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Abstract Background The Zindagi Mehfooz Electronic Immunization Registry (ZM-EIR) has improved immunization coverage tracking in Sindh, Pakistan. However, to address missed vaccinations in underserved areas, the government launched the Big Catch-up campaign (BCU). Integrating ZM-EIR data with geospatial techniques allows for assessing and tracking immunization services in these areas. This study evaluates the impact of BCU campaign on immunization coverage, spatial disparities and track vaccinators’ reach by leveraging geospatial techniques. Methods We analyzed Penta-1 and Measles-1 vaccination data of children aged 0-5 years from October 21 to December 16, 2024, categorized into routine immunization (October 21-November 18) and BCU campaign (November 19-December 16) periods. Using geospatial analysis, we identified low coverage areas, compared immunization coverage, and assessed proximity to nearest immunization centers during both periods. Results Comparison showed a significant increase of 49.8% (230,967/464,140) in total coverage, with Penta-1 and Measles-1 coverage increased by 59.1% (129,531/219,033) and 41.4% (101,436/245,107), respectively. Additionally, with implementation of targeted strategies on identified hotspot results showed noticeable coverage improvement. 20 out of 30 districts had coverage below 31%, based on the BCU target, which improved by more than 50% during the BCU campaign. The mean distance from nearest immunization center to immunization event was 0.33 km higher for BCU outreach in contrast to routine outreach, reflecting slight expansion of outreach efforts during BCU campaign. Conclusions This study shows significant impact of BCU campaign's on low coverage areas. The findings reveal significant increases in Penta-1 and Measles-1 vaccinations and highlight spatial disparities in immunization access. Geospatial techniques proved useful in identifying underserved areas and tracking outreach efforts, supporting effective immunization strategies. Key messages • The big Catch-Up campaign increased immunization in Sindh, coverage increased by 59.1% for Penta-1 and 41.4% for Measles-1, showing significant increase in low performing districts. • Geospatial analysis with integrating ZM-EIR data allow to identify underserved areas and track outreach services, aiding more targeted and effective immunization strategies.

The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the United States had significant disparities with Black, Hispanic, and other historically marginalized populations experiencing lower vaccination rates compared to white residents. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded Prevention Research Centers across the country to establish the Vaccine Confidence Network. The Harvard Prevention Research Center (HPRC) partnered with community-based organizations (CBOs) in three of the hardest-hit cities in Massachusetts. CBOs implemented a community health ambassador model, hiring community members who leveraged their skills and connections to conduct tailored vaccine outreach. The HPRC team provided financial and technical support, developing outreach materials that kept up with continuously shifting COVID-19 guidance. We used a mixed-methods evaluation to assess outreach activities through surveys tracking the number of individuals reached and semi-structured interviews with health ambassadors on their experiences. Over ten months, health ambassadors conducted vaccine outreach in a wide range of places like bus stops, school welcome centers, grocery stores, and community events and reached a variety of populations including immigrants, parents of younger children, African Americans, and more. Ambassadors interviewed reflected positive experiences with vaccine outreach, as it increased their confidence in understanding public health data and engaging with people about public health issues. This study emphasizes the value of partnering with community organizations to effectively engage diverse populations and highlights the potential for building local public health capacity through community health ambassadors to address future health challenges.

We examined the impact of COVID-19 on Black barbershops and their potential role as public health extenders. A 30-item survey was distributed to predominantly Black barbershop owners and barbers across 40 different states/territories in the US between June and October 2020. The survey addressed the impact of COVID-19 on Black barbershops, and barbers’ interest in engaging in health outreach programs. The majority reported that stay-at-home orders had significant to severe impact on their business; few were prepared for the financial impact and less than half thought they qualified for government assistance. The majority were already providing health education and outreach to the Black community and showed interest in continuing to provide such services, like information on COVID-19. Barbers in Black-serving barbershops, a well-documented effective place for public health outreach to the Black community, show promise as public health extenders in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Research outreach activities aim to communicate specific research findings to non-specialist audiences. In recent years, commercial outreach services have emerged that offer fee-based assistance in transforming research findings into accessible reader-friendly content, including multimedia content, and promotional material aimed at broader audiences. They may also publish the content on their own platforms, such as magazines or websites, to further enhance research visibility and dissemination. The experiences associated with these services are poorly understood. This study examined the motivation for use, challenges, and perceived value of commercial services for research outreach among researchers. Methods: An online questionnaire surveyed researchers who had published with two commercial services, ResearchOutreach.org or ResearchFeatures.com, between January 2022 and February 2024, yielding 104 responses (20% response rate). Results: Most respondents used commercial services to increase their research visibility and reach a broader audience. Factors influencing researchers’ decision to use commercial services included convenience, professionalism, broad audience access, and insufficient university outreach support.Most respondents (91.5%) were satisfied with the representation of their research, and about half faced no challenges. One-third said they would recommend the service; however, issues like content quality, time consumption, and high costs were noted. Interestingly, a third of the participants paid personally, and around 67% reported no significant impact from the publication on their work. Discussion: While commercial outreach services can enhance research visibility, their cost-effectiveness and impact vary. A significant portion of researchers reported little to no tangible benefits from these services, which raises concerns about their cost-effectiveness and the accuracy of marketing claims. Conclusion: This study reveals a mix of positive and negative experiences with commercial outreach services, which highlights that their usefulness depends on individual circumstances and expectations. Concerns around cost and effectiveness persist. More transparent evaluations are needed. Collaboration between institutions and service providers might help support effective research dissemination and ensure equitable access to outreach resources.

Societal Impact Statement “Plant blindness” is the cause of several problems that have plagued botany outreach and education for over a hundred years. The general public largely does not notice plants in their environment and therefore do not appreciate how important they are to the biosphere and society. Recently, concerns have been raised that the term “plant blindness” is problematic due to the fact that it is a disability metaphor and equates a disability with a negative trait. In this Brief Report, I place the term “plant blindness” into historical context through a short literature review on the subject and follow this with why the term has been criticized for its ableism. I then propose a more appropriate term to replace plant blindness: plant awareness disparity (PAD) and explain why it both addresses the problems with “plant blindness” while keeping the original reasoning behind the term intact. “Plant blindness” is the cause of several problems that have plagued botany outreach and education for over a hundred years. The general public largely does not notice plants in their environment and therefore do not appreciate how important they are to the biosphere and society. Recently, concerns have been raised that the term “plant blindness” is problematic due to the fact that it is a disability metaphor and equates a disability with a negative trait. In this Brief Report, I place the term “plant blindness” into historical context through a short literature review on the subject and follow this with why the term has been criticized for its ableism. I then propose a more appropriate term to replace plant blindness: plant awareness disparity (PAD) and explain why it both addresses the problems with “plant blindness” while keeping the original reasoning behind the term intact.

Purpose The UN proclamation of 2005–2014 as the decade of education for sustainable development has been instrumental in creating awareness and driving higher education institutions (HEIs) in integrating sustainability into their system. The purpose of this paper is to explore and encapsulate practices adopted by universities and colleges across the globe in integrating sustainability in education (here refers to curriculum and pedagogy), research, campus operations and outreach programs. Design/methodology/approach The review analyzed 229 peer-reviewed research studies in the time period 2005–2018 selected from 44 journals. The literature review was done in phases. The first phase was the selection of the database, the second phase was refining the database by eliminating irrelevant studies and the last phase was distributing selected studies on the basis of the journal, year and country of publication, research paradigm, sustainability integration in higher education, teaching techniques adopted by HEIs and research focus in publications. Findings This study contributes to the literature review of sustainability in higher education. From the literature review, it is evident that sustainability has made inroads into HEIs, but only a few universities have been successful in implementing it holistically, integrating all the triple bottom line dimensions in balance. Practical implications The study has practical implications for HEIs planning to integrate sustainability into teaching and learning and other aspects of educational practices. The findings and the examples of successful implementation of sustainable education by institutions around the world would help universities and colleges in formulating policies, strategies and practices that would promote sustainability on campuses. Originality/value The literature reviews on sustainability in higher education so far have focused either on curricula, pedagogical approaches, assessment and reporting or barriers and solutions. This study attempts to offer a comprehensive view of the initiatives adopted by the institutions in incorporating sustainability in education, research, campus operations and outreach programs.

Nutrition plays a critical role in cancer care. Malnutrition occurs in up to 80% of cancer patients (1). Negative outcomes of malnutrition include longer hospital admissions, higher infection rates, decreased tolerance to treatment, and increased mortality. Beyond cancer care, nutrition plays a vital role in reducing the risk of chronic diseases, managing illness, and weight management to improve overall quality of life. Oncology nurses play a pivotal role in identifying patients' nutritional challenges and referring to appropriate clinicians and outreach programs. This abstract will explore the impact and effectiveness of virtual clinical nutrition outreach programs. Our virtual nutrition outreach programs are currently targeting 2 different audiences. The Virtual Survivorship Wellness Series was designed for cancer survivors, not in active treatment, to address long term nutrition and reducing risk of recurrence with lifestyle and behavior change. The Virtual Wellness Series is a larger outreach effort to improve nutrition and wellness in our community. Engaging participants to improve dietary habits encourages them to take ownership of their own health. By providing virtual programs the nutrition team can cover a larger geographic area, including rural areas, work around busy schedules, and increase participation over in-person programs. The virtual survivorship wellness series is offered twice annually, an hour weekly for six weeks, and the virtual wellness series is a 30-minute session monthly, alternating between webinar-style lunch and learns or teaching kitchens. A 10-question survey was emailed to all participants for any of the events offered between August 2022 and August 2023. The survey questions assessed changes in dietary habits pre and post virtual nutrition education. 76% of respondents reported improvements in at least one category. Notably, the most improvement was seen in overall diet and frequency of physical activity. Results of the survey show an overall improvement in healthy lifestyle habits from participating in virtual nutrition outreach programs. Of note, the original sample size was relatively small with 17 of 60 surveys returned. In the future, it may be worth examining findings over a longer period, thus increasing the number of respondents.