2nd Edition of Health and Well-Being in Vulnerable Communities

Dear Colleagues,

In light of exceeding inequalities, exacerbated in the current context of war, cost-of-living and energy crises, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious disease outbreaks, the health and well-being of marginalized, underserved, stigmatized, socioeconomically disadvantaged, or otherwise so-called vulnerable populations has been disproportionately affected. While there is no finite list of which groups may be considered among “vulnerable populations”, these might include migrants and refugees, sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQIA+ people), older adults, people experiencing homelessness, people living with chronic or terminal illnesses, children, as well as racial and ethnic minorities. Evidence from the past decades of research in various disciplines has clearly shown that social inequalities both engender and perpetuate adverse health outcomes (such as higher morbidity and mortality, poorer quality of life, mental health, and overall well-being), either through direct psychological and physiological processes or as the result of barriers in access to health and care services due to cultural, economic, and social discrimination or other exclusionary mechanisms. Despite this evidence, vulnerable communities are still underrepresented in all areas of research, leading to a fragmentary knowledge base as well as lack of awareness among political stakeholders.

The first Special Issue on “Health and Well-Being in Vulnerable Communities”, led by Dr. Igor Grabovac and Professor Lee Smith, successfully created a platform for researchers to showcase their results on a variety of topics concerning diverse vulnerable populations and their experiences. This second iteration will place the focus once again on research that shines a light on the physical, mental, and social health and well-being of various communities considered vulnerable in their own right, while also voicing the need for action to improve their conditions of living. Of special interest are studies that focus on participatory design and implementation science, showing strong community involvement in all aspects of the work presented. Any type of article is welcome, including original research articles (qualitative and quantitative), reviews, pilot project results, theoretical papers, as well as intervention studies and policy papers.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Dr. Igor Grabovac
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. 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.

• vulnerable communities
• health
• well-being
• LGBTIQ people
• homeless
• immigrants
• older adults