Project Abstract

Urbanization is a global phenomenon that has profound impacts on the environment and human health. As more people move into urban areas, there is an increasing strain on resources and infrastructure, leading to various environmental health challenges. This study aims to investigate the impact of urbanization on environmental health quality by examining key factors such as air and water quality, green spaces, and access to healthcare services. One of the major concerns associated with urbanization is the deterioration of air quality. The concentration of pollutants such as particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide is often higher in urban areas due to increased vehicular emissions, industrial activities, and construction projects. Poor air quality can have serious health implications, including respiratory diseases, cardiovascular problems, and even premature death. By analyzing air quality data from urban areas with different levels of development, this study seeks to understand how urbanization influences air pollution levels and its subsequent impact on public health. In addition to air quality, the availability of clean and safe water is essential for maintaining good health. Urbanization can lead to water contamination through various sources such as industrial discharge, sewage runoff, and improper waste disposal. Contaminated water poses a significant risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis. This research will assess water quality parameters in urban areas to evaluate the extent of contamination and identify potential sources of pollutants. By comparing water quality data from urban and rural regions, this study aims to highlight the specific challenges posed by urbanization in ensuring access to clean water for residents. Furthermore, the presence of green spaces in urban areas plays a crucial role in promoting environmental health quality. Parks, gardens, and urban forests not only enhance the aesthetic value of cities but also provide important ecosystem services such as air purification, temperature regulation, and biodiversity conservation. However, rapid urbanization often leads to the conversion of green spaces into built-up areas, resulting in the loss of biodiversity and ecological functions. This study will investigate the relationship between urbanization and green space coverage to understand how the decline in green areas affects environmental health and human well-being. Lastly, access to healthcare services is a key determinant of environmental health quality in urban areas. As populations grow and urbanize, the demand for healthcare facilities and resources also increases. Inadequate healthcare infrastructure in urban areas can lead to disparities in health outcomes and limited access to essential services. This research will analyze the distribution of healthcare facilities in urban settings to assess the impact of urbanization on healthcare accessibility and quality. By identifying underserved areas with limited healthcare resources, this study aims to provide recommendations for improving healthcare delivery and promoting better environmental health outcomes in urbanized regions. In conclusion, this study will contribute to a better understanding of the complex relationship between urbanization and environmental health quality. By examining key factors such as air and water quality, green spaces, and healthcare access, this research aims to highlight the challenges posed by urbanization and identify opportunities for sustainable urban development that prioritizes both environmental health and human well-being.

Project 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).