Pillars 3 and 4. Anchored in principles of sustainability, equity, and effectiveness, we assert a strong need for applied research infrastructure that privileges and supports: researcher autonomy, sustained funding to support foundations of a credible and internationally competitive research program, and opportunities for researchers (including trainees) to gain skills and experience to navigate the policy context. We welcome and invite further discussion and debate.

1 Under CIHR-IPPH’s mandate, population health research refers to “research into the complex biological, social, cultural, and environmental interactions that determine the health of individuals, communities, and global populations.”

2 Applied may be defined as follows: “put to practical use,” as opposed to being theoretical ( https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/applied ).

3 For example: https://uwaterloo.ca/compass-system/ (Leatherdale); http://cart-grac.ubc.ca/ (Norman); http://www.healthsystemsglobal.org/ (Ridde).

The original version of this article was revised due to a retrospective Open Access order.

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Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Change history

The article ���Why public health matters today and tomorrow: the role of applied public health research,��� written by Lindsay McLaren et al., was originally published Online First without Open Access.

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151+ Public Health Research Topics [Updated 2024]

The important area of public health research is essential to forming laws, influencing medical procedures, and eventually enhancing community well-being. As we delve into the vast landscape of public health research topics, it’s essential to understand the profound impact they have on society.

This blog aims to provide a comprehensive guide to selecting and understanding the diverse array of public health research topics.

Overview of Public Health Research Topics

Table of Contents

Public health research encompasses a wide range of subjects, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the field. From epidemiology and health policy to environmental health and infectious diseases, researchers navigate through various dimensions to address complex health challenges.

Each category holds its own significance, contributing to the overall understanding of public health dynamics.

Key Considerations in Selecting Public Health Research Topics

• Current Relevance: Assess the timeliness of potential topics by considering recent health trends, emerging issues, and societal concerns.
• Impact on Public Health: Evaluate the potential impact of the research on improving health outcomes, addressing disparities, or influencing policy and interventions.
• Feasibility and Resources: Gauge the practicality of conducting research on a particular topic, considering available resources, data accessibility, and research infrastructure.
• Ethical Considerations: Scrutinize the ethical implications of the research, ensuring it aligns with ethical standards and guidelines, especially when dealing with vulnerable populations or sensitive topics.

Top 151+ Public Health Research Topics

Epidemiology.

• The Impact of Social Determinants on Disease Outcomes
• Patterns and Trends in Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Investigating Health Disparities among Different Ethnic Groups
• Childhood Obesity and its Long-Term Health Consequences
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Contact Tracing in Disease Control

Health Policy

• Universal Healthcare: Comparative Analysis of Global Models
• The Role of Telemedicine in Improving Healthcare Access
• Evaluating Mental Health Policies and Their Impact on Communities
• Assessing the Impact of Affordable Care Act on Public Health
• Vaccine Policies and Public Perception: A Comprehensive Study

Environmental Health

• Climate Change and Health: Adapting to the Challenges
• Air Quality and Respiratory Health in Urban Environments
• Waterborne Diseases and Strategies for Safe Water Supply
• Occupational Health Hazards: A Comprehensive Workplace Analysis
• The Impact of Green Spaces on Mental Health in Urban Areas

Infectious Diseases

• Antimicrobial Resistance: Strategies for Mitigation
• Vaccination Strategies and Herd Immunity
• Global Health Security: Preparedness for Pandemics
• The Impact of Vector-Borne Diseases on Public Health
• Emerging Trends in Antibiotic-Resistant Infections

Chronic Diseases

• Lifestyle Interventions for Preventing Cardiovascular Diseases
• Genetic Factors in the Development of Cancer: A Comprehensive Study
• Aging and Health: Addressing the Healthcare Needs of the Elderly
• Diabetes Prevention Programs: Efficacy and Implementation
• Mental Health in Chronic Disease Patients: Bridging the Gap

Maternal and Child Health

• Maternal Mortality: Understanding Causes and Prevention
• The Impact of Breastfeeding on Infant Health and Development
• Childhood Immunization: Barriers and Strategies for Improvement
• Teenage Pregnancy and Its Long-Term Health Consequences
• Mental Health Support for Postpartum Women: Current Gaps and Solutions

Health Behavior and Promotion

• Smoking Cessation Programs: Effectiveness and Challenges
• Physical Activity Promotion in Schools: Strategies for Success
• Nutrition Education and Its Impact on Healthy Eating Habits
• Mental Health Awareness Campaigns: Assessing Public Perceptions
• The Role of Social Media in Health Promotion

Global Health

• Assessing the Impact of International Aid on Global Health
• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Programs in Developing Countries
• The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Global Health
• Communicable Disease Control in Refugee Populations
• Global Access to Essential Medicines: Challenges and Solutions

Community Health

• Community-Based Participatory Research: Best Practices and Challenges
• The Impact of Community Health Workers on Health Outcomes
• Health Literacy and its Relationship to Health Disparities
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Mobile Health (mHealth) Interventions
• Community Resilience in the Face of Public Health Crises

Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety

• Hospital-Acquired Infections: Strategies for Prevention
• Patient Safety Culture in Healthcare Organizations
• Quality Improvement Initiatives in Primary Care Settings
• Healthcare Accreditation: Impact on Patient Outcomes
• Implementing Electronic Health Records: Challenges and Benefits

Mental Health

• Stigma Reduction Programs for Mental Health Disorders
• Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care Settings
• The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health: Long-Term Implications
• Mental Health in the Workplace: Strategies for Employee Well-being
• Suicide Prevention Programs: Effectiveness and Outreach

Health Disparities

• Racial Disparities in Healthcare: Addressing Systemic Inequities
• LGBTQ+ Health Disparities and Inclusive Healthcare Practices
• Socioeconomic Status and Access to Healthcare Services
• Geographical Disparities in Health: Rural vs. Urban
• The Impact of Gender on Health Outcomes and Access to Care

Public Health Education

• Evaluation of Public Health Education Programs
• Innovative Approaches to Teaching Public Health Concepts
• Online Health Education Platforms: Opportunities and Challenges
• Interdisciplinary Training in Public Health: Bridging Gaps
• Continuing Education for Public Health Professionals: Current Landscape

Digital Health

• The Role of Wearable Devices in Health Monitoring
• Telehealth Adoption: Barriers and Opportunities
• Health Apps for Chronic Disease Management: User Perspectives
• Blockchain Technology in Healthcare: Privacy and Security Implications
• Artificial Intelligence in Disease Diagnosis and Prediction

Health Economics

• Cost-Effectiveness of Preventive Health Interventions
• The Impact of Healthcare Financing Models on Access to Care
• Pharmaceutical Pricing and Access to Essential Medicines
• Economic Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs
• Health Insurance Coverage and Health Outcomes: A Global Perspective

Innovations in Public Health

• 3D Printing in Healthcare: Applications and Future Prospects
• Gene Editing Technologies and their Ethical Implications
• Smart Cities and Public Health: Integrating Technology for Well-being
• Nanotechnology in Medicine: Potential for Disease Treatment
• The Role of Drones in Public Health: Surveillance and Intervention

Food Safety and Nutrition

• Foodborne Illness Outbreaks: Investigating Causes and Prevention
• Sustainable Food Systems: Implications for Public Health
• Nutritional Interventions for Malnutrition in Developing Countries
• Food Labeling and Consumer Understanding: A Critical Review
• The Impact of Fast Food Consumption on Public Health

Substance Abuse

• Opioid Epidemic: Strategies for Prevention and Treatment
• Harm Reduction Approaches in Substance Abuse Programs
• Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Public Health Outcomes
• Smoking and Mental Health: Exploring the Connection
• Novel Psychoactive Substances: Emerging Threats and Strategies

Occupational Health

• Workplace Stress and Mental Health: Intervention Strategies
• Occupational Hazards in Healthcare Professions: A Comparative Analysis
• Ergonomics in the Workplace: Improving Worker Health and Productivity
• Night Shift Work and Health Consequences: Addressing Challenges
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations: A Global Overview

Disaster Preparedness and Response

• Pandemic Preparedness and Lessons from COVID-19
• Natural Disasters and Mental Health: Post-Traumatic Stress
• Emergency Response Systems: Improving Timeliness and Efficiency
• Communicating Health Risks During Emergencies: Public Perception
• Collaborative Approaches to Disaster Response in Global Health

Cancer Research

• Precision Medicine in Cancer Treatment: Current Advancements
• Cancer Screening Programs: Efficacy and Challenges
• Environmental Factors and Cancer Risk: Exploring Connections
• Survivorship Care Plans: Enhancing Quality of Life after Cancer
• Integrative Therapies in Cancer Care: Complementary Approaches

Sexual and Reproductive Health

• Access to Contraception in Developing Countries: Challenges and Solutions
• Comprehensive Sex Education Programs: Impact on Teen Pregnancy
• Reproductive Health Rights: Global Perspectives and Challenges
• Infertility Treatment: Ethical Considerations and Societal Impact
• Maternal and Child Health in Conflict Zones: Addressing Challenges

Cardiovascular Health

• Hypertension Prevention Programs: Strategies and Effectiveness
• Cardiovascular Disease in Women: Gender-Specific Risk Factors
• Innovations in Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs
• Artificial Heart Technology: Advancements and Ethical Implications
• Impact of Air Pollution on Cardiovascular Health: A Global Concern

Social Determinants of Health

• Educational Attainment and Health Outcomes: Exploring Links
• Income Inequality and its Impact on Population Health
• Social Support Networks and Mental Health: A Comprehensive Study
• Neighborhood Environments and Health Disparities
• Employment and Health: The Interplay of Work and Well-being

Genomics and Public Health

• Population Genomics and its Implications for Public Health
• Genetic Counseling and Education: Empowering Individuals and Families
• Ethical Issues in Genetic Research: Privacy and Informed Consent
• Pharmacogenomics: Tailoring Drug Therapies to Individual Genotypes
• Gene-Environment Interactions in Disease Risk: Unraveling Complexities

Public Health Ethics

• Informed Consent in Public Health Research: Current Practices
• Ethical Challenges in Global Health Research: Balancing Priorities
• Confidentiality in Public Health Reporting: Striking the Right Balance
• Research with Vulnerable Populations: Ethical Considerations
• Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies in Healthcare

Health Communication

• The Role of Media in Shaping Public Health Perceptions
• Health Literacy Interventions: Improving Understanding of Health Information
• Social Media Campaigns for Public Health Promotion: Best Practices
• Tailoring Health Messages for Diverse Audiences: Cultural Competency
• Risk Communication in Public Health Emergencies: Lessons Learned

Nutrigenomics

• Personalized Nutrition Plans based on Genetic Makeup
• Impact of Nutrigenomics on Chronic Disease Prevention
• Ethical Considerations in Nutrigenomics Research
• Public Perceptions of Nutrigenomic Testing: A Qualitative Study
• Integrating Nutrigenomics into Public Health Policies

Public Health and Artificial Intelligence

• Predictive Analytics in Disease Surveillance: Harnessing AI for Early Detection
• Ethical Considerations in AI-Driven Health Decision Support Systems
• Machine Learning in Epidemiology: Predicting Disease Outbreaks
• Natural Language Processing in Public Health: Text Mining for Insights
• Bias in AI Algorithms: Implications for Health Equity

Health Disparities in Aging

• Geriatric Health Disparities: Bridging the Gap in Elderly Care
• Ageism in Healthcare: Addressing Stereotypes and Discrimination
• Social Isolation and Health Consequences in Aging Populations
• Access to Palliative Care for Older Adults: A Global Perspective
• Alzheimer’s Disease and Ethnic Disparities in Diagnosis and Treatment
• Loneliness and Mental Health in the Elderly: Interventions and Support

Research Methodologies in Public Health

Public health research employs various methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. Each method brings its own strengths to the research process, allowing researchers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex issues they investigate. 

Community-based participatory research is another valuable approach, emphasizing collaboration with communities to address their specific health concerns.

Challenges and Opportunities in Public Health Research

While public health research is immensely rewarding, it comes with its own set of challenges. Funding constraints, ethical dilemmas, the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, and the integration of technology pose both obstacles and opportunities. 

Researchers must navigate these challenges to ensure their work has a meaningful impact on public health.

In conclusion, public health research topics are diverse and dynamic, reflecting the complex nature of the field. As researchers embark on their journeys, they must carefully consider the relevance, impact, and ethical implications of their chosen topics. 

The collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of public health research positions it as a powerful tool in addressing the health challenges of our time. By exploring the depths of these topics, researchers contribute to the collective effort to build healthier and more equitable communities. 

As we move forward, a continued exploration of relevant public health research topics is essential for shaping the future of healthcare and improving the well-being of populations worldwide.

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UKnowledge > College of Public Health > Public Health M.P.H. Theses & Dr.P.H. Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Cardiovascular Disease among commercially insured adults with type 1 diabetes in the US , 2016-2019 , Orighomisan F. Agboghoroma

Improving Black Maternal Outcomes in Christian County, KY: A Social Marketing Approach to Perinatal Provider Change , Ariel A. Arthur

Current Linkage to Treatment and Recovery Support Services for Patients with a Substance Use Disorder: A Survey of Kentucky Physicians , Seif Atyia, Terry Bunn, Dana Quesinberry, and Timothy S. Prince

Empirical Insights into Survivorship Care: A Cross-Sectional Study of CoC Accredited Hospitals in Kentucky , Amanda M. Beckett

Changes in Primary Care Availability in Appalachia , Whitney Beckett

Redefining ED Utilization: A Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Perspective , David Bennington

The Relationship Between Social Vulnerability and Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes in Kentucky , Karcyn Brummett

The Effects of Stigma within the PrEP Care Cascade Among People Who Inject Drugs in Rural Kentucky , Abby Burton

Implementation of a Postpartum Depression Program in a Rural Kentucky County , Abby Cecil

Dental Outreach in Academic Dental Settings , Tisha Clayborn

A Case Study in Prospective Program Evaluation , Sarai Rosemary Combs

A Case Study in Program Evaluation: A Prospective Program Evaluation of Timely Reporting and Action of an Infectious Disease Outbreak , Destiny Cozart

INVESTIGATING THE CORRELATION BETWEEN SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND DRUG SELLING AMONG PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS IN RURAL APPALACHIA, KENTUCKY , Grace A. Debo

Fall 2023 COVID-19, Influenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Uptake in Kentucky , Abigail Dial

Human papilloma virus type 16 seroprevalence among men living with HIV , Ashley Duff

Adolescent Vaccination Rates and Pharmacists' Ability to Prescribe and Administer , Paul Jake Faulkner

McCovid Campaign – A Social Media Implementation to Decrease Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural Counties , Harper Ford

Interprofessional Collaboration in a Lung Cancer Screening Learning Collaborative , Angela Fu

Novel cannabinoid use among young adults in Lexington, Kentucky , Victoria A. Hamilton

Evaluating a High School MRSA Prevention Program: A Case Study , Jamie Henning

The Distribution of CP-CRE cases from 2013-2020 in the Commonwealth of Kentucky , Hannah Hiscox

DEMOGRAPHIC AND BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PEOPLE WHO HELP OTHERS INJECT DRUGS: A STUDY OF PEOPLE WHO INJECT DRUGS IN APPALACHIA KENTUCKY , Ryli Hockensmith

Patient Access to GLP-1 RA’s: A Medicare Part D Policy Analysis , Celine Hummer

EVALUATION OF PUBLIC RADON MESSAGING IN KENTUCKY AS COMPARED TO THREE OTHER STATES , Abigail Knapp

Characterizing the Relationship Between the Presence of Depression Risk, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Benzodiazepine Use to Get High , Julia Kollitz

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Research Topics & Ideas: Healthcare

F inding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you’re looking for a healthcare-related research topic , but aren’t sure where to start. Here, we’ll explore a variety of healthcare-related research ideas and topic thought-starters across a range of healthcare fields, including allopathic and alternative medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, optometry, pharmacology and public health.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the healthcare domain. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. In it, we cover the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from start to end. Be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic.

Overview: Healthcare Research Topics

• Allopathic medicine
• Alternative /complementary medicine
• Veterinary medicine
• Physical therapy/ rehab
• Optometry and ophthalmology
• Pharmacy and pharmacology
• Public health
• Examples of healthcare-related dissertations

Allopathic (Conventional) Medicine

• The effectiveness of telemedicine in remote elderly patient care
• The impact of stress on the immune system of cancer patients
• The effects of a plant-based diet on chronic diseases such as diabetes
• The use of AI in early cancer diagnosis and treatment
• The role of the gut microbiome in mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety
• The efficacy of mindfulness meditation in reducing chronic pain: A systematic review
• The benefits and drawbacks of electronic health records in a developing country
• The effects of environmental pollution on breast milk quality
• The use of personalized medicine in treating genetic disorders
• The impact of social determinants of health on chronic diseases in Asia
• The role of high-intensity interval training in improving cardiovascular health
• The efficacy of using probiotics for gut health in pregnant women
• The impact of poor sleep on the treatment of chronic illnesses
• The role of inflammation in the development of chronic diseases such as lupus
• The effectiveness of physiotherapy in pain control post-surgery

Topics & Ideas: Alternative Medicine

• The benefits of herbal medicine in treating young asthma patients
• The use of acupuncture in treating infertility in women over 40 years of age
• The effectiveness of homoeopathy in treating mental health disorders: A systematic review
• The role of aromatherapy in reducing stress and anxiety post-surgery
• The impact of mindfulness meditation on reducing high blood pressure
• The use of chiropractic therapy in treating back pain of pregnant women
• The efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine such as Shun-Qi-Tong-Xie (SQTX) in treating digestive disorders in China
• The impact of yoga on physical and mental health in adolescents
• The benefits of hydrotherapy in treating musculoskeletal disorders such as tendinitis
• The role of Reiki in promoting healing and relaxation post birth
• The effectiveness of naturopathy in treating skin conditions such as eczema
• The use of deep tissue massage therapy in reducing chronic pain in amputees
• The impact of tai chi on the treatment of anxiety and depression
• The benefits of reflexology in treating stress, anxiety and chronic fatigue
• The role of acupuncture in the prophylactic management of headaches and migraines

Topics & Ideas: Dentistry

• The impact of sugar consumption on the oral health of infants
• The use of digital dentistry in improving patient care: A systematic review
• The efficacy of orthodontic treatments in correcting bite problems in adults
• The role of dental hygiene in preventing gum disease in patients with dental bridges
• The impact of smoking on oral health and tobacco cessation support from UK dentists
• The benefits of dental implants in restoring missing teeth in adolescents
• The use of lasers in dental procedures such as root canals
• The efficacy of root canal treatment using high-frequency electric pulses in saving infected teeth
• The role of fluoride in promoting remineralization and slowing down demineralization
• The impact of stress-induced reflux on oral health
• The benefits of dental crowns in restoring damaged teeth in elderly patients
• The use of sedation dentistry in managing dental anxiety in children
• The efficacy of teeth whitening treatments in improving dental aesthetics in patients with braces
• The role of orthodontic appliances in improving well-being
• The impact of periodontal disease on overall health and chronic illnesses

Topics & Ideas: Veterinary Medicine

• The impact of nutrition on broiler chicken production
• The role of vaccines in disease prevention in horses
• The importance of parasite control in animal health in piggeries
• The impact of animal behaviour on welfare in the dairy industry
• The effects of environmental pollution on the health of cattle
• The role of veterinary technology such as MRI in animal care
• The importance of pain management in post-surgery health outcomes
• The impact of genetics on animal health and disease in layer chickens
• The effectiveness of alternative therapies in veterinary medicine: A systematic review
• The role of veterinary medicine in public health: A case study of the COVID-19 pandemic
• The impact of climate change on animal health and infectious diseases in animals
• The importance of animal welfare in veterinary medicine and sustainable agriculture
• The effects of the human-animal bond on canine health
• The role of veterinary medicine in conservation efforts: A case study of Rhinoceros poaching in Africa
• The impact of veterinary research of new vaccines on animal health

Topics & Ideas: Physical Therapy/Rehab

• The efficacy of aquatic therapy in improving joint mobility and strength in polio patients
• The impact of telerehabilitation on patient outcomes in Germany
• The effect of kinesiotaping on reducing knee pain and improving function in individuals with chronic pain
• A comparison of manual therapy and yoga exercise therapy in the management of low back pain
• The use of wearable technology in physical rehabilitation and the impact on patient adherence to a rehabilitation plan
• The impact of mindfulness-based interventions in physical therapy in adolescents
• The effects of resistance training on individuals with Parkinson’s disease
• The role of hydrotherapy in the management of fibromyalgia
• The impact of cognitive-behavioural therapy in physical rehabilitation for individuals with chronic pain
• The use of virtual reality in physical rehabilitation of sports injuries
• The effects of electrical stimulation on muscle function and strength in athletes
• The role of physical therapy in the management of stroke recovery: A systematic review
• The impact of pilates on mental health in individuals with depression
• The use of thermal modalities in physical therapy and its effectiveness in reducing pain and inflammation
• The effect of strength training on balance and gait in elderly patients

Need a helping hand?

Topics & Ideas: Optometry & Opthalmology

• The impact of screen time on the vision and ocular health of children under the age of 5
• The effects of blue light exposure from digital devices on ocular health
• The role of dietary interventions, such as the intake of whole grains, in the management of age-related macular degeneration
• The use of telemedicine in optometry and ophthalmology in the UK
• The impact of myopia control interventions on African American children’s vision
• The use of contact lenses in the management of dry eye syndrome: different treatment options
• The effects of visual rehabilitation in individuals with traumatic brain injury
• The role of low vision rehabilitation in individuals with age-related vision loss: challenges and solutions
• The impact of environmental air pollution on ocular health
• The effectiveness of orthokeratology in myopia control compared to contact lenses
• The role of dietary supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids, in ocular health
• The effects of ultraviolet radiation exposure from tanning beds on ocular health
• The impact of computer vision syndrome on long-term visual function
• The use of novel diagnostic tools in optometry and ophthalmology in developing countries
• The effects of virtual reality on visual perception and ocular health: an examination of dry eye syndrome and neurologic symptoms

Topics & Ideas: Pharmacy & Pharmacology

• The impact of medication adherence on patient outcomes in cystic fibrosis
• The use of personalized medicine in the management of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease
• The effects of pharmacogenomics on drug response and toxicity in cancer patients
• The role of pharmacists in the management of chronic pain in primary care
• The impact of drug-drug interactions on patient mental health outcomes
• The use of telepharmacy in healthcare: Present status and future potential
• The effects of herbal and dietary supplements on drug efficacy and toxicity
• The role of pharmacists in the management of type 1 diabetes
• The impact of medication errors on patient outcomes and satisfaction
• The use of technology in medication management in the USA
• The effects of smoking on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics: A case study of clozapine
• Leveraging the role of pharmacists in preventing and managing opioid use disorder
• The impact of the opioid epidemic on public health in a developing country
• The use of biosimilars in the management of the skin condition psoriasis
• The effects of the Affordable Care Act on medication utilization and patient outcomes in African Americans

Topics & Ideas: Public Health

• The impact of the built environment and urbanisation on physical activity and obesity
• The effects of food insecurity on health outcomes in Zimbabwe
• The role of community-based participatory research in addressing health disparities
• The impact of social determinants of health, such as racism, on population health
• The effects of heat waves on public health
• The role of telehealth in addressing healthcare access and equity in South America
• The impact of gun violence on public health in South Africa
• The effects of chlorofluorocarbons air pollution on respiratory health
• The role of public health interventions in reducing health disparities in the USA
• The impact of the United States Affordable Care Act on access to healthcare and health outcomes
• The effects of water insecurity on health outcomes in the Middle East
• The role of community health workers in addressing healthcare access and equity in low-income countries
• The impact of mass incarceration on public health and behavioural health of a community
• The effects of floods on public health and healthcare systems
• The role of social media in public health communication and behaviour change in adolescents

Examples: Healthcare Dissertation & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a healthcare-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various healthcare-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• Improving Follow-Up Care for Homeless Populations in North County San Diego (Sanchez, 2021)
• On the Incentives of Medicare’s Hospital Reimbursement and an Examination of Exchangeability (Elzinga, 2016)
• Managing the healthcare crisis: the career narratives of nurses (Krueger, 2021)
• Methods for preventing central line-associated bloodstream infection in pediatric haematology-oncology patients: A systematic literature review (Balkan, 2020)
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• Volume 9, Issue 9
• Effective community entry: reflections on community engagement in culturally sensitive research in southwestern Nigeria
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• http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6795-6371 Olubukola Omobowale 1 , 2 ,
• Alissa Koski 3 , 4 ,
• Halimat Olaniyan 2 ,
• Bidemi Nelson 2 ,
• Olayinka Egbokhare 5 ,
• Olayinka Omigbodun 6 , 7
• 1 Rehabilitative and Social Medicine Unit, Department of Community Medicine , College of Medicine, University of Ibadan , Ibadan , Oyo , Nigeria
• 2 Ending Child Marriage Through Community-led Media Series (ENCASE) Project, College of Medicine , University of Ibadan , Ibadan , Oyo , Nigeria
• 3 Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec , Canada
• 4 Department of Equity, Ethics, and Policy , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec , Canada
• 5 Biomedical Communication Centre, College of Medicine , University of Ibadan , Ibadan , Nigeria
• 6 Department of Psychiatry , College of Medicine, University of Ibadan , Ibadan , Oyo , Nigeria
• 7 Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, College of Medicine , University of Ibadan , Ibadan , Oyo , Nigeria
• Correspondence to Dr Olubukola Omobowale; ocomobowale{at}com.ui.edu.ng

Effective community entry processes influence community participation and acceptance of public health interventions. Though there is a growing body of literature on the importance of community partnerships, there is a lack of pragmatic and practical documentation of the experiences involved in the community entry process as it relates to culturally sensitive topics such as child marriage which can help to support researchers working in this field. This article highlights key themes related to knowledge of the community, effective communication, cultural sensitivity, coproduction and giving feedback which help to build trust between the community members and the research team. Institutional representation, not managing expectations, and lack of clarity, along with personal opinions of community gatekeepers can create challenges for the fostering of trustworthy relationships with the community. These realities must be actively addressed right at the onset of the process between the research team and community stakeholders. Researchers can develop trust, form connections and engage different communities by working with local groups and leaders, using culturally appropriate methods, and addressing community concerns. Future projects working with communities on child marriage in Nigeria and other countries would benefit from the reflections presented in this paper.

• Community-based survey
• Child health
• Global Health
• Qualitative study
• Public Health

Data availability statement

Data sharing not applicable as no datasets generated and/or analysed for this study.

This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See:  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ .

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2024-015068

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SUMMARY BOX

Researchers’ community knowledge helps with identifying key stakeholders and community gatekeepers.

Good communication brings about good relationships.

Managing expectations and cultural sensitivity builds trust among researchers and community members.

Coproduction engenders community acceptance and participation.

Introduction

Community entry is the process of establishing, nurturing and maintaining a positive relationship with the community to secure and maintain the community’s interest in programmes or interventions. 1 It is a vital process that entails familiarising oneself with the community, initiating contact and gaining knowledge about community structures, leaders, customs and ways of life. 2 This helps researchers to have access to the community and get the support of members and leaders. Neglecting or poorly executing this process can have negative implications on project outcomes or even result in the inability to carry out the project within the community. Given its critical role, community entry has emerged as an increasingly important aspect of research, as the success of a project essentially hinges on it.

The importance of effective community entry processes in community-based research is increasingly recognised, as it significantly influences community acceptance and participation in public health interventions. It entails building relationships with the affected communities, communicating with key stakeholders and gaining the trust and support of community members. It is encouraging to see the growth of articles being written on this very crucial precursor of successful community-based research 3–6 However, the existing literature is often theoretically focused and does not cover community participation in research on sensitive topics such as child marriage, which is deeply entrenched in social, religious and cultural norms.

Child marriage research

Child marriage is a serious issue that has lasting effects on adolescent girls and their families. Nigeria is home to the largest number of child brides in Africa and the fifth-largest number of child brides in the world after India, Bangladesh, China and Indonesia. 7 Child marriage occurs among all ethnic groups in Nigeria, but prevalence differs markedly between ethnic groups. Findings from a secondary analysis of nationally representative data revealed that child marriage is more prevalent among the Hausa/Fulani ethnic groups. 8 Additionally, although child marriage is not exclusive to a particular religious group, it was more prevalent among Muslims compared with other religions. 8 Drivers of child marriage include gender inequality, social norms and poverty. 9 Understanding these drivers and developing effective intervention strategies to end child marriage is hinged on conducting research among affected communities and this is fraught with several challenges such as gaining the community’s trust and fostering community engagement, particularly in regions where the practice is deeply rooted in culture. Hence, we present a documentation of our community entry process which was done to promote acceptance and prevent resistance from the target communities due to the cultural and religious sensitivity of our project.

Ending Child marriage in Nigeria (ENCASE project)

This article provides an account of our experiences, the challenges faced and the lessons learnt as we worked together with selected communities to learn about child marriage in Southwestern Nigeria. The ENding Child mArriage in Nigeria through community-led media Series (ENCASE project) aimed to shift perceptions of and attitudes towards child marriage through radio programmes that were cocreated with Hausa community members in two Southwestern states in Nigeria (Oyo and Ondo). We conducted research that used both qualitative and quantitative methodologies ( figure 1 ) in two cities in: Ibadan, the intervention site located in Oyo state, and Akure, the control site located in Ondo state. 10 The radio playlets highlighted the consequences of child marriage, emphasising the benefits of allowing children to mature before marriage and exploring themes gotten from the initial situation analysis through qualitative interviews such as reproductive health issues (eg, vesicovaginal fistula, birth complications), mental health issues (depression, anxiety, suicide), social consequences (domestic violence leading to divorce, separation, stigma and abandonment) and socioeconomic challenges (limited access to education, and career opportunities, resulting in poverty). Radio is a popular source of information and entertainment among members of the community; thus, our entire intervention was oriented around that norm. 10

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ENding Child marriage in Nigeria through community-led media Series Project Implementation Phase.

Community description

The Hausa/Fulani people are from the Northern part of Nigeria where they predominantly reside; however, many of them move across different parts of the country including southwestern Nigeria where they live together in clusters as a community. Our study was conducted within Hausa communities in two southwest cities, Ibadan and Akure. The community speaks Hausa and retains their tradition and culture wherever they reside, and it is very common for them to live together as a cluster in different areas. Due to their migrant and enterprising nature, majority of them reside around commercial centres, market areas and farmlands in various parts of the country. These Hausa-dwelling settlements in the Southwestern parts of the country are usually referred to as Sabo or Shasha , with some living within existing host settlements like those who reside around the Bodija area in Ibadan.

Nigeria operates a ward system of administration with each Local Government Area further subdivided into a minimum of 10 to 12 wards. Each ward is administered by a councillor, supported by Community/Ward Development Committees (CDC). On the community administrative hierarchy, the ‘Sarkis’ are positional leaders within Hausa communities who oversee the affairs of the community and serve as key decision-makers. It is important to get the buy-in of these leaders in order to be able to conduct research within the communities as their support fosters trust between community members and researchers. Letters explaining the research objectives were submitted to the ‘Sarkis’ and approvals were obtained from them before commencement of the research. Consent was also obtained from all the participating community members, and they were assured of confidentiality and voluntariness to participate in the study and withdrawal without any negative consequences.

Community entry process

We bring together four key reflections generated by our team of researchers on what contributes to effective community entry and engagement for the purpose of conducting high-quality community-based research in two communities in Oyo and Ondo states. The aspects of our partnership with the community that have been effective show the importance of community resource mapping, good communication, managing expectations, cultural sensitivity and coproduction. But how did we come about these concepts? Such ideas are easy to write, and easy to aspire to, but often take a long time to develop and can depend on key moments and events. Paying deliberate attention to how community entry is done, and allowing sufficient time to do it well, is particularly crucial when the research subject addresses an issue that is closely tied to social and religious norms. Initial contact between our research team at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, and the Hausa communities in Ibadan and Akure took place in 2021, although there have been interactions by other research teams from across the main campus of the University of Ibadan. Our initial engagement with the communities focused on understanding the community networks and resources that we would need to familiarise ourselves with and the challenges we may likely face before going further in our child marriage research.

The process we refer to as ‘community entry’ throughout this paper lasted for the entire duration of our research project ( table 1 ). It involved a series of planned and spontaneous interactions between various members of the research team, community leaders who occupied varying roles and research participants. The principal investigator who is a community physician had prior interactions (through clinical consultations) with the community in her line of duty before the initiation of the project. She had also visited the communities in person and interacted with some key members and leaders of the community who were introduced to her by the community members. On one of such visitations to the community, she met with the Chairman of the CDC and explained the project rationale and aims to him by speaking in clear language and welcoming questions to clarify grey areas. This key influencer played a crucial role in introducing the research team to the relevant community stakeholders including the ‘Sarkis’ in Ibadan and Akure and this improved community acceptance of our project among members.

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Stepwise matrix of the community entry process

Subsequently, the project team followed up with a total number of four familiarisation visits to the communities over the course of the year before the project fully began in 2022. In the first few months, we sought verbal and written approvals from the community heads, and we identified key members of the community as recommended by community leaders and members.

We invited several of the individuals identified to participate as members of our Local Advisory Committee (LAC). This includes the community leaders, religious leaders, researchers from the academic community who spoke Hausa Language and younger and older male and female community members. The purpose of the LAC was to provide strategic insights for the project in the areas of community engagement and the development of culturally acceptable and relevant media contents which target the social norms that drive child marriage. LAC members held an advisory meeting once in each quarter all through the project period and gave useful inputs on important project milestones such as participants’ recruitment, data collection process, data analysis and intervention testing. Furthermore, to enhance community participation, the project team leveraged existing relationships with the Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board and the Ministry of Health. This engagement led to the introduction of the research team to the primary healthcare (PHC) facility in the community by the Medical Officer of Health of the Ibadan North Local Government. This facilitated communication with the chief matron and workers at the PHC in Sabo, who provided valuable support to our team.

Reflection 1: knowing the community helps with identifying key stakeholders

Having a good knowledge of the community structures helped us with our community entry process and this played an important role in the level of receptiveness towards our research. It is important to have a comprehensive understanding of community structures and cultural dynamics. Such understanding empowered us to effectively identify key stakeholders, thereby facilitating meaningful collaboration and successful implementation of our project. The recruitment of our study participants and the cooperation we got from the communities was impacted by involving our LAC members who as community members themselves are familiar with the community structures. They guided and helped us on how to involve and engage the community members all through the research process. By familiarising ourselves with the communities, we were able to successfully identify the crucial factors influencing the research outcomes and engage community members effectively. For instance, interruptions during data collection, to accommodate prayer times, as our study participants were predominantly Muslims who prayed at specific intervals during the day, would have been a challenge, but this was overcome by prior knowledge of the community as we had factored this into our project implementation plan. Additionally, a community gatekeeper had initially denied that child marriage existed in their community, but we reassured him that we would only document whatever we found in the community. This level of engagement and familiarity can significantly impact the willingness of community members to participate in a study. 3 4

Reflection 2: good communication brings about good relationships

Effective communication and feedback are important elements of community engagement. As none of our research team members could speak Hausa language, employing Hausa speakers as data collectors was essential in facilitating communication between the research team and the participants. In addition to the Hausa language, majority of the participants understand Yoruba, another widely spoken language in the region, and this also helped with communication with the research team as a majority of our research team are native Yoruba speakers.

For instance, we met and communicated in Yoruba with the gatekeepers from the communities in the two cities; Ibadan and Akure as we explained the purpose of the research to relevant stakeholders in the communities. This was possible because the local Yoruba language of the host communities is well understood by these gatekeepers. Before every visit to the community, a preceding call was made to the community gatekeepers to remind them of the upcoming visits. Additionally, our LAC members had the phone numbers of the research team members and apart from the face-to-face communication, there was also frequent communication via phone calls and WhatsApp messages about the project. This open line of communication helped facilitate information management between the community and the research team members in a timely fashion. In addition to this, during the in-person quarterly meetings with the LAC members, we ensured that we deviated from the existing gendered norms and deliberately requested that women speak first in the LAC meetings to help ensure that their voices were heard and not overshadowed by the men’s voices.

Communities may be reluctant to grant researchers access for various reasons including lack of trust and these challenges can be overcome by employing effective community engagement strategies. 11 When conducting research, it is important to establish a strong connection within the community and ensure effective channels of communication. 12 13 Communicating effectively with key stakeholders and community members helped facilitate our community entry process as well as improved the participation of the community members. During our first visit to the community, we briefed the stakeholders and community members about the project and this fostered trust. There was clear communication on what the research objectives were and what we aimed to achieve right from the point of entry into the community and the research team visited the community leaders several times to keep them up to date on the progress of the project. This proved helpful in ensuring that we achieved a successful community entry and continuous community engagement. Feedback on the research process is important for future and continued engagement when carrying out community-based research. Through active engagement with community members and responsive feedback on the content of the drama episodes, research instrument and other key research processes, we successfully built a strong sense of trust and rapport. As a result, when the data collectors returned for the quantitative surveys, the participants were receptive towards the study. This positive response can be attributed to the solid foundation of trust we established within the communities, coupled with the increased awareness about the study. This positive reception for the research team highlights the importance of building strong partnerships with communities when conducting research.

Reflection 3: managing expectations and cultural sensitivity helps to build trust

When carrying out community-based research, it is important to communicate clearly about the objectives of the research and manage the expectations of community members. Some of the community members initially perceived the research team as representatives of the government and were making demands from that standpoint. For example, the usual reaction of community members to perceived government presence is to make their needs known and to request services from the government. To address this misconception, the team proactively clarified our role as researchers from the academic community and we clearly stated our objectives and emphasised that our project was focused on research rather than governmental initiatives. By doing this, we were able to manage expectations and foster a shared understanding of the research purpose within the community.

Hausa communities in Nigeria have unique cultural practices, beliefs and social structures that influence their attitudes towards child marriage. Understanding these dynamics allowed the researchers to develop community engagement methods that were culturally sensitive and respectful. To facilitate effective engagement, our team included data collectors who were fluent in the Hausa language, which was mostly spoken in the community. These language skills proved invaluable during each visit to the community. During the research team’s visit to the communities, interactions took place in Hausa, English (which is an official language in Nigeria), and Yoruba languages because some of the community members could converse fluently in Yoruba language which is spoken in the cities where they reside. As a sign of respect for the culture of the Hausa people, the research team were always dressed appropriately, particularly, the females dressed in acceptable modest clothing anytime they visited the communities and composed themselves in manners that were not offensive to the cultures of the community members. For example, we ensured gender concordance by assigning male interviewers to male participants and female interviewers to female participants during the coordination of interviews.

Reflection 4: coproduction helps with community acceptance and participation

Involving community members in the design and implementation of research is important as this contributes to the success of the research within these communities. 6 13–16 Notably, enlisting the support of community gatekeepers was a crucial strategy that contributed to the positive outcomes achieved during community entry and engagement in our project.

We held quarterly meetings with the LAC members where they work together with the research team to contribute to project execution. This high level of involvement at every stage of the project drove commitment on their part and improved ownership. During the quarterly meetings, members of the committee reviewed the survey questionnaires, helped develop the radio drama, suggested radio stations that are popular among Hausa speakers and listened to some of the playlets before they were aired. They also acted in some of the playlets, reviewed transcripts of the playlets and pointed out some radio drama scenes that seemed out of place in Hausa culture; their feedback and suggestions were incorporated in the final production of the radio playlet and in rolling out the intervention. The LAC members were excited to be a part of the study and they continued to reach out to the research team of their own accord throughout the project.

We encountered some challenges during different phases of conducting this research in the communities.

Gaining the trust of the community required time and effort, as community members needed reassurance that the research team’s intentions were not to portray the community negatively, with some community members getting defensive and insisting that such practice does not occur in their community. We were able to mitigate this challenge by assuring them that we were only there to gather available data for research purposes only.

Likewise, endline data collection coincided with the rainy seasons and some of the participants in our control site had left the communities for the hinterlands or travelled back to the North to farm. This challenge was mitigated by conducting the interviews via telephone calls to improve participation and response rates.

Unanticipated challenges

There was an unprecedented cash scrounge/scarcity around the National elections in Nigeria which occurred at some point during our project. This led to untold hardship in getting cash to facilitate community visits by our data collectors and to also purchase souvenirs for participants. We got around this by spending extra money to purchase cash from point-of-sale vendors.

Many of the female participants from our target communities required the permission of their husbands before they granted interviews to the data collectors; this sometimes led to rescheduling the interviews and was sometimes mitigated by a phone call to the husbands or timing the interviews to when the husbands were around to give permission. The fact that the project and the presence of the data collectors had been previously announced at the mosques by religious leaders and within the community by the community leaders and workers at the health facility helped build trust with the participants.

Community involvement and understanding of cultural dynamics are essential for carrying out quality research. This article highlights the need for effective strategies to engage with community members when carrying out research in a community, particularly when conducting research on a sensitive topic like child marriage. The study shows that using successful community involvement methods requires a thorough understanding of the social and cultural dynamics of the communities. Researchers can develop trust, form connections and engage different communities by working with local groups and leaders, using culturally appropriate methods, and addressing community concerns.

Ethics statements

Patient consent for publication.

Not applicable.

Ethics approval

This study involves human participants and was approved by University of Ibadan College of Medicine Institutional Review Board (UI/EC/22/0134) McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Research Ethics Board (A08-B77-22B). Participants gave informed consent to participate in the study before taking part.

Acknowledgments

We thank the Sarkis in Ibadan and Akure. We also thank the entire Hausa Community members in Ibadan, Oyo State, and Akure, Ondo State Nigeria for their support during data collection. We acknowledge the support of the Chairman of the Community Development Committee in Sabo Ibadan.

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Handling editor Helen J Surana

Contributors Not applicable.

Funding Funding for this study was provided by Grand Challenges Canada through the Stars in Global Health Program (Grant Number: ST-POC-2206-53579).

Disclaimer The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing interests None declared.

Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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The Declining Mental Health of the Young in the UK

We show the incidence of mental ill-health has been rising especially among the young in the years and especially so in Scotland. The incidence of mental ill-health among young men in particular, started rising in 2008 with the onset of the Great Recession and for young women around 2012. The age profile of mental ill-health shifts to the left, over time, such that the peak of depression shifts from mid-life, when people are in their late 40s and early 50s, around the time of the Great Recession, to one’s early to mid-20s in 2023. These trends are much more pronounced if one drops the large number of proxy respondents in the UK Labour Force Surveys, indicating fellow family members understate the poor mental health of respondents, especially if those respondents are young. We report consistent evidence from the Scottish Health Surveys and UK samples from Eurobarometer surveys. Our findings are consistent with those for the United States and suggest that, although smartphone technologies may be closely correlated with a decline in young people’s mental health, increases in mental ill-health in the UK from the late 1990s suggest other factors must also be at play.

David G. Blanchflower and Alex Bryson would like to thank the Human Development Report Office, United Nations Development Programme for support. The copyright for all research commissioned by the Human Development Report Office will be held by UNDP. We thank the ESRC Data Archive for access to the data. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

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