Childhood and adolescent obesity has emerged as one of the most pressing public health challenges worldwide. The persistence of excess weight from early life into adulthood together with its associated health consequences underscores the importance of effective prevention strategies. However, obesity in early life is driven by complex interactions between biological susceptibility, lifestyle behaviours, social determinants and obesogenic environments, making prevention particularly challenging. This review synthesises current evidence on childhood obesity prevention, critically examines the effectiveness of existing interventions and discusses key challenges and opportunities for improving their impact. Evidence indicates that preventive strategies can improve dietary habits, physical activity and other lifestyle behaviours, although their effects on anthropometric outcomes are generally modest. Interventions addressing multiple determinants and involving key settings such as families, schools and communities appear more likely to achieve meaningful and sustained effects. Translating evidence from controlled studies into effective, scalable real-world strategies remains a major challenge. Contextual factors, sustainability, stakeholder engagement and policy support play a critical role in determining intervention success. In this context, systems-oriented and participatory approaches offer promising opportunities to design coordinated, multilevel strategies. Future efforts should focus on early-life prevention, equity-oriented actions and the integration of scientific evidence into public policies to achieve sustainable population-level impact.

Late HIV diagnosis increases morbidity and mortality. In this retrospective cohort study on the national HIV register, we analysed risk factors for late HIV diagnosis among newly registered people living with HIV (PLWH) between 2008 and 2023, using the updated definition. Of 2683 PLWH registered, 1813 (67.6%) were newly diagnosed with CD4+ T-cell count available ≤90 days for 1572 (86.7%). Eighty-seven of the 609 (14.3%) individuals with CD4+ T-cell count <350/μL had recent infections and were reclassified as non-late. Of the newly diagnosed, 50.3% were diagnosed late. Multivariable analysis identified higher age as an independent risk factor for late diagnosis (adjusted OR 1.42 per ten years, 95% CI 1.30–1.56). Of the Finnish-born, females had lower odds than males (aOR 0.59, 95% CI 0.39–0.88). Asian-born (aOR 6.83, 95% CI 3.49–13.35) and African-born females (aOR 3.26, 95% CI 1.58–6.73) had significantly higher odds than Finnish-born females. In urban municipalities, men who have sex with men had lower odds than individuals with heterosexual transmission (aOR 0.55, 95% CI 0.40–0.76). Higher age was the most important factor for increasing the proportion of late diagnoses. We recommend enhanced testing and risk awareness for older adults and migrants from high-prevalence countries.

The recent study by Aron et al about lithium deficiency and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease provides a valuable explanatory framework for understanding how very small doses of lithium, delivered via environmental exposure, can exert neuroprotective effects. It also contains results which will need to be reconciled with foundational chemistry and existing evidence and which could be potentially misleading. The suggestion that lithium orotate (LiO) exhibits benefits relative to the more traditionally used lithium carbonate (LiC) requires further scrutiny in light of the following arguments: (a) no study has demonstrated the presence of stable LiO in physiological fluids; (b) acid–base chemistry predicts that LiO will be largely protonated in the stomach, causing it to dissociate and be absorbed as Li+; (c) experimental studies indicate that LiO and LiC have comparable pharmacokinetics after oral administration; and (d) previous research has shown that LiC also has neuroprotective effects, including at very low doses. Disproportionate focus on a specific lithium salt could have safety implications and may distract from answering fundamental questions about the effects of very low doses of lithium. More experiments are needed to provide evidence of a stable LiO complex in physiological fluids before this becomes the main form of lithium in future clinical trials.

Self-harm and suicide are major public health concerns and leading causes of mortality worldwide, highlighting a pressing need for policymakers to identify and implement cost-effective interventions. This systematic review (PROSPERO registration #CRD42023460339) followed the PRISMA guidelines and aimed to synthesize the available cost-effectiveness evidence for the prevention of self-harm and suicide. Systematic searches were performed in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Econlit, and ProQuest to identify full economic evaluations and return-on-investment studies on preventive interventions for self-harm and suicide published up to January 15, 2026. Methodological quality was assessed using Drummond’s 10-item checklist, and findings were synthesized narratively. A total of 69 eligible studies evaluated 22 types of interventions: three universal, five selective, five indicated, and nine multi-level. Most studies were rated as high-quality (n = 61/69) and conducted in high-income countries (HICs) (n = 63/69), primarily assessing the cost-effectiveness of universal interventions like means restriction (n = 6), selective and indicated interventions like psychotherapy (n = 30), support services (n = 15), and medication (n = 5). Evidence consistently found that interventions for self-harm and suicide prevention were generally cost-effective or cost-saving. Strong evidence supported the cost-effectiveness of several universal (e.g. awareness training), selective (e.g. psychotherapy, support services), indicated (e.g. suicide risk screening, support services, psychotherapy for adults in HICs like Australia, US, Canada), and multi-level interventions. However, more economic evaluations are needed for interventions targeting older adults and children in all countries, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where evidence is lacking.

It is well-known that physical exercise brings a range of benefits for physical and mental health. This review specifically considers the impact of physical activity on mental health and focuses on the increasing knowledge of the neurobiological actions of exercise. It outlines the effects of stressors on physiology and, consequently, mental health and explores the concept of neuroplasticity. It assesses the wide-ranging evidence from animal and human studies consistent with exercise modulating neuroplasticity processes, such as stimulation of long-term potentiation, synaptic growth and neurogenesis. Mechanisms underpinning these effects are presented: stimulation of angiogenesis, production of neurotrophic factors, modulation of stress and inflammatory responses, metabolic adaptation and epigenetic modification. Finally, the relevance of the evidence base to clinical practice is considered. In particular, it is noted that discussion of these positive impacts of exercise on ‘brain health’ may increase motivation to participate in physical activity in some patients.

State anxiety contributes to the nocebo effect, which is a factor in socially transmissible symptoms (pain, mood, medication side-effects) and conditions. This guest editorial suggests that the nocebo effect, through negative expectations of poor functioning, contributes to the social transmission of anxiety disorders with anxiety acting as both input and output.

The debate on euthanasia for mental suffering in young people in The Netherlands has become highly polarised, with a novel, apparently epidemiological argument taking centre stage: that psychiatric euthanasia is necessary to prevent suicide. This article evaluates that claim. Using data from 353 young applicants (annual suicide risk 2.9%) and optimistic assumptions (80% sensitivity and specificity), the number needed to treat was 10 and the number needed to harm 9. Thus, ten youths would need to undergo assisted dying to prevent one suicide, and nine would die without a preventive purpose having been served. Empirically and ethically, the prevention argument does not appear to hold; real prevention requires other, previously well-debated factors such as relational continuity, trauma-informed care and social inclusion in response to mental suffering.

Aligned with the increasing trend observed across the EU/EEA, congenital syphilis (CS) cases have risen in Portugal, which has the third highest rate per 100000 live births in the EU/EEA. This study aimed to analyse CS cases reported in Portugal, focusing on pregnancy monitoring and antenatal screening to identify gaps in preventing vertical transmission of syphilis. We conducted a descriptive study, including confirmed CS cases reported in Portugal from 2015 to 2024. We calculated annual incidence per 100000 live births and the proportion of pregnancies monitored and antenatal screenings performed. During 2015–2024, 99 confirmed CS cases were reported, 64.6% in infants under 1 month of age. The incidence of CS increased eightfold from 2016 to 2024. Among mothers of CS cases, 67.7% had pregnancies classified as monitored; of these, 77.6% had a record of antenatal screening, and 88.5% of those screened tested positive. These findings highlight potential fragilities in antenatal care, diagnosis and treatment, contributing to the resurgence of CS in Portugal. Addressing missed opportunities for prevention requires improving maternal healthcare, strengthening surveillance systems, and ensuring the timely treatment of pregnant people and their partners, in order to reverse this trend and move towards the elimination of vertical transmission of syphilis.

Sophie Legros1 is an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Methodology of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She holds a PhD from the Department of International Development at the LSE. Her research explores changes in social norms shaping work, care and security in gang-controlled neighbourhoods in Medellín, Colombia, and the methods best suited to capture those dynamics.

Williams et al identify key components of Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services (small care coordinator caseloads, clozapine use and physical healthcare) to improve outcomes. Translating these components into clinical high-risk services could strengthen preventive psychiatry, alongside dedicated funding and integration with EIP for a unified early detection/intervention pathway.

En 2021, avec l’adoption de la Loi modernisant le régime de santé et de sécurité du travail, le législateur québécois a introduit l’obligation pour tous les employeurs de prévenir les risques psychosociaux du travail (RPS). Le présent texte brossera un portrait de l’architecture du droit qui prend en compte les RPS du travail et leurs effets. Les autrices et auteur du texte mettront ensuite en dialogue les résultats de leur recherche respective, lesquelles traitent toutes de la santé mentale au travail, afin d’interroger l’effectivité du droit entourant la prise en charge des RPS. Ce texte sera l’occasion d’étudier le rôle, la marge de manœuvre et les pouvoirs de certains acteurs du monde du travail (gestionnaires, syndicats, organismes administratifs). Y seront détaillés des exemples de bonnes pratiques de même que les limites du cadre législatif, les défis qui demeurent et les perspectives d’amélioration en vue d’assurer un encadrement exhaustif et effectif des RPS.

We propose a bio-psycho-socio-anthropological (BPSA) model that mainstreams cultural formulation and power-aware practice across training, interventions and evaluation. Contrasting it with transcultural and community models, we show UK examples where embedding cultural insight in statutory decisions reduced detentions and improved engagement, aligning with national equality priorities.