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Advancing Equitable Healthcare Access for Sexual and Gender Minorities and Beyond

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Care Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 485

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
Interests: health equity through LGBTQ+; nursing education; global health collaboration; innovative pedagogies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa
Interests: ethical, theoretical, and practical cornerstone of nursing; reshaping health systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ensuring equitable healthcare access for sexual and gender minorities is a fundamental component of high-quality, person-centered care. Despite growing attention on inclusion and cultural safety, many individuals continue to encounter barriers such as limited provider training, discriminatory practices, and uneven policy protections. These gaps contribute to preventable health disparities and reinforce the need for stronger, evidence-based approaches that promote dignity, safety, and fairness in every care setting. As global efforts toward diversity, equity, and inclusion gain momentum, nurses and other health professionals are uniquely positioned to lead change through clinical practice, education, advocacy, and community engagement.

This call invites authors to share scholarship that deepens understanding and sparks action toward more equitable care for sexual and gender minorities and other marginalized groups. Submissions may examine educational innovations, clinical practices, community-driven initiatives, policy developments, technological solutions, or international perspectives. We especially welcome work that explores intersectional experiences, addresses structural challenges, or offers practical, scalable strategies for improving access and quality of care. Through this Special Issue, we aim to elevate a wide range of voices, strengthen the evidence base, and encourage meaningful dialogue that advances just and inclusive healthcare for all.

Prof. Dr. Judith B. Cornelius
Prof. Dr. Charlene Downing
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. 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

  • sexual and gender minority
  • health equity
  • inclusive caring
  • intersectionality
  • gender affirming nursing
  • health disparities
  • policy and systems change
  • access to care
  • collaborative caring care
  • diversity, equity, and inclusion

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 304 KB  
Article
Psychosocial and Behavioral Correlates of Sleep Duration and Sleep Disturbance Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Women
by Jennifer M. Jabson Tree and Katherine Buchman
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2026, 23(2), 201; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23020201 - 4 Feb 2026
Viewed by 302
Abstract
Introduction: Sleep is an essential dimension of good physical and mental health. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) women experience inequities in sleep duration and disturbance compared to heterosexual women. Psychosocial and behavioral characteristics are important to sleep in the general population; they may [...] Read more.
Introduction: Sleep is an essential dimension of good physical and mental health. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) women experience inequities in sleep duration and disturbance compared to heterosexual women. Psychosocial and behavioral characteristics are important to sleep in the general population; they may advance our understanding about sleep inequities among LGB women and provide key information for developing promising interventions. Methods: Data for this project were provided by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). The sample size for this project was 1436: 884 LG women and 552 bisexual women. Outcome variables were sleep duration and disturbance. The authors sought to clarify the associations, including the strength, between psychosocial factors and sleep outcomes among LGB women. Associations between psychosocial characteristics, health behaviors, and sleep outcomes were tested using multivariable, hierarchical, nested, linear regression models, stratified by sexual orientation. Results: Social strain, social function, optimism, and negative emotional expressiveness were significantly associated with sleep outcomes for LGB women. Health behaviors were not consistently or strongly associated with sleep outcomes for LGB women. Conclusions: The findings point to the importance of social strain, social function, negative emotional expressiveness, and optimism in LGB women’s sleep. It is possible that LGB women’s sleep could be improved with evidence-based interventions that use our findings. Full article
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