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Health and environment in the context of urbanization

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Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine Aims and scope

Abstract

This paper introduces a series of research projects designed to fulfill the societal role of environmental health studies by investigating (1) the dynamic and complex relationships between environmental conditions and (2) health in an urban setting. Research in this first category has revealed the existence of the combined influence of multiple physical environmental factors on health and its mechanisms. In the second category, there have been a number of studies of the integrated influence of social environmental factors on health employing an aggregate modeling of multiple determinants of health and studies of individual topics related to social determinants of health. These research projects have contributed to the formulation of specific remedies and the development of comprehensive health policies. Participatory approaches have been used to enhance capacity building opportunities and to ensure that research results reflect the actual conditions in urban societies. Healthy Cities projects and programs have been developed in close collaboration with this type of research. Urban societies have become interdependent and share the same issues globally. Further research into the relationships between health and the environment in the context of urbanization will expand the base of evidence applicable to the complex realities in modern societies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Promotion, Division of Public Health, Graduate School of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Yushima 1-5-45, Bunkyo-ku, 113-8519, Tokyo, Japan

    Takehito Takano

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  1. Takehito Takano
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Correspondence to Takehito Takano.

Additional information

This article is based upon the 2004 Congress Award Lecture at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Hygiene held in Niigata, Japan on March, 27–30, 2005.

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Takano, T. Health and environment in the context of urbanization. Environ Health Prev Med 12, 51–55 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02898149

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02898149

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