Editorial: Harnessing Evidence-Based, Non-Pharmaceutical Strategies for Population Well-Being

Zhenggang Bai¹Fang Fu²Iris Chi^3*

• ¹Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
• ²Fudan University, Shanghai, China
• ³University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States

Effectiveness of Preventive Interventions on Teens' Depression and Suicidal Tendency screens 13 RCTs published since 2011 (Ghazal, L.,2025). The review reports modest yet clinically relevant reductions in depressive symptoms when cognitive-behavioural or psychoeducational programmes are delivered by mental-health specialists. Owing to considerable heterogeneity in programme content, dosage, and follow-up duration, the authors call for future studies to adopt standardised outcome indicators and transparent implementation reports.Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research on Dialectical Behavior Therapy from 1987 to 2024 examines 2,723 publications and reveals that DBT scholarship has expanded beyond borderline-personality disorder into adolescent, forensic, and digital arena-yet remains concentrated in the Global North (Shi, K., 2025). The mapping underscores the need for broader international collaboration and culturally responsive adaptations of DBT.Brocade on Depression among Medical Students, 160 students were randomized to music therapy, Qigong exercise, a combined protocol, or usual care (Yao, X.,2024). Both singlecomponent interventions improved depression, anxiety, and sleep, but the combined protocol produced the largest gains, suggesting a synergistic effect that merits wider promotion in campus health services.Promoting Mental Health in Children and Adolescents through Digital Technology synthesizes 59 studies (10 pooled in meta-analysis) and reports a moderate overall benefit (Hedges g =0.43) for mobile apps, virtual-reality platforms, serious games, and online counselling (Chen, T., 2024). Effect sizes, however, fluctuate with platform type, engagement strategy, and symptom focus, highlighting the importance of detailed process evaluations to elucidate mechanisms of change.Long-Term Exercise Training and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Healthy Subjects pools 38 RCTs (n = 2,557) and confirms that programmes last at least 12 weeks, delivered at moderate intensity, significantly reduce IL-6, C-reactive protein, and TNF-α (Wang, Y. H.,2023). These findings support exercise as a feasible primary-prevention strategy that may reduce long-term disease risk even in otherwise healthy individuals.Early intervention across multiple domains. The collected studies converge on the value of timely, non-pharmaceutical action-whether via classroom skill-building, digital coaching, culturally grounded mind-body practice, or structured physical activity-in shaping trajectories of well-being. This perspective aligns with WHO guidance on adolescent mental-health promotion (World Health Organization, 2020).Cultural adaptation and contextual relevance. The Five-Element Music plus Eight-Section Brocade trial demonstrates that interventions rooted in indigenous traditions can satisfy strict methodological requirements, while the DBT bibliometric review reminds us that global applicability cannot be assumed without local evidence.Methodological progress and remaining challenges. Most reviews comply with PRISMA and register their protocols prospectively, yet gaps persist in long-term follow-up and reporting of implementation fidelity. Addressing these issues will sharpen future meta-analytic conclusions and enhance knowledge translation.Interdisciplinary collaboration. The evidence base spans public health, psychology, kinesiology, music therapy, and information technology. Such breadth mirrors the multifaceted nature of realworld problems and calls for integrative intervention packages evaluated through collaborative research designs.Multi-component trials should examine additive or synergistic effects, as demonstrated in the Five-Element Music plus Eight-Section Brocade study.Equity-oriented research capacity must be strengthened-especially in low-and middle-income regions to ensure that global evidence truly represents diverse populations.