Invited Commentary: Reframing urban health, reconnecting public health and contextualizing HIV. Lessons from South Africa

Abstract

Despite the challenges of migration, rapid unplanned urbanization and increasing health inequities within as well as between cities, urban health does not yet appear high on the global public health and research agenda. More than half of the world’s population is now living in cities and most of the population growth in the coming decades will take place in urban areas, primarily in Africa and Asia. An estimated one billion live in poor, overcrowded informal settlements and this population is expected to double in the coming 20 years. Although the relevance of the social and physical environment for health has long been known, health policies often prioritize single issues, reactive approaches, and disease-specific solutions that do not sufficiently take into account the life-context of the population (beyond life-style) and the need for systemic intersectoral action at all levels to address the structural driving forces of (health) inequities.

(Published: 9 June 2011)

Citation: Global Health Action 2011, 4: 7290 - DOI: 10.3402/gha.v4i0.7290