Research on Health Disparities in the Global Population

Dear Colleagues,

The World Health Organization defines Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) as the array of non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. These determinants are deeply rooted in the environmental contexts of an individual’s birth, growth, employment, residence, and aging. Beyond individual circumstances, SDoH encompass broader elements such as economic policies, societal development goals, prevailing social norms, and the overarching political landscape. Health disparities often arise from systemic inequities that disproportionately impact specific populations along the spectra of various sociodemographic dimensions, such as education, income, gender identity, disability status, and ethnic background. Such health disparities, which stem from unfavorable SDoH, are not inevitable. They are preventable and, with targeted improvements, can be addressed to diminish health inequalities. In light of this, we invite submissions on pertinent topics and research questions that reflect diverse international perspectives, cultural backgrounds, and societal structures for this Special Issue.

We are pleased to invite you to submit your paper for the consideration of publication if your research falls into one of the following categories:

1. Systemic reviews, scoping reviews, or meta-analyses of existing health disparity issues and tools to measure health disparities such as the Social Equity Index;
2. Original research using either quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods to investigate health disparities driven by SDoH across a wide range of diseases, health behaviors, disabilities, and healthcare access levels and provide actionable recommendations;
3. Comparative effectiveness studies or program assessments that examine the health outcomes of equity-based interventions and discuss lessons learned from the intervention;
4. Policy analyses or critical perspectives on current trends and ongoing variations in health disparities and inequalities affecting vulnerable populations, discussing ways to facilitate accountability to reduce modifiable disparities.

Clinical trials or patient case reports are also welcome if they engage stakeholders and have the potential to reduce the burden of disease on vulnerable populations. This Special Issue aims to use these findings to raise awareness and understanding of which groups are most vulnerable and help motivate increased efforts to intervene at the local, national, and global levels to best address health disparities and inequalities.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Wei-Chen Lee
Dr. Tse-Chuan Yang
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. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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.

• disparity
• equity
• social determinants of health
• segregation
• social inclusion
• non-discrimination policy
• underserved
• underrepresented
• discrimination
• implicit bias
• health services
• health outcomes
• global health
• international health