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Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Care and Outcomes Among...
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Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Care and Outcomes Among Children with Cancers

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1464

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jaesung Choi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Epidemiology & Cancer Control, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
Interests: social and environmental determinants of health; health disparities research; pediatric cancer epidemiology; survivorship research; chronic health conditions in cancer survivors; population health; global health
Dr. I-Chan Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
Interests: social and environmental determinants of health; health disparity and equity research; health services and outcomes research; patient-reported outcomes measurement and clinical application; quality of life and symptoms assessment in childhood cancers; social network/integration research in cancer survivors; financial toxicity in childhood cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to an upcoming Special Issue of the journal Children, titled “Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Care and Outcomes Among Children with Cancers”.

Children diagnosed with cancer face not only the direct effects of their disease and treatments but also the broader social and environmental conditions of the communities where they live. Factors such as socioeconomic resources, access to medical care and community services, social support, and environmental exposures can significantly influence health outcomes across the cancer care continuum. Understanding how these conditions interact with genetic predisposition and biological mechanisms is essential in improving survivorship, reducing disparities, and enhancing quality of life for pediatric cancer populations.

The field is rapidly evolving, with growing attention paid to how the places where children live influence disparities in cancer-related outcomes, recovery, and quality of life. Emerging evidence highlights the interplay between genetic predisposition and environmental exposures, alongside the social and biological mechanisms through which local living conditions shape health. Incorporating this knowledge into risk prediction models and survivorship care planning can inform targeted, equitable, and effective interventions.

The goal of this Special Issue is to highlight advances in understanding and addressing how the social and environmental conditions in children’s communities affect pediatric cancer outcomes, from diagnosis through survivorship. We welcome studies that identify risk and protective factors, elucidate underlying mechanisms, and propose actionable strategies to reduce disparities. Both original research articles and reviews are encouraged. The scope is limited to studies on individuals younger than 21 years old, excluding adult survivors of childhood cancer.

We welcome in-depth reviews and empirical studies on the following topics:

  • Social and environmental conditions in the communities where children live and their influence on cancer-related outcomes across the life course;
  • Social and biological mechanisms underlying the influence of community context in medical and psychosocial outcomes;
  • Interactions between genetic factors and community-level exposures in shaping the progression of cancer-related outcomes;
  • The influence of local social and environmental conditions on cancer risk prediction models and survivorship care planning;
  • Clinical interventions aimed at reducing place-based disparities and improving survivorship outcomes;
  • Policy-relevant research that informs equitable care delivery for pediatric cancer populations.

Dr. Jaesung Choi
Dr. I-Chan Huang
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Children 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 2400 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

  • social determinants of health
  • environmental determinants
  • pediatric cancer
  • survivorship
  • health disparities
  • health equalities
  • risk prediction
  • gene × environmental interaction
  • interventions

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 582 KB  
Article
Relationship Between Social Determinants of Health and Domains of Care Addressed During Pediatric Palliative Care Visits for Children with Cancer
by Deborah Feifer, Hee Su Park, Katherine Lee, Linda Radbill, Khaliah Johnson, Dio Kavalieratos and Katharine Brock
Children 2025, 12(12), 1694; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12121694 - 16 Dec 2025
Viewed by 658
Abstract
Introduction: Pediatric palliative care (PPC) improves symptom management and end-of-life (EOL) outcomes. Disparities exist in access to PPC and EOL care related to social determinants of health. Less is known regarding how the content of PPC visits varies by sociodemographic factors like race/ethnicity, [...] Read more.
Introduction: Pediatric palliative care (PPC) improves symptom management and end-of-life (EOL) outcomes. Disparities exist in access to PPC and EOL care related to social determinants of health. Less is known regarding how the content of PPC visits varies by sociodemographic factors like race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and language. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients 0–27 years old with cancer receiving PPC between 2017 and 2022. After each PPC visit, the documenting clinician selected the domains of care addressed during the visit (Goals of Care, Symptom Management, and Care Coordination with respective subdomains). Differences in frequency of subdomains discussed were compared across patient race/ethnicity, social deprivation index (SDI) score, language, and concordance with clinician race/ethnicity. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test assessed differences in proportions of visits with each subdomain discussed, and Kruskal–Wallis tests assessed differences in the frequency of total subdomains discussed. Results: Among 467 patients, there were 7548 PPC visits. Most patients were non-Hispanic (n = 384, 82.2%), English-speaking (n = 425, 91.0%), and identified as White (n = 270, 57.8%) or Black (n = 166, 35.5%). A median of 8 (IQR 7, 11) subdomains were addressed per visit. One more subdomain was addressed in non-Hispanic White visits (9) compared to all other races/ethnicities (8, p < 0.001). Certain topics, like symptoms (e.g., nausea/vomiting), were more likely to be addressed in visits with White and Hispanic/Latino patients. One more subdomain was addressed in the intermediate disadvantage group (9, IQR 7, 11) compared to high and low disadvantage (8, IQR 7, 11) (p = 0.092). Both English- and non-English-speaking visits addressed a median of 8 subdomains (p < 0.001). One more subdomain was addressed in patient/clinician race-discordant (9, IQR 7, 11) than race-concordant encounters (8, IQR 7, 10) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: While EOL outcomes often differ for groups of different races, ethnicities, social deprivation indices, and languages, the frequency of subdomains discussed during PPC visits was fairly similar across groups. Disparities in PPC and EOL outcomes likely emerge from a complex interplay of variables beyond visit content, including health literacy, patient preference, historical context, and systemic factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Care and Outcomes Among Children with Cancers)
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Review

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16 pages, 429 KB  
Review
Inequalities in Childhood Healthcare Access Among Racial and Ethnic Groups of Sub-Saharan Africa: A Narrative Review
by Syed Hanzila Azhar, Andrea Sárváry and Attila Sárváry
Children 2026, 13(3), 435; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13030435 - 23 Mar 2026
Viewed by 396
Abstract
Background/Objective: Child health serves as a foundational part of human development. Inequities in access to key health services remain high in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), most notably among children from disadvantaged, racially, or ethnically marginalized groups. The objective of this structured narrative review is [...] Read more.
Background/Objective: Child health serves as a foundational part of human development. Inequities in access to key health services remain high in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), most notably among children from disadvantaged, racially, or ethnically marginalized groups. The objective of this structured narrative review is to evaluate and aggregate the available evidence on racial/ethnic disparities in childhood healthcare access in SSA. Methods: A comprehensive search on African Index Medicus (AIM), Web of Science and PubMed for studies published between 2010 and 2025 was executed using relevant MeSH terms and Boolean operators. Studies on healthcare access inequalities among racial or ethnic groups in SSA were included. This study was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Ten articles were included. Ethnicity was an independent contributor to inequities in childhood healthcare across four domains: vaccination coverage (lower for Hausa/Fulani in Nigeria and Somali/Luhya in Kenya compared to dominant groups), timeliness of vaccination, child mortality (higher in economically and ethnically marginalized groups), and nutritional status (elevated stunting and underweight odds in certain ethnic minorities). Conclusions: Racial and ethnic inequalities in child healthcare access across SSA are driven by multi-factor structural, geographical, and cultural barriers. Although socioeconomic improvement reduces some disparities, it does not eradicate them, highlighting that ethnic identity continues to shape health outcomes independently. Addressing these disparities requires strengthening culturally inclusive healthcare delivery, improving access in underserved regions, and integrating ethnicity-disaggregated monitoring into national health systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Care and Outcomes Among Children with Cancers)
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