3rd Edition: Social Determinants of Health

Dear Colleagues,

Some months ago, we organized the first and second editions of this Special Issue. These proved to be immensely engaging and attracted numerous authors, and we firmly believe that this topic merits further exploration through the release of a new Special Issue.

The endeavour to eliminate health disparities has led to modest progress in the past three decades. Over this period, research on health disparities has documented differences between groups; however, explanations for these observed disparities remain elusive. Data from this line of research suggest that health outcomes at the individual or population level are influenced by cultural, economic, political, and social factors that are classified as social determinants. Within the past decade, social determinants of health have been posited as a plausible explanation for most health disparities. Yet, there has been little focus on how social determinants of health impact health disparities or the health of minorities.

We invite investigators to contribute original research (empirical and theoretical) and systematic reviews that will further broaden our understanding of the cultural, economic, political, and social factors that contribute to, or may decrease, health disparities. Papers that include qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods are welcome, as are papers that discuss the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral and policy interventions. An important aspect of every manuscript selected for inclusion in this Special Issue will be a focus on the social determinants of health disparities and/or the application of research findings associated with a reduction in health disparities. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Papers that discuss, refine, or test theoretical models specifying the relationship between social determinants, the health of marginalized populations, and the presence of health disparities.
• Papers that emphasize an intersectional approach (e.g., race, gender, and social class) in advancing our understanding of social determinants and health disparities.
• Papers that highlight how social determinants have implications for individual- (e.g., discrimination), place- (e.g., urbanicity), and community-oriented (e.g., segregation) factors and their contribution to health disparities.
• Descriptions of epidemiological studies explicitly examining social determinants and their association with the health of marginalized populations or health disparities.
• Descriptions of intervention studies that consider how social determinants of health affect health among marginalized populations or reduce health disparities.

Prof. Dr. Roland J. Thorpe, Jr.
Dr. Paul Archibald
Prof. Dr. Marino A. Bruce
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• social determinants
• health disparities
• race, gender, and social inequalities
• health equity, discrimination
• urban and rural environment’ community factors