World Health Day 2010: April 7

green | April 7th, 2010 - 8:00 AM

Since 1950, World Health Day has been celebrated on the 7th of April annually. Be part of a global movement to make cities healthier

World Health Day 2010 will focus on urbanization and health. With the campaign “1000 cities – 1000 lives”, events will be organized worldwide calling on cities to open up streets for health activities. Stories of urban health champions will be gathered to illustrate what people are doing to improve health in their cities.

World Health Day 2010 will focus on urbanization and health. The theme was selected in recognition of the effect urbanization has on our collective health globally and for us all individually.

Some facts on urbanization

  • Over 3 billion people live in cities.
  • In 2007, the world’s population living in cities surpassed 50% for the first time in history.
  • By 2030, six out of every 10 people will be city dwellers, rising to seven out of every 10 people by 2050.World Health Day campaign: 1000 Cities, 1000 Lives

With the campaign 1000 cities, 1000 lives, events will be organized worldwide during the week of  7 – 11 April 2010.

The global goals of the campaign are:

1000 cities: to open up public spaces to health, whether it be activities in parks, town hall meetings, clean-up campaigns, or closing off portions of streets to motorized vehicles.

1000 lives: to collect 1000 stories of urban health champions who have taken action and had a significant impact on health in their cities.

About this year’s theme: What is it all about?

Urbanization: a challenge for public health

Virtually all population growth over the next 30 years will be in urban areas, signaling that urbanization is here to stay. It is associated with many health challenges related to water, environment, violence and injury, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors like tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol as well as the risks associated with disease outbreaks. Urbanization is a challenge for several reasons.

The urban poor suffer disproportionately from a wide range of diseases and other health problems, and include an increased risk for violence, chronic disease, and for some communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

The major drivers, or social determinants, of health in urban settings are beyond the health sector, including physical infrastructure, access to social and health services, local governance, and the distribution of income and educational opportunities.

Solutions exist to tackle the root causes of urban health challenges

Urban planning can promote healthy behaviours and safety through investment in active transport, designing areas to promote physical activity and passing regulatory controls on tobacco and food safety. Improving urban living conditions in the areas of housing, water and sanitation will go a long way to mitigating health risks. Building inclusive cities that are accessible and age-friendly will benefit all urban residents.

Such actions do not necessarily require additional funding, but commitment to redirect resources to priority interventions, thereby achieving greater efficiency.

for more information check out World Health Organization: World Health Day

You can also follow the campaign on:

- Facebook
- YouTube
- Flickr

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