Sexual, Reproductive and Maternal Health

Dear Colleagues,

Maternal health is the health of the gestational parent during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Each stage has important short- and long-term health consequences to the gestational parent and the newborn. Maternal health is critical to the health and well-being of the gestational parent, children, families, and communities. Despite important progress made over recent decades, pervasive inequalities that affect health outcomes remain, with minoritized populations being disproportionally affected. Addressing inequalities in sexual and reproductive health and right and gender is fundamental to safeguarding maternal health. Ensuring maternal physical, mental, and social well-being is central to the advancing health equity. Access to adequate, timely, and quality maternal healthcare services is crucial to decrease disparities in maternal and child health outcomes. 

This Special Issue will focus on current psychological, socio-cultural, environmental, and structural factors that influence maternal health and innovative strategies to prevent and address multiple factors affecting maternal health across the globe. We are interested in topics including, but not limited to, the following:

• Multi-level, factors influencing maternal health; with special interest in the social and structural determinants of health inequities in maternal health;
• Innovative interventions;
• Preventative maternal health care in various settings (e.g., home, schools, community, etc.);
• Environmental, organizational, and/or policy changes designed to promote maternal health and equity.

Researchers are invited to contribute novel work to be considered for publication in this Special Issue. Submissions should include original articles, critical reviews (systematic reviews or meta-analyses), brief reports, or short communications. There are no restrictions on study design and methodology (i.e., secondary analyses, cross-sectional or longitudinal design, intervention studies, qualitative studies, etc.). Articles that focus on either the prevention or management of prevalent women’s reproductive and sexual health and reproductive health care, reproductive rights and mental health across the globe are welcomed. Additionally, articles that focus on underrepresented or disadvantaged populations are encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Ana Cristina Lindsay
Guest Editor

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.

• maternal
• pregnancy
• minority
• reproductive rights
• gender
• immigrant
• structural factors
• social and cultural factors
• environment
• interventions
• health promotion
• health disparities
• health equity
• health policy