Beyond food and nutrition: how can cities be made healthy?
Gross, R.
Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 11: S763-S766
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0964-7058 Document Number: 262977
Urbanization is one of the predominant demographic trendsof the late 20th century, with populations in developing countriesmoving in ever greater numbers from the rural countryside to citiesof all sizes. The nutrition community is logically mostly fixatedon issues of intake of foods and determination by nutritional status,and see urbanization and urban populations through that prism. Asidefrom assorted positive implications for better nutrition and healthof urbanization, urban residence can have negative trade-offs including:social deterioration with drugs, crime and homelessness; sedentarism;and chemical, radiation, noise and illumination pollution. Pollutioninteracts with diet to the extent that there is balancing to beaccomplished between the free-radical damage of pollutants and dietaryantioxidants. Environmental lead contamination continues to be a problemin Jakarta, Indonesia. Sedentarism and lack of solar exposure incities has negative implications for bone health, and risks forosteoporosis. Moreover, the processes in rural areas to produceagricultural products for urban populations can produce airbornepollutants that flow to cities, affecting the quality of urban life. Giventhese considerations, pollution and environmental factors shouldbe added to the alimentary and health-related determinants oftenplaced into the causal models for malnutrition used for planningpolicy and programs by international agencies.