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Public Health and Sustainable Development: Justice, Inclusivity, and Financing for a Resilient Future—2nd Edition

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Health, Well-Being and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 November 2024) | Viewed by 10523

Special Issue Editor

Dr. David Turbow

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Edith Neumann School of Health and Human Services, Touro University Worldwide, Los Alamitos, CA 90720, USA
Interests: environmental quality; public health; sustainability; systems-based approaches; social ecology; coastal environment; oceans; water quality; public health policy; global health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on current research and scholarship relating public health to sustainable development.  Promoting human health and well-being for a sustainable future requires development to be just, equitable and inclusive. The outbreak of COVID-19  presented major challenges for disease control, and rebounding from it required policies that are not coercive and do not harm social stability and harmony. Outbreaks from other emerging infectious diseases are expected in the future, through which society must adapt and flourish. The resilience of health systems that can respond quickly to emerging diseases while maintaining essential health services are critical for sustainable development. Indeed, sustainable development has been defined as meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generations. This Special Issue will supplement the existing literature by exploring ways that planning and governance can be structured and strategized to produce positive health outcomes. Situations we face include how to control the spread of infectious disease in an increasingly urbanized world, assure clean water supply for healthy populations, build sustainable transportation systems and implement appropriate fuel policies to ensure clean air, water and soil. In parts of the world, several transitions are occurring that impact health dimensions of sustainable development: a demographic transition, a disease burden transition, donor financing and a domestic financing transition. Contributors to this Special Issue are invited to share their research on innovative approaches to sustainable development for human health protection and health promotion. This could include the following: health system reform, vaccination and masking policies, transboundary pollution analysis, systems modeling, mitigation of health impacts of flooding and natural disasters and reduction in harmful effects of water and air pollution.   Other examples may include designing cities for safety, analyses of whether public health policies are overly restrictive, addressing sustainable use of the world oceans and controlling deforestation. Papers combining social, economic and environmental perspectives to promote health are very welcome. Articles which help promote human health and longevity through education, innovative development and environmental justice are also welcome. Manuscripts are sought that address supporting ecosystems that promote healthy diets, mitigating climate risks, providing safe water and sanitation to prevent disease, tackling poverty, reducing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases and reducing hunger. It is anticipated that manuscripts will address a range of health issues covering the following: human rights, transportation to reduce injury and likelihood of death, maternal health, equitable waste management policies, clean energy production, climate resilience and emergency preparedness/response.

Dr. David Turbow
Guest Editor

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 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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • sustainable health financing
  • public health
  • pollution control
  • promoting health and well-being
  • clean water and sanitation
  • energy subsidies
  • sustainable development
  • environmental health
  • climate resilience
  • environmental justice
  • maternal and child health
  • food security
  • globalization

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2123 KiB  
Article
Forest Therapy as an Alternative and Sustainable Rehabilitation Practice: A Patient Group Attitude Investigation
by Ivana Bassi, Vanessa Deotto, Laura Pagani and Luca Iseppi
Sustainability 2024, 16(18), 8111; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188111 - 17 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1315
Abstract
The objective of this research is to investigate the awareness and opinions concerning forest therapy within a public health institution, specifically as a green prescription for patients with stable chronic disease. Through qualitative preliminary analysis, this study compared the responses of a group [...] Read more.
The objective of this research is to investigate the awareness and opinions concerning forest therapy within a public health institution, specifically as a green prescription for patients with stable chronic disease. Through qualitative preliminary analysis, this study compared the responses of a group to gather physical activity and wood frequentation insights, as well as forest therapy patients’ attitudes. The results underline a general predisposition among respondents to engage in moderate physical activity and visit natural environments for relaxation purposes. Emerging parallelly is how forest therapy is largely an unknown practice, although it draws considerable interest and a general predisposition to participate. This research outlines the ideal conditions that emerge for participating in forest therapy sessions, including the availability to pay, pointing toward environmentally and socio-economically sustainable reflections. Further studies should extend this preliminary investigation using appropriate statistical methodologies on larger samples, involving different regions and medical conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Sustainable Development: Justice, Inclusivity, and Financing for a Resilient Future—2nd Edition)
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11 pages, 1779 KiB  
Communication
Adaptation of the Workplace for Disabled People—Sustainable Participation in the Labor Market
by Krzysztof Tylutki, Żaklina Konopacka, Justyna Woźniak and Dagmara Solatycka
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7473; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177473 - 29 Aug 2024
Viewed by 932
Abstract
The article concerns the issue of equal opportunities for disabled employees as sustainable participation in the labor market in selected workplaces in Poland. Disabled people are part of society; therefore, they should not be discriminated against by exclusion and allowed to participate fully [...] Read more.
The article concerns the issue of equal opportunities for disabled employees as sustainable participation in the labor market in selected workplaces in Poland. Disabled people are part of society; therefore, they should not be discriminated against by exclusion and allowed to participate fully in public life. This work analyzes scientific publications and fragments of reports, which have made it possible to draw conclusions on what areas of life disabled people have problems with regarding functioning and what should be changed to improve their quality of life. The aim of the article was to analyze examples of facilities used, among others, at universities that allow disabled people to move safety and freely. The substantive scope includes reference to Polish legal regulations regarding the process of employing disabled people in a balanced labor market against the background of statistical data. The article indicates that workplace facilities for disabled people (mobile and visually impaired) have a positive impact on the functioning of the rest of society due to the elimination of architectural barriers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Sustainable Development: Justice, Inclusivity, and Financing for a Resilient Future—2nd Edition)
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31 pages, 3849 KiB  
Article
Health Capital and a Sustainable Economic-Growth Nexus: A High-Frequency-Data Analysis during COVID-19
by Nazlı Ceylan Sungur, Ece C. Akdoğan and Soner Gökten
Sustainability 2024, 16(10), 3898; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16103898 - 7 May 2024
Viewed by 1219
Abstract
The recent COVID-19 pandemic effectively concretized the vitality of health expenditure and the economic-growth nexus, and the threat of new pandemics make re-examining this relationship a necessity. Consequently, this paper focuses on this nexus for developed OECD countries, paying particular attention to the [...] Read more.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic effectively concretized the vitality of health expenditure and the economic-growth nexus, and the threat of new pandemics make re-examining this relationship a necessity. Consequently, this paper focuses on this nexus for developed OECD countries, paying particular attention to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of stock indices as proxy variables for health expenditure and economic growth enabled the examination of this nexus by using high-frequency data and financial econometric techniques, specifically via rolling correlation and bivariate GARCH analyses. The data span 1170 observations between 15 May 2018 and 11 November 2022. Since the research period overlaps with the outbreak of Ukraine–Russia war, additional insights are obtained regarding the effects of the war as well. It was found that an increase in health expenditure leads to a delayed increase in economic growth even in the short term, and this relationship mainly develops during crises such as epidemics, wars, supply chain breakdowns, etc., for developed OECD countries. Given the aging population of developed countries, which will probably deteriorate the health status of those countries in the near future, the increasing political tensions around the globe and the considerations of a global recession highlight the importance and the inevitability of investments in health capital for developed countries as well. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Sustainable Development: Justice, Inclusivity, and Financing for a Resilient Future—2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 795 KiB  
Article
Organisations and Citizens Building Back Better? Climate Resilience, Social Justice & COVID-19 Recovery in Preston, UK
by Ioan M. Charnley-Parry, Alan Farrier, Mark Dooris, John Whitton and Julian Manley
Sustainability 2024, 16(7), 3003; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16073003 - 4 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1497
Abstract
The impacts of COVID-19 on cities across the United Kingdom were significant and diverse, whilst ongoing climate-related, sustainability and social challenges were highlighted and sometimes amplified. Lessons from organisational and citizen experiences and their responses have the potential to improve local sustainability and [...] Read more.
The impacts of COVID-19 on cities across the United Kingdom were significant and diverse, whilst ongoing climate-related, sustainability and social challenges were highlighted and sometimes amplified. Lessons from organisational and citizen experiences and their responses have the potential to improve local sustainability and resilience to global events; hence, they must be examined. We report findings from a project conducted in Preston (UK) exploring how COVID-19 recovery might accelerate organisation-led and citizen-led action for the wellbeing of people, places and the planet. The project used a settings approach to public health and combined qualitative research with conceptual development; the former involved online interviews and group dialogues with members of several local anchor institutions, whilst the latter examined synergy between community wealth building, Doughnut Economics and place-based climate action. We explore two themes—anchor institutions’ strategic priorities and plans; ‘building back better’, and its future sustainability implications. These revealed four cross-cutting aspects: wellbeing, tackling societal inequalities, collaborative working, and COVID-19 as a catalyst for transformative change. Informed by ‘Doughnut-Shaped Community Wealth Building’, organisations are encouraged to embed commitment to equitable and inclusive climate action; consolidate the co-operative approach developed during the pandemic at strategic, operational and grassroots levels; take a nuanced approach to future work policies and practices; work across anchor institutions to advocate collectively for supportive national-level policy to build a sustainable, wellbeing economy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Sustainable Development: Justice, Inclusivity, and Financing for a Resilient Future—2nd Edition)
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Review

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38 pages, 3590 KiB  
Review
Enhancing Sustainability through Accessible Health Platforms: A Scoping Review
by Domenica Ramírez-Saltos, Patricia Acosta-Vargas, Gloria Acosta-Vargas, Marco Santórum, Mayra Carrion-Toro, Manuel Ayala-Chauvin, Esteban Ortiz-Prado, Verónica Maldonado-Garcés and Mario González-Rodríguez
Sustainability 2023, 15(22), 15916; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152215916 - 14 Nov 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4504
Abstract
The digital transformation of healthcare platforms has ushered in a new era of accessibility, making health information and services widely available. This comprehensive scoping review delves into the accessibility landscape of health platforms by analyzing 29 carefully selected research articles. These studies employ [...] Read more.
The digital transformation of healthcare platforms has ushered in a new era of accessibility, making health information and services widely available. This comprehensive scoping review delves into the accessibility landscape of health platforms by analyzing 29 carefully selected research articles. These studies employ automated tools and manual evaluations to evaluate platform accessibility comprehensively. This study revealed that (52%) of these articles are based on automated methods, while 34% combine automated and manual approaches. Most studies show compliance with the latest versions of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), with a significant focus (70%) on compliance with level A. This study reveals recurring issues within the perceivable operable, understandable, and robust categories, underscoring the pressing need for strict the accessibility testing of health platforms. This study demonstrates substantial agreement between raters, reinforced by a Cohen’s kappa coefficient of 0.613, indicating their reliability in classifying the articles. Future efforts should persist in refining accessibility standards, advocating for compliance with the WCAG, exploring innovative methods to assess the accessibility of healthcare platforms, and conducting user-centered research. This review highlights the paramount importance of ensuring equitable access to health information and services for people, regardless of their abilities or conditions, which resonates significantly with the issue of sustainability in healthcare and its socioeconomic and environmental implications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Sustainable Development: Justice, Inclusivity, and Financing for a Resilient Future—2nd Edition)
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