The International Journal for Equity in Health invites authors to contribute for a Collection of scientific articles showcasing research on progress in reducing inequalities in health-related Sustainable Development Goals at the global, regional, and national levels.
The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, agreed in September 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly, is a comprehensive, far-reaching, and people-centered set of universal, indivisible, and transformative goals aimed at freeing the human race from the tyranny of poverty in all its forms and dimensions and to heal and secure our planet. This road map for people, planet, and prosperity pledges that no one will be left behind. Halfway through its implementation, and with a catastrophic event of pandemic proportions upon it, it is imperative to gauge how efforts aimed at health-related SDG targets are effectively reducing inequities across the social divide. Through this Collection, we seek to contribute to the understanding of the impacts of SDG-oriented actions on health inequalities, examine the different approaches to measuring and monitoring health inequalities in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and, ultimately, to help create accountability on the promise to leave no one behind.
We look forward to theoretical, review, and empirical submissions that critically study the magnitude and changes over time in social inequalities in the many health dimensions associated with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 3, which focuses on ensuring a healthy life and promoting well-being for all at all ages. Specific topics of interest might include but are not limited to:
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on SDG-related health inequalities;
- The impact of climate change on SDG-related health inequalities;
- Inequalities in undernourishment, stunting, malnutrition, food insecurity, and anemia in women;
- Inequalities in maternal, child, and reproductive health, including maternal mortality, skilled birth attendance, neonatal mortality, under-5 mortality, family planning needs satisfaction, adolescent pregnancy, early childhood development;
- Inequalities in selected infectious diseases incidence, including HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis B, and neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance;
- Inequalities in premature mortality due to non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, and chronic respiratory disease;
- Inequalities in mortality due to external causes, including road traffic injuries and suicide;
- Inequalities in substance abuse, including coverage of treatment interventions, and alcohol per capita consumption, prevalence of current tobacco use;
- Universal health coverage, including coverage of essential health services, financial risk protection, quality access to healthcare, affordable access to essential medicines and vaccines, health workers density and distribution;
- Inequalities in environmental health, including mortality attributed to household and ambient air pollution, mortality attributed to unsafe water, unsafe sanitation and lack of hygiene, mortality attributed to unintentional poisoning;
- Inequalities in other health-related SDG indicators.
This Collection is aimed at researchers, academics, public health professionals, policymakers, and members of civil society interested in producing evidence on the progress in reducing inequalities in health during the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and generating accountability on the promise to leave no one behind, especially in relation to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on that progress and on the challenges and lessons to be learned in the post-pandemic to attain the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and beyond with equity. All articles will undergo a rigorous peer-review process, ensuring the quality and relevance of the studies presented. Priority will be given to those works that present solid empirical evidence, critical analysis, and practical recommendations for action.
Timeline:
Due date for abstract submission 20 July 2024. Please submit long structured abstracts of maximum 500 words in a Word document to ijeqh.abstract.submission@gmail.com. Submission must include an introduction/background, objective/aim, methods, findings, and conclusions. Please include a title and list of co-authors and their affiliations. Although the final submitted work must be in English, abstracts can be submitted for review in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. After evaluation, selected authors will be invited to submit full articles using the International Journal for Equity in Health online submission system.
Notification of abstract acceptance 30 August 2024.
Due date for full article submission 30 November 2024.
The International Journal for Equity in Health and the Guest Editors would like to promote the inclusion of early career researchers, practitioners, and other non-academic contributors, particularly from low- and middle-income countries, and will be able to provide additional support to what is usually given during peer-review within BMC journals. Because of this, a two-round process will take place. The abstracts with the best scores will be given consideration for publication waivers, but other funding opportunities are available through our publisher, BMC, so lack of funds should not be a consideration for submission. Editorial support will be provided for selected authors prior to the submission due dates.
