Health and wellbeing in the changing urban environment: complex challenges, scientific responses, and the way forward

Bai, Xuemei; Nath, Indira; Capon, Anthony; Hasan, Mohd Nordin; Jaron, Dov

doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2012.09.009

Cited by 131 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…There are emerging studies about the implication of built environment in explain in explaining health outcomes (28)(29)(30)(31), especially neighborhood environment (32,33). Empirical researches have provided evidence about how household quality, ventilation condition, indoor humidity, and street congestion are linked to respiratory diseases (34)(35)(36).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlation analysis of lung cancer and urban spatial factor: based on survey in Shanghai

Wang

Zhao

et al. 2016

J. Thorac. Dis.

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Background: The density of particulate matter (PM) in mega-cities in China such as Beijing and Shanghai has exceeded basic standards for health in recent years. Human exposure to PMs has been identified as traceable and controllable factor among all complicated risk factors for lung cancer. While the improvement of air quality needs tremendous efforts and time, certain revision of PM's density might happen associated with the adjustment of built environment. It is also proved that urban built environment is directly relevant to respiratory disease. Studies have respectively explored the indoor and outdoor factors on respiratory diseases. More comprehensive spatial factors need to be analyzed to understand the cumulative effect of built environment upon respiratory system. This interdisciplinary study examines the impact of both indoor (including age of housing, interval after decoration, indoor humidity etc.) and outdoor spatial factors (including density, parking, green spaces etc.) on lung cancer. Methods: A survey of lung cancer patients and a control group has been conducted in 2014 and 2015. A total of 472 interviewees are randomly selected within a pool of local residents who have resided in Shanghai for more than 5 years. Data are collected including their socio-demographic factors, lifestyle factors, and external and internal residential area factors. Regression models are established based on collected data to analyze the associations between lung cancer and urban spatial factors. Results: Regression models illustrate that lung cancer presents significantly associated with a number of spatial factors. Significant outdoor spatial factors include external traffic volume (P=0.003), main plant type (P=0.035 for trees) of internal green space, internal water body (P=0.027) and land use of surrounding blocks (P=0.005 for residential areas of 7-9 floors, P=0.000 for residential areas of 4-6 floors, P=0.006 for business/ commercial areas over 10 floors, P=0.005 for business/commercial areas of 7-9 floors, P=0.043 for business/ commercial areas of 4-6 floors). Indoor spatial factors include age of housing (P=0.003) and indoor humidity (P=0.000). Conclusions: The findings support the hypothesis that both indoor and outdoor spatial factors are independently associated with lung cancer incidence. Certain principles based on the modeling results are proposed to revise the criteria for lung cancer screening of high-risk individuals. It also provides empirical evidence for urban planning and design to improve built environment with more thorough consideration of respiratory health.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlation analysis of lung cancer and urban spatial factor: based on survey in Shanghai

Wang

Zhao

et al. 2016

J. Thorac. Dis.

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“…76,77 It has been suggested that the effective integration of social and behavioral science perspectives into systems thinking approaches would be a major methodological challenge in analyzing the multiplicity of factors that shape urban health outcomes in socially complex and dynamic urban environments. 44 To this end, codesigning the research methodology is essential within a transdisciplinary mode of knowledge production, 65 rather than considering social and behavioral factors as a set of variables in system dynamics models. 23 Equally important, group model-building techniques should have special prominence and involve real-world practitioners so as to improve their understanding of the adaptive complexity of urban environments while keeping the focus on priority policy issues and integrating research and practice.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, the International Council for Science's (ICSU's) innovative program on Health and Well-being in the Changing Environment recognizes that health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and views the myriad proximal (e.g., individual genetic makeup, nutrition, individual behavior, living conditions) and distal (e.g., natural and built environments, food, socio-economics, governance) determinants on a continuum where they interact to increase or decrease the subsequent effects on urban health outcomes. 44 Arguably, identifying the most appropriate intervention or policy (or sets of interventions or policies) to improve the system's behavior cannot be achieved by studying the individual effects of proximal and distal determinants, which lies at the heart of commonly used epidemiological methods in urban health research. However, the knowledge generated on the relationships between determinants and outcomes using traditional epidemiological approaches is the key to the dynamic conceptualization of underlying complex urban processes.…”

Section: System Dynamics As a Methods To Study Dynamic Complex Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Complexity and Dynamism from an Urban Health Perspective: a Rationale for a System Dynamics Approach

Tozan

Ompad

2015

J Urban Health

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In a variety of urban health frameworks, cities are conceptualized as complex and dynamic yet commonly used epidemiological methods have failed to address this complexity and dynamism head on due to their narrow problem definitions and linear analytical representations. Scholars from a variety of disciplines have also long conceptualized cities as systems, but few have modeled urban health issues as problems within a system. Systems thinking in general and system dynamics in particular are relatively new approaches in public health, but ones that hold immense promise as methodologies to model and analyze the complexity underlying urban processes to effectively inform policy actions in dynamic environments. This conceptual essay reviews the utility of applying the concepts, principles, and methods of systems thinking to the study of complex urban health phenomena as a complementary approach to standard epidemiological methods using specific examples and provides recommendations on how to better incorporate systems thinking methods in urban health research and practice.

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“…System thinking in the urban context can provide a framework to analyze the connections among those different issues that contribute to health outcomes (ICSU, 2011;Bai et al, 2012). With the rise of climate change, a broader perspective on health beyond the traditional scientific fields are necessary to provide the right solutions beyond health systems (Proust et al, 2012;Puppim de Oliveira et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introduction: System Linkages Between Climate Change and Heamentioning

confidence: 99%

Governance and networks for health co-benefits of climate change mitigation: Lessons from two Indian cities

Oliveira

Doll

2016

Environment International

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Health has been the main driver for many urban environmental interventions, particularly in cases of significant health problems linked to poor urban environmental conditions. This paper examines empirically the links between climate change mitigation and health in urban areas, when health is the main driver for improvements. The paper aims to understand how systems of urban governance can enable or prevent the creation of health outcomes via continuous improvements in the environmental conditions in a city. The research draws on cases from two Indian cities where initiatives were undertaken in different sectors: Surat (waste) and Delhi (transportation). Using the literature on network effectiveness as an analytical framework, the paper compares the cases to identify the possible ways to strengthen the governance and policy making process in the urban system so that each intervention can intentionally realize multiple impacts for both local health and climate change mitigation in the long term as well as factors that may pose a threat to long-term progress and revert back to the previous situation after initial achievements.

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Health and wellbeing in the changing urban environment: complex challenges, scientific responses, and the way forward

Cited by 131 publications

References 42 publications

Correlation analysis of lung cancer and urban spatial factor: based on survey in Shanghai

Correlation analysis of lung cancer and urban spatial factor: based on survey in Shanghai

Complexity and Dynamism from an Urban Health Perspective: a Rationale for a System Dynamics Approach

Governance and networks for health co-benefits of climate change mitigation: Lessons from two Indian cities

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