Ninth Annual Conference on Urban Environmental Health

Hunter College, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): At the International Society for Urban Health (ISUH), we are increasingly struck by the contrast between the growing importance of urbanization and the lack of systematic study of the impact of urbanization on health. For this reason, ISUH has been responsible for organizing a series of international conferences on urban health, and is organizing the Ninth International Conference on Urban Health, scheduled to occur during October 27-29, 2010 in New York City. In this proposal, we seek to enhance the relevance and importance of the Ninth International Conference by creating a specific conference concentration and track on the National Institute Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)-sponsored and NIEHS-pertinent research evidence that will help the conference draw attention to and foster future research collaborations with a specific focus on addressing health disparities in urban areas. We assert that much can be gained through the exchange of ideas about the physical and social environments of cities and health service, including an international perspective. In the developed world, the built environment of cities can both mitigate and intensify health issues such as obesity, by encouraging or discouraging daily physical activity. Neighborhoods with more toxic social environments can further exacerbate obesity by discouraging outdoor activity and can negatively affect mental health. In the developing world, environmental health hazards are endemic to many urban areas: hastily built slums with poor and dangerous materials;indoor cooking with biofuels;poor sanitation services;and high crime rates. Through environmental health sessions at the conference, we propose to showcase current research on how the built and social environment affects the health of urban populations. As such, we are requesting $30,000 of the total cost of the conference ($350,000), to fund the following environmental health research components of the program: 1) plenary speakers on urban environmental health research, 2) concurrent sessions on environmental health research as applies to cities, 3) poster sessions focused on urban environmental health research, and 4) publication of a supplement of the Journal of Urban Health that will include featured articles and poster abstracts on environmental health research. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: By holding this conference in one of the leading cities in the world, we intend to foster an international research group to collectively improve the understanding of the common health risks faced by urban residents and to influence the development of effective public health interventions across the globe. Perspectives and lessons from different countries can be valuable to share. We have now held six prior conferences that have been well attended and look forward to continuing this series.