EDITORIAL
The journal Saúde e Sociedade has given special importance to articles which promote the interface between health and the area of human/social sciences and which approach general themes of public health in an original way and/or deal with themes that have not received much attention in the other journals of the area, such as ethnic minorities, social exclusion, social and environmental determinants and their relationship to health.
In view of this profile, the journal's broad penetration is relevant, not only in the academic environment, but also in the scope of health services and related areas in Brazil and other countries that have a similar health profile. Aiming at ensuring greater dissemination and visibility, efforts have been made in order to enhance the journal's publicity and dissemination in electronic media. Until this year, only the volumes of the last 10 years had been online. In 2007, all issues, since the journal was created, were digitalized and put online, and abstracts, which were not required before, were elaborated to all the articles. Articles, reviewers and members of the Editorial Board now represent more Brazilian states and an internationalization process has been initiated and will grow stronger next year. The strategies aiming at the journal's internationalization are: punctuality in publication, meeting the requisites of the most important international databases and inclusion of foreign researchers in the Editorial Board.
Indexation in new international databases has also been one of our goals, now that indexation by SciELO has been recommended by the Consulting Committee of Bireme and is in its concluding phase. As a result, authors from the entire country and from abroad have submitted growing numbers of articles to the journal, which has enabled a stricter selection policy and an increase in the number of published articles. Two years ago, the journal was published twice a year and had a total number of 16 articles. Now, it has approximately 45 articles per year and is published 3 times a year. In 2008, the plans are of approximately 60 articles per year, and its publication will be on a quarterly basis.
The main theme of this issue is social and environmental determinants of health, discussed in two articles by authors from the World Health Organization, which present the reflections and the view of that prestigious institution. This theme is also approached in an article by researchers of the School of Public Health of USP, who discuss the previous two in light of sociological theory.
Some of the articles deal with the attempts to universalize the health system and to ensure that the Family Health Program reaches integrality, in economic and social terms and also in the perspective of the inclusion of the disabled and of mentally ill patients.
Aspects of information, communication and sociability between researchers and research subjects in their interrelations with health are discussed in other articles.
Another theme that is at the same time old and new, and has been increasingly present in the Brazilian public health agenda is that of the zoonoses, approached by some of the articles in this issue. The interrelation between sanitation and health is also present in this issue, as well as a discussion about the importance of the concept of Biosafety for collective health.
Thus, the richness of public health themes is present once more in issue 16-3 of the journal Saúde e Sociedade.
Publication Dates
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Publication in this collection
15 Feb 2008 -
Date of issue
Dec 2007
