Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41595814›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2025

Public Health Communication Challenges in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: A Scoping Review.

Lisa Lim, Aisha Mukasheva, Augustina Osaromiyeke Alegbe, Adaora Nancy Emehel, Bibigul Aubakirova, Yuliya Semenova

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Lisa LimGraduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan.ORCID 0009-0002-0857-9857
Aisha MukashevaGraduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan.ORCID 0009-0008-0275-5235
Augustina Osaromiyeke AlegbeDepartment of Political Science, Nazarbayev University, Astana 01000, Kazakhstan.
Adaora Nancy EmehelDepartment of Political Science, Nazarbayev University, Astana 01000, Kazakhstan.
Bibigul AubakirovaWHO Country Office in Kazakhstan, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan.
Yuliya SemenovaSchool of Medicine, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan.ORCID 0000-0003-1324-7806

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This scoping review examines public health communication across nine Eastern European and Central Asian states-Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan-highlighting how these systems have transitioned from Soviet-era legacies to contemporary practices. Eligibility criteria included the English- and Russian-language literature published from 1998 onwards, focusing on nine post-Soviet states. Sources of evidence comprised searches in Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, SSRN, Heliyon, MEDLINE/PubMed, and official government websites. Data were charted by three independent reviewers using a standardized form, with discrepancies resolved by senior reviewers. The review identifies persistent gaps in communication during health crises, with a particular focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, where centralized and hierarchical information flows often undermine transparency and responsiveness, as well as further increased health inequalities between rural and urban health outcomes. Despite ongoing reforms, the communication dimension of healthcare systems remains underdeveloped. Findings reveal that centralized and top-down communication remains a dominant feature across the region, hindering timely dissemination of information and limiting the capacity to counter misinformation, as both misinformation and disinformation sometimes emerge from the government. Ultimately, this review contributes a critical analysis of these systematic communication failures and underscores the need to strengthen public health communication and reduce health inequalities. To do it, governments must prioritize transparency, disclose decision-making processes, and rely on evidence-based messaging to build trust. Effective crisis response requires not only government leadership but also the active engagement of the medical and patient communities, supported by civil society and independent media. This review points out the need for more inclusive, transparent, and trust-oriented communication strategies to enhance public health preparedness and resilience in nine Eastern European and Central Asian contexts.

Indexed as

CommunicationHealth CommunicationPublic HealthAsia, CentralCOVID-19Europe, EasternHumanscrisis communicationglobal healthhealth communicationhealth inequalitieshealth managementpandemic preparedness

Identifiers

PMID41595814
PMCPMC12841521

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.