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Health Impacts of Resource Insecurity on Vulnerable Populations

A Special Issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601) belonging to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2027 | Viewed by 8727

Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Anthropology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Interests: water insecurity; food insecurity; housing insecurity; infrastructure development; structural violence; environmental induced stressors

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Guest Editor
1. School of Global Health, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
2. Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
Interests: resource insecurity; environmental and disease vulnerability; health inequity
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Guest Editor
School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
Interests: food security; immigrants; health and wellbeing; intersection of gender; social equity; community engagement; healthy communities

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Resource insecurity, defined as a scarcity of and a lack of access to essential resources—food, water, housing/household utilities (gas, electricity/energy source)—is rapidly escalating, affecting the health and wellbeing of diverse populations. These resource threats are significantly hindering the achievement of several sustainable development goals, particularly SDGs 1-6, which are largely dependent on water, food, housing, and energy securities. With the increased occurrence of global emergencies—such as adverse climate conditions, global inflation, the spread of infectious diseases, and political instabilities—household incomes are worsening, and chronic shortages regarding the supply of and access to these basic amenities which are essential in supporting one’s quality of life. The most affected are vulnerable households in urban and rural communities across the globe, more specifically, those in the Global South. It is crucial that we implement robust and evidence-based mitigation measures to avert severe resource insecurities, especially in resource-disadvantaged countries. However, research to inform policy shifts regarding resource insecurity and sustainable development is still inadequate.

In this Special Issue, we aim to bring together papers focusing on the social and health consequences of resource insecurity, the co-occurrence of either food, water, energy, and/or housing insecurity, and exploring sustainable solutions. We are seeking empirical research or conceptual/theoretical works which examine the relevant processes and issues, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Climate change and resource insecurities;
  • Sustainable development goals and resource insecurities;
  • Sustainable adaptations to changing resource security environments;
  • Systemic barriers and increased vulnerabilities to resource insecurities.

Dr. Patrick Mbullo Owuor
Dr. Godfred O. Boateng
Dr. Elizabeth Onyango
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-anonymized 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

  • water insecurity
  • food insecurity
  • housing insecurity
  • energy insecurity
  • resource insecurity
  • low- and middle-income countries
  • sustainable development
  • gendered inequalities

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 433 KB  
Article
Water Insecurity as Health Crisis: Everyday Embodiment and Gendered Vulnerability Among Girls in Ghana’s Upper West Region
by Mildred Naamwintome Molle, Sulemana Ansumah Saaka, Cornelius K. A. Pienaah, Elijah Bisung and Isaac Luginaah
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2026, 23(9), 1142; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23091142 - 2 Sep 2026
Viewed by 430
Abstract
In semi-arid Ghana, girls bear primary responsibility for household water collection in communities without on-premises access, a burden intensified by climate change associated with rising temperatures and frequent droughts. Yet little is known about how this responsibility shapes their embodied health and well-being. [...] Read more.
In semi-arid Ghana, girls bear primary responsibility for household water collection in communities without on-premises access, a burden intensified by climate change associated with rising temperatures and frequent droughts. Yet little is known about how this responsibility shapes their embodied health and well-being. Guided by a political ecology of health framework, this qualitative study examined how water insecurity shapes girls’ physical, psychosocial, and neurological health in two communities, Wechiau and Kandue, in Ghana’s Upper West Region. We conducted in-depth interviews with nineteen purposively selected girls aged 10 to 19 and analyzed the transcripts thematically. Four interconnected themes emerged: structural and political determinants of water access, environmental and ecological conditions, gendered social relations, and embodied health consequences. Financial barriers, governance failures, and infrastructure deficits force girls into long queues and repeated trips, a burden that falls disproportionately on girls under cultural norms exempting boys from water duties. This gendered allocation of labour produces gendered health harm, whereby girls sustain musculoskeletal pain and injury carrying heavy loads over hazardous terrain, while chronic time loss disrupts sleep, schooling, and psychological well-being. Girls with pre-existing conditions such as epilepsy face the most acute risk, as water fetching directly exacerbates their vulnerability to seizures. These findings show that addressing this crisis requires more than infrastructure investment. Coordinated public–private investment in water access must be paired with social protection for vulnerable households, gender-responsive water policy, and rainwater-harvesting strategies that confront the structural and gendered inequities placing this burden on girls. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Impacts of Resource Insecurity on Vulnerable Populations)
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20 pages, 2635 KB  
Article
Assessing a Community Partnership Addressing Food Security Among Older Adults During COVID-19
by Jenny Jinyoung Lee, Christy Nishita and Kathryn L. Braun
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(2), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22020163 - 26 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1651
Abstract
For many vulnerable older adults, food access was disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Hawai‘i, the Kūpuna (the Hawaiian word for elders) Food Security Coalition (KFSC) was formed in March 2020 to address this challenge, leveraging local and federal funding support. This case [...] Read more.
For many vulnerable older adults, food access was disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Hawai‘i, the Kūpuna (the Hawaiian word for elders) Food Security Coalition (KFSC) was formed in March 2020 to address this challenge, leveraging local and federal funding support. This case study presents information on coalition formation and success in addressing this emergency, as well as evaluation data on coalition functioning as assessed by the Collective Impact (CI) framework. Coalition functioning was assessed across the five CI conditions: common agenda, shared measurement, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and backbone support. Case study data were available from interview and learning circle transcripts, survey findings, and other program documents. Between March and December 2020, the KFSC coordinated efforts of 46 organizations to serve approximately 1.2 million meals to 8300 vulnerable seniors in Honolulu County. Within the first 9 months of existence, the coalition’s measurement system and the common agenda conditions showed advanced maturity, while the other conditions demonstrated moderate maturity levels. Despite challenging leadership transitions, the coalition was successful in helping increase food access and then pivoting in 2021 to promote kūpuna vaccinations, and the coalition continues to meet regularly to address issues of concern to vulnerable older adults. This study provides evidence-based guidance for communities seeking to establish public/non-profit partnerships for emergency food response for older adults, demonstrating how structured coalition approaches can effectively mobilize and coordinate multi-stakeholder efforts during and beyond crises. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Impacts of Resource Insecurity on Vulnerable Populations)
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Review

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26 pages, 694 KB  
Review
Shelter to Survival: Unpacking the Health Impacts of Housing Insecurity Across the Life Course
by Gordane V. Calloo, Mavis Odei Boateng, Eyram A. Agbe and Godfred O. Boateng
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2026, 23(1), 91; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23010091 - 9 Jan 2026
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3735
Abstract
Housing insecurity is a growing public health concern linked to adverse health outcomes and lifelong vulnerability. Although housing is a well-established social determinant of health, this review employs a life-course framework to explain how housing insecurity contributes to the accumulation of health inequities [...] Read more.
Housing insecurity is a growing public health concern linked to adverse health outcomes and lifelong vulnerability. Although housing is a well-established social determinant of health, this review employs a life-course framework to explain how housing insecurity contributes to the accumulation of health inequities and chronic disparities across the different stages of human development. A rapid review was conducted across PubMed, Google Scholar, SCOPUS, and Web of Science, focusing on peer-reviewed studies published between 1991 and 2025. Studies were screened using predefined eligibility criteria, and the selection process was documented through a PRISMA flow diagram. Fifty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Housing insecurity was consistently associated with adverse health outcomes across pregnancy, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and older age. Each life stage presents distinct vulnerabilities shaped by environmental and social conditions, which are manifested through physiological and psychosocial pathways. While physical health effects were most frequently reported, developmental and mental health impacts accumulated over time, amplifying overall burden. The findings demonstrate a clear life-course pathway linking housing insecurity to immediate and long-term health risks. Early-life disadvantages create lasting, preventable consequences, underscoring the urgent need for policies that embed housing stability within broader public health planning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Impacts of Resource Insecurity on Vulnerable Populations)
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