Chronic Communicable Diseases Research Articles

EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION IN CARDIOVASCULAR PREVENTION: PRELIMINARY DATA OF A FIVE YEARS ACTIVITY OF SPORTS MEDICINE UNIT –ULSS 2 TREVISO

Abstract Physical exercise plays a pivotal role in primary and secondary prevention of non–communicable chronic diseases. Nonetheless, to date, exercise prescription to chronically ill subjects is not yet in line with guidelines indications. In Veneto region, the goal of reducing the gap between guidelines and their actual application has been pursued for several years thanks to a regional “model”of exercise prescription in chronic disease. However, regional data indicative of the real clinical impact of this "model" are lacking. We evaluated the impact of the regional model on a population of chronically ill people visited at our Clinic between 2014 and 2019. In this period, 366 subjects living in the province of Treviso (Veneto region, Italy) with a history of heart disease and/or diabetes have been admitted to our facility and have been provided with precise indications (in the form of prescription) about physical exercise to be practiced in secondary prevention. For each subject, adherence to the exercise prescription was assessed. The study population was therefore divided into 3 classes of activity in accordance with the physical activity practiced during the observation period: 0=not adherent at all at the exercise prescription (no exercise practice phase); 1= practice of unstructured physical activity/ not monitored physical exercise and/or not completely adhering to the exercise prescription in terms of intensity, duration and frequency; 2= practice of structured and monitored physical exercise, completely adherent to exercise prescription provided. By this way, any temporary suspension and subsequent resumption of the activity was considered and the period of cessation of the activity during the monitoring period was taken into account for each subject. Data on “health expenditure”, was collected for each subject at time zero as new hospitalizations and deaths were analyzed following our intervention (exercise prescription letter delivery). According to a preliminary analysis of our data, time spent in practicing exercise in class 1 and 2 lead to a significant improvement in survival and less hospitalizations for considered pathologies. Furthermore, time spent in class 2 exercise practice (structured and monitored physical exercise, at target for intensity, duration and frequency), seems to determine even greater protection compared to unstructured physical activity or structured but not monitored and/or non–targeted physical exercise (class 1).

High prevalence of TB multimorbidity among adults of a tertiary hospital in Sierra Leone: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveTuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death globally, with approximately 1.5 million deaths in 2020. TB often coexists with chronic communicable and non-communicable diseases, but data to determine the extent of comorbid diseases are limited. In this study, we aimed to assess the prevalence of TB multimorbidity and its risk factors in a tertiary hospital in Sierra Leone. This is a cross-sectional study of 240 adults with microbiologically-confirmed TB at Connaught Hospital in Freetown, between March and May 2022. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with TB multimorbidity.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 37 years. More than two-thirds were males and about the same number had two or more chronic diseases. The most common were hypertension (47.9%) and diabetes (24.2%). Patients under 35 years of age were less likely to have TB multimorbidity (< 25 years: adjusted OR 0.07, 95%CI 0.01–0.6; 25–34 years: adjusted OR 0.2, 95%CI 0.01–0.9). We report a high prevalence of comorbid diseases among TB patients in the largest treatment center in Sierra Leone, with hypertension and diabetes being the most common. These findings support the current call for addressing comorbid non-communicable diseases in TB patients through integrated care.

Novel Carriers and Approaches Insight in Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is one of the the most common, oldest and non communicable chronic disease in India.Diabetes is a serious, costly and heterogeneous metabolic disorder which ischaracterized by chronically elevated blood glucose levels (BGLs) and an inability to maintain BGL homeostasis. According to Indian council of medical research (ICMR, section 1,2005) diabetes is defined as a metabolic cum vascular syndrome of multiple etiologies factorise by hyperglycemia with disturbance of carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism resulting from insulin deficiency or resistance to insulin or both.According to American diabetes association (ADA) diabetes is is defined as a group of metabolic diseases characterized by inappropriate hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both.

Effects of a spice-blended honey muffin on salivary inflammation markers in adults with obesity: a feasibility trial

Background Obesity is considered a low-grade chronically inflamed state that contributes to communicable chronic diseases. This inflammation may be modulated by consuming spices like turmeric daily. However, few studies have looked at the inclusion of spice within whole foods. Objective The purpose of this feasibility pre/posttrial was to assess the influence of turmeric in a muffin on salivary IL-6 and CRP in adults who were obese. Methods Participants consumed one, 60-gram muffin containing 3 g turmeric for 10 days. Participants provided a urinary sample at baseline, a 2-ml saliva sample, and a 30-day food frequency and spice consumption questionnaire at baseline and post-trial. A one-sample t-test was conducted using SAS v 9.4 with significance determined at p < 0.05. Results A total of 14 participants, average BMI of 32.16 kg/m2 with 10 identifying as female, completed the trial after 5 dropped due to various reasons. The visit lengths and collection of data with participants adhering to the instructions were deemed a success. There was a significant decrease in salivary IL-6 (p = 0.03) but no statistical difference in salivary CRP (p = 0.46). Participants consumed fruits and vegetables at least once daily, chicken and eggs 5–6 times per week, and beef, pork, and fish at least once per week. Participants consumed chili pepper, garlic, cinnamon, cilantro, and ginger at least once per week. No changes were observed in dietary/spice habits during this trial. Conclusion The feasibility pre/post study revealed that consumption of a muffin with turmeric reduced at least salivary IL-6 in 10 days. Modifications to the study design such as lengthier trial time to assess the impact of this muffin on CRP is necessary prior to implementing larger-scale randomized control trials.

Perspectives on common chronic diseases in adult cancer patients in South Africa

ABSTRACT There is a rising noncommunicable disease (NCD) burden in low- and middle-income countries. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) bears a higher burden than the global average with South Africa (SA) enduring the highest regional burden. SA among other southern African countries also bears a high prevalence of HIV and other chronic communicable diseases. Having a perspective on common chronic diseases in the ever-increasing numbers of adult cancer patients in SA will inform our understanding of approaches to better manage them. This commentary reviews regional and national studies and data of low- and middle-income countries and particularly SA on the chronic infectious and NCD multimorbidity burden among adult cancer patients. It also reflects on the considerable health system challenges of managing discordant multimorbidity among adult cancer patients within the SA Public Health System. Despite the critical need to better manage the growing MM burden in general and particularly the high prevalence of discordant multimorbidity among cancer patients, there is a dearth of research into MM management generally and in LMICs particularly.

Traditional health practices: A qualitative inquiry among traditional health practitioners in northern Uganda on becoming a healer, perceived causes of illnesses, and diagnostic approaches.

The practice of traditional and complementary medicine is increasing in most low-and middle-income countries especially for chronic communicable and non-communicable diseases. In this study, we aimed to understand how people gain healing power and become traditional health practitioners (THPs), perceived causes of illnesses, and how THPs diagnose illnesses. This was a cross-sectional qualitative interview-based study. We used semi-structured in-depth guides to collect data from THPs identified through the Acoli cultural institutions and snowball sampling technique. The study team visited the THPs and interviewed them in their homes. Some THPs allowed the study team to visit them more than once and as well observe their healing practices and medicines. Thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data. Atlas.ti version 9.2 was used to support data analysis. Twenty two THPs aged 39-80 years were included in the study. Most of the respondents were male, and married. We identified three main themes: (i) how people gain healing power and become traditional health practitioners; (ii) perceived causes of illnesses; and (iii) how illnesses are diagnosed. The majority of respondents reported that most people become THPs through: inheriting healing power from their parents or grandparents; transfer of healing powers from senior healers; instructions during visions and dreams; and, acquiring healing power during spirits possessions. Perceived causes of illnesses included: fate and natural causes, spirits attacks, curses by elders, witchcraft, contagion and infections, poor hygiene, heredity, and malevolent actions. THPs diagnose illnesses through various approaches including consultations with spirits, observing patterns of occurrences and events, evaluation of symptoms and signs of illnesses, use of bones from animals/birds and other objects to diagnose illnesses, performing diagnostic rituals, and using biomedical laboratory testing in health facilities. Healing knowledge and powers are acquired in particular ways that can be traced to appraise authenticity of healers during registration and licensing to ensure safety of patients. Understanding perspectives of the THPS on causes of illnesses and how diagnoses are made potentially informs strategies for integration and or collaboration between the national biomedical health system and traditional health practices.

BIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES AND THEIR POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES OF SORGHUM [SORGHUM BICOLOR (L) MOENCH

Sorghum is one of the important dryland C4 crops mainly grown in sub-saharan Africa and Asia and serves as a source of food, feed, fodder and biofuel. It is the main source of dry season ration to the livestock and provides nutrition and security for livelihood of poor farmers in rural areas. Sorghum can withstand drought and comes up well in adverse climatic conditions and hence, it is considered as an important climate resilient crop. Sorghum possesses diverse phytochemicals especially in the bran layer which represents a promising opportunity to be exploited as a functional food and to reduce the risk of non – communicable chronic diseases. Owing to high phenolic content and gluten free nature of sorghum and low glycemic index the grains are increasingly utilized for human consumption realising concept of eat right food for good health. Red sorghum bran is known as a rich source of anthocyanins. The bran and flour extracts analysis using various colorimetric methods including HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Chromatography) found with presence of several phenolic compounds like anthocyanins particularly 3-deoxyanthocyanin that includes apignenidin and luteolinidin, condensed tannin, ferulic acidetc., which provide the therapeutic properties of antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The data collected from recent studies indicate that these molecules have a promising future as natural biofood agents for the treatment of various diseases, and this is particularly due to their strong antioxidant properties, in addition to modulating the intestinal microbiota. This review is made to understand the bioactive substances present in sorghum grains, their extraction and their potential therapeutic effects.

Analysis of a stochastic epidemic model for cholera disease based on probability density function with standard incidence rate

&lt;abstract&gt;&lt;p&gt;Acute diarrhea caused by consuming unclean water or food is known as the epidemic cholera. A model for the epidemic cholera is formulated by considering the instants at which a person contracts the disease and the instant at which the individual exhibits symptoms after consuming the poisoned food and water. Initially, the model is formulated from the deterministic point of view, and then it is converted to a system of stochastic differential equations. In addition to the biological interpretation of the stochastic model, we proved the existence of the possible equilibria of the associated deterministic model, and accordingly, stability theorems are presented. It is demonstrated that the proposed stochastic model has a unique global solution, and adequate criteria are constructed by using the Lyapunov function theory, which guarantees that the system has persistence in the mean whenever $ {\bf{R_s^0}} &amp;gt; 1 $. For the case of $ R_s &amp;lt; 1 $, we proved that the disease will tend to be eliminated from the community. Some graphical solutions were produced in order to better validate the analytical results that were acquired. This research can offer a solid theoretical foundation for comprehensive knowledge of other chronic communicable diseases. Additionally, our approach seeks to offer a technique for creating Lyapunov functions that may be utilized to investigate the stationary distributions of models with non-linear stochastic perturbations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/abstract&gt;

Applying SARIMA, ETS, and hybrid models for prediction of tuberculosis incidence rate in Taiwan.

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) remained one of the world’s most deadly chronic communicable diseases. Future TB incidence prediction is a benefit for intervention options and resource-allocation planning. We aimed to develop rapid univariate prediction models for epidemics forecasting employment.MethodsThe surveillance data regarding Taiwan monthly TB incidence rates which from January 2005 to June 2017 were utilized for simulation modelling and from July 2017 to December 2020 for model validation. The modeling approaches including the Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA), the Exponential Smoothing (ETS), and SARIMA-ETS hybrid algorithms were constructed and compared. The modeling performance of in-sample simulating training sets and pseudo-out-of-sample validating sets were evaluated by metrics of the root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute scaled error (MASE).ResultsA total of 191,526 TB cases with a highest incidence rate in 2005 (72.5 per 100,000 person-year) and lowest in 2020 (33.2 per 100,000 person-year), from January-2005 to December-2020 showed a seasonality and steadily declining trend in Taiwan. The monthly incidence rates data were utilized to formulate these forecasting models. Through stepwise screening and assessing of the accuracy metrics, the optimized SARIMA(3,0,0)(2,1,0)12, ETS(A,A,A) and SARIMA-ETS-hybrid models were respectively selected as the candidate models. Regarding the outcome assessment of model performance, the SARIMA-ETS-hybrid model outperformed the ARIMA and ETS in the short term prediction with metrics of RMSE, MAE MAPE, and MASE of 0.084%, 0.067%, 0.646%, and 0.870%, during the pseudo-out-of-sample forecasting period. After projecting ahead to the long term forecasting TB incidence rates, ETS model showed the best performance resulting as a 41.69% (range: 22.1–56.38%) reduction of TB epidemics in 2025 and a 54.48% (range: 33.7–68.7%) reduction in 2030 compared with the 2015 levels.ConclusionThis time series modeling might offer us a rapid surveillance tool for facilitating WHO’s future TB elimination milestone. Our proposed SARIMA-ETS or ETS model outperformed the SARIMA in predicting less or 12–30 months ahead of epidemics, and all models showed better in short or medium-term forecasting than long-term forecasting.

Anthropometric predictors of dyslipidemia among adults in Saudi Arabia

&#x0D; Background: dyslipidemia and obesity are key independent modifiable risk factors for many non communicable chronic diseases. Patterns of association between these factors may help prevention and control. This study aims to assess the association between lipids profile and obesity among adults in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and identify anthropometric predictors of dyslipidemia.&#x0D; Methods: data were collected and analyzed from a cross-sectional study using WHO STEPwise approach that included 4 990 Saudi adults aged 15- 64 years selected by stratified, multistage, cluster random sampling technique. Lipid profiles (cholesterol categories and triglycerides) were determined spectrophotometrically by colorimetric biochemical methods. Obesity was determined by calculation of body mass index (BMI=Kg/m2), waist and hip circumferences and ratio and waist to height ratio.&#x0D; Results: the overall prevalence of obesity ranged from 33.8 to 44.4 % and the overall dyslipidemia prevalence ranged from about 25 to 44% depending on type of dyslipidemia and anthropometrics used. Prevalence of dyslipidemia and mean concentration of lipids profile were generally significantly higher in obese than non obese. The indicator waist/height ratio was the significant predictor for all types of dyslipidemia and all levels of serum lipids.&#x0D; Conclusions: the prevalence dyslipidemia and obesity are high and they are positively associated. Waist/height ratio was the most important predictor of dyslipidemia among adults.&#x0D;

Multimorbidity of communicable and non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

ObjectiveThe aim of this systematic review is to analyse existing evidence on prevalence, patterns, determinants, and healthcare challenges of communicable and non-communicable disease multimorbidity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).MethodsPubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases were searched from 1st January 2000 to 31st July 2020. The National Institute of Health (NIH) quality assessment tool was used to critically appraise studies. Findings were summarized in a narrative synthesis. The review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42019133453).ResultsOf 3718 articles screened, 79 articles underwent a full text review of which 11 were included for narrative synthesis. Studies reported on 4 to 20 chronic communicable and non-communicable diseases; prevalence of multimorbidity ranged from 13% in a study conducted among 242,952 participants from 48 LMICS to 87% in a study conducted among 491 participants in South Africa. Multimorbidity was positively associated with older age, female sex, unemployment, and physical inactivity. Significantly higher odds of multimorbidity were noted among obese participants (OR 2.33; 95% CI: 2.19–2.48) and those who consumed alcohol (OR 1.44; 95% CI: 1.25–1.66). The most frequently occurring dyads and triads were HIV and hypertension (23.3%) and HIV, hypertension, and diabetes (63%), respectively. Women and participants from low wealth quintiles reported higher utilization of public healthcare facilities.ConclusionThe identification and prevention of risk factors and addressing evidence gaps in multimorbidity clustering is crucial to address the increasing communicable and non-communicable disease multimorbidity in LMICs. To identify communicable and non-communicable diseases trends over time and identify causal relationships, longitudinal studies are warranted.

Psychiatric Co-Morbidity and Substance Use Correlated with Medication Adherence Among People Living with HIV (PLWHIV) Attending the Virology Clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH)

HIV infection is an endemic communicable chronic disease, of enormous public health concern worldwide particularly, Sub-Saharan African. Substance use and associated psychiatric co-morbidity among the sufferers may affect medication adherence. The aim of this study, therefore, was to determine the effect of psychiatric comorbidity and substance use on medication adherence among people living with HIV at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 230 Subjects Living with HIV. Sociodemographic questionnaire was used. A structured questionnaire was used to assess use of psychoactive substances. Psychiatric co-morbidity was assessed using the GHQ-12 in conjunction with the DSM 5. The Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS) was used to assess medication adherence. Data was analysed using the SPSS version 20. The prevalence of psychological co-morbidity among PLWHIV was 30.6%. Alcohol use disorders was the highest with 73 (31.7%), followed by cigarette smoking 38 (16.5%) while nicotine snuffing was the least with 1 (0.4%). Of the 43 (18.7%) with poor medication adherence, 31 (15.2%) had psychiatric co-morbidity, 26 (11.3%) had substance use, 25 (10.8%) had both psychiatric and substance use co-morbidity while 19 (8.2%) had none (p=0.004). Psychological co-morbidity and substance use are prevalent among PLWHIV, and may affect medication adherence.

Population-Based Study on Cancer Incidence in Pharmacist: A Cohort Study in Taiwan.

Cancer is increasing in rate globally and is leading cause of death among no communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) after cardiovascular disease (CVD). Most of the research focuses on the risk of occupational injury, job stress, mental illness, substance abuse and workplace safety in physicians and nurses. However, fewer studies have investigated the risk of cancer in pharmacists. We compared the matched general population to investigate the risk of cancer in pharmacists in Taiwan. Data were obtained from the Health and Welfare Data Science Center of the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan. We established a pharmacist group that included 11,568 pharmacists and selected a 4-fold comparison (n = 46,272) for the non-clinics comparison group, frequency being matched by age, gender and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score. The pharmacists had a lower but non-significant risk of all cancer (Adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.85–1.07) compared with the general population. Female pharmacists had a higher risk of cancer than male pharmacists ([aHR] = 1.23; 95% CI = 1.06–1.43). Pharmacists had higher risks of breast cancer in females (aHR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.35–2.08) and of prostate cancer in males (aHR = 2.18; 95% CI = 1.35–2.08) when compared with the general population. Occupational risk factors could play a role, but they were not evaluated. These epidemiological findings require additional studies to clarify cancer risk mechanisms in pharmacists.

Vulnerability of the Brazilian LGBT population in HIV treatment.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection affects the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transvestite, and transsexual (LGBT) population. We aimed to identify the indidual vulnerability profile of the LGBT population ling with H/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and correlate it with the treatment situation. This cross-sectional study included 510 LGBT people living with HIV (PLHIV)/AIDS who attended the Complex of Chronic Communicable Diseases of the municipality of São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, between 2008 and 2015. There was a predominance of indiduals who were white (70.2%), male (98.4%), single (87.1%), aged 25-44 years (70.0%), educated up to high school (47.7%), economically acte (91.2%), under treatment (80.8%), having CD4 > 350 cells/mm3 (77.1%), and having undetectable viral load (53.3%). HIV transmission was mainly sexual (97.0%) and most people used drugs (76.5%). There was a weak correlation between the variables 'in treatment' and acte occupation (r = 0.148, p = 0.001), single marital status (r = 0.128, p = 0.004), white race/colour (r = 0.117, p = 0.008), high school education (r = 0.111, p = 0.012), sexual transmission (r = 0.222, p = 0.000), drug use (r = 0.087, p = 0.049), and CD4 > 350 cells/mm3 (r = 0.118, p = 0.008); and strong correlation between the variables 'in treatment' and undetectable viral load (r = -0.937, p = 0.113). The characteristics of the indidual vulnerability of LGBT people involve, among other aspects, issues of gender and social exclusion, a situation that is part of the daily life of PLHIV/AIDS in many scenarios and territories. This can be alleviated with a network of social and health support and effecte and efficient, protecte, attitudinal, and behavioural public policies.

Stochastic optimal control for norovirus transmission dynamics by contaminated food and water

Norovirus is one of the most common causes of viral gastroenteritis in the world, causing significant morbidity, deaths, and medical costs. In this work, we look at stochastic modelling methodologies for norovirus transmission by water, human to human transmission and food. To begin, the proposed stochastic model is shown to have a single global positive solution. Second, we demonstrate adequate criteria for the existence of a unique ergodic stationary distribution by developing a Lyapunov function. Thirdly, we find sufficient criteria ℜs < 1 for disease extinction. Finally, two simulation examples are used to exemplify the analytical results. We employed optimal control theory and examined stochastic control problems to regulate the spread of the disease using some external measures. Additional graphical solutions have been produced to further verify the acquired analytical results. This research could give a solid theoretical foundation for understanding chronic communicable diseases around the world. Our approach also focuses on offering a way of generating Lyapunov functions that can be utilized to investigate the stationary distribution of epidemic models with nonlinear stochastic disturbances.

Health service utilisation among African migrants in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study

ObjectivesTo assess the health utilisation status and associated factors among African migrants in China.DesignA national cross-sectional study was conducted among African migrants in China in 2019.SettingParticipants were recruited online and...

Physical exercise promotion and related health benefits for people with knee osteoarthritis and additional other chronic non-communicable diseases: a pilot study

Purpose: Multimorbidity, the simultaneous occurrence of more than 2 diseases, is no longer an exception. Especially non communicable chronic diseases like Osteoarthritis (OA), Diabetes mellitus Type 2 (DMT2), overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) as well as cardio-vascular diseases (CVD) are examples of the most prevalent chronic conditions in industrial nations. The treatment of multimorbidity has not gained much attention in research so far. Especially conservative therapies other than medication have not been established for this specific population.

Prevalence and patterns of chronic communicable and non-communicable diseases multimorbidity in sub-Saharan Africa: protocol for a systematic review

# Background The burden of multimorbidity is rising globally. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases alongside the already existing high burden of chronic communicable diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) presents a complex form of multimorbidity relative to patterns observed in high income countries. There is a gap in understanding the true burden of multimorbidity in SSA, in particular at interface of chronic communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The primary objective of this systematic review is to identify, evaluate and summarise the evidence on the prevalence and patterns of chronic communicable and NCDs multimorbidity in SSA. # Methods and analysis This protocol was developed in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. A comprehensive search will be conducted on selected electronic databases including Medline, Embase, African Journals Online, based on a predefined search strategy for observational studies reporting primary data on multimorbidity from any country in the SSA region. Additionally, we will explore grey literature databases and check reference lists of included studies. Study selection, assessment of quality of included studies and data extraction will be carried out independently by two reviewers. A narrative synthesis will be conducted and meta-analysis will be carried out where applicable. # Conclusion The proposed systematic review will provide insights into the interface of chronic communicable diseases and NCDs in SSA. We expect this will provide additional insights into the true picture of multimorbidity in the region and assist policy makers to design appropriate prevention and management strategies. This review does not require ethical approval. Upon completion, it will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals, and disseminated through relevant academic conferences. **Prospero registration**: CRD42020183539

The importance of promoting physical activity during the COVID-19 outbreak to control the worsening of old pandemics

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is an unprecedented public health emergency of global concern. Although the measures to contain the COVID-19 spreading is essential, there are old pandemics that we are still fighting and cannot be neglected during the current outbreak. Non communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) remain the leading cause of death worldwide. Indeed, physical inactivity is one of the most important risk factors for NCDs and it was considered a pandemic matter in 2012. Therefore, we discuss new strategies (i.e.: transition from center-based to home-based training) to increase motivation, participation, and adherence in physical activity during the COVID-19 to control the worsening of old pandemics.

Health Service Utilization Among African Migrants in China: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

Background: As the number of African migrants in China has increased in recent years, many sociocultural and policy factors hindered their utilization of health services. However, few studies examined the current status of the health care utilization and influence factors among African migrants in China. Methodology: A large national cross-sectional study was conducted among African migrants in China in 2019. Participants were recruited both online and offline to participate in a self-report survey. Information on health service utilization and factors based on Andersen’s behavioral model were collected. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to identify correlates of health service utilization. Results: A total of 1006 eligible participants from 74 cities of 27 provinces in China completed the survey and 28.5% of the sample reported utilizing health services in the past 12 months. Logistic regression analysis showed that longer duration in China, migration to China for business and study, living in apartment and dormitory in China, suffering from chronic diseases, communicable diseases, and greater depressive symptoms facilitated health service utilization. Conclusion: The health utilization among African migrants in China is low. The existing public health policy and intervention measures are needed to be improved to make health utilization more accessible and feasible for African migrants.