Understanding and harnessing the health effects of rapid urbanization in China.

Zhu, Yong-Guan and Ioannidis, John P. A. and Li, Hong and Jones, Kevin C. and Martin, Francis L. (2011) Understanding and harnessing the health effects of rapid urbanization in China. Environmental Science and Technology, 45 (12). pp. 5099-5104. ISSN 0013-936X

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Abstract

China is undergoing a rapid transition from a rural to an urban society. This societal change is a consequence of a national drive toward economic prosperity. Rapid urbanization impacts on infrastructure, environmental health and human wellbeing. Unlike many cases of urban expansion, Chinese urbanization has led to containment, rather than to increase, in the spread of infectious diseases. Conversely, the incidence of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases has risen, with higher rates occurring in urban regions. This rural–urban gradient in disease incidence seems not to be a reflection simply of more aggressive diagnosis or healthcare access. Other diseases exhibit little rural versus urban differences (e.g., liver cancer or respiratory disease), or even occur at a higher rate in the rural population (e.g., esophageal cancer). This article examines the impact of this changing demographic on environmental health and human wellbeing in China. Lessons learned from epidemiological studies mostly carried out in Europe and the U.S. may not be directly transferable to China. We advocate that there is now a need to establish robust systems of accurate data collection, a Chinese biobank network to facilitate the profiling of human health effects, and relevant randomized controlled trials to identify effective interventions in the Chinese urbanized setting. Such studies could allow for the future implementation of disease-preventive strategies.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Environmental Science and Technology
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2304
Subjects:
?? environmental chemistrygeneral chemistrychemistry(all)ge environmental sciencesr medicine (general) ??
ID Code:
40808
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
23 May 2011 12:09
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
16 Jul 2024 08:43