Health is an elusive concept and environmental change is leading us to new health risks and exposure to new forms of danger. Development, in its many facets, can have very positive but also negative effects on physical and mental health. Poverty continues to afflict Third World cities and increasing numbers in the developed world, whilst macro-economic policies, recession in the West, debt servicing in the Third World and the impacts of structural adjustment policies, often mean cutbacks in already poor health services and increases in differential access to resources and health care. Yet people are living longer, their lifestyles are changing and so too are the diseases from which they suffer. Clearly structured, with regional and country case studies accompanying conceptual and thematic sections, Health and Development discusses the multifaceted aspects of health impacts of development. It focuses on crucial issues such as the effects of economic adjustment and environmental change on health, the possiblity of extending health services, socio-cultural factors in HIV/AIDS transmission, and the health of women beyond that of maternal and child health.
If development is to be associated with longer life rather than a deteriorating quality of life, then the issues raised in this book must be addressed by policy makers, medical and paramedical staff, and by researchers worldwide.