About this Research Topic

Background

Building on the Millennium Development Goals, the UN Sustainable Development Goals are the cornerstone of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, billed by the UN as “An Agenda of unprecedented scope and significance.” The seventeen ambitious goals, which are intended to be reached by 2030, are conceived as integrated, indivisible, and as balancing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. They are organized around five core pillars:

● People: ending poverty and hunger and ensuring that all human beings can lead fulfilling lives in a healthy and dignified environment.

● Planet: protecting the environment while ensuring sustainable use and management of natural resources.

● Prosperity: ensuring environmentally sustainable economic growth, mutual prosperity, and decent work for all.

● Peace: building societies that are peaceful, just, and inclusive, and in which human rights and gender equality are respected.

● Partnership: strengthening global solidarity to address inequalities within and between countries, by focusing on the needs of the most vulnerable.
*
This Research Topic addresses third Sustainable Development Goal, which is to “ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages.” Progress toward this goal is measured by a number of individual targets and indicators.
As highlighted in the UN’s most recent SDG progress report, the COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted progress toward this goal. Prior to the pandemic there had been improvements in maternal & child health, immunization coverage, suicide rates, and reductions in the incidence of communicable diseases and mortality rates from non-communicable diseases. The pandemic threatens to reverse or stall much of this progress. As of June 2021, the global death toll from COVID-19 stood at 3.7 million, with manifold wider ramifications of the disease. Ninety per cent of countries are still reporting one or more disruptions to essential health services, and available data indicates that the pandemic has shortened life expectancy. The pandemic has also severely impacted mental health and increased waiting times for elective health services. At the same time, it has exacerbated inequalities at the national and international levels, including access to vaccines. In emerging from the pandemic and mitigating its effects, the UN has placed emphasis on expanding universal health coverage and multisectoral coordination for health emergency preparedness, as well as improving demographic and epidemiological data.
*
This Research Topic will address the third Sustainable Development Goal from a sociological-specific perspective. It will focus on how social stratification, geographical location, and culture impact communities’ health, but also on groups-specific health problems, availability, understanding, and reception of medications and treatment, and the functioning of primary health care as a service, aiming to influence and inform policymakers on the development of equal public health policies. A specific focus will be dedicated to how disparities in gaining access to health care reproduce important social inequalities in wellbeing and quality of life.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented health, economic and social challenges are threatening lives and livelihoods, making the attainment of SDGs much more onerous. This call invites contributions in the form of studies, reviews, and opinion articles from the experts to provide sustainable solutions to achieve SDGs.

This Research Topic welcomes papers that will provide both theoretical and empirical findings. Potential issues include, but are not limited to:

• Transformations of social determinants of health, including lifestyles and environments.

• Health inequalities and interventions towards their reduction.

• Development of demographic and epidemiological data collecting and processing.

• Advances in the fields of health emergency preparedness and access to universal health coverage.

• Good health and wellbeing through access to clean and green agriculture.

• Improving crop productivity on limited land in the era of climate change and COVID-19 pandemic.

• Application of sustainable practices in agriculture and food sectors.

• Public health and health sector innovations during the pandemic and for the post-pandemic period.

• Tensions between national and international health policies in response to global health challenges.

• Role of experts in making law and public policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., response and recovery plans, programs, strategies, and funds).

• Innovative, co-design, co-creation, and co-production schemes based on diversity of policy ideas in the environmental policy and health policy.

• Disruptions and challenges for integrated public policies and programs on social, environmental, and health issues related to delivering social, health, and care services.

• Opportunities, criticism, and ethical controversies related to digital social innovation, e-health, plant-based innovation, food innovation, AI, ICT, and 3D solutions, social and service robotics, smart environments, gerontechnology, and welfare technology.

Keywords: SDG3, essential health services, mental health, universal health coverage, health inequalities, well-being

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Frequently asked questions

• What is a Research Topic?

  Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

  Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

• Why does Frontiers publish Research Topics? 

  The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

  Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

• Why are Research Topics important for journals?

  As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

  A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

• How do we ensure the quality of articles within Research Topics?

  Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

  In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

• What are the benefits of publishing my article in a Research Topic?

  Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

  As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

  Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

   
• What types of articles can be published in a Research Topic?

  Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

  Check available article types here 

• Can I suggest a new Research Topic? 

  Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

  Suggest your topic here 

• Who leads a Research Topic? 

  A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

  The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

• What is the role of a topic editor?

  As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

   

  You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

• What support will I receive when editing a new Research Topic? 

  As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

• As a junior researcher, can I be involved in editing a Research Topic? 

  If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

• Can I get a certificate for editing a Research Topic?

  Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

• Who will I collaborate with?

  Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

• How long does it take to publish a Research Topic?

  As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

  Find out more about our Research Topics

• What fee support is available to authors publishing in a Research Topic?

  Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

  Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

• Will there be a printed version of my Research Topic?

  In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.