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Healthcare
Special Issues
Research on Wellbeing and Health for Vulnerable Populations
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Research on Wellbeing and Health for Vulnerable Populations

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "School Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 9346

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xiang-Yu Hou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4066, Australia
Interests: behavioural epidemiology; social epidemiology; health system research; health program evaluation; emergency medicine; paramedicine; mental health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lijun Fan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
Interests: social epidemiology; health policy; health economics; chronic diseases management; chronic diseases epidemiology; health programs/policy evaluation; healthcare services and management; healthcare for vulnerable populations; healthy aging research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Chiung-Jung (Jo) Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast, Petrie, QLD 4502, Australia
Interests: cardiac; clinical research; diabetes; self-efficacy; self-management; telehealth; synthesis of literature review
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vulnerable people in a society includes children, elderly, women, pregnant women, Indigenous populations, and people with chronic diseases. To address the health needs of such vulnerable peoples is a core value of social justice and a focus of research and practice among many health professionals around the world, in both developed and developing countries. Collectively, we can and should foster a morally just, equitable, inclusive, and thriving society where we promote the health of vulnerable peoples and society as a whole.

This Special Issue of Healthcare is dedicated to celebrating our achievements and progress in this significant area by sharing international research, including (but not limited to) findings in the fields of risk factors, self-management and support, case management, adherence to medications/treatment, rehabilitation services, family/carer and community support, participation in prevention services, access to primary/secondary/tertiary care, models of healthcare, patient-centred care, transitional care between primary and secondary/tertiary care, cultural safety/competency of the health system, telehealth, health policy and regulations, health industry, and health technology.

We hope that this Special Issue will provide novel and high-quality evidence to guide our practice worldwide and further help vulnerable peoples, their families, communities, and society in general.

Dr. Xiang-Yu Hou
Dr. Lijun Fan
Dr. Chiung-Jung (Jo) Wu
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.

Keywords

indigenous health
healthy aging
women and childrens’ health
chronic diseases
acute healthcare
healthcare system
health policy and regulation
health equity and social justice
health industry
health technology

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

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 262 KiB  
Article
Changes in Substance Use Diagnoses in the Great Plains during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Ahmed Nahian and Lisa M. McFadden
Healthcare 2024, 12(16), 1630; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12161630 - 16 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1473
Abstract
As drug overdose mortality rises in the United States, healthcare visits present critical opportunities to mitigate this trend. This study examines changes in healthcare visits for substance use disorders (SUDs) and remission prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Great Plains, [...] Read more.
As drug overdose mortality rises in the United States, healthcare visits present critical opportunities to mitigate this trend. This study examines changes in healthcare visits for substance use disorders (SUDs) and remission prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Great Plains, with a focus on identifying the characteristics of those served. Data were analyzed from 109,671 patient visits (mode = one visit per patient), encompassing diverse demographics, including sex, age, race, ethnicity, and geographic location. Visits analyzed included those for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), or Stimulant Use Disorder (StUD) and those in remission of these disorders between March 2019 and March 2021. Patient demographic information and geographic factors, like rurality and Medicaid expansion status, were considered, and logistic regression was utilized. Visits were primarily by White (70.83%) and Native American (21.39%) patients, non-Hispanic (91.70%) patients, and males (54.16%). Various demographic, geographic, and temporal trends were observed. Findings indicated that males were more likely to receive an AUD diagnosis, while females were more likely to receive an OUD or StUD diagnosis. Metropolitan-residing patients were more likely to receive an AUD diagnosis, while non-metropolitan patients were more likely to receive an OUD diagnosis. Remission odds increased for StUD during the pandemic but decreased for AUD and OUD. These findings illuminate the demographic and geographic patterns of SUD-related healthcare visits, suggesting critical touchpoints for intervention. The results emphasize the urgent need for targeted healthcare strategies, especially in rural and underserved areas, to address persistent health disparities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Wellbeing and Health for Vulnerable Populations)
11 pages, 223 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Analysis of Mammography Uptake between Migrant and Non-Migrant Women in Austria—Results of the Austrian Health Interview Survey
by Diana Wahidie, Yüce Yilmaz-Aslan and Patrick Brzoska
Healthcare 2024, 12(15), 1468; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12151468 - 23 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1142
Abstract
Mammography can reduce breast cancer incidence and mortality. Studies on the utilization of mammography among migrant and non-migrant women are inconsistent. Many of these studies do not take the heterogeneity of migrants in terms of ethnicity and country of origin into account. The [...] Read more.
Mammography can reduce breast cancer incidence and mortality. Studies on the utilization of mammography among migrant and non-migrant women are inconsistent. Many of these studies do not take the heterogeneity of migrants in terms of ethnicity and country of origin into account. The aim of the present study was to examine disparities in the use of mammography between non-migrant women and the five largest migrant groups in Austria. The study used data from a nationwide population-based survey of 5118 women aged 45 years and older and analyzed the participation in mammography as a dependent variable. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare mammography uptake between the aforementioned groups of women, while adjusting for socioeconomic and health variables. The study shows that all migrant groups involved tended to use mammography less frequently than non-migrant women; statistically significant differences, however, were only observed for Hungarian migrant women (adjusted OR = 0.36; 95%-CI: 0.13, 0.95; p = 0.038) and women from a Yugoslavian successor state (adjusted OR = 0.55; 95%-CI: 0.31, 0.99; p = 0.044). These findings are consistent with other studies in Europe and beyond, highlighting the heterogeneity of migrant populations and emphasizing the need for a diversity-sensitive approach to health care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Wellbeing and Health for Vulnerable Populations)

Review

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21 pages, 722 KiB  
Review
Predictors of Psychological Distress among Post-Operative Cardiac Patients: A Narrative Review
by William D. McCann, Xiang-Yu Hou, Snezana Stolic and Michael J. Ireland
Healthcare 2023, 11(20), 2721; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11202721 - 12 Oct 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3604
Abstract
Following surgery, over 50% of cardiac surgery patients report anxiety, stress and/or depression, with at least 10% meeting clinical diagnoses, which can persist for more than a year. Psychological distress predicts post-surgery health outcomes for cardiac patients. Therefore, post-operative distress represents a critical [...] Read more.
Following surgery, over 50% of cardiac surgery patients report anxiety, stress and/or depression, with at least 10% meeting clinical diagnoses, which can persist for more than a year. Psychological distress predicts post-surgery health outcomes for cardiac patients. Therefore, post-operative distress represents a critical recovery challenge affecting both physical and psychological health. Despite some research identifying key personal, social, and health service correlates of patient distress, a review or synthesis of this evidence remains unavailable. Understanding these factors can facilitate the identification of high-risk patients, develop tailored support resources and interventions to support optimum recovery. This narrative review synthesises evidence from 39 studies that investigate personal, social, and health service predictors of post-surgery psychological distress among cardiac patients. The following factors predicted lower post-operative distress: participation in pre-operative education, cardiac rehabilitation, having a partner, happier marriages, increased physical activity, and greater social interaction. Conversely, increased pain and functional impairment predicted greater distress. The role of age, and sex in predicting distress is inconclusive. Understanding several factors is limited by the inability to carry out experimental manipulations for ethical reasons (e.g., pain). Future research would profit from addressing key methodological limitations and exploring the role of self-efficacy, pre-operative distress, and pre-operative physical activity. It is recommended that cardiac patients be educated pre-surgery and attend cardiac rehabilitation to decrease distress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Wellbeing and Health for Vulnerable Populations)
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13 pages, 864 KiB  
Study Protocol
Neuropsychological Stimulation Program for Children from Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
by Pablo Rodríguez-Prieto, Ian Craig Simpson, Diego Gomez-Baya, Claudia García de la Cadena, Desirée Ruiz-Aranda and Joaquín A. Ibáñez-Alfonso
Healthcare 2024, 12(5), 596; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12050596 - 6 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2136
Abstract
Background: Guatemala remains one of the poorest countries in Central America and suffers from high rates of social inequality and violence. In addition to the negative impact that two years without attending school has had on Guatemalan children due to the consequences of [...] Read more.
Background: Guatemala remains one of the poorest countries in Central America and suffers from high rates of social inequality and violence. In addition to the negative impact that two years without attending school has had on Guatemalan children due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, this unfavourable socioeconomic context poses a risk to children’s emotional and cognitive development. This work presents a protocol for implementing a cognitive and emotional stimulation program aimed at increasing the academic performance of these children and consequently improving their quality of life. Methods: The protocol proposes the implementation of a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of a 24-session-long stimulation program. It targets the cognitive functions of attention, language, executive functions, and social cognition, using the digital neurorehabilitation platform NeuronUP. The participants (n = 480) will be randomly assigned to an Experimental or Control group. Pre- and post-intervention assessments will be carried out, together with a follow-up in the next academic year, in which both groups will change roles. Results will be compared for the first and second years, looking for differences in academic and cognitive performance between groups. Discussion: Mid- and long-term outcomes are still unknown, but effective interventions based on this protocol are expected to facilitate the following benefits for participants: (1) improved cognitive and emotional development; (2) improved academic performance; (3) improved well-being. We expect to create a validated neuropsychological stimulation program that could be applied in similar socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts around the world to help these children improve their life chances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Wellbeing and Health for Vulnerable Populations)
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