Community Interventions in Health Disparities
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2024 | Viewed by 3626
Special Issue Editors
Interests: physical activity; policy; built environment; chronic disease prevention
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Not everyone has an equal opportunity to live their healthiest lives. Health disparities are defined as “preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations” [1]. Disadvantaged populations can be expressed by a multitude of factors such as gender, education, race or ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation. The intersection among these groups can also exacerbate health disparities. Community interventions to improve population health have been conducted for decades. Community interventions include those that have a defined community as the setting for the intervention, those that are making change at a community-level (e.g., creating healthy environments), and those using community as resource or agent for change [2]. Despite the growth of the evidence base for effective community interventions, less is known about how these interventions impact health disparities across socially disadvantaged groups.
In this Special Issue, we are particularly interested in original or review articles exploring how interventions aimed at improving community health also improve (or have the potential to improve) a wide range of health disparities. Papers should clearly describe their community-based approach and define the targets of change or the prioritized group(s). We strongly encourage proposals focusing on a variety of health outcomes such as chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.), infectious diseases (e.g., HIV/AIDs, COVID-19, etc.,), and related risk factors. We also hope to receive proposals which include various social determinants of health and how they interact with health risks, outcomes, and health disparities. These may include poverty, inadequate healthcare access, poor educational opportunities, or environmental hazards.
By having a Special Issue with a focus on approaches that work to improve health disparities, we will provide a current exploration of the topic which can inform best practices in community interventions to ultimately achieve health equity.
References
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Whetstone, S.; Burke, W.; Sheth, S.S.; Brooks, R.; Cavens, A.; Huber-Keener, K.; Scott, D.M.; Worly, B.; Chelmow, D. Health disparities in uterine cancer: report from the uterine cancer evidence review conference. Obstet. Gynecol. 2022, 139, 645.
- McLeroy, K.R.; Norton, B.L.; Kegler, M.C.; Burdine, J.N.; Sumaya, C.V. Community-Based Interventions. Am. J. Public Health 2003, 93, 529–533, https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.2105/ajph.93.4.529.
Prof. Dr. Amy Eyler
Dr. Maura M. Kepper
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.
Keywords
- community
- intervention
- social determinants
- equity
- health disparity
