Announcements

Call for Papers Rural Health Disparities: Contemporary Solutions for Persistent Rural Public Health Challenges

Announcement posted 4/18/24

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) welcomes submissions for its upcoming collection, Rural Health Disparities: Contemporary Solutions for Persistent Rural Public Health Challenges. Public health challenges have been documented in rural geographical areas and remain persistent public health, medicine, and health services problems. These challenges include limited health care access, excessive tobacco use in poor counties, limited physical activities, socioeconomic inequities, behavioral and mental health conditions, and major chronic diseases. These persistent rural health challenges magnify and lead to racial and socioeconomic disparities. The goal of this collection is to capture current solutions to these challenges. Peer-reviewed articles appearing in this collection will help advance the discourse on rural public health beyond biomedical models for chronic disease prevention.

For this collection, PCD encourages the submission of manuscripts covering diverse topics using various article types. We encourage authors to explore the social determinants of health, environmental influences, policy interventions, and community-based initiatives contributing to chronic disease prevention in rural areas. Please refer to the Types of Articles page on the journal’s website for specifications for each article type. PCD is seeking submissions on topics including but not limited to the following:

Community─clinical linkages to improve population health in rural settings
Systematic reviews of effective chronic disease interventions in rural settings
Comparisons of health outcomes among rural population subgroups, emphasizing within-group analysis over rural─urban comparisons
Methodological solutions to common challenges with rural public health data analysis
Practical solutions to chronic disease prevention challenges faced by public health practitioners in rural areas
Community engagement approaches to address chronic disease prevention
Community health workers to address access to care in rural settings
Opportunities and challenges for rural local health departments to use evidence-based policies, implement practices to guide continuous quality improvement, and establish effective diverse partnerships to improve population health
Use of geographical information systems (GIS) to identify incidence of chronic disease, access to care, and resources contributing to or limiting population health in rural settings

Submission Guidelines

Corresponding authors are required to submit an inquiry to the journal to determine suitability in advance of submitting a manuscript. PCD asks that only the corresponding author submit an inquiry to the journal for review. The corresponding author is the person who takes primary responsibility for communication with the journal during the submission, peer-review, and publication process if the manuscript is accepted. The corresponding author’s inquiry should include the following information:

Article title
Name of the corresponding author
Author name(s), degree(s), title(s), and affiliation(s)
PCD article type (visit https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/for_authors/types_of_articles.htm)
Has the article ever been submitted elsewhere for consideration? If yes, please indicate the name of the journal, the date of that journal’s final decision, and an explanation of the decision
Indicate that the inquiry is related to this Call for Papers
Abstract (300 words or less)

The deadline to submit an inquiry is July 19, 2024. Submit your inquiry to the Editor in Chief at PCDeditor@cdc.gov for consideration. PCD will provide feedback to the corresponding author about the journal’s interest in the proposed manuscript and guidance on what information is needed.

The deadline to receive your final manuscript is January 24, 2025. If your inquiry is approved, your final manuscript will undergo internal review and external peer review. Manuscripts accepted for publication will be published on a rolling basis. Articles will be assembled into a PDF collection accessible on the PCD website after all accepted papers have been published. Cover letters to the Editor in Chief are required and must state that the submission is for consideration in the PCD collection, “Rural Health Disparities: Contemporary Solutions for Persistent Public Health Challenges.”

About the Journal

PCD is a peer-reviewed public health journal published by CDC and authored by experts worldwide. PCD was established in 2004 by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion with a mission to promote dialogue among researchers, practitioners, and policy makers worldwide on the integration and application of research findings and practical experience to improve population health. PCD has a current Impact Factor of 5.5 (2022) and is ranked 21st of 180 journals in Journal Citation Reports (JCR). For more information about the journal, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/pcd.

PCD Editor in Chief Receives 2 SOPHE Awards, Named SOPHE President

Announcement posted 3/27/24

The journal is excited to announce that PCD’s Editor in Chief, Leonard Jack, Jr, PhD, MSc, was named the newest President of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). Dr Jack was sworn in as President on Wednesday, March 20th. He was also awarded 2 of SOPHE’s most prestigious awards: the SOPHE Presidential Citation for outstanding contributions to advancing the field of health education, health promotion, and behavioral sciences and the SOPHE Trophy for demonstrating dedication and exemplary service in advancing the mission and vision of SOPHE. Please join us in congratulating Dr Jack on these exciting awards and achievements.

Call for Papers: Community Engagement and Population Health From Practice to Evaluation

Announcement posted 4/11/24

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) welcomes submissions for its upcoming collection, “Community Engagement and Population Health From Practice to Evaluation.” The burden of chronic disease continues to exact a tremendous impact on populations around the world. Health is shaped by many factors — psychological, physical, environmental, social, and economic — that cannot be improved by one or a few individuals, groups, and organizations. The complexity of what shapes health makes it important to establish and maintain community and the community’s engagement to increase supportive opportunities to improve health. Several terms and concepts over the years, such as community mobilization, community-based participatory research, and social engagement, have been used to describe the importance of different aspects of community engagement. Regardless of the terminology or concept, working collaboratively with communities to address factors affecting health is central to ameliorating persistent health challenges.

For this collection, PCD encourages submissions that reflect on how and where engagement has successfully occurred, including the populations engaged and geographical locations, types of partners involved, community engagement strategies used, and advances in measuring community engagement. PCD encourages the submission of manuscripts covering diverse topics using various article types. Please refer to the Types of Articles page on the journal’s website for specifications for each article type. PCD is seeking submissions on topics including but not limited to the following:

Defining communities — what to do when community definitions and available data (eg, geography, race/ethnicity) do not align or are missing
Editorials or essays on the evolution of community engagement: why it matters, theoretical underpinning, and application in diverse settings
Community engagement in data, analytics, and machine learning for chronic disease prevention and control
Factors that support and undermine effectiveness and impact of community health workers, champions, change agents, brokers, and/or navigators in community settings
Community engagement and artificial intelligence — benefits and risks
Social network analysis as an important tool for understanding communities, their structures, and strengths
The role of going to and listening to communities
Innovative examples of how groups have engaged communities to design, implement, and evaluate public health interventions
Community and/or patient engagement to address health inequities
Building and sustaining community trust and engagement
System barriers and system solutions to community engagement
Systematic reviews exploring the use and effectiveness of community engagement in public health interventions
Methods and models of community engagement
Tools and instruments to measure community engagement
Measuring and evaluating community engagement efforts
Long-term models and strategies that help sustain community engagement beyond funded project periods

Submission Guidelines
Corresponding authors are required to submit an inquiry to the journal to determine suitability in advance of submitting a manuscript. PCD asks that only the corresponding author submit an inquiry to the journal for review. The corresponding author is the person who takes primary responsibility for communication with the journal during the submission, peer-review, and publication process if the manuscript is accepted. The corresponding author’s inquiry should include the following information:

Article title
Name of the corresponding author
Author name(s), degree(s), title(s), and affiliation(s)
PCD article type (visit https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/for_authors/types_of_articles.htm)
Has the article ever been submitted elsewhere for consideration? If yes, please indicate the name of the journal, the date of that journal’s final decision, and an explanation of the decision
Indicate that the inquiry is related to this Call for Papers
Abstract (300 words or less)

The deadline to submit an inquiry is April 26, 2024. Submit your inquiry to the Editor in Chief at PCDeditor@cdc.gov for consideration. PCD will provide feedback to the corresponding author about the journal’s interest in the proposed manuscript and guidance on what information is needed.

The deadline to receive your final manuscript is September 16, 2024. If your inquiry is approved, your final manuscript will undergo internal review and external peer review. Manuscripts accepted for publication will be published on a rolling basis. Articles will be assembled into a PDF collection accessible on the PCD website after all accepted papers have been published. Cover letters to the Editor in Chief are required and must state that the submission is for consideration in the PCD collection, “Community Engagement and Population Health From Practice to Evaluation.”

About the Journal
PCD is a peer-reviewed public health journal published by CDC and authored by experts worldwide. PCD was established in 2004 by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion with a mission to promote dialogue among researchers, practitioners, and policy makers worldwide on the integration and application of research findings and practical experience to improve population health. PCD has a current Impact Factor of 5.5 (2022) and is ranked 21^st of 180 journals in Journal Citation Reports (JCR). For more information about the journal, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/pcd.

Call for Papers: Screen-Time Effects on Mental Health, Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Sleep Across the Lifespan

Announcement posted 2/22/24

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) welcomes submissions for its upcoming collection, “Screen-Time Effects on Mental Health, Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Sleep Across the Lifespan.” According to the Sedentary Behavior Research Network, screen time is defined as the amount of time spent engaging with screens — tablets, computers, or smart phones — while sitting, standing, or being physically active. Increased exposure to screen time has become an important public health concern for several reasons. Excessive screen-time exposure has been linked to poor health outcomes ranging from weight gain, physical inactivity, reduced sleep quality, poor body image perception, poor nutrition, and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Research indicates that the relationship between screen-time use and poor health outcomes exists among children through adulthood.

For this collection, PCD encourages the submission of manuscripts covering diverse topics using various article types. Please refer to the Types of Articles page on the journal’s website for specifications for each article type. PCD is seeking submissions on topics including but not limited to the following:

Epidemiological prevalence of excessive screen-time exposure on various health outcomes according to race, ethnicity, sex, geographical location, and level of education
Family-centered interventions to reduce excessive exposure to screen time among children, adolescents, and/or adults
Identification of signs indicating excessive screen time is occurring and strategies on prevention and early intervention strategies to eliminate excessive use
School system approaches to identify and reduce excessive screen-time exposure in school settings from elementary to high school
Clinical and health care interventions to treat excessive screen-time exposure among children, adolescents, young adults, adults, and/or older adults
Evidence-based strategies to prevent or reduce use towards improving mental health outcomes
The influence of social networks on excessive screen-time use and the role of social networks to address it
Clinical and/or public health interventions seeking to improve multiple health outcomes (eg, physical activity, nutrition, sleep quality, and/or mental health)
Strategies to disseminate and scale effective screen-time reduction interventions to increase diffusion to other settings and geographic locations
Strategies to sustain implementation of effective screen-time reduction interventions
Systematic reviews or scoping reviews examining the effectiveness of clinical, family-centered, or public health interventions related to the following:
- Longitudinal impact of social media on mental health
- Components of effective interventions to reduce screen time
- Evidence-based interventions to reduce screen-time exposure to increase levels of physical activity, improve nutrition, and improve sleep quality

Submission Guidelines
Authors are required to submit an inquiry to the journal to determine suitability in advance of submitting a manuscript. PCD asks that only the corresponding author submit an inquiry to the journal for review. The corresponding author is the person who takes primary responsibility for communication with the journal during the submission, peer-review, and publication process if the manuscript is accepted. The corresponding author’s inquiry should include the following information:

Article title
Name of the corresponding author
Author name(s), degree(s), title(s), and affiliation(s)
PCD article type (visit https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/for_authors/types_of_articles.htm)
Has the article ever been submitted elsewhere for consideration? If yes, please indicate the name of the journal, the date of its final decision, and an explanation of the decision
Indicate that the inquiry is related to this Call for Papers
Abstract (300 words or less)

The deadline to submit an inquiry is May 24, 2024. Submit your inquiry to the Editor in Chief at PCDeditor@cdc.gov for consideration. PCD will provide feedback to the corresponding author about the journal’s interest in the proposed manuscript and guidance on what information is needed.

The deadline to receive your final manuscript is November 29, 2024. If your inquiry is approved, your final manuscript will undergo internal review and external peer review. Manuscripts accepted for publication will be published on a rolling basis. Articles will be assembled into a PDF collection, accessible on the PCD website after all accepted papers have been published. Cover letters to the Editor in Chief are required and must state that the submission is for consideration in the PCD collection, “Screen-Time Effects on Mental Health, Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Sleep Across the Lifespan.”

PCD Celebrates 20th Anniversary in 2024

Announcement posted 12/19/23

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is excited to celebrate 20 years of bringing you rigorous, timely, and relevant peer-reviewed chronic disease research. Over the past 2 decades, the journal has brought its diverse group of readers articles that have influenced policy changes, guided health care professionals in their fields of work, and informed the public on important chronic disease-related findings while offering actionable ways to make improvements in personal behaviors and foster community change. PCD is honored to be able to continue to provide its readers with articles that matter and help authors put their work into action.

PCD relies on the contribution of experts working in multiple fields who contribute their time and expertise to the journal as associate editors, editorial board members, Statistics Review Committee members, and most recently as members of the Student Scientific Writing and Review Training Committee. We look forward to recognizing these members, both past and present, and hearing what PCD has meant to them as part of our anniversary celebrations.

As we move into the new year, we will establish the “Dr. Lynne Wilcox Paper of the Year” honoring PCD’s founding editor. We look forward to announcing the winning paper in September 2024 and celebrating with a special ceremony. In addition, the journal will share the many transformations and successes it has seen and achieved over the past 2 decades, publish several important collections, including a special anniversary collection, and more. We hope you’ll join us here on our website and on our social media channels as we celebrate this milestone over the coming months.

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The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors’ affiliated institutions.