Enhancing the Health of Vulnerable Populations Through Integrated Biosocial Approaches

In global health, vulnerable populations suffer the most due to their unique social and biological contexts. Specific groups such as the old people, newborns, minority communities, and those in rural areas face enhanced health risks and lower access to care, highlighting significant disparities. These inequalities are further exacerbated by the complex interplay of social determinants like socioeconomic status, cultural barriers, and insufficient healthcare infrastructure, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted health interventions.

Recent insights highlight the need for an integrated Biosocial approach to tackle these challenges. They acknowledge that health outcomes are influenced by biological and social factors, such as socioeconomic status, cultural practices, and community infrastructure, and advocate for a shift toward a holistic approach in healthcare, particularly for vulnerable groups. Moreover, an integral component of this transition involves the incorporation of biosocial perspectives into health profession education, preparing future healthcare providers to meet the complex needs of diverse populations.

This Research Topic aims to dissect, evaluate, and expand upon biosocial strategies that effectively intersect the biological and social sciences to enhance health equity. The primary goal is to develop innovative, integrated approaches that address complex challenges faced by vulnerable populations, ultimately ensuring more equitable healthcare solutions. It focuses on addressing multifaceted health issues, driving forward comprehensive strategies that incorporate both biological and socio-economic perspectives, as well as enhancing the education of health professionals to create a more comprehensive perspective on medicine and public health, acknowledging the interplay between biology and the social environment in determining health outcomes.

To gather further insights into effective biosocial integration, we welcome the submission of all kinds of articles that align with the following areas of interest, including but not limited to:
● Interaction between biological and socio-economic factors to improve health management strategies for vulnerable populations.
● Advances in biosocial strategies to more effectively manage the health of vulnerable groups.
● Development of predictive modelling and early warning systems to anticipate and timely address health emergencies.
● Innovative educational and system management strategies that utilize biosocial insights for improved health system preparedness and response.
●Integration of biosocial approaches into health profession education to improve workforce readiness.

We welcome a variety of article types for submission, encouraging diverse perspectives and novel insights in this crucial area of research.

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
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• ... 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
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Vulnerable Populations; Biosocial Approaches; Social factors; Health interventions; Innovative educational strategies

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.