Mayors Pledge Action on Social Determinants of Health

Mayors Pledge Action on Social Determinants of Health

October 24, 2006

    SUZHOU, China, Oct. 24 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Mayors
from six cities around the world are gathered in Suzhou to
pledge commitment to the emerging theme of "healthy
urbanization". The leaders will speak at the Symposium
on Healthy Urbanization held by the WHO Centre for Health
Development today under the subheading, "Optimizing
the impact of social determinants of health on exposed
populations in urban settings".

    (Logo: 
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040610/CNTH001LOGO )


    In recent decades, economic globalization has pushed
rapid and often unplanned urbanization with serious
consequences. The mayors of Kobe, Japan, Suzhou, China,
Bangalore, India, San Joaquin, Chile, Ariana, Tunisia and
Nakuru, Kenya will address key issues that have emerged
from preliminary research and scoping papers under the
Healthy Urbanization Project. Findings include:

    -- In Bangalore, around 25% of the population lives in
slums, while some 
       40% of those in greater Bangalore are part of
informal settlements.   
       One-fifth of slum dwellers suffer from
noncommunicable diseases, with 
       15-20% dying from injury - suicide, road accidents
and violence. 

    -- In San Joaquin, Santiago, Chile, a strong
correlation between income 
       and mortality rate is observed, with men in San
Joaquin losing 123.4 
       years of life between 1999 and 2001, compared to
45.7 years in the 
       wealthy nearby borough of Lo Barneachea.

    -- In Japan, home to the WHO Centre for Health
Development, despite 
       economic expansion, working hours are up and wages
are down. Of workers 
       visiting health centres in 2003, 71% had
hypertension, 67% had high 
       cholesterol and 53% had diabetes.

    Dr Soichiro Iwao, Director of the Centre, will speak on
the theme, "From Healthy Cities to Healthy Urbanization
in the 21st Century" on Saturday, 28 October, at 2.00
pm on the emerging "elements" required for
healthy urbanization in a city.  

    During this event, the mayors will sign a statement to
pledge their commitment to support the Healthy Urbanization
Project.  

    More on the Healthy Urbanization Project can be found
at http://www.who.or.jp .

    For more information, please contact:

     Ms Susan Loo,
     Policy Advocacy,   
     WHO Centre for Health Development
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     Mr Richard Bradford,
     Public Information,
     WHO Centre for Health Development
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]   

SOURCE  World Health Organization