Thesis Abstract

Abstract
Urbanization is a global phenomenon that has profound effects on environmental health quality. The rapid growth of cities leads to increased pollution, loss of green spaces, and heightened exposure to various environmental risks. This study aims to investigate the impact of urbanization on environmental health quality by examining key factors such as air and water quality, waste management, and public health outcomes. Through a comprehensive literature review and data analysis, this research explores the various ways in which urbanization influences environmental health. It considers the role of urban planning, industrial activities, transportation systems, and population density in shaping the environmental quality of urban areas. The study also investigates the disparities in environmental health quality among different socio-economic groups within urban populations. Findings suggest that urbanization has both positive and negative effects on environmental health quality. While urban areas often offer better access to healthcare services and employment opportunities, they also face significant challenges related to pollution, inadequate sanitation, and limited green spaces. These environmental stressors can have detrimental effects on public health, leading to higher rates of respiratory diseases, waterborne illnesses, and other health issues. Policy implications of this research highlight the importance of sustainable urban development practices to mitigate the negative impacts of urbanization on environmental health quality. Strategies such as green infrastructure development, promotion of renewable energy sources, and implementation of effective waste management systems can help create healthier urban environments. Additionally, addressing social determinants of health such as poverty, education, and access to healthcare is crucial for improving overall environmental health quality in urban areas. Overall, this study contributes to the growing body of research on urbanization and environmental health quality by providing insights into the complex interplay between urban development and public health outcomes. By understanding the various factors influencing environmental health in urban areas, policymakers and urban planners can make informed decisions to create healthier and more sustainable cities for future generations.

Thesis Overview

INTRODUCTION

1.1            Background to the Study

Contemporary globalization and urbanization is reproducing classic conditions historically associated with the emergence of infectious diseases and the periodically recurring pattern of epidemics and pandemics. The dynamics of contemporary globalization has contributed to various institutional gaps that make dealing with infectious diseases is increasing difficult and threaten concentrated human populations with potential calamity (Gibson and Gumer, 2012). Over the past few decades, there has been a rapid urbanization of the world’s population.

According to Chilala (2015) Rapid urbanization has significant repercussions on migrants’ health. The increasing movement of people from rural to urban areas often alters the characteristic epidemiological disease profile of the country and at the same time new diseases appear or old ones remerges. Such is the case of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and recent case of Ebola and Lassa fever. Urbanization is also associated with changes in diet and exercise that increase the prevalence of obesity with increased risks of type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Philip (1993) defines Urbanization as involves a physical change in which increasing proportions of populations live in urban settings. It also implies considerable changes in the ways in which these people live, how they earn their livelihoods, the food which they eat, and the wide range of environmental factors to which they are exposed. There is another underlying assumption that, increasingly, urban populations will be healthier than their rural counterparts and those higher levels of urbanization will equate with better health status.

It is however; manifestly evident that in many cities, particularly in the developing world, the poor are exposed to greater risks and have much lower health status than their richer neighbours. In addition, whilst urban residents may theoretically have a better access to health care and services than do residents in many rural areas, and whilst many indicators of health do appear better in more highly urbanized societies than ones less so, there are caveats Vlahov et al., (2007). In certain cities in middle-income countries, residents, particularly the poor, are exposed to a double risk of both infection and chronic degenerative ailments.

It has been emphasized that urbanization, and the concentration of human beings into new areas in particular, can bring exposure to new risk factors for large numbers of people. The growth of infectious and parasitic disease in some urban settings must therefore be recognized, as must the emergence of chronic diseases, with the concomitant need for investment in new types of health and social care. However, a number of constraints militate against the achievement of improved urban health, especially in developing countries (Ojogbe, 2002; Kotz, 2009; Salau, 2012).