Housing Inequities, Energy Insecurity and Cancer Disparities

Housing inequities play a pivotal role in a major pathway through which health disparities emerge and are sustained over time. Energy insecurity, defined as the inability to adequately meet household energy needs, intersects significantly with the risk of cancer, advocating for an urgent and deeper investigation into its multifarious dimensions. The evolving science is revealing how inadequate access to reliable energy sources not only exacerbates economic vulnerabilities but also introduces inefficiency housing conditions, and psychosocial energy-related coping strategies that may increase cancer susceptibility. Particularly, financially strained individuals face reduced healthcare access, delayed cancer screenings, and hindered treatments that intensify existing health inequities. Moreover, adaptive coping strategies, such as use of kitchen oven for additional warmth, often entail reliance on harmful pollutants, heightening exposure to potential carcinogens.

This Research Topic aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of how housing inequities and energy insecurity contributes to cancer risk by addressing its economic, physical, and coping dimensions. The goal is to deepen the discourse around the causal pathways linking housing, and energy insecurity to cancer, propose evidence-driven interventions, and explore policy and practice solutions. Vital topics include assessing the health impacts of economic constraints due to energy poverty, analyzing the cancer risk associated with environmental toxins linked to substandard energy solutions, and exploring the benefits of energy-efficient housing for reducing health risks.

To gather further insights into this multidimensional subject, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Economic impacts of housing inequalities and energy insecurity on health disparities and cancer care access
• Environmental pollutants as mediators of cancer risk in housing-insecure populations
• Housing improvements as a strategy for cancer risk reduction
• Psychosocial consequences of housing inequalities and energy inequities and energy insecurity and their direct and indirect effects on cancer prognosis
• Policy interventions aimed at mitigating the effects of housing and energy insecurity on cancer risk and outcomes
• Collaborative models for integrating housing and health sectors to improve cancer prevention and care

By engaging with these themes, we aspire to stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration and generate innovative solutions to mitigate the adverse effects of housing inequalities and insecurity on cancer risk and disparities.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Energy insecurity, economy, environment, housing, psychosocial, risk factors, cancer

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.