Nutrition Equity and Community Health: Social, Environmental, and Innovative Approaches

Dear Colleagues,

Persistent disparities in dietary intake and nutrition-related health outcomes remain a pressing public health concern, particularly among economically disadvantaged and historically marginalized populations. Structural and social determinants, including food and nutrition insecurity, systemic racism, underinvestment in neighborhood infrastructure, and lack of access to affordable, healthy, and culturally relevant food, are major drivers of inequities in diet quality and nutrition-related chronic conditions such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. While dietary recommendations like the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Mediterranean eating plans are well-established for chronic disease prevention, many communities face persistent barriers to adoption and adherence.

This Special Issue will highlight research that advances our understanding of nutrition equity at both the population and community levels. We welcome interdisciplinary studies that examine how structural, social, and environmental factors shape dietary behaviors and outcomes, as well as community-based interventions that aim to promote dietary change and improve nutrition security. 

This Special Issue will include original research, systematic reviews, program evaluations, and theoretical or methodological contributions focused on nutrition equity, population health, and community-based practice. We encourage submissions using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods, as well as those grounded in implementation science, community-based participatory research, or other participatory approaches.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Brandi M. White
Guest Editor

Dr. Kendra OoNorasak
Guest Editor Assistant

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.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 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.