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Measuring Health Inequities Among Vulnerable Populations (2nd Edition)
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Measuring Health Inequities Among Vulnerable Populations (2nd Edition)

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 December 2024 | Viewed by 9166

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Godfred O. Boateng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. School of Global Health, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
2. Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
Interests: resource insecurity; environmental and disease vulnerability; health inequity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Torsten B. Neilands

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Prevention Science, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
Interests: HIV/AIDS; tobacco research; clinical research; behavioral sciences; mental health; substance use; reproductive health; mentoring; research methods; social science statistics (including latent variable modeling); survey scale development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. John Sauceda

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Prevention Science, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
Interests: health disparities affecting Latinx communities impacted by HIV; measurement of psychological constructs and social factors; comparing outcomes across diverse populations; using multiphase optimization strategies (MOST) to improve HIV care engagement; social and behavioral sciences aspects of HIV cure research; mentoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The WHO defines health inequities as avoidable inequalities in health between groups of people within countries and between countries. These inequities are driven by environmental, social, and economic conditions, which increase the risk of illness, disease, and the inability to prevent them at the individual, household, community, national, and international levels. This culminates in a health continuum, with the poor and nonpoor at extreme ends. Health inequities are rooted in social injustices that result in some population groups being more vulnerable to poor health than others. The ability of health practitioners, academics, researchers, governments, and agencies to quantify health inequities has been found to facilitate estimating prevalence and identifying hotspots, targeting of appropriate resources to vulnerable populations, and developing interventions in bridging health inequities. For example, the HWISE (Household Water Insecurity Experiences Scale), a tool for assessing water insecurity across low- and middle-income countries, has enabled assessment of the prevalence of water insecurity, identification of water insecure hotspots, and appropriate targeting of resources to populations that are prone to water insecurity.

This Special Issue calls for studies on the measurement of health inequities among vulnerable populations and developing tools/constructs/indicators that facilitate the study of environmental, global, and public health research targets. It also focuses on best practices, guidelines, strategies, principles, critical analysis, high-quality reviews, and new techniques or technologies that facilitate the assessment or quantification of health inequities in improving population health. For this Special Issue, vulnerable populations include the economically disadvantaged; racial and ethnic minorities; the uninsured; women, children, and infants in low-income countries; the elderly; the homeless; those with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and those with chronic health conditions. This collection of articles that measure or present systems for assessing health inequities will be a boon to the field of public health research aimed at bridging health inequity and improving population health.

Dr. Godfred Boateng
Prof. Dr. Torsten B. Neilands
Dr. John Sauceda
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 inequities
  • measurement
  • tools/metrics
  • indicators
  • guidelines
  • global health
  • environmental health
  • maternal health
  • child health
  • reproductive health
  • vulnerable populations
  • HIV/AIDS
  • noncommunicable diseases
  • public health
  • mental health

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 333 KiB  
Article
Why Collect and Use Race/Ethnicity Data? A Qualitative Case Study on the Perspectives of Mental Health Providers and Patients During COVID-19
by Nancy Clark, Cindy Quan, Heba Elgharbawy, Anita David, Michael E. Li, Christopher Mah, Jill K. Murphy, Catherine L. Costigan, Soma Ganesan and Jaswant Guzder
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(11), 1499; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111499 - 12 Nov 2024
Viewed by 557
Abstract
Context: Calls to collect patients’ race/ethnicity (RE) data as a measure to promote equitable health care among vulnerable patient groups are increasing. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how a public health crisis disproportionately affects racialized patient groups. However, less is known about the [...] Read more.
Context: Calls to collect patients’ race/ethnicity (RE) data as a measure to promote equitable health care among vulnerable patient groups are increasing. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how a public health crisis disproportionately affects racialized patient groups. However, less is known about the uptake of RE data collection in the context of mental health care services. Methodology: A qualitative case study used surveys with mental health patients (n = 47) and providers (n = 12), a retrospective chart review, and a focus group to explore healthcare providers’ and patients’ perspectives on collecting RE data in Canada. Results: The patient survey data and focus groups show that patients avoid providing identifying information due to perceived stigma and discrimination and a lack of trust. Providers did not feel comfortable asking patients about RE, leading to chart review data where RE information was not systematically collected. Conclusions: The uptake and implementation of RE data collection in mental health care contexts require increased training and support, systematic implementation, and further evaluation and measurement of how the collection of RE data will be used to mitigate systemic racism and improve mental health outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring Health Inequities Among Vulnerable Populations (2nd Edition))
19 pages, 3288 KiB  
Article
Waterborne Gastrointestinal Diseases and Child Mortality: A Study of Socioeconomic Inequality in Mexico
by Jorge Armando Morales-Novelo, Lilia Rodríguez-Tapia, Carolina Massiel Medina-Rivas and Daniel Alfredo Revollo-Fernández
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(11), 1399; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111399 - 23 Oct 2024
Viewed by 596
Abstract
In Mexico, 1.9% of child mortality among children aged 3 to 15 years is attributed to waterborne gastrointestinal diseases (WGD). This study employs a generalized bivariate logit econometric model to simulate the relationships between mortality risks and seven explanatory variables. Based on the [...] Read more.
In Mexico, 1.9% of child mortality among children aged 3 to 15 years is attributed to waterborne gastrointestinal diseases (WGD). This study employs a generalized bivariate logit econometric model to simulate the relationships between mortality risks and seven explanatory variables. Based on the model results and sensitivity analysis of the estimated parameters, a set of policies was designed to reduce the likelihood of child mortality. The proposed strategy involves implementing the following public policies, primarily targeting communities with extreme and high marginalization: increasing access to drinking water, improving housing conditions, expanding parental basic education coverage, and providing nutrition and healthcare to children from an early age. The findings reveal that children who speak an indigenous language face a mortality risk from WGD that is three times higher than those who do not, while children who receive medical services have a 29% lower risk of mortality compared to those who do not have access to them. It is recommended to offer free medical care in indigenous languages within high-marginalization communities. The combined impact of these policies is expected to significantly reduce child mortality due to WGD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring Health Inequities Among Vulnerable Populations (2nd Edition))
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Review

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25 pages, 561 KiB  
Review
A Scoping Review of Instruments Used in Measuring Social Support among Refugees in Resettlement
by Godfred O. Boateng, Karin Wachter, Roseanne C. Schuster, Tanya L. Burgess and Mary Bunn
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(6), 805; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21060805 - 20 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1930
Abstract
This study aimed to systematically review current research on the application of existing social support scales in research with refugees in resettlement, assess their quality, and identify gaps in measurement to enhance research and practice. A scoping review was conducted on the extant [...] Read more.
This study aimed to systematically review current research on the application of existing social support scales in research with refugees in resettlement, assess their quality, and identify gaps in measurement to enhance research and practice. A scoping review was conducted on the extant literature published until March 2023. A team of researchers conducted search, sorting, and data extraction processes following best practices for scale development and validation. Of the 1185 studies collected from the search process, 41 articles were retained in the final analysis, from which 17 distinct social support instruments used in research with resettled refugees were identified. An assessment of all 17 instruments showed the presence of one or more limitations associated with construct, criterion, convergent, and/or discriminant validity. Test of reliability was assessed in all studies, with a range of 0.80 to 0.90. Our findings show that most of the research evaluating social support among resettled refugees is conducted without measurement instruments adequately validated in the resettlement context. This analysis highlights the need for rigorously developed social support scales that reflect the lived experiences, needs, and priorities of resettled refugees. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring Health Inequities Among Vulnerable Populations (2nd Edition))
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16 pages, 405 KiB  
Review
A Review of Patient Experiences and Provider Education to Improve Transgender Health Inequities in the USA
by Gabriel J. Tanenbaum and LaTasha R. Holden
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(20), 6949; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20206949 - 20 Oct 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2548
Abstract
Transgender individuals are an underserved, vulnerable population. They face many inequities including barriers in both accessing and receiving adequate healthcare. These inequities are proposed here to be rooted in a lack of education about transgender people and their experiences. We begin by exploring [...] Read more.
Transgender individuals are an underserved, vulnerable population. They face many inequities including barriers in both accessing and receiving adequate healthcare. These inequities are proposed here to be rooted in a lack of education about transgender people and their experiences. We begin by exploring the existing transgender healthcare research carried out in the USA, examining client experiences, provider education and attitudes, and the barriers transgender people face to obtaining proper healthcare. Secondly, we look at the previous research on educational interventions implemented with medical students and practitioners in the USA to enhance knowledge about transgender people, and increase sensitivity and awareness, while also increasing the level of comfort in working with these clients. The limitations in these fields of study are discussed in order to understand how to better serve transgender clients in the USA. We will do this through a narrative review to determine evidence-based best practices for educational intervention, uncovering gaps in the literature and highlighting where to focus in future work for researchers and practitioners. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring Health Inequities Among Vulnerable Populations (2nd Edition))

Other

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21 pages, 1361 KiB  
Systematic Review
The Parallel Pandemic: A Systematic Review on the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on OCD among Children and Adolescents
by Nasong A. Luginaah, Evans S. Batung, Bianca R. Ziegler, Daniel Amoak, John Paul Trudell, Godwin Arku and Isaac Luginaah
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(23), 7095; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20237095 - 22 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2244
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying social changes severely impacted mental health globally. Children and adolescents may have been vulnerable to adverse mental health outcomes, especially obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), due to their underdeveloped resilience and coping skills stemming from their progressing physical and [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying social changes severely impacted mental health globally. Children and adolescents may have been vulnerable to adverse mental health outcomes, especially obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), due to their underdeveloped resilience and coping skills stemming from their progressing physical and psychological development. Few studies have explored the parallels between the pandemic and OCD trends in this population. This systematic review aims to identify the impacts of COVID-19 on OCD among children and adolescents. Using the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of eight databases for studies that assessed OCD outcomes independently or as part of other psychiatric diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted. The search was limited to studies on humans and those written in English and published between January 2020 and May 2023. We identified 788 articles, out of which 71 were selected for a full-text review. Twenty-two papers were synthesized from 10 countries for the final analysis. We found that 77% of our studies suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on OCD among children and adolescents. We also found a complex interplay of individual, household, and socio-structural factors associated with the aggravation of OCD. Conversely, a few studies revealed that the pandemic strengthened relationships and resilience. The findings of this study emphasize the need for mental health screening and support for this population, especially during pandemic periods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring Health Inequities Among Vulnerable Populations (2nd Edition))
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