New Book by Academy Chronicles Effects of City Living on Health of the Public

NEW YORK CITY, Aug. 28--As the global population dramatically shifts towards living in cities, the impact of urbanization on health has become an issue of growing concern. A new book co-edited by two scientists from The New York Academy of Medicine helps to develop an understanding of the health effects of urban expansion. This is critical not only to increasing public health awareness but also to instituting improved health strategies in the 21st century for city dwellers, who will account for three-quarters of the world???s population by 2030.

Cities and the Health of the Public, newly published by Vanderbilt University Press, provides a comprehensive assessment of the determinants of health of urban populations in the United States. It provides a framework for analyzing urban health, revealing how urban living conditions serve as vital health determinants of city dwellers. Some of the factors influencing urban health that are examined in this book are population characteristics, social and physical environments, and health care and social service systems. While the book is focused on the United States, the difficulties encountered by developing nations in sufficiently fulfilling the basic needs of urban residents are also explored.

The relationship between urban living conditions and city health is further discussed through the examination of common city plights, such as the spread of infectious disease, the prevalence of traumatic stressors due to violence, the incidence of mental health problems, and urban sprawl. Together, these occurrences reveal the different outcomes of urban living and serve as indicators of population health.

Cities and the Health of the Public also assesses pertinent research methods utilized in the study of urban health and the methodological challenges that arise. Most importantly, interventions that are needed to promote health in urban populations in forthcoming decades, such as improving education and reducing poverty levels, are highlighted.

This book was edited by David Vlahov, PhD, Director of the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies (CUES) at The New York Academy of Medicine and editor of the Academy???s Journal of Urban Health, Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, Adjunct Investigator with CUES and Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan, and Nicholas Freudenberg, DrPH, Professor of Public Health and Social Psychology at Hunter College and City University of New York. The chapters are written by contributors from numerous prestigious institutions, including The New York Academy of Medicine, Columbia University, Harvard University, Yale University, Emory University, the University of Michigan, Medical University of South Carolina, Drexel University, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CITIES AND THE HEALTH OF THE PUBLIC
Edited by: Nicholas Freudenberg, Sandro Galea, David Vlahov
Vanderbilt University Press
ISBN: 0826515118
July 2006
364 pages
ISBN 0-8265-1511-8 hardcover $79.95
ISBN 0-8265-1512-6 paperback $34.95
To request a review copy, please contact Susan Havlish at (615) 343-2446 or sue.havlish@vanderbilt.edu.
For further details about the book-signing event, contact Dr. Freudenberg at nfreuden@hunter.cuny.edu.

Founded in 1847, The New York Academy of Medicine is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit institution whose mission is to enhance the health of the public. The Academy is a leading center for urban health policy and action working to enhance the health of people living in cities worldwide through research, education, advocacy, and prevention. Visit us online at www.nyam.org.

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Posted on August 28, 2006

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Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
1216 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10029
212-822-7285
amartin@nyam.org

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