Special Issue "Health Environment and Sustainable Development"

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pilar Martinez-Jimenez
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Applied Physics, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: education; renewable energy; advertising; new technologies; social media; applications to health
Dr. Alberto Jesús Perea Moreno
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Applied Physics, Radiology and Physical Medicine, University of Cordoba, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: renewable energy; energy saving; biomass; sustainability; remote sensing
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The term sustainability refers to efforts toward improving and maintaining an individual’s wellbeing in the long-term by recovering, adjusting, or preserving environmental systems. Sustainability is based in simultaneous benefits regarding economic, social, and environmental factors. Among all the factors that contribute to sustainability, innovational and technological advances have become the most relevant element that can define a population’s health.
Most of the innovations focused on sustainability imply the institutionalization or routinization of such technologies. This institutionalization implies the integration of different technologies in the healthcare system—from diagnosis to the organization of  care.
Moreover, sustainability has been also incorporated in different areas such as the automobilist industry to social interactions. The objective of improving all these different areas in order to achieve individual wellbeing is sometimes lost within technological advances. In this sense, several economic, social, or organizational interests utilize the novel advances despite the sustainability and, therefore, the wellbeing of the population.
Based on this, two concepts in particular have arisen during the last two decades—the sustainability of healthcare innovations and social sustainability. Both concepts are based on adequation of the technologies, first, to the environment and resources and, later, to adapt them to the community.

The list of topics may include (but is not limited to):

  • Emerging technologies, internet, and sustainability of healthcare innovations;
  • Safety, security, and privacy of information technologies;
  • Sustainability and communities;
  • Smart cities, smart health, and population;
  • Health promotion and sources management;
  • Operation management and decision-making regarding resources;
  • New technologies, wellbeing, eating attitudes, and mobility;
  • Education for sustainable development.

Dr. Pilar Martinez-Jimenez
Dr. Alberto Jesús Perea Moreno
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 papers will be 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 semimonthly 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 2300 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 systems maintenance and cost reduction
  • new technologies and mobility
  • sustainability and lifestyles
  • smart cities and health
  • social factors, allies, or enemies of sustainability
  • environmental sustainability in higher education

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

Article
The Significance of Occupants’ Interaction with Their Environment on Reducing Cooling Loads and Dermatological Distresses in East Mediterranean Climates
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(16), 8870; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168870 - 23 Aug 2021
Viewed by 350
Abstract
Global endeavors to respond to the problems caused by climate change and are leading to higher temperatures inside homes, which can cause skin conditions (such as eczema), lethargy, and poor concentration; disturbed sleep and fatigue are also rising. The energy performance of buildings [...] Read more.
Global endeavors to respond to the problems caused by climate change and are leading to higher temperatures inside homes, which can cause skin conditions (such as eczema), lethargy, and poor concentration; disturbed sleep and fatigue are also rising. The energy performance of buildings is influenced by interactions and associations of numerous different variables, such as the envelope specifications as well as the design, technologies, apparatuses, and occupant behaviours. This paper introduces simple and sustainable strategies that are not dependent on expensive or sophisticated technologies, as they rely only on the actions practiced by the building’s occupants (movable window shading, and nighttime natural ventilation) instead of completely relying on high-cost mechanical cooling systems in buildings located in the main Eastern Mediterranean climates represented in the country of Jordan. These low-energy solutions could be applied to low-income houses in hot areas to avoid health problems, such as dermatological diseases, and save a significant amount of energy. The final results indicate that window shading has significant potential in reducing the cooling load in different climate zones. Natural ventilation exhibits high energy-saving abilities in climates that have cool nights, whereas its abilities in hot climates where nights are moderate is limited. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Environment and Sustainable Development)
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Article
The Effect of Work Safety on Organizational Social Sustainability Improvement in the Healthcare Sector: The Case of a Public Sector Hospital in Pakistan
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(12), 6672; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126672 - 21 Jun 2021
Viewed by 663
Abstract
Social sustainability is the much emphasized organizational phenomenon in Western literature; however, in emerging economies, its importance has only been realized in the recent past. Social sustainability is the amiability of the relationship between employees and the organizations on a relatively permanent basis. [...] Read more.
Social sustainability is the much emphasized organizational phenomenon in Western literature; however, in emerging economies, its importance has only been realized in the recent past. Social sustainability is the amiability of the relationship between employees and the organizations on a relatively permanent basis. Social sustainability is the key determinant of organizational sustainability and organizational effectiveness. As healthcare organizations are labor-intensive, the role of social sustainability in hospitals is more crucial. The purpose of the present study is to understand the role of work safety in improving social sustainability in public sector hospitals. To this effect, we collected data from 431 healthcare professionals of a large public sector tertiary and teaching hospital in the city of Lahore Pakistan and analyzed the data using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results uncovered certain important facts, which were not expected per se. Job design, coworkers’ behavior towards work safety, and supervisors’ role in ensuring work safety are the key factors that influence social sustainability. However, surprisingly, in the eyes of employees, management practices and safety programs/policies do not contribute to the work safety of the hospital under study. Keeping in view the findings, we suggest that management must participate in work safety affairs directly and formulate indigenous policies and programs according to local needs. Job analysis is needed to redesign job structures to meet workplace safety requirements. Formal and informal training will be beneficial to make workers and supervisors more aware, more sensitive, and more responsible regarding work safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Environment and Sustainable Development)
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Article
The Bibliometric Literature on Scopus and WoS: The Medicine and Environmental Sciences Categories as Case of Study
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(11), 5851; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115851 - 29 May 2021
Viewed by 926
Abstract
In a broad sense, science can be understood as the knowledge contained in scientific manuscripts published in scientific journals. Scientific databases index only those journals that reach certain quality standards. Therefore, research and dissemination of scientific knowledge are essential activities for the growth [...] Read more.
In a broad sense, science can be understood as the knowledge contained in scientific manuscripts published in scientific journals. Scientific databases index only those journals that reach certain quality standards. Therefore, research and dissemination of scientific knowledge are essential activities for the growth of science itself. The aim of this manuscript is to assess the situation of medicine and environmental sciences among the bibliometric literature and to put it in perspective with the overall bibliometric publications in all scientific fields. The main countries publishing bibliometric manuscripts are China, USA and Spain. The latter country is ranked three out of the top five institutions according to the Scopus and WoS databases. In both databases, the average scientific collaboration of the top 20 institutions offers the same result, 41%. According to Scopus, the main subject categories in which this research falls are social sciences (38%), computer science (26%) and medicine (23%), while the environmental sciences category has 8%. In the analysis of the Medicine category alone, it has been observed that 136 countries have contributions in this field. The main countries are the United States, China and the United Kingdom. In the field of medicine, the main areas studied were: Epidemiology, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, Cardiology, Neurosurgery, Radiology, Ophthalmology, Oncology, Plastic Surgery and Psychiatry. With respect to environmental sciences, less international dissemination has been found, with only 83 countries having worked in this field. The main ones are China, Spain and the United States. Regarding the top 10 institutions, it can be stated that only Spain and China are relevant. Spain focuses on sustainability and China on the environment. The result of an independent keyword analysis of all published bibliometric manuscripts has shown that the main clusters are: Mapping Science (29%), Research Productivity (23%), Medicine (20%), Environmental Sciences (12%), Psychology (7%), Nursing (6%) and Engineering (4%). In short, medicine and environmental sciences are the most relevant areas in the field of bibliometrics after social sciences and computer sciences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Environment and Sustainable Development)
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Article
Analyzing the Status of Sustainable Development in the Manufacturing Sector Using Multi-Expert Multi-Criteria Fuzzy Decision-Making and Integrated Triple Bottom Lines
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(11), 3800; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17113800 - 27 May 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 995
Abstract
A sustainable manufacturing company depends on the developments in three aspects in order to minimize harmful impacts on the environment, improve the social relations, and simultaneously maximize the economic benefits. Despite the increasing types of investigations that researchers have carried out in environmental [...] Read more.
A sustainable manufacturing company depends on the developments in three aspects in order to minimize harmful impacts on the environment, improve the social relations, and simultaneously maximize the economic benefits. Despite the increasing types of investigations that researchers have carried out in environmental and economic aspects, the minimum attention has been paid to social relations. In response to this deficiency, this paper proposes a new framework to obtain the overall sustainability index in manufacturing companies by encapsulating the sustainability criteria/sub-criteria. This article collected 33 sub-criteria for five pillars of sustainability as social, environment, economic, technological advancement, and performance management. The key contributions of this paper are highlighted as the hierarchical method that obtains the status of sustainability in uncertain conditions, the ability to identify the weak points, and a new framework for gathering the data about sustainability performance in manufacturing companies. The findings of this paper will aid both policymakers and decision-makers to assess the sustainability status of manufacturing systems and improve the performances of them. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Environment and Sustainable Development)
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Article
A Sustainable Approach to the Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Its Economic Burden
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(6), 1891; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17061891 - 14 Mar 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1304
Abstract
The prevalence of obesity continues to grow, resulting in metabolic syndrome and increasing economic burden for health systems. The objectives were to measure the ability of the NIM-MetS test, previously used in the adults, for the early and sustainable detection of the Metabolic [...] Read more.
The prevalence of obesity continues to grow, resulting in metabolic syndrome and increasing economic burden for health systems. The objectives were to measure the ability of the NIM-MetS test, previously used in the adults, for the early and sustainable detection of the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in children and adolescents. Moreover, to determine the economic burden of the children with MetS. Furthermore, finally, to use and implement the NIM-MetS test, via a self-created online software, as a new method to determine the risk of MetS in children. The method used was an observational study using different instruments (NIM-MetS test, International Diabetes Federation (IDF), or Cook) and measures (body mass index). Additionally, the economic burden was estimated via a research strategy in different databases, e.g., PubMed, to identify previous papers. The results (N = 265 children, age from 10–12) showed that 23.1% had obesity and 7.2% hypertension. The prevalence of MetS using the NIM-Mets was 5.7, and the cost of these children was approximate 618,253,99 euros. Finally, a model was obtained and later implemented in a web platform via simulation. The NIM-MetS obtained is a non-invasive method for the diagnosis of risk of MetS in children. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Environment and Sustainable Development)
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Article
A Decision-Making Algorithm for Rearchitecting of Healthcare Facilities to Minimize Nosocomial Infections Risks
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(3), 855; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030855 - 30 Jan 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1004
Abstract
Most of the healthcare facilities (HFs) have to face the nosocomial infections (NIs), which increase the rates of morbidity, mortality, and financial burden on the HFs and the patients. The control of the NIs is a global issue and requires additional effort. Because [...] Read more.
Most of the healthcare facilities (HFs) have to face the nosocomial infections (NIs), which increase the rates of morbidity, mortality, and financial burden on the HFs and the patients. The control of the NIs is a global issue and requires additional effort. Because the pathogenic microbes can be transmitted among all the HF departments, the layout and design of the HFs (or the department configuration) is considered to play a significant role in control of the NIs. A few of the departments transmit the microbes more than other departments, called ‘cause’, while some other departments are more infected than others, called ‘effect’. Here, the researchers have stated that both the cause and effect departments are risky. This research tried to propose a comprehensive mathematical algorithm for choosing the high-risk department(s) by applying the NI and the managerial criteria to minimize NIs through rearchitecting of the HFs. To develop the algorithm, the researchers applied the multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. They used Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and modified weighted sum method (WSM) methods, and their hybrid, along with a modified nominal group technique (NGT) for data collection. The proposed algorithm was later validated by implementation in a HF as a case study. Based on all results of the algorithm, the high-risk departments in the HF were identified and proposed to be eliminated from the HF in such a way that the facility would retain its functionality. The algorithm was seen to be valid, and the feasibility of the algorithm was approved by the top managers of the HF after the algorithm was implemented in the case study. In conclusion, the proposed algorithm was seen to be an effective solution for minimizing the NIs risk in every HF by eliminating the high-risk departments, which could simplify the HF manager’s decisions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Environment and Sustainable Development)
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