Executive Functions and Public Health: A Narrative Review

Mina  Esmaili; Dariush D.  Farhud; Kambiz  Poushaneh; Anita  Baghdassarians; Hassan  Ashayeri

doi:10.18502/ijph.v52i8.13398

Mina Esmaili Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University Tehran, Iran
Dariush D. Farhud School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Kambiz Poushaneh Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University Tehran, Iran
Anita Baghdassarians Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University Tehran, Iran
Hassan Ashayeri Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v52i8.13398

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

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.