JMIR Research Protocols

Mental health conditions impose a significant burden worldwide, often remaining untreated due to multiple demand- and supply-side barriers such as stigma, limited awareness, and poor access to services. Mobile-based interventions offer a scalable solution to address some of these barriers, including low rates of help-seeking. However, most evidence has emerged from high-income countries, with minimal research in the Indian setting, particularly among psychologically distressed individuals not currently seeking treatment.

Few children achieve the recommended daily levels of physical activity. Active school transportation (AST) offers a valuable opportunity to increase children’s physical activity. Initiatives promoting AST in early childhood are important and have the potential to reverse the decline in physical activity.

Children’s leisure time has changed in recent decades—with more time spent on screen media and less time face-to-face with peers—potentially affecting their physical and mental well-being.

Close contacts of individuals with active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) face an elevated risk of TB acquisition, necessitating systematic screening for latent TB infection and subsequent TB preventive treatment (TPT). Major TPT regimens require ≥3 months of drug exposure and demonstrate suboptimal safety profiles, significantly compromising treatment completion rates. Therefore, the development of shorter, safer chemoprophylaxis strategies represents a critical need in global TB control. Among close contacts, school-aged children and adolescents constitute the most vulnerable demographic subgroup, warranting prioritized intervention efforts.

Migraine ranks among the leading causes of disability worldwide. Comorbid depressive symptoms are highly prevalent in patients with migraine and are associated with worsened pain severity, greater migraine-related disability, and poorer migraine prognosis. Despite this burdensome comorbidity, the treatment of these co-occurring disorders has rarely been studied. While mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) shows promise for addressing both migraine-related disability and depressive symptoms, its traditional format—8 weekly 2-hour sessions in person—creates substantial access barriers, particularly for patients who experience frequent debilitating migraine and mood symptoms.

In Vietnam, economically disadvantaged women face compounded risks due to gender inequality, financial instability, and limited access to mental health care. Community health stations (CHSs), the frontline entry point into the health system and the most accessible primary care facilities, typically lack trained mental health providers, further exacerbating an already existing treatment gap. While evidence-based treatments for depression exist, most interventions address either mental health or economic hardship separately, limiting their effectiveness in resource-constrained settings.

Health care professionals play a crucial role in executing, supporting, and assessing quality improvement programs. Clearly defined competencies in health care quality are essential for optimal performance and serve as the foundation for both quality practice and the design of a capacity development program.

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is a common functional problem after sphincter-preserving rectal cancer surgery and includes urgency, frequent bowel movements, clustering, and fecal incontinence. Diverting ileostomy may further disrupt the intestinal environment and alter the gut microbiota, potentially worsening bowel dysfunction after ileostomy closure. However, evidence remains limited on whether bowel stimulation with probiotics before ileostomy closure can improve postoperative bowel function and reduce LARS severity.

Persistent postconcussion symptoms (PPCSs) represent a complex phenomenon following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), and this phenomenon is characterized by a diverse range of symptoms that greatly impact daily functioning, including the ability to engage in physical, cognitive, and social activities. Effective rehabilitation strategies and a nuanced understanding of brain function and patient perception remain insufficiently explored in adults with PPCSs.

Despite the existence of several regional registries in the United Kingdom, gaps in geographic coverage have limited the ability to produce accurate national estimates of incidence, prevalence, and regional variation for motor neuron disease (MND). To address these challenges, a comprehensive national register encompassing England, Wales, and Northern Ireland was established to support epidemiological studies, health care planning, and clinical research.

Approximately 80% of individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) experience impaired balance and mobility, contributing to freezing of gait, an increased risk of falls, and reduced health-related quality of life. Mind-body interventions, such as mindfulness and yoga, may address both motor and nonmotor symptoms by enhancing mind-body coordination and reducing stress, thereby offering a scalable approach to balance rehabilitation in PD.

Extended time on academic exams is one of the most frequently granted accommodations for students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence supporting its effectiveness, particularly in the college population.