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Review
. 2023 Aug;52(8):1589-1599.
doi: 10.18502/ijph.v52i8.13398.

Executive Functions and Public Health: A Narrative Review

Mina Esmaili  1 , Dariush D Farhud  2   3 , Kambiz Poushaneh  1 , Anita Baghdassarians  1 , Hassan Ashayeri  4
Affiliations
Review

Executive Functions and Public Health: A Narrative Review

Mina Esmaili et al. Iran J Public Health. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Executive functions (EFs) skills are necessary for regulating the thoughts, emotions, and actions which are associated with many aspects of daily functioning. Executive dysfunction (EDFs) is present in a wide range of mental disorders. New study indicates that EFs may predict health behavior and make it easier to engage in a variety of healthy activities. In this narrative review, EFs and public health are briefly discussed. In general, 133 articles met the inclusion criteria (published 2018-2023) which were reviewed. EFs affect the mental and physical health. Besides individual problems, people with mental problems have heavy costs to society. Mental health cannot be considered separately from general health. Consequently, preventive and therapeutic approaches to mental health should be considered not only at the level of the whole society, but also at the global level.

Keywords: Executive dysfunctions; Executive functions; Mental health; Public health.

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