🆕 Childhood #overweight & #obesity have emerged as a major public health challenge across Pacific Island Countries and Territories. We present a new 3-paper series, highlighting the burden, determinants & interventions to #childhood obesity in #PICTs. 🔗 www.thelancet.com/series-do/ch... #MedSky

Childhood Obesity in Pacific Islands Countries and Territories

Childhood overweight and obesity have emerged as a major public health challenge across Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), where prevalence rates are among the highest globally.

thelancet.com

Mental disorders are leading contributors to disease burden among young people. A new study in @lancetrh-wpac.bsky.social provides current estimates of prevalence, patterns, severity, and profiles of mental disorders among Australians aged 16–24. Find out more: tinyurl.com/2t6849am

Rates and impact of mental disorders among Australian youth: prevalence, severity, and trends from two national psychiatric surveys

Mental disorders among Australian youth have increased markedly since 2007, with greater severity and functional impairment.

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🆕 #Japan healthcare system is widely cited for #UniversalHealthCoverage and longevity. With #aging & higher care #cost, the system now confronts pressures. A new review proposes a #Vision2040 framework to provide a roadmap for #policy reform aligned with societal value. 🔗 tinyurl.com/mr25xjuy

Japan's health system toward 2040: structural challenges and a renewed social contract

Japan's universal health coverage system has supported healthy longevity, but now confronts institutional stagnation: widely recognised structural pressures persist without reform of its core architec...

thelancet.com

We are the world-leading clinical and health services journal dedicated to the Western Pacific, with a:   Journal Impact Factor of 9·4  Scopus CiteScore of 13·8  Explore our high impact and global reach: hubs.li/Q04k_Ctj0   #WPRO #OpenAccess

Our June issue is live! 🙌 Check out latest papers about use of #minocycline in acute anterior circulation ischemic #stroke, review of #cardiovascular care delivery across Asia Pacific, and adverse childhood experience and risk of #HIV among #LGBTQ+ people, & more! 🔗 tinyurl.com/nhadcs7r #MedSky

🆕 Nearly half of secondary medical areas in #Japan are not equipped with #ICU beds. A study found critically ill patients in these areas were linked to #mortality disadvantages, driven by #acces & travel rather than of quality of care. 🔗 tinyurl.com/43b7sz65 #CriticalCare #EmergencyMedicine

Critical care access and outcomes in residents of inpatient-care catchment areas with and without ICUs: a nationwide cohort study in Japan

Nearly half of SMAs lack ICU beds. While post-arrival ICU outcomes were similar, residence in an SMA without ICUs was associated with reduced ICU access and higher mortality among critically ill patie...

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Our May issue is live!🙌 Check out papers about #NonSuicidalSelfInjury among #Chinese adults, #Consumers’ acceptance to #DigitalHealth technology in #LMICs, global landscape of #LungCancer #Screening & more! 🖋️ Editorial: Making older women more visible in healthy #ageing 🔗 URL: tinyurl.com/52e99w4n

🆕East Asian never-smokers have higher #LungCancer incidence than the Western counterparts, but often excluded from #LDCT screening guidelines. A Viewpoint discusses evidence in #EastAsians to balance the dilemma between benefits of #EarlyDetection & risks of #overdiagnosis. 🔗 tinyurl.com/3k2c9p37

Our April issue is live!🙌 Check out papers about mass #HCV screening among persons in custody, #savolitanib for MET-mutated #NSCLC, #MentalHealth systems in #PacificIsland countries & more! 🖋️ Editorial: Putting #RuralHealth first in the #FuelCrisis 🎨 Cover image by Cherry Wu 🔗 tinyurl.com/bdfbj3xu

🆕 In many #PacificIsland countries, #MentalHealth disorders are under-resourced. A scoping review shows that #PICT systems remain #hospital-centred with workforce shortage, limited #financing, weak information #systems, and fragile #access to medicines. 🔗 tinyurl.com/5x5e3hh7 #PsySky #MedSky

🆕 #Genetic architecture of #Parkinson's disease & progression to PD #dementia is incompletely characterized in #Asians. A #GWAS study using a #Taiwanese cohort has identified new genetic loci in Asians and highlights both shared and #ethnicity-specific PD risk loci. 🔗 tinyurl.com/285k4wbp #MedSky

🆕A new modelling study in #HongKong found one-off screening in #Prison is cost-effective to reduce #HCV related #cirrhosis, #LiverCancer & #mortality. More frequent screenings imply higher cost, but would yield better health gain. 🔗 Full text: tinyurl.com/47czn484 #MedSky #OncSky #HepatitisC

🆕 Will the #SocialMediaBan in Australia disrupt researchers' ability to #recruit adolescents under 16? This week, another paper explains the implications for recruitment feasibility. Researchers might expect selection bias, increased recruitment via caretakers & higher cost. 🔗 tinyurl.com/59n4m6vt

🆕 #Australia just introduced the world-first #SocialMedia ban targeting #adolescents aged under 16. A new article highlights critical areas for #evaluation when assessing policy #effectiveness, other than only monitoring compliance to regulations. 🔗 Full text: tinyurl.com/mwm54rmu #PsySky #MedSky

🆕 Climate change & antimicrobial resistance #AMR are linked. A new study shows increasing #temperature by climate change directly accelerates #bacterial growth & #mutation rates, and indirectly affects healthcare disruptions and #antibiotic misuse. 🔗 Full text: tinyurl.com/xuc3jxaf #OneHealth

Globally 1 in 6 people feel #lonely - Young people feel the loneliest. We present a #series introducing #SocialPrescribing, an approach that connects community support to improve health and well-being. 🔗 Full text: tinyurl.com/n2jk73dj 🔗 Video abstract: tinyurl.com/ms6ym8bh #MentalHealth #PsySky

🆕 #LungCancer was historically associated with old male smokers. A new study in #Singapore reveals a narrowing male-female gap due to rising #EarlyOnset cases in #women, particularly never-smokers. 🔗 Full text: tinyurl.com/5fryfsj9 #MedSky #OncSky

Trends in lung cancer incidence and stage at diagnosis in Singapore: a population-based joinpoint regression analysis by age, sex, and smoking status

The narrowing male-female gap, rising early-onset cases among females, and increasing incidence in female never-smokers, particularly those ≥65 years, highlight a shifting lung cancer burden in Singap...

thelancet.com

Happy New Year - Our new issue is live!🙌 Check out #AI readiness in Asia, #CoDesign in health research, childhood #screening for type 1 #diabetes, decentralized #HepatitisC program, & more! 🖋️ Editorial: Heterogeneity of #LowBirthRates in the region 🎨 Cover by Carolyn Taylor 🔗 tinyurl.com/33cmbb5r

📢 CALL FOR PAPERS! In collaboration with the International Diabetes Federation—Western Pacific Congress, jointly held with Australasian Diabetes Congress 2026, we invite ORIGINAL RESEARCH on innovation in #diabetes prevention, diagnosis, management & #stigma reduction in the region. #EndoSky

#LowBirthRate in Asia Pacific consists of complex drivers. Check out our two #podcasts with experts in #fertility! 🎧 Listen to Cuilin and Jean about both the biological and social determinants of fertility tinyurl.com/yzkk84f4 🎧 Listen to David and Lee about male #infertility tinyurl.com/548ae2p8

#LowBirthRate is a concern in the #WesternPacific, where countries begin to have total #fertility rates below 2.1 per woman. Check out our series on #LowBirthRate discussing how #women’s and #men’s health & #socioeconomic factors shaped the change. Link to the series 👉 lnkd.in/gaYkdpP7 #ObgynSky

Risk of dengue following prior SARS-CoV-2 infection: a population-based cohort study - The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Risk of dengue following prior SARS-CoV-2 infection: a population-based cohort study

Increased risk of DENV-infection (primarily DENV3) was observed up to 300 days post-SARS-CoV-2 infection (predominantly Omicron). While not irrefutable proof for possible antibody-dependent enhancemen...

thelancet.com

New issue is live!🙌 Read about smoking & #vaping in #Oceania, pediatric #MASLD in #China, smartphone-based #CBT in #Japan, #Malaria microscopy in #Indonesia & more! 🖋️ Editorial: #Diabetes underdiagnosis 🎨 Cover by Van-Mai CAO-LORMEAU 🔗 tinyurl.com/4haau2s3 #MedSky #IDSky #PsySky

In #Australia, urban-rural #disparities exist in cancer health. Facility & staff shortage lead to late diagnosis, fewer options and poorer outcomes. Check out our series about #Rural Cancer Health. #Cancer survivorship shouldn't depend on where you live. 🔗 tinyurl.com/pmr3rety #MedSky #OncSky

Recent study in #Australia shows that 47% of adolescents reported #vaping at any frequency at age 20. In contrast to the belief that vaping is short-lived, almost half of these adolescents were vaping across consecutive years & more than one-third reported #escalating use. 🔗 Full text below

Tracking the course of vaping and cigarette smoking across adolescence: the Child to Adult Transition Study

These patterns of vaping and smoking in young Australians affirm that regulations and public health initiatives are urgently needed to prevent uptake of all nicotine and tobacco products.

thelancet.com

#Transgender persons were reported to have excess #mortality in Western cohorts. A study in #Taiwan also identified increased risks of both #AllCause and #ExternalCause of deaths especially due to #suicides. Time to prioritize targeted mental health & #equitable access to gender-affirming care.

Mortality among transgender persons: a Taiwan matched-population and sibling-comparison cohort study

In Taiwan, transgender persons had higher all-cause and suicide mortality than population controls; in within-family comparisons, the suicide mortality excess persisted, indicating influences beyond s...

thelancet.com

Labor migration is growing globally - #migrant workers are more likely to experience exploitative work. A meta-analysis in #AsiaPacific region identified 88% of migrant workers had #occupational injuries, pesticide #poisoning symptoms & #respiratory diseases, and 75% worked in high-risk sectors.

Adverse health outcomes among migrant workers and transnational families in the Asia–Pacific: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Migrant workers in the Asia–Pacific face substantial risks of a wide range of occupational injuries and illnesses. Although some studies support the “healthy migrant effect,” this advantage clearly di...

thelancet.com

Excited to publish this review with kidsdose.org.au network summarising the available clinical trial, pk data and evidence gaps in antibiotic tx for resistant Gram neg infections in kids. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti.... #idsky #paedsid #pedsid @mcri.bsky.social @lancetrh-wpac.bsky.social

Drug-resistant gram-negative bacterial infections in children in the Oceania region: review of the epidemiology, antimicrobial availability, treatment, clinical trial and pharmacokinetic data, and key...

Gram-negative bacterial infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children and neonates globally, compounded by the rise of antimi…

sciencedirect.com

New issue is live!🙌 Read our series about child & adolescent #MentalHealth in the #WesternPacific, public misuse of #Antibiotics in #China, epidemiology of young adults with #HeartFailure & more! 🖋️ Editorial: #BloodPressure control in Asia 🎨 Cover by Zidi Wu 🔗 tinyurl.com/mt8578w7

Our joint series with @thelancethaem.bsky.social on Mature T-/NK-Cell #Lymphoma is online. 🔗 Epidemiology: East & West tinyurl.com/ytmywjr4 🔗 Update on molecular characterization & tumor microenvironment tinyurl.com/tvfzchb6 🔗 Emerging treatments tinyurl.com/bdesbfnv 🎨 Image by Dr Diego Pitta.