Health in an urban context
Since its inception in 1948, the World HealthOrganization has embraced a comprehensiveunderstanding of health as “not merely theabsence of disease or infirmity”, but rather“a state of complete physical, mental and socialwell-being.” Today, compelling scientificevidence shows that physical, mental and socialhealth and well-being are closely interwovenand deeply interdependent, and that healthis influenced by a broad range of determinantsthat lie beyond the health sector. This chapterintroduces underlying drivers of health in urbanareas, and describes some of the common healthissues faced by people living in cities.
