Health Promotion in Childhood and Adolescence
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: 30 October 2026 | Viewed by 1502
Special Issue Editors
Interests: adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health; Indigenous youth; healthy relationships development; injury and violence prevention; childhood obesity prevention; intervention development; implementation science; qualitative and mixed methods research
Interests: adolescent and young adult sexual, reproductive, and mental health; implementation science; qualitative and mixed methods; participatory approaches; global health; gender and health
Interests: adolescent mental health; community-based prevention; social connectedness and ACEs; suicide prevention; mixed-methods and qualitative research; youth participatory approaches; immigrant populations
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
As of 2025, there are approximately 2.5 billion children and adolescents globally, and they comprise nearly one-third of the global population. Promoting child and adolescent health is a global priority because child and adolescent health is the foundation for healthy societies. Children and adolescents are in key developmental stages where physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth occur, and poor health during these years can have lifelong consequences. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, are increasing among youth due to poor diets, sedentary lifestyles, and environmental factors. Mental health disorders are increasing in prevalence, often exacerbated by social isolation, social media, climate anxiety, and economic and political instability. Additionally, sexual and reproductive health are challenged by stigma, gender inequities, and policies that limit youth access to developmentally appropriate education and care. Communicable diseases are an increasing challenge for both children and adolescents, as vaccine misinformation and hesitation have increased globally.
To grow and develop in good health, children and adolescents need age-appropriate comprehensive health education; opportunities to develop life skills; health services that are acceptable, equitable, appropriate, and effective; and safe and supportive environments. They also need opportunities to meaningfully participate in the design and delivery of interventions to improve and maintain their health. Expanding such opportunities is key to responding to children and adolescents’ specific needs and rights.
This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on innovative, participatory approaches to child and adolescent health promotion globally. Papers addressing topics including diet, physical activity, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, substance use, injury and violence prevention, communicable disease prevention, and their intersections, are invited for this Special Issue, especially those combining participatory research methods with evidence-informed strategies to promote child and adolescent health.
Prof. Dr. Christine Markham
Dr. Marie A. Brault
Dr. Emily Lemon
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
- health promotion
- childhood
- adolescent
- participatory research
- intervention development
- program evaluation
- implementation of science
- sexual and reproductive health
- mental health
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.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
