Wannian Liang

Background: The aim of the study is to investigate the characteristics of co‐disabilities among older adults with physical disabilities (PDs) in China in 1987 and 2006, and the correlation between other co‐occurring disabilities and the presence and severity of PD among the older adults. Methods: The study is a cross‐sectional comparative study. The data were derived from the first and second China National Sample Survey on Disability. Case counts and prevalence rates were used to compare the characteristics of PD and “co‐disabilities comprising PD and other disabilities” (CdPDD) in these two surveys. The binary logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation. Results: (1) From 1987 to 2006, the age‐standardized prevalence rates of PD, sole PD, and CdPDD among older adults in China all increased, and these increases were more pronounced in rural older adults. (2) In both years, co‐disabilities involving PD and hearing‐speech disability had the highest percentage distribution and age‐standardized prevalence rate, accounting for more than 60%, and this pattern was consistent in both urban and rural older adults. (3) Speech and intellectual disabilities were consistently associated with higher odds of PD and moderate‐to‐severe PD in both the overall sample and the urban–rural subgroup analyses. (4) Co‐disabilities involving PD and mental disability showed a marked increase over time in both urban and rural older adults, particularly for multiple‐CdPDD. Conclusions: PD and CdPDD among older adults in China increased markedly from 1987 to 2006, especially in rural areas. Hearing‐speech‐related co‐disabilities remained the dominant pattern, while mental‐related co‐disabilities increased most rapidly. The associations of different co‐occurring disability types with PD and moderate‐to‐severe PD varied. In the short term, priority should be given to identifying high‐risk co‐disability combinations and strengthening screening, referral, rehabilitation follow‐up, and continuity of care, particularly in rural areas. In the longer term, a more integrated co‐disability management framework is needed to better connect rehabilitation, mental health, primary healthcare, and long‐term care services. Greater use of the co‐disability rate indicator may also help guide priority setting and service planning.

Women in China bear a disproportionate burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), but limited evidence is available on whether different health insurance schemes are associated with chronic disease management behaviours. To examine the association between insurance type and chronic disease management behaviors among insured Chinese women with NCDs. We used data from a national cross-sectional online survey of approximately 7,000 women conducted in 31 provinces in China from 1 June to 20 August 2025 by the Institute for Health China Studies, Tsinghua University. Linear probability models with robust standard errors were used to estimate the associations between insurance type and three chronic disease management behaviours: medication adherence, lifestyle intervention, and health surveillance. Dietary regularity and health-product purchases were examined as spillover outcomes. Among survey respondents, 1,101 insured women aged 17–70 years reported at least one physician-diagnosed NCD. Compared with Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) enrollees, women covered by the government-funded medical subsidy program (GovMed) had a higher probability of medication adherence (β = 0.116, 95% CI: −0.003 to 0.236), whereas Urban–Rural Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URRMI) enrollees did not differ significantly (β = −0.026, 95% CI: −0.101 to 0.049). After adjustment, differences across schemes in lifestyle intervention and health surveillance were small and not statistically significant. Menopausal heterogeneity was concentrated in medication adherence: among post-menopausal women, GovMed enrollees had a 36.4-percentage-point higher probability of medication adherence than UEBMI enrollees (β = 0.364, 95% CI: 0.219 to 0.509). Supplementary commercial insurance was positively associated with health surveillance, but not with medication adherence or lifestyle intervention. Insurance-related differences in dietary regularity were weak and not statistically robust. Insurance-related differences in chronic disease management among Chinese women with NCDs are most evident for medication adherence, particularly among post-menopausal women. Broader self-management behaviours appear less responsive to scheme differences.

Background: Rehabilitation is a critical method for preventing and controlling disabilities. However, the majority of the global demand for rehabilitation services remains unmet, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to explore the complex and concealed stratified relationships between socioeconomic status and the utilization of rehabilitation services among older persons with physical disabilities (PD) from gender and age perspectives. Methods: A total of 19,782 observations of older persons with PD were included from the 2007–2013 China National Disabled Persons Condition Monitoring data. This study employs a multiplicative interaction effect model based on logistic regression to analyze the differential association between individual socioeconomic status and the utilization of rehabilitation services, considering gender and age. Results: From a gender perspective, the positive correlations between high income, high education and the utilization of rehabilitation services are smaller in males (high income: OR = 0.801, 95% CI 0.653–0.983; high education: OR = 0.679, 95% CI 0.433–1.066). From an age perspective, the positive correlation between high income and the utilization of rehabilitation services is greater among middle- to oldest-old individuals with PD (OR = 1.310, 95% CI 1.077–1.593). Conclusion: There are structural gender and age differences in the relationship between the socioeconomic status of older persons with PD and their utilization of rehabilitation services. It is recommended to enhance financial subsidies for rehabilitation services and implement tiered payment structures for low-income groups to alleviate their financial burden. To mitigate gender disparities in healthcare, efforts should focus on increasing awareness of rehabilitation services within health education programs, with community health workers playing a more active role in identifying and assisting those in need. Furthermore, strengthening support for family caregiving and integrating medical and nursing services within the framework of long-term care insurance are essential. Additionally, efforts should be made to the development of preventive rehabilitation programs and the establishment of a multi-tiered integrated rehabilitation system that ensures access to basic services for low-income populations and provides premium options to accommodate diverse needs.

Primary healthcare (PHC) plays an important role in the healthcare system, yet the shortage of qualified primary healthcare physician (PHP) restricts the quality of diagnostic and treatment services provided by PHC institutions. The rapid development and prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) offer a solution to this challenge. Existing research primarily focused on two themes: evaluating the performance of AI tools and investigating PHPs’ attitudes and use intention to such AI. There are three main modes used to evaluate the performance of AI tools: evaluation of single AI tool, comparison across different AI tools and comparison between AI tool and physicians. Confusion metrics and examination are two types of indicators primarily used to assess these products. PHPs generally hold positive attitudes and use intentions towards AI tools. According to the technology acceptance model, influential factors of PHPs’ attitudes and use intention can be categorised into usefulness and ease of use. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed in this article, which provides insights for future research and practice to improve AI tools assisting PHPs in diagnostic and treatment tasks and promote AI adoption in PHC.

Cancer is a prevailing cause of mortality worldwide, imposing an immense economic burden on both individual patients and society at large. Existing studies

The rapid detection of abnormal body temperatures in urban populations is essential for managing public health risks, especially during outbreaks of infectious diseases. Multi-drone thermal screening systems offer promising solutions for fast, large-scale and nonintrusive human temperature monitoring. However, trajectory planning for multiple drones in complex urban environments poses significant challenges, including collision avoidance, coverage efficiency, and constrained flight environments. In this study, we propose an enhanced Trust Region Sequential Convex Optimization (TR-SCO) algorithm for optimal trajectory planning of multiple drones performing thermal screening tasks. Our improved algorithm integrates a refined convex optimization formulation within a trust region framework, effectively balancing trajectory smoothness, obstacle avoidance, altitude constraints and maximum screening coverage. Simulation results demonstrate that our approach significantly improves trajectory optimality and computational efficiency compared to conventional convex optimization methods. This research provides critical insights and practical contributions toward deploying efficient multi-drone systems for real-time thermal screening in urban areas.

In post-disaster scenarios, rapid and efficient delivery of medical resources is critical and challenging due to severe damage to infrastructure. To provide an optimized solution, we propose a cooperative trajectory optimization and task allocation framework leveraging unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). This study integrates a Genetic Algorithm (GA) for efficient task allocation among multiple UAVs and UGVs, and employs an informed-RRT* (Rapidly-exploring Random Tree Star) algorithm for collision-free trajectory generation. Further optimization of task sequencing and path efficiency is conducted using Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES). Simulation experiments conducted in a realistic post-disaster environment demonstrate that our proposed approach significantly improves the overall efficiency of medical rescue operations compared to traditional strategies. Specifically, our method reduces the total mission completion time to 26.7 min for a 15-task scenario, outperforming K-means clustering and random allocation by over 73%. Furthermore, the framework achieves a substantial 15.1% reduction in total traveled distance after CMA-ES optimization. The cooperative utilization of UAVs and UGVs effectively balances their complementary advantages, highlighting the system’s scalability and practicality for real-world deployment.

Background Hypertension represents a major public health challenge globally, with a rising prevalence in China. This study aims to explore the factors shaping blood pressure (BP) control among hypertensive patients managed in community health centres (CHCs), with a particular emphasis on the association with age. Methods This was a population-based, observational study that used healthcare records from CHC in Shenzhen, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 8 October 2024. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to assess the independent associations of various factors with BP control rate. Additionally, the study evaluated the relationship between age and BP control across six distinct age subgroups. Results The study included 1 073 914 participants who met the eligibility criteria, with 955 415 (88.97%) patients achieving BP control. The median baseline age was 55.9 (IQR 18–109) years. Individuals aged 45 years and above demonstrated better BP control rates (46–55, OR 1.053, 95% CI 1.020 to 1.087; 56–65, OR 1.246, 95% CI 1.205 to 1.289; 66–75, OR 2.183, 95% CI 2.103 to 2.265; >75, OR 2.159, 95% CI 2.060 to 2.262). Among young adults aged 18–35 years, increasing age was consistently associated with poorer BP control across most subgroups. For the middle-aged groups (36–45 and 46–65 years), age had little impact on BP control. In the 66–75 years age range, older age was linked to better BP control in some groups. Conclusion The association between age and BP control varied across age groups. Hypertension management strategies should be tailored to address the unique needs of different age groups, geographical regions and targeted populations.