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 976
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
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Keywords
- commercial determinants of health
- transnational corporations
- civil society
- non-communicable diseases
- planetary damage
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