Advances and Effectiveness of School-Based Interventions for Wellbeing and Health

Dear Colleagues,

Childrens' wellbeing is essential for physical, cognitive, emotional, mental, and social development. Despite making considerable advances in survival rates, globally, a large proportion of children are not developmentally on track in health, learning, and psychosocial wellbeing (WHO, 2023). Since the needs of children are multidimensional and encompass a 24-hour activity cycle of sleep, physical activity, and sedentary behavior, it is of the utmost importance to establish habits for healthy living in early life. Social determinants of health influence wellbeing. Schools have been identified as an ideal place for intervention, yet the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions only at the school level have varied. A more contemporary approach is to address potential risk factors (such as sedentary behavior and poor sleep quality) at several levels (individual, home, and school) because there is a significant relationship among these levels (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). Health determinants must be simultaneously addressed to reduce disparities and improve the effectiveness of interventions.  Healthier children are more ready to learn, so expanding the reach and scale of school-based interventions is paramount for academic success and wellbeing. 

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJEPH) focuses on the advances and effectiveness of school-based interventions designed to increase health and wellbeing. New research papers ranging from proof of concept to efficacy trials are welcome. Papers focused on new multilevel approaches and formatted as literature reviews and concept papers will be considered for publication. Transdisciplinary and multilevel approaches will be prioritized.

Prof. Dr. Darla M. Castelli
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.

• children
• physical activity
• schools
• multilevel approaches
• implementation science
• efficacy
• effectiveness
• program evaluation