Examining the paradox of urban disease ecology by linking the perspectives of Urban One Health and Ecology with Cities

Urban-rural disparities in depressive symptoms and related factors among offspring of advanced maternal mothers: A national cross-sectional study in China

BACKGROUND

Urbanization remains an important factor affecting the mental health of people. Currently, there is insufficient research on depression among the offspring of women who have children at an advanced maternal age (AMA). The objective of this study is to investigate the urban and rural disparities in depressive symptoms among the offspring of AMA and related influencing factors.

METHODS

In this study, a total of 1273 offspring born to AMA were selected from the fourth wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database. The questionnaire used in the study included demographic information and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD). Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis were employed to examine the urban-rural differences.

RESULTS

The likelihood of developing depressive symptoms of the offspring of AMA in rural areas was 1.633 times higher (AOR = 1.633; 95%CI: 1.211-2.202) compared to their urban counterparts. Several factors including gender, education, marital status, disability, chronic diseases, and sleep duration showed a linkage with depression among rural based offspring of AMA. For the urban offspring of AMA, only disability and sleep duration exhibited a significant association with depressive symptoms.

LIMITATIONS

This study cannot establish a causal relationship between depressive symptoms and the influencing factors for the offspring of AMA. Age range and variables of the respondents needs further consideration.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has brought to light the elevated risk of depressive symptoms among rural-based offspring of AMA. Thus, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted interventions and measures to address the negative impact.

A spatial analysis of urban gulls contribution to the potential spread of zoonotic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Wildlife human interactions within cities are becoming more common with consequences for pathogen transmission and human health. Large gulls are opportunistic feeders, adapted to coexist with humans in urban environments, and are potential vectors for spread and transmission of pathogens, including antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. We investigated the potential role that urban gulls play in the spread and dispersal of these bacteria. We analysed 129 faecal swabs from yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) of different ages (56 adults and 73 immatures) during the breeding period from three years in the highly populated city of Barcelona (northeastern Spain). Thirteen individuals tested positive for the pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni), including antibiotic-resistant strains. We modelled the potential spatial spread of pathogens using the GPS trajectories of 58 yellow-legged gulls (23 adults, 35 immature individuals), which included the thirteen individuals that tested positive for pathogenic bacteria. By overlapping the spatially explicit pathogen dispersal maps with the distribution of urban installations sensitive at risk of possible pathogen spillover (e.g. elder and medical centres, markets, food industries, kindergartens, or public water sources), we identified potential areas at risk of pathogen spillover. Pathogens may be potentially spread to municipalities beyond Barcelona city borders. The results revealed that immature gulls dispersed pathogens over larger areas than adults (maximum dispersal distances of 167 km versus 53.2 km, respectively). Recreational urban water sources were the most sensitive habitats visited by GPS-tagged gulls that tested positive, followed by schools. Combining GPS movement data with pathogen analytics allows spatially explicit maps to be generated using a One Health approach that can help urban and public health management within large cities, such as Barcelona, and identify areas used by humans that are sensitive to pathogen spillover from gulls.