Wipfli H, Kim A, Alonyo C, Guy K, Fabian A, Gillis S, Wipfli R, Tumuhimbise P, Odur K. The Uganda youth public health ambassador program: a community-based public health initiative. Frontiers in Public Health, 2025, Vol 13. DOI.10.3389/fpubh.2025.1640598. FULL TEXT ABSTRACT Background: In 2020, the Global Research, Implementation, and Training (GRIT) Lab at the University of Southern California was forced to quickly shift its large community-based youth public health trainin

Musasizi E, Wipfli H, Arinaitwe J, Atuyambe L, Guy K, Kusolo R, Rutebemberwa E, Guwatudde D. Full Text Tobacco use is a significant public health problem, especially among People Living with HIV (PLWH) yet evidence on its prevalence and multi-level drivers in Uganda remains limited. This study assessed the prevalence and multilevel drivers of tobacco use among PLWH in two regions in northern Uganda.

Tucker J, Arinaitwe J, Goma F, Atuyambe L, Guwatudde D,5 Phiri MM, Rutebemberwa E, Wabwire-Mangen F, Zulu R, Zyambo C, Guy K, Kusolo R, Mukupa M, Musasizi E, Wipfli H. Full Text Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and short messaging service (SMS)-based tobacco cessation interventions have demonstrated efectiveness in reducing tobacco use in many populations, but evidence is needed on which tailored treatments are most efcacious in meeting the complex medical and psychosocial

This study aims to examine experiences and drivers of cancer stigma and their associations with access to care.

Atuyambe LM, Etajak S, Walyawula F, Kasasa S, Nyabigambo A, Bazeyo W, Wipfli H, Samet JM, Berhane KT. Full Text Abstract Background Air pollution is a known risk factor for non-communicable diseases that causes substantial premature death globally. Rapid urban growth, burning of biomass and solid waste, unpaved sections of the road network, rising numbers of vehicles, some with highly polluting engines, contribute to the poor air quality in Kampala. Objective To provide evide

Laestadius L, Vassey J, Kim M, Ozga J, Li D, Stanton C, Wipfli H, Unger JB. Tob Control. 2 022 Sep 28:tc-2022-057657. doi: 10.1136/tc-2022-057657. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36171148. Full Text Concept naming of flavours is popular among e-liquid manufacturers. Rather than explicitly stating a taste or smell, these names convey aesthetics or sensations (eg, unicorn, frostbite, roadhouse), as well as positive health and lifestyle experiences (eg, relaxed, blissful). Concept na

Drowning is a major cause of death in Uganda, especially among young adults with water-based occupations and livelihoods. Information about

Donaldson SI, Beard TA, Trinh J, Jaladanki S, Unger JB, Galimov A, Wipfli H, Allem JP. Full Text Online e-cigarette retailers use e-mail communications to promote products directly to consumers, which may facilitate e-cigarette use. Little is known about the content of these e-mails. As such, this study collected e-mails from online e-cigarette retailers in California to conduct a content analysis.

Wipfli H, Arinaitwe J, Goma F, Atuyambe L, Guwatudde D, Phiri MM, Rutebemberwa E, Wabwire-Mangen F, Zulu R, Zyambo C, Guy K, Kusolo R, Mukupa M, Musasizi E, Tucker JS. A phone-based tobacco use cessation program for people living with HIV in Uganda and Zambia: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2024 Jan 19;19(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s13722-024-00438-w. PMID: 38243301; PMCID: PMC10797805. Full Text

Wipfli H, Guy K, Kim A, Tumuhimbise P, Odur K; Lira Youth Public Health Ambassadors. Adolescent mental health in post-conflict communities: results from a cross-sectional survey in Northern Uganda. Confl Health. 2023 Nov 2;17(1):52. doi: 10.1186/s13031-023-00549-2. PMID: 37919822; PMCID: PMC10623748. ABSTRACT Purpose: This study evaluated adolescents' mental health their knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about mental health conditions, and their access to critical mental heal

Tatum Z, Leventhal A, Wipfli HL. Tobacco Control 2024;33:693-694. Abstract Vaping device technology and appearance have transformed from cigarette lookalikes to mod devices, to the discreet and colourful designs of JUUL and its many offshoots. Recent innovations in vaping devices include those that resemble miniature toys, including soda bottles, snow cones and popsicles ( figures 1–3 ). These products piggy-back on the popularity of toy miniatures, driven by TikTok and other

Cwalina SN, Ihenacho U, Barker J, Smiley SL, Pentz MA, Wipfli H. Tobacco Control 2023;32:381-384. Full Text The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) applies the Population Health Standard in tobacco product review processes by weighing anticipated health benefits against risks associated with a given commercial tobacco product at the population level. However, systemic racism (ie, discriminatory policies and practices) contributes to an inequitable distribution of tobacco-re

Donaldson S, Beard T, Unger J, Wipfli H, Galimov A, Wipfli H, Allem JP. Tobacco Control. Published Online First: 29 August 2023. doi: 10.1136/tc-2023-058000 Full Text Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) brands and vendors use websites to promote pro-tobacco messages that may increase susceptibility to use e-cigarettes among never users or help sustain continued e-cigarette use among current users. E-cigarette website marketing is lightly regulated, and little is known about pr

Kim AJ, Guy K, Tumuhimbise P, Odur K, Wipfli H, et al. J Community Med Health Educ 12:794.

Matt GE, Greiner L, Record R, Wipfli H, et al. Tobacco Control. Published Online First: 01 June 2023. doi:10.1136/tc-2023-057971 Full Text Starting in the 1970s, individuals, businesses and the public have increasingly benefited from policies prohibiting smoking indoors, saving thousands of lives and billions of dollars in healthcare expenditures. Smokefree policies to protect against secondhand smoke exposure, however, do not fully protect the public from the persistent and

Donaldson S, Beard T, Trinh J, Jaladanki S, Unger J, Galimov A, Wipfli H, Allem JP. Full Text E-cigarette use among adolescents has been considered a global public health concern. To prevent youth access to flavored e-cigarette products, California enacted Senate Bill (SB) 793 on December 21, 2022, prohibiting the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, while exempting hookah, premium cigars, and loose-leaf tobacco. This survey study examined attempted

S idhu AK*, Pednekar MS, Fong GT, Gupta PC, Quah ACK, Unger J, Sussman S, Sood N, Wipfli H, Valente T. BMC Public Health . 2022 Sep 13;22(1):1738. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-14112-w. Full Text Previous research in high-income countries (HICs) has shown that smokers reduce their cognitive dissonance through two types of justifications over time: risk minimizing and functional beliefs. To date, however, the relationship between these justifications and smoking behaviors over time

Wipfli H, Kumie A, Atuyambe L, Oguge O, Rugigana E, Zacharias K, Simane B, Samet J, Berhane K. GeoHealth. 2021 June; 5(6). doi: 10.1029/2021GH000406. Externalities, such as air pollution and increased occupational hazards, resulting from global trends in climate change, rapid industrialization, and rapidly increasing populations are raising global concerns about the associated health risks. The Global Environmental and Occupational Health Hub for Eastern Africa was establishe

Wipfli H, Kim M, Vassey J*, Stanton C. Tobacco Control. 2022 Apr 26:tobaccocontrol-2021-057195. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-057195. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35474025. Full Text Anime, or Japanese animation which combines graphic art, characterisation and cinematography, is experiencing a global boom after having doubled its market size over the past decade. The industry was valued at $23.5 billion in 2020 and is continuing to grow rapidly. Anime is popular among adolesc

St.Claire, S, Kia J, Alobo W, Wipfli RW, Wipfli W.1.   Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health . 2020 March. 4:175. DOI: 10.29011/2577-2228.100075. Full Text