Melanie Boeckmann

Universität Bremen | Uni Bremen · Faculty 11: Human and Health Sciences

Background: Extreme heat is an important public health risk. Climate change will likely increase the temperatures humans are exposed to through exacerbated heat wave intensity and frequency, possibly increasing health risks from heat. To prevent adverse effects on human health, heat prevention plans and climate change adaptation strategies are bei...

High temperatures have periodically affected large areas in Europe and urban settings. In particular, the deadly 2003 summer heat waves precipitated a multitude of national and subnational health prevention and research efforts. Building on these and other international experiences the WHO Regional Office for Europe developed and published in 2008...

Smoking worsens tuberculosis (TB) outcomes. Persons with TB who smoke can benefit from smoking cessation. We report findings of a multi-country qualitative process evaluation assessing barriers and facilitators to implementation of smoking cessation behaviour support in TB clinics in Bangladesh and Pakistan. We conducted semi-structured qualitative...

Summary Background Smoking cessation is important in patients with tuberculosis because it can reduce the high rates of treatment failure and mortality. We aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of cystine as a smoking cessation aid in patients with tuberculosis in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Methods We did a randomised, double-blind, placebo-c...

Taking into account the adverse impacts of climate change on human health, the importance of increasing knowledge and gaining essential skills is necessary to mitigate and adapt to its impacts and protect human health. Researchers and experts are urging for more research in the climate-health nexus, as well as calling for efforts that establish cli...

Background In 2005, the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) entered into force. This treaty was developed in response to the global tobacco epidemic, and it includes measures to reduce both demand for and supply of tobacco. The measures related to demand reduction include raising tax, providing cessation ser...

Background The perinatal period is an optimal time to intervene for achieving smoking cessation in expectant parents and offers multiple health benefits for women and the newborn. While Behavior Change Technique (BCT) interventions are a promising approach to support pregnant smokers to quit smoking, effectiveness of these interventions among expec...

Objectives To assess the cost-effectiveness of cytisine over and above brief behavioural support (BS) for smoking cessation among patients who are newly diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in low-income and middle-income countries. Design An incremental cost-utility analysis was undertaken alongside a 12-month, double-blind, two-arm, indivi...

The relationship between risks to health equity and climate change is well established, and various international organizations and literature has called for intersectoral action for tackling these issues. While there is a growing recognition of the importance of equity-focused responses to climate change, if and how health equity measures are inco...

Adverse health effects from extreme heat remain a major risk, especially in a changing climate. Several European countries have implemented heat health action plans (HHAPs) to prevent ill health and excess mortality from heat. This paper assesses the state of implementation of HHAPs in the WHO European Region and discusses barriers and successes si...

Purpose There remains a need for a standardized dataset for respiratory studies to accelerate data collection, improve research efficiency and aid the sharing, merging and comparison of datasets. This TORPEDO (Towards Optimum Reporting of Pulmonary Effectiveness Databases and Outcomes) project aimed to develop a checklist of optimum and minimum var...

Links between heat exposure and congenital anomalies have not been explored in detail despite animal data and other strands of evidence that indicate such links are likely. We reviewed articles on heat and congenital anomalies from PubMed and Web of Science, screening 14,880 titles and abstracts in duplicate for articles on environmental heat expos...

Background Concerns about the magnitude of illicit cigarette trade have prevented the Government of Pakistan from increasing tobacco taxes. We estimated the proportion of illicit cigarettes sold in Pakistani cities. Moreover, we compared two methods for collecting cigarette packs and investigated if the illicit cigarette trade equates to tax evasio...

Introduction: Provision of alternate livelihoods to smokeless tobacco (SLT) supply chain (SC) actors can help in curtailing SLT business and its consumption. We explored the reasons for SC actors' engagement in Naswar (SLT used in South Asia) business and their willingness to switch to other alternatives. Methods: We conducted an equal-status co...

INTRODUCTION Tobacco smoking among tuberculosis (TB) patients leads to poorer treatment outcomes. Smoking cessation support should be integrated into routine TB care. We measured healthcare providers' fidelity to a smoking cessation intervention integrated into routine TB care, in Bangladesh and Pakistan. We aimed to understand the role of provider...

Introduction Smokeless tobacco (ST) was consumed by 356 million people globally in 2017. Recent evidence shows that ST consumption is responsible for an estimated 652 494 all-cause deaths across the globe annually. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was negotiated in 2003 and ratified in 2005 to implement effective tobacco contr...

Background Public attitude is a political driver in successful implementation of tobacco control policies. We assessed support for a range of tobacco control policies among smokers in Pakistan. Methods We conducted a household survey among adult smokers in 10 cities of Pakistan, using a twostage random sampling strategy to select households and Kis...

Objective To assess whether exposure to high temperatures in pregnancy is associated with increased risk for preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth. Design Systematic review and random effects meta-analysis. Data sources Medline and Web of Science searched up to September 2018, updated in August 2019. Eligibility criteria for selecting...

Human health and wellbeing and the health of the biosphere are inextricably linked. The state of Earth’s life-support systems, including freshwater, oceans, land, biodiversity, atmosphere, and climate, affect human health. At the same time, human activities are adversely affecting natural systems. This review paper is the outcome of an interdiscipl...

Background Exposure to high ambient temperatures during pregnancy may increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes due to physiological and anatomical changes in pregnancy compromising the ability to thermoregulate. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that assessed associations between ambient heat, and preterm birth, birth...

Objective To obtain insights into the perceptions of barriers and facilitators to implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) among smokeless tobacco (SLT) supply chain actors in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Methods We conducted a qualitative study to investigate the perceptions about SLT control policy...

Introduction Smoking is a substantial cause of premature death in patients with tuberculosis (TB), particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with high TB prevalence. The importance of incorporating smoking cessation and tobacco-dependence treatment (TDT) into TB care is highlighted in the most recent TB care guidelines. Our objective...

Introduction: Smokeless tobacco (SLT) is a significant contributor to tobacco related harm in Pakistan but its control has lags behind that of combustible tobacco. We assessed the compliance of Naswar's (a widely used SLT product in the Southeast Asia) packaging and sales practices with the national legislations and relevant articles of the WHO fr...

Background Waterpipes (WP) have a long tradition in certain regions of the world, and their use has been increasing worldwide. Current data on the use of WP in different subgroups of the German population are missing. Objective To estimate the current prevalence of WP use and associated socio-demographic characteristics, tobacco smoking status and...

Naswar supply chain in Pakistan

Studying Tobacco users Of Pakistan (STOP) is the largest survey of smokers ever conducted in Pakistan. It was conducted between 2019-2020 in the 10 most populous cities in Pakistan. 346 union councils were selected, 97,345 households were approached, 6,014 smokers were randomly selected and interviewed and 8,589 cigarette packs were analysed.

On 11 March 2020, COVID-19 was officially characterized as a pandemic. By this time, the SARS-CoV-2 virus had already spread across continents, causing significant morbidity and mortality, and affecting social and economic systems. The complexities of the impact of COVID-19 call for multidisciplinary to trans-disciplinary research that goes beyond...

Background In South Asia, dual epidemics of smoking and tuberculosis (TB) have contributed to a high burden of lung disease. To address these health risks, the TB & Tobacco study uses the TB diagnosis as a teachable moment and implements a behaviour support counselling intervention, conducted by TB health workers, for patients in Bangladesh, Nepal...

Background Extreme heat events are a major health risk, and their intensity and frequency are expected to increase under climate change. Heat health action plans (HHAP) aim to prevent adverse health effects through measures such as warning systems or communication campaigns. This scoping review asked whether the peer-reviewed Public Health literatu...

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess public acceptance of four possible healthcare policies supporting tobacco dependence treatment in line with the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, Article 14 recommendations in Germany. Design: Cross-sectional household survey. Setting: Data were drawn from the German population and collect...

Background Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are disproportionately impacted by interacting epidemics of tuberculosis (TB) and tobacco consumption. Research indicates behavioural support delivered by health workers effectively promotes tobacco cessation. There is, however, a paucity of training to support LMIC health workers deliver effectiv...

Background The international recruitment and migration of health workers has long been debated in the health policy literature. This study assesses to what extent the ethics of international recruitment are targeted in existing public health peer-reviewed literature, with a focus on concepts and in-depth consideration within articles. It further cr...

Background: Current data on tobacco use are a necessary prerequisite for the study of the implementation of tobacco control measures in the general population. The German Study on Tobacco Use (Deutsche Befragung zum Rauchverhalten, DEBRA) provides previously lacking data on key indicators of smoking behavior and on the consumption of new products...

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health problem in South Asia. Tobacco use increases the risks of TB infection and TB progression. The TB& Tobacco placebo-controlled randomised trial aims to (1) assess the effectiveness of the tobacco cessation medication cytisine versus placebo when combined with behavioural support and...

Smoking prevalence in Germany remains high at approximately 28%. We assessed public support for tobacco legislation and associations between level of support and smoking and socio-demographic characteristics. Data from 2087 people were collected as part of the German Study on Tobacco Use ("DEBRA"): a nationally representative, face-to-face househol...

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health problem in South Asia. Tobacco use increases the risks of TB infection and TB progression. The TB & Tobacco placebo-controlled randomised trial aims to a) assess the effectiveness of the tobacco cessation medication cytisine versus placebo when combined with behavioural support, and...

Background and aims Tuberculosis (TB) patients who quit smoking have much better disease outcomes than those who continue to smoke. Behavioural support combined with pharmacotherapy is the most effective strategy in helping people to quit, in general populations. However, there is no evidence for the effectiveness of this strategy in TB patients wh...

Tabakrauchen und tabakassoziierte Erkrankungen gehören zu den größten vermeidbaren Mortalitätsrisiken. Trotzdem liegt die Prävalenz des Rauchens in Deutschland mit 30% weiterhin auf hohem Niveau. Kontinuierliche Tabakabstinenz kann das Mortalitätsrisiko verringern, ist jedoch aufgrund des hohen Suchtpotenzials des Tabakrauchens ohne Unterstützung n...

Climate change affects human health, and climate change adaptation aims to reduce these risks through infrastructural, behavioral, and technological measures. However, attributing direct human health effects to climate change adaptation is difficult, causing an ethical dilemma between the need for evidence of strategies and their precautionary impl...

Extreme temperature events and global climatic changes may put human health at risk. Urban centers are particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of climate change. Japan is a densely populated and highly urbanized island frequently exposed to natural hazards and heat episodes. Japanese governments and practitioners design heat adaptation strategie...

Mit der Handreichung „Chancengerechtigkeit im Klimawandel“ sollen Akteuren und Akteurinnen aus den Feldern Klimawandel und Chancengerechtigkeit Impulse zur Verknüpfung von Klima und Gender gegeben werden. Dazu werden zunächst die Hauptergebnisse des Projektes in Form von zwölf „Kernbotschaften“ vorgestellt und erläutert. Die Kernbotschaften basiere...

Climate change is a major environmental Public Health issue of the 21st century. Extreme heat and cold, weather events such as flooding or storms, disease vector distribution changes, and increased pathogen loads in water might all put human health at risk. To protect health from inevitable changes, climate change adaptation strategies are implemen...

Climate change puts pressure on existing health vulnerabilities through higher frequency of extreme weather events, changes in disease vector distribution or exacerbated air pollution. Climate change adaptation policies may hold potential to reduce societal inequities. We assessed the role of public health and social justice in European climate cha...

Climate change will likely have impacts on disease vector distribution. Posing a significant health threat in the 21st century, risk of tick-borne diseases may increase with higher annual mean temperatures and changes in precipitation. We modeled the current and future potential distribution of the Ixodes ricinus tick species in Europe. The Genetic...

Das Interventionsprogramm OPTIMAHL 60 plus zielt auf die Optimierung des Ernahrungs- und Bewegungsverhaltens und damit auf die Steigerung der Lebensqualitat und Eigenstandigkeit von Senioren. Im Rahmen dieses Programms wurde eine Beratungshilfe entwickelt, durch die der Konsum von Nahrungsmitteln, die Senioren meist nur in unzureichender Form verze...