Selected Health Indicators Research Articles

Health Disparities Among Ultra-Orthodox and Non-Ultra-Orthodox Residents in Neighboring Cities in Israel: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Socioeconomic status and religion are associated with health indicators. This study compared the correlations between religious observance, socioeconomic status, and select health indicators among adults in neighboring cities in Israel based on data collected from the Maccabi Health Services database. One city is characterized by religious observance, while the other is primarily secular. Lower smoking rates and higher rates of low cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL levels were observed in the religious city. No significant differences were found for low HDL rates or diabetes. Unique characteristics of populations must be considered when planning health interventions.

Estimation of lithium-ion battery health state using MHATTCN network with multi-health indicators inputs

Accurately predicting the state of health (SOH) of lithium-ion batteries is fundamental in estimating their remaining lifespan. Various parameters such as voltage, current, and temperature significantly influence the battery’s SOH. However, existing data-driven methods necessitate substantial data from the target domain for training, which hampers the assessment of lithium-ion battery health at the initial stage. To address these challenges, this paper introduces the multi-head attention-time convolution network (MHAT-TCN), amalgamating multi-head attention learning with random block dropout techniques. Additionally, it employs grey relational analysis (GRA) to select health indicators (HIs) highly correlated with battery capacity, thereby enhancing the accuracy of the model training. Employing leave-one-out crossvalidation (LOOCV), the MHAT-TCN network is pre-trained using data from batteries of the same model to facilitate comprehensive prediction of the target battery throughout its operational period. Results demonstrate that the MHAT-TCN network trained on HIs outperforms other models, enabling precise predictions across the entire operational period.

Differential Age-Based Response Induced by a Commercial Probiotic Supplementation in Pastured Goats.

The potential benefit of probiotics in small ruminant production systems has largely been unexplored. We evaluated the effect of a goat commercial probiotic on health and performance indicators in pastured goats from birth until 10months. We randomly allocated 26 newborn nursing goat kids to two groups: a control group that received saline and a treatment group that received a commercial probiotic paste orally. We evaluated select observable health indicators (inappetence, diarrhea, coughing), weight, immunity (IgA, IgG, and innate immune response), total protein, hematocrit (HCT), total lactic acid bacteria (LAB), total coliforms, and prevalence of Escherichia coli (E. coli) primary virulence genes (stx1, stx2, and eae) during the experimental period. The results revealed no significant differences in the health indicators, LAB count, and total E. coli count. Prevalence of stx1 at 1week of age and both stx1 and stx2 genes 4months post-weaning was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in probiotic-supplemented goats. Probiotic supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) increased the total protein and IgA 1month post-supplementation during the pre-weaning period and innate immune markers 2days post-weaning. The HCT in probiotic-supplemented goats was significantly (P < 0.05) higher at 1 and 2months post-weaning. The growth rate was not affected by probiotic supplementation in pre- and peri-weaned goats but was significantly (P < 0.05) lowered in goats older than 4months in the supplemented group. In this pastured goat production study, there were mixed responses to a commercial probiotic in healthy goats based on age. The study suggests that early daily probiotic supplementation in pre-weaned pastured goats may have immune stimulation benefits, but in older healthy animals, post-weaning net benefits are unclear and further research is recommended.

Impact of a Fruit-Vegetable Preparation Fortified with Potato Starch Resistant Dextrin on Selected Health Indicators in Overweight Children.

Developing modified dietary fibers that maintain prebiotic benefits without significantly affecting meal taste is of high importance in the midst of the obesity pandemic. These benefits include regulating the composition of gut microbiota, increasing feelings of fullness, and improving human metabolic parameters. This study investigated the use of a resistant dextrin (RD) derived from potato starch, which possesses prebiotic properties, as a potential additive in vegetable-fruit preparations that aid weight loss and improve health markers in overweight children. HPLC was employed to examine metabolites like lactic acid, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs; formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, and valeric acids), and branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs; isobutyric and isovaleric acids). The activities of α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, α-galactosidase, β-galactosidase, and β-glucuronidase enzymes in fecal samples were measured using spectrophotometric analysis at a wavelength of 400 nm. Incorporating the RD into vegetable-fruit preparations yielded favorable outcomes in terms of increased concentrations of the tested metabolites (SCFAs and BCFAs) and enhanced fecal enzyme activities after 6 months of consuming the preparations. Furthermore, these effects were found to last for an extended period of 3 months even after discontinuing the treatment. The study has shown that including RD into vegetable-fruit preparations enhances the metabolic parameters of obese and overweight children, hence providing a strong rationale for the widespread usage of these preparations in the industry.

Validating Constructs of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 and Exploring Health Indicators to Predict the Psychological Outcomes of Students Enrolled in the Pacific Islands Cohort of College Students.

The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) has been used in various countries to assess the mental states of individuals. The objectives of this study were to validate the DASS-21 for use in Guam, an island that endures a high burden of mental health challenges, such as suicide, and examine the predictive impact of selected health indicators on DASS-21 variables. Three years of data (2017-2019) were pooled from the Pacific Islands Cohort of College Students (PICCS) study conducted annually at the University of Guam. In total, 726 students were included in the secondary data analysis. MPlus statistical software was used to perform a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for the validation and structural equation modeling (SEM) for the predictive modeling. The results from the CFA suggested an acceptable model fit (RMSEA: 0.073, CFI: 0.901, TLI: 0.889, RMR: 0.044), while SEM suggested that sleep quality and physical activity were significant predictors of DASS-21 variables. Therefore, the DASS-21 is a valid instrument for measuring depression, anxiety, and stress among emerging adults in Guam.

Health policy developments in the Western Balkan Countries 2000-19: towards European Health and Health Care Policies.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia have committed to becoming European Union (EU) member states. This, among others, implies that candidate/potential candidate states adopt legally authorized EU policies, including health. The study aims to identify the main country-specific health policy areas critical to the EU accession health policy dimension and present the change in associated selected health indicators from 2000 to 2019. The study draws on published reports and analyses of official statistics over time and cross-country. Health care policy adherence to the European Commission's recommended country-specific health actions was classified into five health policy areas: financing, payment, organization, regulation and persuasion. Key health policy areas for Western Balkan countries (WBCs) were identified. Health progress or lack thereof in catching up to the EU15 population health, health expenditure and the number of health professionals are measured. The European Commission prioritized financing and regulation for all WBCs in the five policy areas. Nine of the 18 analyzed selected health indicators showed divergence, and the other nine converged towards the EU15 averages. WBCs continue to face diverse public health challenges in improving life expectancy at birth, death rates caused by circulatory system diseases, malignant neoplasms, traffic accidents, psychoactive substance use, tuberculosis incidence, tobacco smoking prevalence and public-sector health expenditure. By 2019, there is limited evidence of WBCs catching up to the average EU15 health levels and health care policies. Closer attention towards EU health and health care policies would be favourable.

Remaining useful life prediction of lithium-ion batteries combined with SVD-SDAE and support vector quantile regression

Lithium-ion batteries are important energy storage materials, and the prediction of their remaining useful life has practical importance. Since traditional feature extraction methods depend on parameter settings and have poor adaptability, singular value decomposition was used to extract 15 health indicators from the degradation data of lithium-ion batteries. To eliminate redundancy among the extracted health indicators, Spearman correlation analysis was subsequently used to determine the most appropriate health indicators. On this basis, the selected health indicators were processed by the denoising stack autoencoder, and a fusion health indicator was obtained. Finally, the support vector quantile regression model was used to predict the battery capacity interval by the fusion health indicator. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration battery dataset and Massachusetts Institute of Technology battery dataset were used to verify the validity and generalizability of our proposed model, and our proposed model was compared with the existing four classical prediction models. The experimental results showed that our proposed prediction model had higher prediction accuracy and better robustness than the other models and could effectively improve the prediction effect of the remaining useful life of batteries. The mean value of the root mean square error of the predicted results using our proposed model remained within 1.3%, and the mean value of the coefficient of determination was above 0.97.

Analysis and Forecast of Birth Related Indicators in Selected Balkan and Eastern European Countries.

Health indicators are often used for a variety of purposes, including program management, resource allocation, monitoring of country progress, performance-based payment, and global reporting. Real progress in health towards the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and other national health priorities is vitally dependent on stronger health systems. We aimed to analyse the progress of "birth related indicators" of selected countries of Balkan and Eastern Europe and to forecast their values in the future. This research report article represents a descriptive data analysis of selected health indicators, extracted from European Health for All database (HFA-DB) and EuroStat. Indicators of interest were analysed for 17 countries in observational period from 1990 to 2019. The data were analysed using a linear trend estimate and median operation and interquartile range 25th-75th percentile were used for better comparison of each country. Forecasting analysis to year 2025 was performed by combining Excel analysis and SPSS program. Number of all live births to mothers aged under 20 is decreasing in almost all examined countries, while live births to mother over 35 is mostly increasing. Total fertility rate is also mainly decreasing in almost all countries of interest for our investigation, as well as the crude birth rate. Estimated infant mortality per 1000 live births is decreasing in all observed countries. Population aging is becoming more pronounced, while current birth-related indicators have negative tendencies; this problem will obviously continue over time.

Assessing effects of diet alteration on selected parameters of chronically mentally ill residents of a 24-hour Nursing Home. Part 3: Effects of diet modification on selected health indicators.

The aim of the research was to check whether, and to what extent, dietary changes affect the selected indicators of health, including well-being. The study, lasting 3 years, included 52 chronically mentally ill people. Hand grip strength (HGS) measurements ‟before" and ‟after" feeding adjustments were performed using a SaehanTM pear dynamometer, blood pressure measurements were made using an Omron blood pressure monitor. Well-being was assessed using the UMACL Adjective Mood Scale. Based on the analysis of medical records, the study also included: the number of infections of the upper respiratory tract, the number of autoaggressive/aggressive behaviors and the frequency of stay of extremely offensive/agitated residents in the hospital. The dietary changes were reflected in the increased value of the hand grip strength (especially in women), lowered or normalized blood pressure to normal or recommended values, lowered tension arousal, accompanied by an increase in energetic arousal and hedonic tone (translating into improved well-being and mood), and a decrease in the number of episodes of aggression/self-aggression and associated hospitalizations. The dietary changes resulted in an improvement in the tested parameters as well as in reduction in the amount of food wasted by the residents. There was also a decrease in the number of catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, which reduced the overall number and quantity of prescribed drugs.

Multi-strain probiotic improved feed conversion ratio and selected health indicators in Japanese quail*

Abstract Use of multi-strain probiotics in poultry nutrition provides advantages, including promoting microbial diversity in the birds’ gut. Less investigated, as compared to broilers, is how application of probiotics affects performance and health of Japanese quails. Up to date effects of either probiotics based on a single microorganism or using a single dose of probiotic were investigated. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of gradual levels of multi-strain probiotic applied in the Japanese quails’ diet on their performance, carcass, microbiological and immunological parameters. Total of 240 Japanese quail mixed sex chicks were randomly selected into four treatments: 0.15, 0.10, 0.05 g/l of the probiotic and control group not provided with probiotic. Body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), carcass characteristics, selected gut microbiome species and sheep red blood cell (SRBC) immunoglobulin IgT, IgG and IgM antibodies were determined. Repeated measures ANOVA was performed on parameters related to productive performance of the birds, while one-way ANOVA on all other parameters using SAS software v 9.4. FI was the highest in the control group (16.84±2.19) and did not differ significantly between other groups (from 16.53±2.12 to 15.18±1.86). FCR was the highest in the control and the lowest dose group (3.15±0.28 and 3.07±0.27), as compared to two other groups of birds which received multi-strain probiotic (2.8±0.23 and 2.77±0.24, respectively). Birds in the control group and birds which received the lowest dose of the probiotic had lower counts of IgT (5.63±0.26 and 5.75±0.25, respectively) and IgG (4.00±0.38 and 4.13±0.3, respectively), as compared to two other treatment groups which received the multi-strain probiotic. Birds which did not receive the multi-strain probiotic had significantly lower levels of Lactobacillus (6.98±0.01), as compared to other birds, while those in the control group and which received lowest amount of probiotic had significantly higher levels of E.Coli (6.67±0.01). Multi-strain probiotic had overall positive effect on the selected parameters of Japanese quails’ performance and health, while efficacy varied depending on dosage.

A comparative analysis of the health services indicators distribution in public hospitals:guide for nursing transformation plan in Saudi Arabia

Healthcare in Saudi Arabia (SA) is a national system in which the government provides free universal coverage through public health services to meet the increasing demand for healthcare due to population growth. Saudi Vision 2030 is a national transformation program that translates into a system-wide transformation involving expanding healthcare services focusing on value-based healthcare. This translates into a system-wide transformation involving expanding healthcare services focusing on value-based healthcare. This contributes to a series of developments in the health delivery systems fields and nursing services. This study aims to explore the four selected indicators of health services and to provide a plan for nursing transformation in SA. The study employs the data of 4 selected indicators and data of the total population extracted from the statistical yearbooks of the last five years (2017- 2021). Descriptive statistics, normality distribution using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and Homogeneity of variance applying Levene’s test were employed. In the analysis of health distribution, the proportion between the total population as the independent factor and the total of health services as the dependent factor was conducted. The major total of the population was located in three main regions, with 66.3%. The spatial distribution of the selected health indicators was related to the population distribution in three main regions, with 43.7% of the hospitals, 51.6% of the hospital beds, 57.3% of the physicians, and 55.4% of the nurses. The abnormality of total population distribution with a p-value of 0.001 at the freedom degree of 13 was noticed. In addition, the analysis shows an abnormally distributed total of the selected health indicators with a p-value of 0.001-0.026 at a freedom degree of 13.

Effect of light sources with and without UVA on selected behavior and health indicators in commercial broiler breeder flocks

As new light sources are being developed for poultry houses, systematic investigations on how these influence behavior and health in commercial broiler breeders are needed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 2 light sources (Evolys with UVA (LED) and Biolux 965 (CFL)) on the behavior and health of 2 broiler breeder hybrids during the production period. Eight commercial breeder flocks (Ross 308 n=4, Hubbard JA757 n=4) with Evolys (Ross n=2, Hubbard n=2) or Biolux (Ross n=2, Hubbard n=2) were visited at 25 and 50 wk of age to record behavior and health. Behaviors included resting, locomotion, exploration, comfort, feather pecking, aggression, and mating, while health was recorded by a transect walk, scoring the number of birds observed with: feather loss (FL) on head, back/wings, breast, and tail, wounds on head, back/wings, and tail, dirty plumage, lameness, sickness, and dead birds. The most common behaviors were resting, locomotion, comfort, and exploration, and these were influenced by a 3-way interaction between light source, hybrid, and age. Light source did not affect behavior in Hubbard birds at any age. In contrast, Ross birds housed in Evolys rested less at 50 wk compared to Biolux (P=0.04) and showed more locomotion at 25 wk in Biolux compared to Evolys (P < 0.0001). Ross birds at 25 wk explored more in Biolux compared to Evolys (P=0.0007). More comfort behavior was performed in Evolys in 25-wk-old Ross (P=0.002), but not at 50 wk. These inconsistencies might be due to low sample size, which is a limitation in the study. The most common health indicators were FL on back/wings (mean 3.9%), wounds on back/wings (mean 0.22%), and FL head (mean 0.18%), with no effect of light source, hybrid, or age on FL back/wings, breast, or tail, but with increased FL on the head with increased age (P=0.0008). In conclusion, the behavior of Ross birds seemed to be affected by light source, while the Hubbard birds were not. Light source had minor effects on the selected health indicators in the 2 hybrids.

What is the health status of girls and boys in the COVID-19 pandemic? Selected results of the KIDA study.

It is well known that there are gender differences in the health behaviour and physical and mental health of children. The COVID-19 pandemic influenced the health and lifestyles of children and adolescents by changing their living conditions. The present work investigates whether gender differences in selected health indicators are evident more than two years after the onset of the pandemic. In the study Kindergesundheit in Deutschland aktuell (KIDA) (German Children's Health Update), cross-sectional telephone surveys were conducted with parents of 3- to 15-year-olds (n=3,478). Parental information on the general and mental health of the child, on increased need for health care and mental health services, as well as on physical activity and utilisation of sports activities were queried in standardised manner. Gender differences were assessed using Chi2 tests. A total of 91% of the girls and 92% of the boys had their general health assessed as being (very) good by their parents (difference not significant, n.s.). An increased need for care and support was indicated for 10.6% of the 3- to 15-year-olds (girls: 9%, boys: 12%, n.s.). Boys met the physical activity recommendations of the WHO significantly more often (60%) than girls (54%). Good to excellent mental health was reported for 93% of both boys and girls. When changes during the pandemic were reported, no differences were found in the responses for girls compared to boys. Gender differences were found for individual parameters and age groups. These differences must be assessed in the context of other social determinants of health, and need to be considered when planning preventive measures.

Analysis and Forecast of Indicators Related to Medical Workers and Medical Technology in Selected Countries of Eastern Europe and Balkan.

Health indicators measure certain health characteristics in a specific population or country and can help navigate the health systems. As the global population is rising, the demand for an increase in the number of health workers is simultaneously rising. The aim of this study was to compare and predict the indicators related to the number of medical workers and medical technologies in selected countries in Eastern Europe and Balkan in the studied period. The article analyzed the reported data of selected health indicators extracted from the European Health for All database. The indicators of interest were the number of physicians, pharmacists, general practitioners and dentists per 100,000 people. To observe the changes in these indicators through the available years, we used linear trends, regression analysis and forecasting to the year 2025. The regression analysis shows that the majority of the observed countries will experience an increase in the number of general practitioners, pharmacists, health workers/professionals and dentists, as well as in the number of computerized tomography scanners and the number of magnetic resonance units, predicted to occur by 2025. Following trends of medical indicators can help the government and health sector to focus and navigate the best investments for each country according to the level of their development.

Disparities of obesity and non-communicable disease burden between the Tibetan Plateau and developed megacities in China.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including risk factors, e.g., obesity, are the major causes of preventable deaths in China, yet NCD disparities in China remain under-studied. This study aimed to compare the determinants and burden of NCDs within four selected provinces in mainland China: the least developed Qinghai-Tibet Plateau group (PG, Tibetan Autonomous Region [TAR] and Qinghai Province) and most developed megacity group (MCG, Shanghai, and Beijing). Studies, reports, and other official sources with comparable data for NCD burden and related determinants for the four provinces were searched. Geographic, demographic, socioeconomic, and dietary characteristics and selected health indicators (e.g., life expectancy) were extracted from the China Statistical Yearbook and China Health Statistics Yearbook. Data on NCD burdens were extracted from the National Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance Study and other nationally representative studies. The overall NCD mortality rates and prevalence of metabolic risk factors including obesity, hypertension, and diabetes in mainland China have increased in the past 20 years, and this trend is expected to continue. The PG had the highest level of standardized mortality rates (SMRs) on NCDs (711.6-896.1/100,000, 6th/6-level); the MCG had the lowest (290.6-389.6/100,000, 1st/6-level) in mainland China. The gaps in SMRs were particularly high with regard to chronic respiratory diseases (PG 6th/6-level, MCG 1st/6-level) and cardiovascular diseases (6th/6 and 4th/6 in TAR and Qinghai; 1st/6-level and 2nd/6-level in Shanghai and Beijing). In contrast, the prevalence rates of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes were generally higher or comparable in MCG compared to PG. Diabetes prevalence was particularly high in MCG (5th/5-level, 13.36-14.35%) and low in PG (1st/5-level, 6.20-10.39%). However, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension were poor in PG. Additionally, PG had much lower and severely inadequate intakes of vegetables, fruits, and dairy products, with additional indicators of lower socioeconomic status (education, income, etc.,) compared with MCG. Evidence showed large disparities in NCD burden in China's provinces. Socioeconomic disparity and dietary determinants are probably the reasons. Integrated policies and actions are needed.

Komparácia modelov sociálnej politiky vo vzťahu k úmrtnosti na COVID-19 v EÚ a USA

The contribution is the completion of a new paradigm of social policy based on the analysis of mortality from COVID-19 and selected macroeconomic indicators of the EU and the US in 2020 and 2021. In the US, a residual model of social policy is applied, and in the EU states, social policy is universalistic (e.g. Sweden) or corporate (e.g. Germany), which is socially healthier and more socially viable. The paper uses the following methods: analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, comparative method and desk research method based on further analyzes of secondary data from WHO and Eurostat. The analysis is composed of 2 research questions. The first is focused on data on mortality from COVID-19 in the EU-27 countries and the USA, and the second is focused on the development of the HDI and selected health indicators (mortality Z-score and vaccination Z-score). The proposal to improve these indicators is a new paradigm of social policy that would eliminate economic inequality and promote social justice. The solution for the future is to discuss the advantages of a corporate and universalist form of social policy, their combination, as well as recognizing the advantages of measuring the quality of life through the HDI and other indicators that take into account factors other than economic ones.

Health and wellbeing in refugee families from Syria resettled in Denmark

AimsThe aim was to evaluate self-reported health status and wellbeing in a well-defined group of refugee families from Syria 2–4 years after resettlement in Denmark, and, where possible, compare it with a Danish reference population. The purpose was to determine the need for specialized health care to resettled refugees. MethodsThis cross-sectional study involved 90 individuals from Syria aged 13–56 years. We used questionnaire survey to assess the general health and wellbeing in the study population in relation to a Danish reference population. Objective measurements of selected health indicators like overweight, hypertension and levels of cholesterol and blood glucose (HbA1c) were also determined for the study population. ResultsMean wellbeing scores and the proportion of study participants rating their health as good were lower among the study participants compared with the Danish population for all age groups. The proportion of participants who reported often being alone against their will was significantly higher than among Danes, as was the proportion who had nobody to talk to when having problems. A significantly higher proportion of participants experienced various forms of pain or discomfort than in the Danish population. Overall, 23.6% and 3.4% of participants had elevated cholesterol and HbA1c levels, respectively, and the prevalence of overweight (BMI ≥ 25) was 70%. Hypertension was more frequent (16.2%) than in another refugee population in Denmark (9%). ConclusionsThe study demonstrated various mental and physical health challenges among the Syrian refugee families, and their health and wellbeing appeared to be substantially poorer as compared to the Danish reference population. The findings emphasize the need for systematic and specialized health care services at a municipality level to resettling refugees as a prerequisite for the refugees to become contributing citizens.

Influence of Selected Indicators of Healthcare System Functioning Evaluation on the Health Result.

According to the World Health Organization's statistics, 7 of the 10 main causes of death in 2019 were noncommunicable diseases. Health indicators are measures used to evaluate public health system effectiveness and functioning. Monitoring mortality rates from leading causes, life expectancy and other health indicators is essential to address their causes and adapt health systems to react adequately. The aim of this study is to present the dependencies of selected health care indicators and health outcomes. Based on the literature review conducted, selected health indicators, along with healthcare system data, were analyzed using Pearson's r correlation. The analyses included data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) presented in statistics and the Health at a Glance 2021 report and data collected as part of the preparation of the Financing Global Health 2020 report by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Health system resources are linked to health outcomes. The number of medical consultations, the number of nurses per patient or the level of financing of services under general health insurance are related to life expectancy and deaths due to causes that could have been avoided or treated. Life expectancy is positively correlated with access to general health insurance and public expenditure on healthcare. There is a need for all countries to provide their citizens with broad access to healthcare services.

Relationship between Specific Field-Based Physical Fitness Test Results and Selected Health Biomarkers in College-Aged Males: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study aimed to verify the association between specific field-based physical fitness test results and selected health biomarkers in college-aged males. A total of 390 males participated in this research. The association between fitness test scores and anthropometric and health variables were examined. The fitness tests conducted were: Sit-and-reach test (S&R), standing long jump test (SLJ), Shuttle run test (SHR), and 20 m Multistage Fitness Test (BT) to estimate the maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max). The anthropometric and health variables assessed were: Weight (WE), height (HE), body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (FAT), lean body mass (LBM), abdominal Girth (AG), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), oxygen saturation (SPO2), average blood pressure (A-BP), double product (DP), and fasting blood glucose (GLU). S&R presented a weak significant correlation with SLJ, VO2max, and AG. SLJ maintained weak to moderate significant correlations with S&R, SHR, VO2max, HE, WE, LBM, WHR, BMI, FAT, AG, SBP, DBP, A-BP, DP, and GLU. SHR presented weak to moderate significant correlations with SLJ, VO2max, WE, BMI, AG, FAT, HE, SBP, DP, and GLU. VO2max maintained weak to moderate correlations with S&R, SLJ, SHR, WE, BMI, FAT, LBM, AG, and DP. Weak to moderate correlations were found between anthropometric and health variables, whereas the anthropometric variables presented significant correlations with each other, ranging from weak to very strong. Fitness test results presented weak to moderate correlations among themselves. SLJ and SHR present weak to moderate validity to predict the selected anthropometric markers and weak to predict the selected health indicators except for SPO2. VO2max has only weak validity to predict the selected anthropometric markers, whereas S&R is not valid to predict the selected health or anthropometric markers. Anthropometric measurements have weak validity in predicting the selected health markers. BMI and AG are valid, simple, and economical measurements to assess body fat. A positive interaction between the results obtained in the field-based fitness tests conducted was observed.

Addressing Men's Health Needs in Nepal: An Ignored Public and Clinical Health Concern.

Despite men's poorer outcomes than women in many health issues such as life expectancy, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, traffic-related injuries, drug and alcohol abuse, etc, Nepal's health care strategy does not have an adequately focused program to address men's health needs. This comment aims to illustrate the differences in selected health indicators between men and women and suggest Nepal's health sector strategy 2022-2030 should address to advance men's health needs. Keywords: Health policy; men's health; Nepal.