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Health inequalities continue to exacerbate in the European Region, this underlines the need to strengthen the equity impact of public health policies. Nurses and midwives, professional groups that account for 61.8% of the practicing health professionals, work at the point of care, interdisciplinary and see the effects of health inequalities in their everyday work supporting communities and the environment where they are born, live, work and age. The government chief nursing and midwifery officer (GCNMOs) influence, provide policy advice and lead health systems planning and delivery of services. Further to this, it is increasingly being document that they participate in public health policy and inspire others to commit to the implementation of a new vision to strengthen equity impact on population health outcomes. In 2023, a series of discussions with GCNMOs, multidisciplinary researchers and experts, representing 35 of 53 countries in the WHO European Region explored the implications as to how GCNMOs can contribute to addressing the social determinants of health inequalities. Based on this dialogue, we provide a proposal of public health actions for health equity that will benefit from GCNMOs in delivering co-benefits for better health and inclusive growth. These actions can include equity-responsive health systems and health promotion, universal social protection, secure employment and healthy working conditions, environmental protection, education, decent housing, or urban planning among others. Unless governments facilitate the process where GCNMOs have clear mandates, sufficient authority, recognition, and support to engage in policy advocacy, governments will miss out on building fairer and healthier societies that are truly intersectoral and collaborative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Energy balance‐related behaviours (EBRBs), that is, dietary intake, screen, outdoor play and sleep, tend to combine into 'lifestyle patterns', with potential synergistic influences on health. To date, studies addressing this theme mainly focused on school children and rarely accounted for sleep, with a cross‐country perspective. Objectives: We aimed at comparing lifestyle patterns among preschool‐aged children across Europe, their associations with socio‐demographic factors and their links with body mass index (BMI). Methods: Harmonized data on 2–5‐year‐olds participating in nine European birth cohorts from the EU Child Cohort Network were used (EBRBs, socio‐demographics and anthropometrics). Principal component analysis and multivariable linear and logistic regressions were performed. Results: The most consistent pattern identified across cohorts was defined by at least three of the following EBRBs: discretionary consumption, high screen time, low outdoor play time and low sleep duration. Consistently, children from low‐income households and born to mothers with low education level had higher scores on this pattern compared to their socioeconomically advantaged counterparts. Furthermore, it was associated with higher BMI z‐scores in the Spanish and Italian cohorts (β = 0.06, 95% CI = [0.02; 0.10], both studies). Conclusion: These findings may be valuable in informing early multi‐behavioural interventions aimed at reducing social inequalities in health at a European scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Several climate parameters affect the growth of organisms and, hence, their capacity to accumulate biomass. In the present research, we analyse the influence of two parameters, temperature and precipitation, on biomass accumulation on stone substrate, and propose a function to estimate it in temperate areas. The expression is subsequently used for the first time to evaluate the impact that climate change would have in biomass accumulation in Europe. The models on climate change predict an increase in temperature and precipitation in northern areas of Europe for the far future (2070–2099), which would lead to a higher accumulation of biomass. Otherwise, a significant reduction in precipitation is expected in southern areas of Europe, associated with a lower biomass accumulation in such areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBT+Q+) youth are highly vulnerable to work-based discrimination, which correlates with poor social, physical and mental health. The European Union funded WE-Project aims to empower LGBT+Q+ youth in Europe through work-based educational interventions. The first leg focused on exploring barriers and facilitators to workplace equality in Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain and the United Kingdom, gathering experiences of LGBT+Q+ youth and stakeholders. Methods: Self-identifying LGBT+Q+ 15-26 year-olds were recruited via social media and diverse organisations for semi-structured interviews, while stakeholders from various institutions were invited to participate in focus group discussions based on standardised interview and discussion guidelines. Transcriptions were coded, categorised and thematically analysed, revealing five themes: societal discrimination influencing work-life, experiences of workplace discrimination, barriers to resolve discrimination, facilitators to overcome discrimination and creation of inclusive strategies. Results: Overall 56 LGBT+Q+ youth interviewees and 38 stakeholders from 6 European countries were recruited. Facilitators over-coming workplace discrimination and inclusive strategies towards work-based equality for LGBT+Q+ youth were varyingly emphasised and included: clear policies, open communication, staff involvement and inclusive infrastructure, LGBT+Q+ quotas as well as education on diversity in schools and increasing visibility, legal recognition of partner- ships, implementing youth centres, and access to counselling. Conclusions: Results indicate several strategies to consider when designing interventions challenging work-based discrimination of LGBT+Q+ youth. Participating countries differ in social acceptance and legal protections of LGBT+Q+ youth, but experiences and voiced issues are similar, necessitating relevant anti-discrimination interventions throughout Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Shrubby patches and wood-pasture matrix have distinct species assemblages. • Even small patches substantially increase species richness in wood-pastures. • Positive effects of patches vary for plants, lichens and coleopterans. • Protecting small patches is a promising low-cost strategy to increase biodiversity. Wood-pastures are grazed systems, widespread across Europe, where natural and economic values often co-exist. Social and economic changes in Europe generate both threats and opportunities to these systems, calling for new or improved management strategies. We studied the potential of increasing the biodiversity of wood-pastures through the promotion of small-scale habitat diversification. More specifically, we evaluated the impact of protecting very small shrubby patches within large Mediterranean wood-pastures. We sampled species assemblages of plants, lichens and coleopterans in 13 small patches (252–3000 m2) with a well developed shrub layer, and 11 plots in the adjacent matrix of virtually shrub free wood-pasture. Despite their very small size, patches had clearly distinct assemblages of all the studied taxa and their presence greatly enhanced the species richness of the studied wood-pasture landscapes. The presence of shrubby patches increased species richness in wood-pastures by 42% for plants, 27% for lichens and 29% for coleopterans (average over two study areas), a very substantial gain considering that patches covered less than 0.5% of the studied wood-pastures. Our results indicate that the protection and promotion of even small shrubby patches is a promising low-cost nature-based strategy to increase the biodiversity value of wood-pasture landscapes, without substantially affecting the economic value of this silvopastoral system, which is an old and important part of the natural and cultural heritage of Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood-pastures are grazed systems resulting from a long-term use of natural woodlands by humans. These social-ecological systems, covering vast areas of Europe and other temperate regions, have both high biodiversity and economic values, so many are classified as High Nature Value Farmlands. However, in some regions a loss of spatial heterogeneity threatens this natural value. We investigated the potential contribution of tiny shrubby patches to increase spatial heterogeneity and functional diversity in wood-pasture landscapes. Specifically, we compared functional composition (Community Weighted Means) and functional diversity (Functional Dispersion and Functional Evenness) of assemblages of plants, beetles and lichens in those patches (252–3000 m2) and in the wood-pasture matrix. We found that shrubby patches and matrix harbour species assemblages with very distinct functional compositions in all studied taxonomic groups. Evergreen, woody, broad-leafed and fleshy-fruited are better represented in the patches. In beetles, the main differences were a greater prevalence of small-sized and fungivore species in the patches. Shrubby patches also mostly harboured lichens with fruticose- and foliose-broad growth forms, a greater humidity preference, and lower eutrophication tolerance. Moreover, the two indexes used to quantify functional diversity (Functional Dispersion and Functional Evenness) show that, overall, diversity is greater in patches than in the matrix; in patches Functional Dispersion is statistically higher for plants, and Evenness is statistically higher for beetles and lichen. These differences are all consistent with the very distinct ecological conditions in the matrix and patches. The greater overall functional diversity of shrubby patches, and the major differences in functional composition between patches and matrix, observed for all taxa, indicate that these patches greatly enhance the functional diversity of species assemblages in wood-pasture landscapes. Consequently, preserving and promoting tiny shrubby patches is a potentially valuable low-cost management tool to increase biodiversity and improve ecosystem functioning in wood-pasture landscapes. • Shrubby patches and wood-pasture matrix have distinct trait assemblages. • Shrubby patches have higher functional diversity (FD) than the wood-pasture matrix. • Functional dispersion of plants is higher in patches than in the matrix. • Functional evenness is greater in patches than in the matrix for beetles and lichens. • Protecting patches is a low-cost strategy to contribute to the FD of wood-pastures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]