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Health Risk Across the Life-Course: From Behavior to Environment

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2021) | Viewed by 14840

Special Issue Editors

Health Promotion and Education Program, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
Interests: tobacco smoke exposure; secondhand smoke exposure; thirdhand smoke exposure; secondhand aerosol exposure; thirdhand aerosol exposure; child health; epidemiology; public health education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, 212 Adriance Lab Road, TAMU 1266, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Interests: health risk assessment across the life course; program evaluation; evidence-based programming; measurement
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human health is based on an integrated set of genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.  As such, health risk can be intensified or attenuated based on our lifestyle choices and actions, the communities in which we live, environmental exposures, and the healthcare services available to us.  Health risks change for individuals across their life-course and are shaped by multiple socio-ecological spheres of influence experienced at different life stages.

We are interested in furthering a global understanding of health risk as related to behavior and the environment (built and social).  In this Special Issue, we are soliciting a wide range of conceptual or research-based articles. Articles should focus on health risks at any life stage, which can include studies about the etiologies of health risk, consequences of health risk, and/or interventions designed to decrease or modify health risks.  

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Global variations in health risk and international comparisons
  • Social, environmental, and technological influences on health risk
  • Effects of environmental exposures on health risk
  • Behavioral and environmental interventions to address health risk
  • Environmental (e.g., built, natural, social) impact on health risk behaviors and outcomes
  • Strategies for enhancing policy, programs, or interventions to mitigate health risk
  • New conceptualizations about behavioral and environmental influences on health risk
  • New methodologies for assessing health risk

Prof. Dr. Ashley L. Merianos
Prof. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith
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

  • Health Risk
  • Health Behavior
  • Built and Social Environments
  • Life-Course
  • Global Variations
  • Disparities
  • Environmental Exposures
  • Health Interventions
  • Assessment
  • Evaluation

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 311 KiB  
Article
Social and Structural Determinants of Health Inequities: Socioeconomic, Transportation-Related, and Provincial-Level Indicators of Cost-Related Forgone Hospital Care in China
by Samuel D. Towne, Jr., Xiaojun Liu, Rui Li, Matthew Lee Smith, Jay E. Maddock, Anran Tan, Samah Hayek, Shira Zelber-Sagi, Xiaoqing Jiang, Haotian Ruan and Zhaokang Yuan
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(11), 6113; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18116113 - 06 Jun 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2744
Abstract
Despite near universal health insurance coverage in China, populations with low incomes may still face barriers in access and utilization of affordable health care. We aimed to identify the likelihood of forgone medical care due to cost by surveying individuals from the community [...] Read more.
Despite near universal health insurance coverage in China, populations with low incomes may still face barriers in access and utilization of affordable health care. We aimed to identify the likelihood of forgone medical care due to cost by surveying individuals from the community to assess: (1) The percent with forgone medical care due to cost; and (2) Factors associated with forgone medical care due to cost. Surveys conducted (2016–2017) in Mandarin included demographic and medical care utilization-related items. Theoretically-informed, fully-adjusted analyses were employed. Approximately 94% of respondents had health insurance, which is somewhat similar to national estimates. Overall, 24% of respondents resided in rural areas, with 18% having less than a high school education, and 49% being male. More than 36% reported forgone medical care due to cost in the past 12 months. In fully-adjusted analyses, having lower education, generally not being satisfied with the commute to the hospital, and being a resident of a province with a lower density of physicians were associated with forgone medical care. Cost-related disparities in the access and utilization of needed medical care persist, even with near universal health insurance, which may be due to one’s satisfaction with travel time to healthcare and other community assets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Risk Across the Life-Course: From Behavior to Environment)
16 pages, 686 KiB  
Article
Risk of Kidney Injury among Construction Workers Exposed to Heat Stress: A Longitudinal Study from Saudi Arabia
by Mohammed Al-Bouwarthan, Margaret M. Quinn, David Kriebel and David H. Wegman
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(11), 3775; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17113775 - 26 May 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4031
Abstract
Saudi Arabia (SA) is one of the hottest countries in the world. This study was conducted to assess the impact of summer heat stress in Southeastern SA on short-term kidney injury (KI) among building construction workers and to identify relevant risk factors. Measurements [...] Read more.
Saudi Arabia (SA) is one of the hottest countries in the world. This study was conducted to assess the impact of summer heat stress in Southeastern SA on short-term kidney injury (KI) among building construction workers and to identify relevant risk factors. Measurements of urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR), height, weight, hydration, symptoms, daily work and behavioral factors were collected in June and September of 2016 from a cohort of construction workers (n = 65) in Al-Ahsa Province, SA. KI was defined as ACR ≥ 30 mg/g. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to assess factors related to cross-summer changes in ACR. A significant increase in ACR occurred among most workers over the study period; incidence of KI was 18%. Risk factors associated with an increased ACR included dehydration, short sleep, and obesity. The findings suggest that exposure to summer heat may lead to the development of KI among construction workers in this region. Adequate hydration and promotion of healthy habits among workers may help reduce the risk of KI. A reduction in work hours may be the most effective intervention because this action can reduce heat exposure and improve sleep quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Risk Across the Life-Course: From Behavior to Environment)
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18 pages, 1798 KiB  
Article
Environmental Risk Perception, Risk Culture, and Pro-Environmental Behavior
by Jingjing Zeng, Meiquan Jiang and Meng Yuan
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(5), 1750; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17051750 - 07 Mar 2020
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 7344
Abstract
Mixed evidence exists regarding the relationship between environmental risk perception and pro-environmental behavior. This study uses an existing online survey conducted by the Center of Ecological Civilization (CEC) of China University of Geosciences from December 2015 to March 2016 and examines how cultural [...] Read more.
Mixed evidence exists regarding the relationship between environmental risk perception and pro-environmental behavior. This study uses an existing online survey conducted by the Center of Ecological Civilization (CEC) of China University of Geosciences from December 2015 to March 2016 and examines how cultural bias influences environmental risk perception and behavior. We found that an individual’s pro-environmental behavior is not only influenced by environmental risk perception, but also by his or her cultural worldviews. Built on culture theory (CT), our empirical results suggest that young Chinese people are more located in “high-group” culture, where egalitarian culture and hierarchical culture dominate. The higher scores of hierarchical and egalitarian cultures of Chinese youth, the more likely they are to protect the environment. Moreover, the relationship between cultural worldviews and pro-environmental behaviors are mediated by perceived environmental risks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Risk Across the Life-Course: From Behavior to Environment)
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