Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Perspectives of Knowledge Management in Urban Health pp 61–94Cite as

Urban Health in Developing Countries

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Healthcare Delivery in the Information Age ((Healthcare Delivery Inform. Age,volume 1))

Abstract

The world is becoming more urbanized. This trend is now particularly pronounced in the developing world, where the urban population is expected to double in the next 30 years. The impact of urbanization on the health of citizens in developing countries has received increasing attention recently. Urban residents in developing countries, especially the poor, are exposed to the health hazards of low access to healthcare, food insecurity and under-nutrition, polluted living environment, poor water quality, violence and accident injuries. Poor people in urban centers also suffer from health problems associated with poor access to social services and safety nets. In such a scenario, ensuring access to basic yet life-saving healthcare among the urban poor is a key development priority. Efforts towards this end can be vastly improved through shared learning of experiences in enhancing access of the urban poor to basic services, healthcare and social security. A robust knowledge management system for urban health in developing countries is essential for achieving this. This chapter outlines the urbanization scenario in developing countries, associated urban health challenges, relevant program experiences and priority areas of research, besides highlighting the significance of knowledge management and avenues for knowledge sharing within this perspective.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    UN-HABITAT defines a slum household as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water; access to improved sanitation facilities; sufficient living area (not more than three people sharing the same room); structural quality and durability of dwellings; and security of tenure (UN-HABITAT 2008).

References

  • ADB (2002). Bangladesh health care centers offer urban poor more than medicine. ADB Media Center. http://www.adb.org/media/Articles/2002/658_Bangladesh_Health_Care_Centers/. Accessed 15 July 2009.

  • Agarwal, S., Sangar, K. (2005). Need for dedicated focus on urban health within National Rural Health Mission. Indian Journal of Public Health, XXXXIX (3), 141–151.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agarwal, S., Taneja, S. (2005). All Slums are not Equal: Child Health Services among the Urban Poor. Indian Pediatrics, 42, 233–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agarwal, S., et al. (2007). Urbanization, urban poverty and health of the urban poor: status, challenges and the way forward. Demography India, 36(1), 121–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agarwal, S., et al. (2008). Strengthening functional community-provider linkages: lessons from the indore urban health programme. Global Public Health, 3(3), 308–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • APHRC. (2009). Nairobi urban health and poverty partnership (NUHPP). African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC). http://aphrc.org/Research/NUHPP.html. Accessed 7 July 2009.

  • Barbiero, V.K. (2007). Urban health: An inevitable international imperative. In A. M. Garland, M. Massoumi and B.A. Rouble (Ed.), Global Urban Poverty – Setting the Agenda (pp. 189–203). Washington: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartlett, S.N. (2002). The problem of children’s injuries in low-income countries: A review. Health Policy and Planning, 17(1), 1–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barua, N., Singh, S. (2003). Representation for the Marginalized – Linking the Poor the Health Care System: Lessons from Case Studies in Urban India. Paper presented at the Urban Research Symposium, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkman, A., Garcia, J., Muñoz-Laboy, M., et al. (2005). A critical analysis of the Brazilian response to HIV/AIDS: lessons learned for control and mitigation of the epidemic in developing countries. American Journal of Public Health, 95(7), 1162–1172.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cairncross, S. (1990). Water Supply and the Urban Poor, in The Poor Die Young: Housing and Health in Third World Cities, ed. J.E. Hardow, S. Cairncross, and D. Datterthwaite, pp. 109-126. London: Earthscan Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Census of India (2001) India at a glance – rural and urban distribution and state profiles. Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India; New Delhi. Available from: http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/. Accessed February 1, 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  • Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner (2001). Primary Census Abstract. Total Population: Table A-5, New Delhi: Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chatterjee, C. (2006). Identities in Motion: Migration and Health in India. Mumbai: CEHAT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chattopadhyay, O. (2005). Safety and health of urban informal sector workers. Indian Journal of Community Medicine. 30(2), 46–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chelala C. (2000). Environmental Impact on Child Health. Washington, DC.: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and WHO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Concern Wordlwide. (2009). Bangladesh Child Survival: Municipal Health Partnership Program (MHPP). Concern Worldwide USA Inc. http://www.concernusa.org/media/pdf/2007/10/PLAN_urban%20health%20Bangladesh(2).pdf. Accessed 26 June 2009.

  • Das, Jishnu and Jeffrey Hammer (2007) “Money for Nothing: The Dire Straits of Medical Practice in Delhi, India,” Journal of Development Economics, 83(1), 1–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’Cruz, C., Mitlin, D. (2007). Shack/Slum Dwellers International: one experience of the contribution of membership organizations to pro-poor urban development, in R. Kanbur, M. Chen, R. Jhabvala and C. Richards (eds.), Membership-based Organizations of the Poor, Routledge, Abingdon, pages 221–239.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • di Gropello, E. (2002). Decentralized systems of health care delivery and the role of large cities: A comparative analysis. Health, Nutrition and Population Discussion Paper, Washington DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falkingham, J., Namazie, C. (2001). Identifying the Poor: A Critical Review of Alternative Approaches. London: Department of International Development (DfID).

    Google Scholar 

  • Garau P., Sclar E.D., and Carolini G.Y. (2005). A home in the city. Report from the UN Millennium Project. London: Earthscan Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Government of India (2000). National Population Policy. New Delhi: Government of India.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harpham, T. (2007a). Background paper on improving urban population health. Paper presented at Innovations for an Urban World, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Urban Summit, Bellagio, Italy. Available at http://csud.ei.columbia.edu/sitefiles/file/Final%20Papers/Week%203/Week3_Health_Harpham_.pdf (accessed on July 6, 2009).

  • Harpham, T., (2007b). Background Paper on Improving Urban Population Health: Improving Urban Population Health Systems, Center for Sustainable Urban Development, JULY 15–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harpham, T. Few, R. (2002). The Dar Es Salaam Urban Health Project, Tanzania: a multi-dimensional evaluation. Journal of Public Health Medicine, 24(2), 112–119.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hay, S.I., Guerra, C.A., Tatem, A.J. et al. (2004). The global distribution and population at risk of malaria: past, present, and future, The Lancet. Infectious Diseases. 4(6), 327–336.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hijar, M., Vazquez-Vela, E., Arreola-Risa, C. (2003). Pedestrian traffic injuries in Mexico – a country update. Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 10(1–2), 37–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hollenbach, A. and Bahar G. (2009). Innovative Financing Brings Clean Water to Low-Income Households, presentation made at Annual Conference of Global Health Council, May

    Google Scholar 

  • Institute for Research in Medical Statistics (2003). India Population Project-VIII End line Survey, New Delhi: Institute for Research in Medical Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • International Labour Office (2006). Realizing decent work in Asia. Fourteenth Asian Regional Meeting. Report of the Director General. Geneva, ILO. Tahseen: http://www.esdproj.org/site/DocServer/TAHSEEN_Urban_Poor_Model__7_12_07_Final.pdf?docID=601

  • Islam, M., Montgomery, M., Taneja, S. (2006). Urban Health and Care Seeking Behaviour: A Case Study of Slums in India and the Philippines. Final Report, The Partners for Health Reformplus Project, Bethesda: Abt Associates Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jamil, K., Bhuiya, A., Streatfield, K., Chakrabarty, N. (1999). The immunization program in Bangladesh: Impressive gains in coverage, but gaps remain. Health Policy and Planning. 14, 49–58.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jha, P., Agarwal, S., Srivastava K. et al. (2008). Improving access to health care services through community risk pooling in Agra. Presentation made at the International Conference of Urban Health, 29-31 Oct. http://uhrc.in/name-CmodsDownload-index-req-getit-lid-121.html accessed 16 Sept 2009.

  • Keiser, J., Utzinger, J., de Castro, M.C. et al. (2004). Urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa and implications for malaria control. Working paper, Office of Population Research, Princeton University, and Swiss Tropical Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kishor S., Johnson, K. (2004). Profiling domestic violence: A multi-country study. Measure DHS+, ORC/Macro, Calverton MD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kjellstrom, T., Mercado, S. (2008). Towards action on social determinants for health equity in urban settings. Environment and Urbanization 20(2), 551–574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, A.B., Rosen, S. (2002). Understanding household demand for indoor air pollution control in developing countries. Social Science and Medicine, 55(4), 571–584.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lieberman, S.S., Capuno, J.J., Van Minh, H. (2005). Decentralizing health: Lessons from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In East Asia Decentralizes: Making Local Government Work (pp. 155–178). Washington DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loughhead, S. et al. (2001). Urban Poverty and Vulnerability in India. New Delhi: Department for International Development (DFID).

    Google Scholar 

  • McGranahan, G., Balk, D., Anderson, B. (2007) The rising risks of climate change: Urban population distribution and characteristics in low elevation coastal zones, Environment and Urbanization. 19(1), 17–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mcllwaine, C., Moser, C.O.N. (2004). Drugs, alcohol and community tolerance: an urban ethnography from Colombia and Guatemala. Environment and Urbanization 16(2), 49–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mercy Corps Indonesia. (2009). Urban Program: Healthy Start Project. Mercy Corps. http://indonesia.mercycorps.org/?show=work&type=sub_work&id=1. Accessed 6 July 2009.

  • Montgomery, M. (2005). “The Place of the Urban Poor in the Cairo Programme of Action and the Millennium Development Goals,” p. XXIV-5. Ch. 24 in: United Nations Seminar on the Relevance of Population Aspects for the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals: New York: 17-19 November 2004 (ESA/P/WP.192), by the United Nations. 2005a. New York: Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mark R. Montgomery (2008): Urban Poverty and Health in Developing Countries, Stony Brook University and Population Council, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Montgomery, M.R. (2009). Urban poverty and health in developing countries. Population Bulletin, 64(2), 16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moser, C.O.N. (2004). Urban violence and insecurity: an introductory roadmap. Environment and Urbanization 16(2), 3–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Sample Survey Organization (2003). Conditions of urban slums 2002. Salient features. New Delhi: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patel, S., Mitlin, D. (2001). The Work of SPARC and its Partners Mahila Milan and the National Slum Dwellers Federation in India, Poverty Reduction in Urban Areas Series IIED Working Paper, 0, Vol. 5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Panel on Urban Population Dynamics (2003). Cities transformed: demographic change and its implications in the Developing World, ed. Mark R. Montgomery, Richard Stren, Barney Cohen, and Holly E. Reed, Washington DC: National Academies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rakodi, C., Batabaki-Kamau, R., Devas, N. (2000). Poverty and political conflict in Mombasa. Environment and Urbanization, 12(1), 153–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramanathan, U. (2004). Illegality and Exclusion, International Environmental Law Research Centre Working Paper No. 2, Geneva: IELRC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rifkin, S. B. (1990). Community participation in maternal and child health/family planning programmes. An analysis based on case study materials. Geneva: World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

  • Satterthwaite D. (1997). Urban poverty: reconsidering its scale and nature. IDS Bulletin, 28:9–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Satterthwaite, D. (2001). Rural and Urban Poverty: Understanding the Differences. Washington: State Department.

    Google Scholar 

  • SDC (2009). Tanzania: a health project in an urban environment http://www.sdc.admin.ch/en/Home/News/Close_up?itemID=20657. Accessed 15 July 2009.

  • Shekhar C, and F. Ram (2005). National Report on Evaluation of Functioning of Urban Health Posts/Urban Family Centers in India, International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai

    Google Scholar 

  • Siddharth (2004). Building public sector- NGO partnership for urban RCH services. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, XXIX(4), 155–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tiwari, R.T. (2005). Child labour in footwear industry: possible occupational health hazards. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 9(1), 7–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNDP & Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Government of India (2009). India Urban Poverty Report. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • UN-HABITAT (2003a). Slums of the World: The face of urban poverty in the new millennium? Working Paper, Global Urban Observatory. Nairobi: UN-HABITAT.

    Google Scholar 

  • UN-HABITAT (2003b). Slum Estimates Data. Available at http://ww2.unhabitat.org/programmes/guo/documents/Table4.pdf (accessed on June 23, 2009).

  • UN-HABITAT, (2003c). Water and sanitation in the world’s cities: local action for global goals. London, Earthscan.

    Google Scholar 

  • UN-HABITAT (2006). State of the World’s Cities Report 2006/2007. London: Earthscan.

    Google Scholar 

  • UN-HABITAT (2009). Manila City Profile. United National Cyber School Bus. Available at http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/habitat/profiles/manila.asp accessed 13 Aug, 2009.

  • United Nations Environment Programme (1999). Global Environmental Outlook 2000, London: Earthscan.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Population Division (2008). World urbanization prospects: The 2007 revision. New York: United Nations Population Division.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Population Fund (2007). State of world population. New York: UNFPA.

    Google Scholar 

  • UN-HABITAT (2008). State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009 Harmonious Cities, Earthscan, UN Habitat 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Unnithan-Kumar, M., McNay, K. and Castaldo, A. (2008). Women’s Migration, Urban Poverty and Child Health in Rajasthan. Working Paper T-26. Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty, Brighton: UK-DfID.

    Google Scholar 

  • USAID and ESD. (2007). The TAHSEEN Model for Reaching the Urban Poor in Egypt. Best Practices Series Report # 3. USAID & Extended Service Delivery Project. www.esdproj.org/.../TAHSEEN_Urban_Poor_Model__7_12_07_Final.pdf. Accessed 17 July 2009.

  • WHO (2002). The World Health Report 2002. Geneva, World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2003). Asia’s cities face disease crisis, WHO warns. Press release, WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, available at http://www.wpro.who.int/media_centre/press_releases/pr_20031014.htm accessed on Sept 14 2009.

  • WHO/World Bank (2004). World report on road traffic injury prevention. Geneva: World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2006). Intimate Partner Violence and Alcohol Fact Sheet, World Health Organization, available at http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/factsheets/ft_intimate.pdf, accessed on July 9, 2010.

  • World Bank (2007a). Improving Conditions of the Urban Poor and Increasing Access to Basic Services. Available at http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEAPREGTOPURBDEV/Resources/UrbanPoverty.pdf (accessed on June 29, 2009).

  • World Bank (2007b). World Bank on alcohol and poverty. ADD factsheet 30.1.2007. Available at www.eurocare.org/content/download/.../Alcohol+and+Poverty.pdf (accessed on July 9, 2009).

  • WRI (1996). World Resources 1996–1997, A Guide to the Global Environment. A Report by The World Resources Institute, UNEP, UNDP, The World Bank. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wyss, K. (2003). Access of the urban poor and vulnerable to health care in Africa. SDC Experiences in N’Djamena, Douala and Dar es Salaam. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. http://www.sdchealth.ch/priorities_in_health/pro_poor_health_service/access_to_health_services/access. Accessed 15 July 2009.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 89/4, Krishna Nagar- Lane# 4, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi, India

    Siddharth Agarwal

Authors
  1. Siddharth Agarwal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Aradhana Srivastava
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sanjeev Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Siddharth Agarwal .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute, E. Monument St. 2013, Baltimore, 21205, Maryland, USA

    Michael Christopher Gibbons

  2. Health Design and Technology Institute (, Knowledge Management for Healthcare (KAR, Coventry University, Puma Way, Coventry, CV1 2TT, United Kingdom

    Rajeev Bali

  3. , RMIT University, School of Business Information Technolog, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne VIC, 3001, Australia

    Nilmini Wickramasinghe

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Agarwal, S., Srivastava, A., Kumar, S. (2010). Urban Health in Developing Countries. In: Gibbons, M., Bali, R., Wickramasinghe, N. (eds) Perspectives of Knowledge Management in Urban Health. Healthcare Delivery in the Information Age, vol 1. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5644-6_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5644-6_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-5643-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-5644-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation