Transport and public health in China: the road to a healthy future

Abstract

Transportation-related risk factors are a major source of morbidity and mortality in China, where expansion of road networks and surges in personal vehicle ownership are having profound effects on public health. Road traffic injuries and fatalities have increased alongside motorized transport in China, and accident injury risk is aggravated by inadequate emergency response systems and trauma care. National air quality standards and emission control technologies are having a positive effect, yet persistent air pollution is increasingly attributable to a growing and outdated vehicle fleet, and famously congested roads. Urban design favors motorized transport, and physical activity and its associated health benefits are hindered by poor urban infrastructure. Transport emissions of greenhouse gases contribute substantially to regional and global climate change, which compound public health risks from multiple factors. Despite these complex challenges, technological advances and innovations in planning and policy stand to make China a leader in sustainable, healthy transportation.

The Tsinghua–Lancet Commission on Healthy Cities in China: unlocking the power of cities for a healthy China

“…4 In urban areas, traffic-related deaths were the leading cause of injury-related death, followed by falls and suicides. 111,146 The standardised death rate caused by road injuries during 2004-05 was nearly double the 1992 figure. A reduction in injury rates to those of countries with low injury-related mortality would recover 65% of the life expectancy lost because of injury in urban China, amounting to a saving of 436·4 million years of life based on 2005 population counts.…”

“…109 Rapid urban expansion and an increase in car dependency have exacerbated urban and environmental challenges to health that mirror those in western cities (eg, substantial deviations from traditional high-density, pedestrian-oriented and cyclist-oriented urban areas), including issues like longer commutes, traffic congestion, and air pollution. 110,111 By contrast to the low-density suburbs that are common in some western countries (eg, USA), emerging suburbs in China's large cities are characterised by high-density development, with housing in the suburban peripheries and much longer commute times between home and work, which remains mostly in urban centres. 110 Physical activity is also negatively associated with car ownership and screen time (ie, time spent watching television or using a computer), but is positively associated with bicycle ownership and blue-collar jobs.…”

“…224 In addition to government-led programmes, the private sector has used innovative ways to improve health in cities. 111 For example, China's dockless bike-sharing programme, which launched in Beijing on Sept 1, 2016, has expanded to more than 200 cities by the end of 2017. More than 25 million bikes have been made available to the public and 300 million people have registered as users.…”

“…297 For example, dockless bike-sharing programmes can promote active lifestyles and mitigate air pollution but might also increase personal exposure to pollutants and injuries from road traffic accidents ( figure 13). 111 Urban health interventions should be supported by a conceptual and action framework that can accommodate the dynamics of multiple sectors and multiple scales. This framework has important implications for the activities of city governments, which will need to consider infrastructural, environmental, and sociocultural determinants, and to create capacity and transparent governance across spatiotemporal scales and sectors.…”

Utility of microcalorimetry in describing the growth curve of C. albicans at different temperatures – indentifying the optimal growth temperature

“…By performing a simple search in the specialty literature, an exponential growth of arthroplasty surgeries in correlation with the life span of the population and implying a need that presupposes the increase of the quality of life, also by maintaining or improving mobility at a satisfying level, can be observed [2]. At the same time, due to the increase in the number of traffic and sports accidents, the use of artificial joints and implants for osteosynthesis will constantly rise [3,4]. The prostheses and the osteosynthesis materials used for the treatment of degenerative, traumatic or even esthetic pathologies, are made of materials with a good biocompatibility [5,6].…”