Commercial Determinants of Health: Understanding and Addressing Commercial Sector Harms to Public Health and the Environment
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 1071
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In the 21st century, we are currently witnessing a dramatic increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) (e.g., cancer, heart disease, diabetes), which account for more than 41 million deaths per year, representing 70% of all annual deaths. Approximately 77% of all NCD deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and two-thirds of these deaths are related to tobacco use, alcohol misuse, unhealthy eating and physical inactivity. While biological, behavioral, social, political, cultural and environmental elements are all determinants of these NCDs, a new wave of research is beginning to focus on the commercial determinants of health (CDoH). The CDoH are the social, political and economic structures, norms, rules and practices through which business activities designed to generate profits and increase market share influence patterns of health, disease, injury, disability and death within and across populations. While commercial entities can contribute positively to health and society, there is growing evidence that the products and practices of commercial actors, most notably transnational corporations (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed food and drink, pharmaceutical, fossil fuels, etc.), are a key driver of the NCD epidemic and environmental problems. This Special Issue aims to further study and conceptualize the CDoH, as well as identify and analyze the structures, mechanisms, norms, strategies and activities that contribute to our understanding of the impacts of CDoH. In this vein, we invite the submission of articles discussing the following CDoH research areas:
- Conceptualizing and defining the CDoH;
- Measuring and analyzing the CDoH;
- Teaching the CDoH;
- Solutions to address the CDoH;
- Corporate political activity;
- Corporate marketing, advertising, promotion and sponsorship;
- Civil society activity and strategies to combat the CDoH;
- CDoH impact on avoidable ill health, planetary damage and social and health inequity;
- The impact of international trade and investment on public health;
- Industry document research.
Dr. Eric Crosbie
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
- commercial determinants of health
- transnational corporations
- civil society
- non-communicable diseases
- planetary damage
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
