Tetzlaff F, Sauerberg M, Grigoriev P, et al. Age-specific and cause-specific mortality contributions to the socioeconomic gap in life expectancy in Germany, 2003–21: an ecological study. Lancet Public Health 2024; 9: e295–305—In figure 1 of this Article, sex data were plotted incorrectly. This correction has been made as of Nov 25, 2024.

Prevention and control of childhood obesity in China is complex. Despite numerous existing policy endeavours, particularly Healthy China 2030, accompanied by multiministerial initiatives, childhood obesity persists and even exacerbates. In this paper, we review current national policies, assess progress of the existing system managing childhood weight, and identify implementation challenges. Leveraging

China is confronted with the challenge of increasing childhood obesity. Although interventions for childhood obesity have been developed, their effectiveness and implementation can vary considerably across nations. In this paper, we review and consolidate the evidence on childhood obesity intervention strategies aimed at multiple levels and components across life, in China. School-based interventions

Over the past four decades, China has witnessed an important nutritional transition, characterised by a heightened overnutrition burden among children. The country now has the largest population of children with obesity globally. In this paper, we review the epidemiology of childhood obesity in China, its determinants, and risk factors, with a particular focus on school-aged children. Evidence unveils

Overweight and obesity in children have emerged as a major public health challenge in China. National statistics show that the prevalence of overweight and obesity reached up to 10% in children younger than 6 years and 20% in those aged 6–17 years,1 which is projected to continue rising in the next few years.2 In response to this public health imperative, 16 Chinese national agencies, including the

The prevalence of diabetes in China is rapidly increasing. China now has the largest number of people living with diabetes worldwide, accounting for approximately one-quarter of the global diabetes population. Since the late 1970s, China has experienced profound changes and rapid economic growth, leading to shifts in lifestyle. Changing dietary patterns, reduced physical activity, and stress have contributed

During the past 40 years, the prevalence of diabetes in China has increased from less than 1·0% in 1980 to 12·4% in 2018, an increase in line with the rapid growth of the nation's economy. To address such a burden, the Healthy China 2030 initiative and subsequent Action Plan, including a diabetes prevention and control campaign, were launched. A shift from a disease-centred approach to a health-centred

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death globally, accounting for more than 7 million deaths worldwide, including nearly 1·3 million deaths due to second-hand smoke.1 There is no safe threshold of exposure to second-hand smoke, and smoke-free environments are a proven way to adequately protect people from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke without harming businesses.2 Legislation

BackgroundChina has one of the highest levels of tobacco consumption globally, and there is no national smoke-free legislation. Although more than 20 Chinese cities have passed local smoke-free laws since 2008, evidence on their effectiveness in reducing smoking behaviours and their economic benefits is scarce. By exploiting a natural quasi-experiment, whereby a comprehensive public smoking ban was

Tan M. Mandatory salt targets: a key policy tool for global salt reduction efforts. Lancet Public Health 2024; 9: e834–35—In this Linked Comment, the fifth sentence of the third paragraph should have said US$8·0 billion. This correction has been made as of Nov 4, 2024.

2023 was a landmark year for climate change globally, across Asia, and within China. Global average temperatures were 1·45°C higher than the pre-industrial average, making it the warmest year on record since 1850. In Asia, 2023 was the second-hottest year documented. China recorded its highest-ever average temperature at 10·71°C (0·82°C above the 1981–2010 average), had its second-lowest rainfall since

Excess dietary sodium intake has been associated with death and disability. WHO has released global sodium benchmarks for packaged foods to support countries to reduce population sodium intake. This study aimed to assess the potential health effect, costs, and cost effectiveness of implementing these WHO sodium benchmarks in India.

Salt is consumed in excess in most countries, with global salt intake averaging at more than double the recommended maximum limit of 5 g per day. By raising blood pressure, excess salt intake is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of premature death and ill health worldwide. In 2013, all WHO Member States committed to a 30% reduction in average salt intake by 2025. However

Heart failure is a global health burden, with an estimated prevalence of more than 56 million individuals worldwide.1 Notably, heart failure is highly associated with poor quality of life, frequent admissions to hospital, rising health-care costs, and high mortality rates. This complex clinical syndrome poses challenges to therapeutic interventions of heart failure, especially since a higher comorbidity

On average, it takes 15 years from the landmark publication on a cancer control evidence-based intervention to achieve 50% uptake in routine practice.1 In fact, nearly 20 years have passed since the first observational studies showed that human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing had substantially higher sensitivity for detecting cervical precancer and cancer compared with cervical cytology.2 Since then

Excess dietary sodium is a leading cause of death and disability globally. Because packaged foods are a major source of sodium in many countries, including Australia, mandatory limits for sodium might improve population health. We aimed to estimate the long-term health and economic effect of mandating such thresholds in Australia.

Heart failure is common, complex, and often associated with coexisting chronic medical conditions and a high mortality. We aimed to assess the epidemiology of people admitted to hospital with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), including the period covering the COVID-19 pandemic, which was previously not well characterised

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-based cervical screening is a globally recommended public health policy. Randomised clinical trials find superior performance of primary HPV-based screening compared with cytology for preventing cervical cancer. However, additional evidence from real-world public health policies is needed. In preplanned secondary analysis of a randomised health-care policy trial in Sweden

During the COVID-19 pandemic, changes were seen in city mobility patterns around the world, including in active transportation (walking, cycling, micromobility, and public transit use), creating a unique opportunity for global public health lessons and action. We aimed to analyse a global natural experiment exploring city mobility patterns during the pandemic and how they related to the implementation

Alcohol consumption is a leading cause of premature death globally, but there is no large-scale prospective evidence from Mexico.

Termination of pregnancy is a common procedure, accessed globally, irrespective of logistical and legal barriers. We aimed to document changes in procedural characteristics and demographic factors over time in South Australia, as well as to examine how key sociodemographic variables affect gestational age at pregnancy termination.

Migrant workers, a population of 170 million, often work in dangerous or unhealthy working environments and are likely to suffer workplace injuries and labour abuses. However, the risk of mortality in migrant workers compared with local workers is unknown. We aim to synthesise global evidence on migrant worker mortality risk and identify social determinants to inform health and safety protections for

BackgroundThere are little recent data in China regarding contemporary nutritional inequities among children and adolescents, particularly in relation to urban–rural residence and regional socioeconomic status (SES). We aim to assess inequalities in thinness and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents. MethodsWeight and height measurements for 1 677 261 children and adolescents aged 7–18 years

Today, we publish the Lancet Public Health Commission on gambling—an inquiry and response to a neglected, understudied, and expanding public health threat. Gambling is not a simple leisure activity; it is a health-harming addictive behaviour. The harms associated with gambling are wide-ranging, not only affecting an individual's health and wellbeing, but also their wealth and relationships, affecting

The global gambling industry is rapidly expanding, with net losses by consumers projected to reach nearly US$700 billion by 2028. Industry growth is fuelled by the rise of online gambling, widespread accessibility of gambling opportunities through mobile phones, increased legalisation, and the introduction of commercial gambling to new areas. Recent expansion is most notable in low-income and middle-income

Cannabis in the USA is transitioning from a nationwide illegal status to liberalisation for medicinal or recreational use across different jurisdictions. As the acceptability and accessibility of cannabis continue to grow, updated knowledge on the cancer risk from recreational cannabis use is necessary to inform recommendations by public health organisations, policy makers, and clinical practitioners

BackgroundSocioeconomic status is a key social determinant of health. Compared with individual-level socioeconomic status, the association between area-level socioeconomic status and mortality has not been well investigated in China. We aimed to assess associations between area-level socioeconomic status and all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality in China, as well as the interplay of area-level

Tuberculosis incidence is increasing in Latin America, where the incarcerated population has nearly quadrupled since 1990. We aimed to quantify the impact of historical and future incarceration policies on the tuberculosis epidemic, accounting for effects in and beyond prisons.

Rosanna Maletta (Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK) presented a study to understand how discrimination could affect mental health. Indeed, repeated discrimination could result in a build-up of resilience, or a cumulative negative effect could develop. Data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study waves 2015–20 were used. In the cohort of 3863 people, 24% of participants

Understanding structural determinants is crucial in addressing tuberculosis, as these factors define the context in which the disease impacts populations. Incarceration has, in recent years, emerged as a major driver for tuberculosis in Latin America.1, 2 Although tuberculosis notification rates among the general population have remained stable, rates among people deprived of liberty have rapidly escalated

Educational attainment and income are often, but not always, associated with disease incidence. Existing research typically examines single diseases, resulting in disparate analyses with little comparability. In this study, we aimed to assess educational and income inequalities across diseases in Denmark.

Overweight and obesity are important public health issues and contribute to an increased risk of several diseases, negatively affect reproduction, and decrease quality of life. According to WHO, 43% of adults worldwide are overweight and 16% have obesity. Obesity is a contributing factor to infertility and being overweight increases risks during pregnancy for the mother and the child.1 Furthermore

BackgroundSmoking is the leading behavioural risk factor for mortality globally, accounting for more than 175 million deaths and nearly 4·30 billion years of life lost (YLLs) from 1990 to 2021. The pace of decline in smoking prevalence has slowed in recent years for many countries, and although strategies have recently been proposed to achieve tobacco-free generations, none have been implemented to

BackgroundThe tobacco-free generation aims to prevent the sale of tobacco to people born after a specific year. We aimed to estimate the impact of eliminating tobacco smoking on lung-cancer mortality in people born during 2006–10 in 185 countries. MethodsFor this population-based birth-cohort simulation study, we proposed a scenario in which tobacco sales were banned for people born between Jan 1,

BackgroundE-cigarettes are increasingly used by smokers and ex-smokers, often to support smoking cessation, but also among those who have never regularly smoked. The aim of our study is to estimate time trends in vaping prevalence among adults who have never regularly smoked and describe the profile of adult never-regular-smokers who vape. MethodsIn this nationally representative, monthly cross-sectional

BackgroundWhether there are differences in the contribution of overweight and obesity to adverse pregnancy outcomes between migrant and non-migrant women in high-income countries, which might increase health inequalities, remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to estimate the contribution (including the proportion and number of attributable cases) of overweight and obesity to a wide range

Among people infected with measles in England between 2010 and 2019, the proportion of cases who had previously received two doses of vaccine has increased, especially among young adults. Possible explanations include rare infections in vaccinated individuals who did not gain immunity upon vaccination, made more common because fewer individuals in the population were born in the endemic era, before

Increasing the price of alcohol to reduce its affordability has been the cornerstone of alcohol control efforts for decades. WHO considers this approach among the best buy interventions, with substantial evidence showing that raising alcohol prices—through increased taxation or minimum pricing—is associated with reduced population-level alcohol consumption and related harms.1 However, introducing such

Increasing the amount of alcohol taxation is among the most effective measures for addressing the rising global burden of alcohol harm. However, less is known about the effect of changing alcohol tax structures. Substantial reforms to UK alcohol taxation structures enacted in August, 2023, mean that all alcohol is taxed based on its ethanol content, beers and ciders sold in on-trade premises (eg, public

Suicide is prevalent in all countries and is largely preventable. The causes of suicide are multiple and varied. Social determinants of suicide are crucial, but to date these have received insufficient policy attention. This paper, which is the first in a Series on taking a public health approach to suicide prevention, argues for a major change in the way we think about suicide and its prevention.

A public health approach to suicide prevention recognises the powerful influence of social determinants. In this paper—the fifth in a Series on a public health approach to suicide prevention—we consider four major risk factors for suicide (alcohol use, gambling, domestic violence and abuse, and suicide bereavement) and examine how their influence on suicide is socially determined. Cultural factors

The Lancet Public Health Series on public health approaches to suicide prevention, led by Jane Pirkis and Keith Hawton, is timely and important because it highlights the latest evidence for preventing suicide based on a public health model. With more than three quarters of the world's suicides occurring in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), it is important to shed light on suicide prevention

One of the most effective public health measures to prevent suicide is the restriction of access to means used in suicidal acts. This approach can be especially effective if a method is common and readily accessible. Suicide methods vary widely, and there have been several examples where means restriction has been applied, often with considerable success. Factors contributing to availability of suicide

Economic circumstances and related factors, including unemployment and poverty, can have substantial effects on suicide rates. This relationship applies in all countries, irrespective of their World Bank income status or level of development. Therefore, means of mitigating such influences are essential components of strategies to reduce suicides. In this Series paper, we consider examples of such initiatives

The public health approach to suicide prevention requires us to move away from thinking about suicide as a purely clinical problem and to pay heed to the array of social determinants (such as financial hardship or domestic violence and abuse) that might lead people to consider suicide as an option. Clinical factors are important, and, indeed, clinical or indicated interventions are entirely appropriate

Transmission is an important concept in suicide prevention. It can occur when exposure to another person's death by suicide (or to suicide-related information more generally) draws attention to suicide or highlights specific suicide methods. In this paper, the fourth in a Series on a public health approach to suicide prevention, we contend that the transmissibility of suicide must be considered when

Changing the Narrative on Suicide is the theme for World Suicide Prevention Day marked on September 10th with the call to action Start the Conversation. In line with this call a six-paper Series in this issue of The Lancet Public Health proposes a new narrative for suicide prevention. The Series describes a public health approach to suicide prevention that puts suicide prevention in the focus of all

The Lancet Public Health series A Public Health Approach to Suicide Prevention is timely and represents the most comprehensive appraisal of a public health approach to suicide prevention yet published. A concerted focus on social factors and social determinants is urgently needed as the cost-of-living crisis, inflation, a weakened public sector, and housing problems are, sadly, all too common in many

Mukadam N, Wolters FJ, Walsh S, et al. Changes in prevalence and incidence of dementia and risk factors for dementia: an analysis from cohort studies. Lancet Public Health 2024; 9: e443–60—In table 1 of this Article, for the summary of trends in risk factors over time from Hale et al (2020), the proportion of the 1996–98 cohort who had a less than high school education should have been 26·2%. This

Mortality, suicide, self-harm, and substance use are elevated among people who are incarcerated. There is a wide range of heterogeneous interventions aimed at reducing these harms in this population. Previous reviews have focused on specific interventions or limited their findings to drug use and recidivism and have not explored interventions delivered after release from prison. Our aim is to examine

Estimates for the prevalence of food allergy vary widely, with a paucity of data for adults. The aim of this analysis was to report trends in the incidence and prevalence of food allergy in England, using a national primary care dataset.

In 21st century capitalism, financial markets reign supreme. The elevation of investing, trading, and speculating as a way of making profit has shifted economic power towards institutional investors and enhanced the power of financial capital. Financialisation has introduced uncertainty in the commitment to public provision of goods and services. The behaviours of corporations focus more on profit

Despite documented mental illness-related disparities in cervical cancer screening and incidence, insufficient data exist on differences in cervical cancer prevention strategies, such as human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. We aimed to investigate the association of mental illness and neurodevelopmental conditions among girls and their parents with uptake of HPV vaccination in Sweden.

Excessively high and low temperatures substantially affect human health. Climate change is expected to exacerbate heat-related morbidity and mortality, presenting unprecedented challenges to public health systems. Since localised assessments of temperature-related mortality risk are essential to formulate effective public health responses and adaptation strategies, we aimed to estimate the current

The increasing use of digital media and devices by children has led to growing concerns that spending time online without sufficient guarding is having negative effects on their health and wellbeing. In this Viewpoint, we argue that children's use of digital technologies and engagement in digital environments should be recognised as important determinants of their health and that a public health approach