The lack of healthcare trust is strongly associated with low rates of access and utilization of care, adherence to medical advice, and adverse health outcomes, especially among vulnerable populations. We used a descriptive qualitative design and employed thematic analysis to examine the contributing factors to the lack of trust in healthcare among African immigrants in Florida, US. We conducted in-depth interviews with 19 participants selected through purposive and snowball sampling. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed using Nvivo14 software. The findings revealed two overarching themes: (a) personal and (b) institutional factors of lack of healthcare trust. Personal factors included language and communication challenges, lack of knowledge, past negative healthcare experiences, fear of losing legal status, and the use of traditional medicine and prayer as a substitute for modern medicine. Institutional factors included providers' lack of knowledge, wrong assumptions and ignorance, lack of diversity in healthcare, repeated tests and burdensome documentation, malpractice, lack of financial transparency and unfair cost, over-medicalisation, racial divide and discrimination, and unfavourable policy conditions. The findings suggest a holistic approach that involves improving healthcare navigation skills among African immigrants; adopting a patient-centred approach; enhancing health literacy; strengthening cultural competency training and education on tropical medicine for healthcare providers; promoting diversity within the healthcare workforce; and engaging in anti-racism practices that ensure provider accountability. It is also critical to promote policies that ensure financial transparency and coordinated care, reduce unnecessary testing and documentation, and promote safe and equitable access to healthcare for African immigrants.
Obesity is a global health issue linked to increased risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. A reduced resting metabolic rate contributes to obesity. Plant-based diets are often recommended for weight control, but their effect on resting metabolic rate is underexplored. This study assesses the association between plant-based dietary patterns and resting metabolic rate in women with overweight and obesity. In this cross-sectional study, 285 women with overweight and obesity were selected from health centers in Tehran. Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis, dietary intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Adherence to plant-based diets was evaluated through three indices: the overall plant-based diet index, the healthful plant-based diet index and the unhealthful plant-based diet index. Resting metabolic rate was measured via indirect calorimetry. Higher plant-based diet index and healthful plant-based diet index scores were significantly associated with increased resting metabolic rate per kilogram of body weight, even after adjusting for confounders. Conversely, higher unhealthful plant-based diet index scores were linked to lower resting metabolic rate per kilogram. Participants with higher adherence to plant-based diet index reported greater intakes of energy, most macronutrients and several micronutrients, while those with higher adherence to the unhealthful plant-based diet index reported lower intakes of energy and selected nutrients. Greater adherence to healthful plant-based diets is associated with a higher resting metabolic rate in women with overweight and obesity, suggesting potential benefits for weight management and metabolic health.
To describe an evidence-informed, experience-based co-design process used to adapt metropolitan early palliative care referral models for implementation in a regional Australian health service. A scoping review of palliative care delivery and early referral models to inform evidence-informed, experience-based co-design workshops involving consumers, clinicians, and health service staff. Sequential mixed-methods development study comprising evidence synthesis to identify model components, followed by two iterative workshops to construct and refine a context-appropriate outpatient early referral model. A regional public health service in Victoria, Australia, seeking to establish an outpatient early referral palliative care clinic for people with advanced cancer. Purposefully sampled stakeholders (patients/carers, oncologists, palliative care clinicians, cancer care coordinators, Aboriginal health worker, managers, and researchers) took part in two online workshops. Co-designed model structure and components, perceived feasibility in a resource-constrained regional context, and agreed service scope and patient eligibility. The process generated a regionally tailored early referral pathway incorporating needs-based screening, prioritisation to manage limited capacity, and staged roll-out initially focused on selected cancer groups. These adaptations, while pragmatic, highlight the resourcing disparities faced by rural and regional services and the equity implications of resource-driven variation in care delivery. Evidence-informed co-design enabled pragmatic adaptation of metropolitan palliative care models to a regional setting and offers a transferable approach for other rural and regional services.
While family income and neighborhood disadvantage have been associated with adolescent mental health, less is known about their independent associations with distinct, group-based patterns of change. Moreover, little is known about how school environments are associated with such mental health trajectory patterns, and if they serve as independent promotive factors or are protective factors that mitigate risk. Data come from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development StudySM(ABCD study®; n = 9769; baseline through year 2; ages 9-13). Internalizing and externalizing behaviors were measured with the Child Behavior Checklist. Growth mixture modeling was utilized to identify subgroups with distinct mental health trajectories, and logistic regression was used to examine the association between family income, neighborhood environment and trajectory group membership, and moderation by baseline school and school district characteristics, controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and parental education. Two trajectory classes were identified for internalizing (91%; low-decreasing, 9%; high-increasing) and externalizing behaviors (92%; low-decreasing, 8%; high-stable). Lower family income was associated with a high-increasing trajectory pattern of internalizing and a high-stable pattern of externalizing behaviors. A more positive school climate predicted belonging to the low-decreasing trajectory group for internalizing and externalizing behaviors, though there was no evidence of moderation. Low family income, but not neighborhood disadvantage, was a risk factor for trajectories of internalizing and externalizing behavior elevated within a clinical range that persisted from age 9 through early adolescence. However, a positive school climate was a promotive, rather than a protective, factor for internalizing and externalizing trajectories. Supporting families with resources and enhancing the school context may improve adolescent mental health.
Research on sleep in bulimia nervosa (BN) is methodologically varied and yields inconsistent findings. This review synthesised BN-sleep studies and examined whether comorbid mood disorders contribute to sleep disturbance. PsycINFO, Medline (Ovid), and Scopus were searched for English or French quantitative studies comparing sleep health variables between individuals with diagnosed BN and healthy controls. Extracted data included study design, sample characteristics, sleep and BN measures, and key findings. Methodological quality was evaluated using a validated risk-of-bias tool. Of 1233 titles/abstracts and 39 full texts screened, 11 studies met inclusion criteria. Some studies using subjective measures reported greater sleep disturbance in individuals with BN, including poorer sleep quality, difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, and increased daytime sleepiness, with moderate to large effect sizes (|d| = 0.60-1.43). Objective findings were mixed: one actigraphy study reported later sleep onset and wake times in BN, while findings for sleep efficiency and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep parameters were inconsistent, and most polysomnography (PSG) variables showed no reliable group differences despite some large effect sizes (range: |d| = 0.72-1.69). Sleep disturbances were reported in some BN samples with and without comorbid mood disorders, although the specific contribution of mood pathology remains unclear. Studies were generally small, cross-sectional, and dated. Some studies suggest elevated subjective sleep disturbances in individuals with BN, but findings remain heterogeneous and are limited by methodological variability and small sample sizes. Future studies are needed to better characterise sleep health in individuals with BN. The systematic review was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42022354504).
In times when health and physical activity are gaining in value, the search for effective methods to support fitness and improve quality of life is becoming a priority. One of the therapies that is gaining increasing popularity is pressotherapy, which supports the regeneration of the body on many levels. The study was conducted on a group of 15 healthy, young women. The participants underwent 10 pneumatic compression therapy treatments using the CarePump Expert8 device. The participants were examined 4 times: a week before the first treatment, immediately before the first treatment, after the 10th treatment and a week after the 10th treatment. Statistical analysis of mean changes in the range of motion values showed significant decrease in: right (p < 0.05) and left (p < 0.05) hip joint extension; right (p < 0.05) hip joint horizontal abduction; horizontal adduction of the right (p < 0.05) and left (p < 0.05) hip joint; dorsiflexion of the right (p < 0.05) and left (p < 0.05) ankle joint, and also an increase in: right (p < 0.05) and left (p < 0.05) hip external rotation. Statistical analysis of changes in mean values of circumferences showed significant decrease at all tested levels: P1 right (p < 0.05) and left (p < 0.05); U1 right (p < 0.05) and left (p < 0.05); U2 right (p < 0.05) and left (p < 0.05); K right (p < 0.05) and left (p < 0.05); G1 right (p < 0.05); and left (p < 0.05); G2 right (p < 0.05) and left (p < 0.05). A series of pressotherapy sessions did not improve lower limb range of motion or body composition indices; however, it did reduce circumferences at all levels of the lower limbs. Long-term use of pressotherapy can help maintain healthy fluid levels, improve circulation, and improve overall physical fitness.
To establish normal sex- and age-specific longitudinal strain curves, to quantify their morphological variation with age, and to demonstrate their utility by deriving novel measures from them with the aim of testing prognostic value. Age- and sex-appropriate normal strain curves were derived from healthy participants of the Copenhagen City Heart Study (CCHS). Four novel measures were constructed: early (EDS) and late (LDS) diastolic strain, primarily to assess age-related variation in strain curve morphology, and mean and diastolic strain deviation. Their prognostic value was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression and C-statistics internally in the CCHS and externally in the LOOP study against a composite endpoint of cardiovascular death and incident heart failure or atrial fibrillation.In total, 1,641 healthy subjects (mean±SD age 45.3±15.2 years, 62.3% female) from the CCHS and 1,307 (mean±SD age 74.4±4.0 years, 47.4% female) from the LOOP study were included. EDS decreased with age while LDS increased. During a median follow-up of 4.9 [IQI: 3.0, 5.6] years, 409 (31.3%) subjects met the outcome in the LOOP study. Mean strain deviation was independently associated with the outcome (adjusted HR = 1.02 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.05), p = 0.045), while diastolic strain deviation was not. We established normal sex- and age-specific longitudinal strain curves and furthermore demonstrated their utility by deriving novel measures from these with prognostic value beyond conventional measures. While promising, further validation in external populations is warranted. The normal curves and relevant code are publicly available.
Appendiceal goblet cell adenocarcinoma (GCA) is an uncommon malignancy that has been described under various names and grading schemes. The 5th Edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Digestive System Tumours provides a three-tiered system for grading these neoplasms, but the reproducibility of this classification scheme has not been studied. We scanned 58 H&E-stained slides from 20 GCA and circulated the whole-slide images among seven pathologists with interest in appendiceal pathology. They evaluated each slide for the presence of 15 histological patterns defined by the WHO as criteria for low-grade (n = 5) and high-grade (n = 10) GCA. Cases were also evaluated for the presence of extracellular mucin. Participants also reported the percentage of high-grade features in each whole slide image and each case. Interobserver variability was assessed statistically. All seven observers agreed on the WHO grade for four of the 20 cases (20%; one grade 1, three grade 3). Using Fleiss's kappa statistic, overall agreement for cases was fair at 0.29 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.14-0.44), and pairwise agreement between observers ranged from 0.00 to 0.82 (median = 0.13). Gwet's agreement coefficient ranged from 0.10 to 0.87 (median = 0.28), while overall agreement was 0.36 (95% CI: 0.17-0.54). There was significant variability with respect to assessing the presence of individual features. The best agreement was seen for extracellular mucin (neutral feature, κ = 0.43) and tumour sheets (high-grade feature, κ = 0.41), whereas the worst agreement was seen for mild architectural disarray/tubular fusion (low-grade feature, κ = 0.05) and necrosis (high-grade feature, κ = 0.07). We conclude that interobserver agreement for grading GCA using the three-tiered WHO 5th Edition classification system is fair at best. A validated two-tiered system (i.e. low- versus high-grade) may be more reproducible.
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To estimate longitudinal predictive relationships between team resilience and team stress among low-stability clinical nursing teams, identifying core driving factors and bridging mechanisms using cross-lagged panel network analysis. Chronic instability in clinical nursing teams disrupts workflows and triggers systemic team stress, which is further exacerbated by digital health technology burdens and moral distress. Understanding how specific dimensions of team resilience interact with these facets of team stress over time is essential for developing precise organizational interventions. A two-wave longitudinal panel study. Data from the Nurse Team Health Management Research Cohort across two waves (October 2024 and December 2025) included 5164 clinical nurses aggregated into 285 low-stability nurse teams. Team resilience and team stress were assessed using the Analyzing and Developing Adaptability and Performance in Teams to Enhance Resilience Scale and a customized Nursing Job Stressor Inventory. A cross-lagged panel network was estimated to identify influential nodes and network conduits. Digital health technology burden exhibited the highest predictive power, driving team stress and significantly predicting subsequent moral distress. Moral distress emerged as a potentially destructive bridge, which may negatively predict multiple resilience dimensions over time. Conversely, cooperation with other departments appeared to serve as a protective bridge, mitigating subsequent subjective work stress and digital technology burden. Monitoring exhibited a potentially paradoxical effect, positively predicting subsequent subjective work stress. Digital health technology burden drives occupational stress in low-stability nursing teams. Moral distress may erode team resilience, whereas cross-departmental cooperation acts as a potential protective shield. This study shifts the focus of occupational stress management from the individual to the team level. To stabilize nursing teams facing chronic instability and high turnover, healthcare administrators should move beyond generic stress reduction. Targeted interventions must focus on alleviating digital workflow burdens, instituting routine ethical debriefings to resolve moral distress, and formalizing boundary-spanning cooperation protocols.
Preventive dental care is recommended in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) to prevent infective endocarditis (IE). We examined average annual preventive dental care utilization and the association between preventive dental care and IE in children with CHD. We conducted a retrospective cohort study examining children (1-18-year-olds), covered by Georgia Medicaid, with at least one CHD-related ICD code and a healthcare encounter between 2008 and 2019. Preventive dental care encounters were based on Current Dental Terminology (CDT) codes (D1000-D1999). CHD native anatomy was captured based on ICD-9-and-10-CM codes. Log binomial regression estimated adjusted risk ratios (aRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for IE risk, controlling for sex, race and ethnicity, birth year cohort, rurality, and Social Deprivation Index. Of 61,024 children with CHD, 65.64% (n = 40,058) had at least one annual preventive dental visit on average, of which 0.30% (n = 181) had IE. For subgroups with valve or shunt lesions, having at least one annual preventive dental care visit showed a significantly lower risk of IE (aRR = 0.32; 95% CI = 0.18, 0.58, and aRR = 0.17; 95% CI = 0.07, 0.38, respectively) compared to no dental visits. No association was found between preventive dental care and IE in those with severe CHD (aRR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.51, 1.26). Although dental health is important for patients with CHD, and despite universal dental coverage, many children with CHD do not seek annual preventive dental care. Integrating dental health assessments into routine CHD management protocols is imperative not only to promote oral health but also to prevent IE.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic and life-limiting hemoglobin and systemic vascular disease. While over 1000 people have undergone hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) over the last 40 years, long-term disease-specific and health-related quality of life data are lacking. The American Society of Hematology 2021 Guidelines for SCD emphasized the need for more detailed registry data to inform patients and providers with decision-making and practice recommendations. In January 2021, the Sickle Cell Transplant Advocacy and Research Alliance (STAR) launched Project Sickle Cure (PSC). This multi-center, prospective study of patients who have undergone HCT for SCD includes baseline demographics and SCD-specific post-HCT outcomes, serial neurocognitive testing, health-related quality of life measures, health equity evaluations, a neuroimaging bank, detailed evaluation of neurologic status pre- and post-transplant, and chronic pain evaluation. A biorepository is in the planning stage of development. As of November 2025, 115 participants have enrolled at 18 STAR sites with enrollment ongoing. PSC is a STAR prospective study which will address a major gap in our understanding of outcomes post-HCT specific to SCD. WeDecide, a larger study comparing HCT health-related quality of life outcomes to those who receive non-transplant disease modifying therapy (NT-DMT) is in development, and PSC will provide the HCT comparator data. These data will also be highly relevant as other curative and transformative therapies, such as gene therapy, become more widely used.
The psychological impact of stillbirth on parents is profound, increasing the need for respectful care. Despite the existence of international guidelines, there has been no clinical confirmation of their efficacy in improving parental mental health outcomes. This study is a web-based cross-sectional study and part of the OPALE (Observatory on PerinatAL hEalth) project. Participants were selected if they suffered a pregnancy loss after 20 weeks (including termination of pregnancy for medical reasons) in the last 10 years. The survey includes: the CiaoLapo Stillbirth Support (CLASS) checklist, the Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS), the National Stressful Events Survey PTSD Short Scale (NSESSS), and questions on satisfaction with care. 261 participants completed the survey. In a multivariate analysis, higher CLASS scores were correlated with lower PGS and NSESSS scores, suggesting a direct relationship between guideline adherence and better psychological outcomes. Specifically, satisfying over 40 of the 60 checklist items independently predicted greater care satisfaction (OR 2.0, CI 1.1-3.8), higher experiences of respectful care (OR 3.6, CI 1.9-7.0), lower grief (OR 0.08, CI 0.1-0.2), and reduced PTSD symptoms (OR 0.21, CI 0.1-0.5). This is the first study which identifies a correlation between adherence to stillbirth care guidelines and better psychological outcomes, indicating their importance in enhancing parents' mental health.
To test whether mobile phone surveys conducted remotely might generate data on deaths that are not covered by mortality surveillance systems established in laboratories and health facilities, or in institutions involved in the post-mortem management of corpses (e.g., morgues, cemeteries). We conducted a national survey of mobile phone users in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents were asked to list the deaths that had occurred in their household in recent years. For each death, they were also asked to indicate whether the deceased had been diagnosed with COVID-19 prior to death, whether the death occurred at home or at a health facility, and where the burial took place. Using these data, we represented the overlap between data generated by the mobile phone survey and several potential mortality surveillance systems, which focus on counting deaths in health facilities or communal cemeteries. We described the socio-demographic characteristics of the deaths that were uniquely recorded by the mobile phone survey. From December 2021 to July 2022, 506,659 calls were placed, resulting in 22,731 interviews completed by mobile phone. Respondents reported 1527 deaths that had occurred in their household since 2020. Among those deaths, 99 (6.5%) had received a pre-mortem diagnosis of COVID-19. The proportion of reported deaths that were not covered by other potential mortality surveillance systems, was 32.4% in the large city corporations of Dhaka and Chittagong, 36.3% in other urban areas and 49.6% in rural areas. In urban areas, deaths among men, as well as among youth and the elderly, were more likely to be covered solely by the mobile phone survey. Mobile phone surveys can potentially remedy gaps in the data generated by other recommended mortality surveillance methods.
The amyloid cascade hypothesis provided a compelling rationale for Alzheimer's disease (AD) drug development, but many amyloid-β (Aβ)-targeted agents failed to show benefit. The present review article evaluated emerging Aβ-directed therapies, focusing on mechanisms, clinical efficacy, safety, and regulatory progress. The recent approvals of lecanemab and donanemab offered the first convincing evidence that reducing Aβ burden can modestly slow cognitive decline in early AD. Beyond these first-generation monoclonal antibodies, the pipeline includes next-generation antibodies with enhanced brain penetration (trontinemab), therapies designed also for presymptomatic intervention (remternetug tested for secondary prevention), and novel approaches targeting galectin-3 to disrupt Aβ aggregation and neuroinflammation. Active immunotherapies like UB-311 and small molecules such as ALZ-801, avoiding amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), broaden the therapeutic horizon with potentially safer and more accessible options, but with no proven efficacy. Clinical benefits for Aβ-centric therapies are modest, ARIA pose ongoing safety concerns, and high costs coupled with intensive monitoring limit accessibility. Regulators have begun to restrict approval to genetically defined subgroups according to apolipoprotein E genotype, underscoring the need for precision medicine. Therefore, while Aβ-centric therapies are incremental, they represent essential steps toward combination and precision strategies in the treatment of AD. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a growing global health problem, with no cure currently available. Most existing treatments only relieve symptoms and do not slow the underlying disease process. One of the earliest and most important biological changes in AD is the buildup of amyloid-β (Aβ), a protein that forms plaques in the brain. For this reason, many new drugs have been designed to remove Aβ or prevent it from accumulating. In recent years, several Aβ–targeting therapies have shown that they can successfully reduce amyloid plaques in the brain. These include monoclonal antibodies given by infusion or injection, vaccines that stimulate the immune system, and oral drugs designed to block the formation of toxic Aβ species. Some of these treatments have reached late-stage clinical trials, and a few have received regulatory approval in certain regions. However, while these drugs clearly reduce amyloid levels, their effects on memory and daily functioning are modest, especially when used after symptoms have already appeared. In addition, treatment can be associated with side effects such as brain swelling or small brain bleeds, requiring frequent medical monitoring, costly for healthcare systems. Most evidence so far comes from carefully controlled randomized clinical trials, and real-world experience remains limited. Current research is therefore shifting toward earlier treatment, including prevention in people at high risk, improved drug delivery methods, and combination approaches that also target other disease processes such as tau pathology, inflammation, and vascular or metabolic changes. New blood-based biomarkers are also making it easier to diagnose AD earlier and to select patients more precisely. Overall, Aβ–centered therapies represent an important scientific advance, but they are unlikely to be sufficient on their own. Future progress in AD treatment will depend on better understanding how amyloid may interact with other brain changes, identifying the right patients at the right time, and developing safer, more affordable, and more comprehensive therapeutic strategies.
Digital twins in medicine are packaged as inevitable, disruptive technologies that will revolutionise healthcare, yet their integration into clinical practice remains slow. In this article, we extend current research on digital twins by shifting attention to the actors behind the technology and their visions. Drawing on multi-sited fieldwork, we identify from where and how the In Silico medicine community envisions the future of medicine and trace embedded ideas and logics. Our analysis reveals a friction between the narrowing of visions of medicine, the human body and clinicians and the technical features of digital twins, which are intended to open futures and possibilities through virtual interventions. We show how digital twins are developed at a distance from the very practices they seek to revolutionise and how the field attempts to navigate this distance through conversion and training. As with other digital health technologies, the burden of adjustment is placed on clinicians. By attending to how distance between modellers and clinical settings plays out in practice, we show how this "future-making from afar" constrains but also enables specific modes of engagement. It offers a starting point for demystifying digital twins in medicine and reflects on the kinds of futures the field promotes.
Social determinants of health influence maternal and perinatal outcomes, yet tools to operationalize these risks in clinical care remain scarce. We aimed to study social determinants in Brazilian pregnant women and develop a social vulnerability index (SVI) that could correlate with pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. The present study was a secondary analysis of 1565 low-risk nulliparous women enrolled in two Brazilian cohort studies. We selected vulnerability indicators from sociodemographic data and tested the performance and risk association of multiple SVI models with any adverse outcome (preterm birth, gestational diabetes mellitus, pre-eclampsia, small or large for gestational age, low 5-min Apgar score, neonatal intubation, neonatal intensive care unit admission, fetal or neonatal death) using chi-square tests, logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic analysis. Advanced maternal age, non-white ethnicity, and exclusive publicly funded antenatal care were the most consistent vulnerability predictors of adverse outcomes. The final three-variable SVI demonstrated a significant dose-response gradient, with maternal adverse outcomes increasing from 16.4% (no vulnerabilities) to 43.8% (3 vulnerabilities) and perinatal adverse outcomes rising from 22.1% to 35.6%. The model presented a sensitivity of 64.71%, a specificity of 42.56%, a positive predictive value of 47.46% and a negative predictive value of 60.07% for any adverse outcome. The three-variable SVI offers a simple, reproducible, and context-adapted screening tool for primary care. Either for individual or population screening, it can be easily combined with clinical risk assessment, targeting those who may benefit from equity-oriented maternal health strategies.
The purpose of this state-of-the-art review of reviews was to unify, describe and appraise the relationship between physical activity (PA) and social psychological constructs, using the social dimensions of health behavior (SDHB) framework, which represents a taxonomy of 10 social dimensions applicable to health behaviors. Eligible reviews were published in a peer-reviewed journal in English, included a review in which PA was operationalized as a focal predictor or outcome variable and with data also reported on at least one social construct reported in the results, and published between 2010 and July 2025. Literature searches were completed in August 2025 using seven common databases. The search yielded 54 reviews. We identified limited evidence for reviews of experimental research. Reviews of observational quantitative studies showed associations between PA with injunctive norm, perceived social support, and attachment ties with meta-analysis point estimates in the small, positive effect size range. Reviews of qualitative studies revealed positive associations with PA that covered the entire SDHB framework, yet most were conducted on specific populations so generalizability was not clear. The findings show domains in need of further examination to address gaps in knowledge, opportunities for theoretical integration, and highlight key social dimensions important in PA promotion.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) may affect cognition, but its association with incident dementia remains inconsistent. We explored the association of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its vaccination with dementia risk in a nationwide sample of middle-aged and older adults. This nested case-control study used electronic healthcare data from Israel's largest health provider. Participants were dementia-free individuals aged ≥ 50 years at baseline (March 2020), followed up until May 2022. Incident dementia cases were matched to dementia-free controls using density sampling by age, sex, and date of entry to the study, with a ratio of 1:10. SARS-CoV-2 was defined by positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or institutional antigen tests. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models evaluated the association of SARS-CoV-2, its severity and vaccination, and pneumonia as a comparator, with dementia risk. Among the 1,145,322 eligible participants, 27,280 dementia cases were matched to 272,800 controls. SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with increased dementia risk (OR = 1.18; 95% CI 1.12-1.24; p < 0.001). This association was confined to hospitalized individuals with mild (OR = 2.39; 95% CI 2.07-2.76) and moderate-to-severe disease (OR = 1.93; 95% CI 1.70-2.20), was comparable to pneumonia (OR = 1.89; 95% CI 1.80-1.99), and was no longer evident after 6 months (OR = 1.04; 95% CI 0.96-1.12). COVID-19 vaccination was associated with 7%, 15%, and 31% lower dementia risk after two, three, and four doses, respectively. Unvaccinated individuals with prior COVID-19 had the highest dementia risk. Dementia diagnoses are increased after COVID-19, especially in hospitalized patients. Risk is comparable to other respiratory infections.