Environmental Public Health Interventions in Chronic Disease Prevention
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Infectious Diseases, Chronic Diseases, and Disease Prevention".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 55
Special Issue Editor
Interests: relationships between environmental factors and health behaviors; health-related quality of life (HRQOL); overall well-being
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory conditions, cancer, and others, are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Globally, 74% of all deaths can be attributed to chronic diseases. These diseases also account for a large proportion of loss in health-related quality of life and contribute to a high economic burden, comprising a substantial portion of healthcare costs [1,2]. Yet, a large proportion of the morbidity and mortality due to chronic diseases is preventable. While individual-level health behavior modifications are important for chronic disease prevention, environmental public health interventions can be highly effective in slowing rates of chronic disease: such interventions can address multiple factors that contribute to the development and progression of chronic diseases. Examples of environmental interventions include efforts to improve features of the built environment (indoor air quality and urban planning), reduce pollution (outdoor air quality and drinking water infrastructure), or enhance the food environment (access to affordable, nutrient-dense foods). Additional examples include health-promoting workplace interventions to improve well-being and interventions to address climate change and heat exposure. Interventions can contribute to disease prevention by encouraging health-promoting behaviors (e.g., increased built environment opportunities for physical activity) and/or by creating conditions that directly influence chronic disease outcomes (e.g., improving indoor air quality to reduce asthma symptoms).
We are seeking papers that provide examples of the role that environmental public health interventions play in chronic disease prevention. Authors should include a detailed description of intervention components and delivery and show data evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions in improving chronic disease health outcomes and/or health-promoting behaviors. Additionally, all papers should discuss the cost-effectiveness of intervention implementation.
References
- Thomas, S.A.; Browning, C.J.; Charchar, F.J.; Klein, B.; Ory, M.G.; Bowden-Jones, H.; Chamberlain, S.R. Transforming global approaches to chronic disease prevention and management across the lifespan: integrating genomics, behavior change, and digital health solutions. Front. Public Health 2023, 11, 1248254.
- World Health Organization. Noncommunicable Diseases; World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland, 2024. Available online: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases (accessed on 4 September 2025).
Dr. Elizabeth W. Holt
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. 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
- chronic disease
- noncommunicable disease
- environmental intervention
- built environment
- prevention
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