Call for papers on Social Determinants of Health - Special issue JPH

CALL FOR PAPERS
Special issue of the Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health on:

Social Determinants of Health

Deadline: 1 April, 2013

The Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health, published by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), announces a call for papers for the next special issue on social determinants of health, to be published in 2013.
Accepted contributions include original research papers, special reports, or systematic reviews.

Rationale:

In 2005, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) to support countries and global partners to address the factors leading to ill health and inequities. By clearly identifying the role of health determinants in the health outcomes of the population, this Commission developed a set of knowledge networks that worked together to assess the state of the world’s economy, environment, gender rights, human rights, priority health conditions and urban health.

The work of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health and its related knowledge networks helped to more fully define the underlying causes of health inequities, which were outlined in the Commission’s landmark final report “Closing the Gap in a Generation”, launched in 2008, as:
(a) differential power and influence associated with income inequality, and social and economic status,
(b) differential exposures to stress, environmental toxins, and other adverse conditions, and
(c) differential consequences associated with discrimination and unequal access to services.

Widespread awareness of these factors has helped to build consensus on the need to take action and where to intervene on broader conditions that affect these and related unequal outcomes.

The final report of the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health SDH also emphasized the importance of building a global movement to act on social determinants to reduce health gaps between and within countries.

In the Region of the Americas a strong regional movement on SDH has since emerged spearheading a number of national, regional and local initiatives including the establishment of National Commissions on SDH, integration of SDH in national and regional plans and the establishment of Regional Networks addressing such as the Pan American Alliance for Nutrition & Development.

Building on Report’s recommendations, in 2009, the World Health Assembly Resolution 62.14, called upon Member States, the WHO Secretariat and the international community to address health inequities by implementing the social determinants approach to public health programs and requested the WHO Secretariat to provide support to Member States in implementing the “Health in All Policies” (HiAP) approach.

To support countries in their response to this resolution, WHO convened the First World Health Conference on the Social Determinants of Health (WCSDH) that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 19 to 21, 2011. In preparation for the World Conference, PAHO/WHO carried out a number of regional consultations to highlight and build upon the social determinants of health expertise in the Region.

These events brought together Member States and key stakeholders to share experiences on policies and strategies aimed at reducing health inequities.

It provided a global and regional platform for dialogue on how the recommendations of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health could be taken forward.

Further to the Conference and the adoption of the Rio Political Declaration on the Social Determinants of Health, the Special Issue will provide a platform for countries in the Region to take stock of what has been done in the area of social determinants of health since the adoption of the Rio Political Declaration and similarly strengthen the preparations for the 8th Global Conference on Health Promotion, to be held in Helsinki in 2013 where the central theme is “Health in All Policies.”

Main theme:

The main theme of the special issue will be “Social Determinants of Health in the Region of the Americas”, addressing some of the key priorities that were identified by Member States during the Regional Consultation on the Social Determinants of Health that took place in Costa Rica in August, 2011:

1.       Social inequities in health conditions within the Region of the Americas; addressing the following sub-themes:

1.1                 Distribution of morbidity and mortality in different social groups;

1.2                 The effects of social determinants on health throughout the life cycle including the inter-generational impact;

2.       Governance to tackle the root causes of health inequities: implementing action on social determinants of health;  addressing the following sub-themes:

2.1    Assessment of the effects of social policies on health inequities and their determinants;

2.2    Development and analysis of existing evaluation methodologies addressing the impact of interventions on SDH;

2.3    Analysis and evaluation of inter-sectorial actions and interventions with the engagement of key partners;

3.       The role of the health sector, including public health programs, in reducing health inequities; addressing the following sub-themes:

3.1 Evaluation of public health programs and health systems and services aiming at reducing health inequities;

3.2 Equitable access to and appropriate use of new health technologies;

4.       Promoting participation: community leadership for action on social determinants; addressing the following sub-themes:

4.1    Evaluation of experiences promoting social participation in the definition and implementation of social interventions to reduce health inequities;

4.2    Evaluating existing applied research on the impact of social participation.

5.       Monitoring progress: measurement and analysis to inform policies; addressing the following sub-themes:

5.1 Development of indicators to measure health inequities;

5.2 Development or evaluation of strategies for monitoring the effects of SDH in morbidity, mortality and utilization of health services

Guest Editors:

·         Prof. Michael Marmot, Director of the International Institute for Society and Health and former Chair of the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health;

·         Dr. Alberto Pellegrini, public health researcher from the National School of Public Health (ENSP/FIOCRUZ) and Coordinator of the Center for Studies, Policies and Information on Social Determinants of Health (CEPI-DSS) in Brazil;

·         Dr. Jeanette Vega, Director of the Rockefeller Foundation;

·         Dr. Orielle Solar, former member of the technical secretariat of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health at WHO and

·         Dr. Kira Fortune, Advisor on Determinants of Health at the Pan American Health Organization.

Language of Submissions:

Papers will be accepted in Spanish, English or Portuguese, and the manuscript selection process will follow the journal peer review procedures.
Authors are encouraged to send manuscripts in their native language.

Publishing Standards:

In submitting papers, authors should follow the Instructions to Authors of the Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health, available at: http://bit.ly/WLo9Xu .

They should be submitted for publication at: http://bit.ly/W0gasi

The cover letter should indicate that the manuscript is being submitted for the special issue on the Social

Journal Website: http://bit.ly/1455ifz Deadline: 1 April, 2013.