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PubMed1992

The use of COSAS in the analysis of vaccination coverage in urban, peri-urban and rural populations in the Edendale/Vulindlela district of KwaZulu.

A repeat vaccination coverage survey has been conducted in the Edendale/Vulindlela district of KwaZulu. The survey data were processed using the Coverage Survey Analysis System (COSAS) developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) through its Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI). A modified random cluster sampling method was used to select 281 children between the ages of 12 and 23 months. Of the children surveyed, 83% were in possession of Road-to-Health cards (RTHCs). The best estimate of overall coverage for doses up to and including the second doses of polio and diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) was 85% or higher, but estimates for polio 3 and measles, at 72% and 67% respectively, remain suboptimal. Stratification of coverage into urban, peri-urban and rural categories revealed that the major contribution to the fall-off in coverage, after the second dose of polio and DPT, came from children in the peri-urban category with estimates of 52% for polio 3 and 38% for measles. The fact that coverage in the peri-urban population for doses up to and including polio 2 was 78% or higher indicated that the peri-urban influence responsible for this drop-out effect occurred between the approximate ages of 5 and 8 months. This identified populations in informal peri-urban settlements as a priority group for urgent intervention and further study. The estimation of missed opportunities at visits when vaccinations are normally given, found in this survey to occur in 17% of children, was a useful feature of COSAS and provided a basis for a specific intervention.

Cluster Analysis↗
PubMed1993

African urbanization in metropolitan South Africa--differential urbanization perspectives.

"As a potentially important urban development policy consideration, attention is focused in this paper on differential urbanization trends in South Africa at the metropolitan level. Recent informal urban settlement patterns of the African population within the major metropolitan areas are contrasted against these differential urbanization trends to determine the implications of both for residential development in the metropolitan areas during the post-apartheid era."

Africa↗
PubMed1990

Urbanization and low-income housing in Malaysia: impact on the urban Malays.

The focus of this study is on urbanization in Malaysia. "This paper is divided into three parts. The first part examines the trend of uneven urban development in West Malaysia. The second part discusses the change [in] ethnic composition of urban population between 1970 and 1980 intercensal period. The third part analyses the impact of the urbanization process on the Malays in the context of housing problems of the lower income groups." (SUMMARY IN THA)

Asia↗
PubMed1998

A Comparison of Urban-Proximate and Urban-Distant Wilderness Users on Selected Variables.

/ The underlying premise of this study is that wilderness areas attract visitors desiring or expecting different wilderness experiences. In this study, wilderness areas were dichotomized according to distance from a large urban center (urban-proximate vs urban-distant). Four wilderness areas in southern California were used as the study sites. Comparisons were made on selected attributes commonly associated with the wilderness experience. Differences were observed on a number of variables such as acceptable number and type of encounters with other visitors, management preferences, and preferred group sizes. The findings of this study are congruent with those from previous studies and suggest that distance to large urban centers may be a functional variable in explaining differences among selected wilderness attributes.KEY WORDS: Expectancy theory; Normative standards; Wilderness; Wilderness experience; Urbanization

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

[Characterization of urban surface runoff in two urban catchments in Macau].

Characteristics of pollutants from urban surface runoff were investigated. Two catchments with a seperated system in Macau were selected for sampling on rainfall events during the period of August to November, 2005. Water quality parameters such as pH, turbidity, TSS, COD, TOC, TN, TP, Zn, Pb, and Cu were analyzed. The results show that the commercial-residential urban catchment shows high level of COD, TN, TP, and the park urban catchment has high TN and TP concentration. From the pollutograph analysis, the peak of TSS, TN, TP concentration appears in the first and the third sample respectively in ELH and YLF catchments, and then the pollutants concentration tend to decrease. Regression analysis between TSS and TN & TP in two urban catchments resulted in a high value (R2 > 0.95) of the coefficient of determination R2 indicating a close relationship between soil losses and nitrogen & phosphorus discharged from surface runoff. The profile of TSS and COD discharged from surface runoff relates greatly to the surface flow change, whereas the surface flow change has little influence on the profile of TN and TP. The heavy metals such as Zn, Pb and Cu fluctuate with the continuous input of vehicles during rainfall events. Pollutants such as TSS, TN, COD discharged from surface runoff depend greatly on the dry periods and storms intensity in such two urban catchments.

Cities↗
PubMed2000

Urbanization and the urban mortality change in Imperial Germany.

This analysis assesses urban mortality change in Imperial Germany, when the country was going through a process of accelerated industrialization and urbanization. Urban mortality reached its peak after the middle of the century, thereafter urban mortality improved substantially. The largest cities, particularly in the highly industrialized western parts of the country, registered the strongest decline. A key element in this process was the reduction of mortality from gastrointestinal disorders, affecting almost exclusively infants. Therefore this analysis discusses the impact of selected public health strategies designed to fight high infant mortality rates. Special emphasis is placed on municipal milk supply and infant welfare centres.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Physical growth and development of urban native Americans: a study in urbanization and its implications for nutritional status.

Anthropometric measurements and hematocrits are reported on a mixed longitudinal sample of 1309 urban native Americans from Minneapolis from 22 days through 19 years of age (the sample size for each measurement varied from 276 to 1309). The results are compared to the United States national probability samples from the National Center for Health Statistics (HANES and HES), as well as, from 6 through 12 years, to a sample of related American Indians from a reservation in northern Minnesota. Compared to the United States standards, the urban sample is slightly shorter and, in general, consistently heavier. The skinfold thicknesses (triceps and subcapular) varied by site, sex, and age, relative to the standard. In general, the native Americans had thicker skinfolds except for males below 6 years of age, and for the subcapsular in female at all ages. Relative to the sample from the reservation, the urban natives are taller, heavier, with thicker skinfolds and greater weights-for-height. The potentially greater risk for obesity associated with urbanization is discussed. While the mean hematocrits were very close to accepted standards, 35% of infants and children less then 6 years of age had values less than 34.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Exposure over the life course to an urban environment and its relation with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension in rural and urban Cameroon.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the association between lifetime exposure to urban environment (EU) and obesity, diabetes, and hypertension in an adult population of Sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: We studied 999 women and 727 men aged > or =25 years. They represent all the adults aged > or =25 years living in households randomly selected from a rural and an urban community of Cameroon with a 98% and 96% participation rate respectively. Height, weight, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose were measured in all subjects. Current levels of physical activity (in metabolic equivalents [MET]) were evaluated through the Sub-Saharan African Activity Questionnaire. Chronological data on lifetime migration were collected retrospectively and expressed as the total (EUt) or percentage (EU%) of lifetime exposure to urban environment. RESULTS: Lifetime EUt was associated with body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.42; P < 0.0001), fasting glycaemia (r = 0.23; P < 0.0001), and blood pressure (r = 0.17; P < 0.0001) but not with age. The subjects who recently settled in a city (< or =2 years) had higher BMI (+2.9 kg/m(2); P < 0.001), fasting glycaemia (+0.8 mmol/l; P < 0.001), systolic (+23 mmHg; P < 0.001) and diastolic (+9 mmHg; P = 0.001) blood pressure than rural dwellers with a history of 2 years EU. EU during the first 5 years of life was not, on its own, associated with glycaemia or BMI. However, both lifetime EUt and current residence were independently associated with obesity and diabetes. The association between lifetime EUt and hypertension was not independent of current residence and current level of physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that for the study of obesity and diabetes, in addition to current residence, both lifetime exposure to an urban environment and recent migration history should be investigated.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Young adult height of offspring born to rural-to-urban migrant parents and urban-born parents.

This study addresses the influence of the urban or rural origin of parents on the attained height of 19-year-old young adult males resident in urban centers. The material for the study was a 10% random sample of 19-year-old Polish conscripts born in 1976 and examined in 1995. The conscripts represented all regions of the country and all social strata. Among the total sample, only those who were born and raised in and who currently lived in cities with a population > 100,000 inhabitants were retained for analysis. They were grouped by educational level of their parents and by family size (number of children). Within limits of homogeneous groups, the heights of conscripts whose parents were both of rural origin were compared to heights of conscripts whose parents were both of urban origin. Within each of nine homogeneous groups, conscripts whose parents were both of rural origin were, on average, taller than conscripts whose parents were both of urban origin. Results were similar when the origin and educational level of either the mother or the father, in addition to family size, were considered separately.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Secular trends in the prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in urban South India--the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES-17).

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to determine the secular trends in prevalence of diabetes and IGT in urban India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES) screened 26,001 individuals aged > or =20 years using the American Diabetes Association fasting capillary glucose criteria. The study population, which was representative of Chennai, was recruited by systematic random sampling. Every tenth subject from Phase 1 of CURES was invited to participate in Phase 3 for screening by World Health Organization (WHO) plasma glucose criteria. The response rate was 90.4% (2,350 responders from 2,600 potential subjects). The prevalences of diabetes and IGT in CURES were compared with three earlier studies: two conducted on a representative population of Chennai in 1989 and 1995, and the other the National Urban Diabetes Survey (NUDS) completed in 2000. RESULTS: The overall crude prevalence of diabetes using WHO criteria in CURES was 15.5% (age-standardised 14.3%), while that of IGT was 10.6% (age-standardised 10.2%). Prevalence of diabetes increased by 39.8% (8.3-11.6%) from 1989 to 1995; by 16.3% (11.6-13.5%) between 1995 and 2000; and by 6.0% (13.5-14.3%) between 2000 and 2004. Thus within a span of 14 years, the prevalence of diabetes increased by 72.3% (chi (2) trend 22.23, p < 0.0001). The prevalence of IGT increased by 9.6% from 1989 to 1995 and by 84.6% between 1995 and 2000 (chi 2 trend 52.9, p < 0.0001). However, it decreased by 39.3% between 2000 and 2004 (p < 0.0001). There was a shift in the age at diagnosis of diabetes to a younger age in CURES compared with NUDS. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Compared with earlier studies, the prevalence of diabetes in Chennai, representing urban India, has increased while that of IGT has decreased.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1987

Malaria and urbanization in central Africa: the example of Brazzaville. Part III: Relationships between urbanization and the intensity of malaria transmission.

The authors present a map of malaria transmission intensity in Brazzaville from which they analyse the impact of urbanization on anopheline density and transmission of malaria. Whereas at first each new human settlement promotes the introduction or the proliferation of A. gambiae, the major vector of malaria in Central Africa, urban growth later proves to be unfavourable to this vector. Apart from the canalization of surface water and improvement in sanitation, it is the increase in population density which seems, by its direct or indirect consequences in urban areas, to determine the decrease in malaria transmission intensity. By favouring the absorption of the last remaining open spaces and by the accompanying domestic pollution, urbanization tends to eliminate an increasing number of A. gambiae breeding places; by limiting the dispersion of anopheles from breeding sites, it tends to focus malaria transmission and by thinning out the subsisting anopheline population among a denser human population, it tends to reduce the degree of exposure of each person.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Verification of expected trends in urban traffic NOx emissions from long-term measurements of ambient NO2 concentrations in urban air.

Data from long-term measurements of ambient NO2 concentrations at roof level in 15 Swedish cities have been used to verify expected trends in urban traffic NOx emissions, resulting mainly from the growth in the number of threeway catalyst (TWC) cars in Sweden since the mid 1980s. The result show that, with few exceptions, all cities exhibit a highly significant downward trend in ambient NO2 concentration since the winter season 1986/1987, as regards both winter season averages and 98th percentiles of daily averages, with an average decrease in both cases of approximately 30% through the winter season 1993/1994. The same trend is also observed when meteorological variations between years are taken into account. Corrections for NO2 in background air yield an even stronger downward trend, or an average 40% decrease for the study period. Simultaneously, rough calculations indicate a 30% decrease in urban traffic NOx emissions during the study period. The conclusions are that, since emission calculations always involve a high degree of uncertainty, use of data from long-term measurements of NO2 concentrations in urban air can be very helpful in establishing real-world trends for urban traffic NOx emissions, as soon as NOx-levels are low enough for the NO+ozone reaction to become 'NOx-limited'.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Rural and urban differences in diabetes prevalence in Tanzania: the role of obesity, physical inactivity and urban living.

A population-based survey in 1996 and 1997 of 770 adults (aged > or = 15 years) from an urban district of Dares Salaam and 928 from a village in rural Kilimanjaro district (Tanzania) revealed that the prevalence of diabetes, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity was higher in the urban area for men and women. The difference between urban and rural prevalence of diabetes was 3.8 [1x1-6.5]% for men and 2x9 [0x8-4.9]% for women. For IFG, the difference was 2x8 [0x3-5x3]% for men and 3x9 [1x4-6x4]% for women; for overweight and obesity, the difference was 21.5 [15.8-27.1]% and 6.2 [3x5-8.9]% for men and 17x4 [11.5-23.3]% and 12.7 [8x5-16x8]% for women, respectively. The difference in prevalence of physical inactivity was 12x5 [7.0-18.3]% for men and 37.6 [31x9-43.3]% for women. For men with diabetes, the odds for being overweight, obese and having a large waist:hip ratio were 14.1, 5.3 and 12.5, respectively; for women the corresponding values were 9x0, 10x5 and 2x4 (the last not significant) with an attributable fraction for overweight between 64% and 69%. We conclude that diabetes prevalence is higher in the urban Tanzanian community and that this can be explained by differences in the prevalence of overweight. The avoidance of obesity in the adult population is likely to prevent increases in diabetes incidence in this population.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Age-specific occurrence rates of measles in urban, peri-urban, and rural environments: implications for time of vaccination.

Measles vaccination is unsatisfactory in infants less than 8 months old. To find out what proportion of children with measles in the developing world fall within this age range, a survey was conducted in Natal/Kwa Zulu. Data were collected from urban (community-based survey, infectious diseases hospital data, referral centre date), peri-urban (regional hospital and clinics), and rural (3 local hospitals and their peripheral clinics) populations. There was a positive association between population density and the percentage of measles cases aged 8 months or less. 20-45% of measles patients in urban areas, 15% in the peri-urban zone, and 6-12% in rural Kwa Zulu had the disease at or below 8 months of age. The mortality rate for measles in this age group at the referral centre was 26%. There is an urgent need for effective methods of immunizing the very young against measles in high-density regions of developing countries.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2003

Rural-urban differences in usual source of care and ambulatory service use: analyses of national data using Urban Influence Codes.

BACKGROUND: Rural-urban disparities in access to and utilization of medical care have been a long-standing focus of concern. OBJECTIVE: Using the nine-category Urban Influence Codes, this study examines the relationship between place of residence and having access and utilization of ambulatory health services. RESEARCH DESIGN: Data come from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, conducted in 1996. Linear and logistic regression analyses assess the relationship between county type and having a usual source of care and ambulatory visits, controlling for demographic and health status measures. RESULTS: Residents of counties that were totally rural were more likely to report having a usual source of care (adjusted OR: 1.98; CI: 1.01, 3.89) than residents of large metropolitan counties. Residents of places without a city of 10,000 or more, but adjacent to a metropolitan area, were also more likely to report having a usual source of care (adjusted OR: 1.92; CI: 1.16, 3.22). In a regression analysis, residents of the most rural places reported fewer visits during the year (B = -2.42, CI: -3.68, -1.32). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that using rural and urban definitions that go beyond the traditional dichotomy of metropolitan and non-metropolitan may assist policymakers and researchers in identifying types of places where there is a disparity in access and subsequent utilization of health care. Rural residents, defined as totally rural in the urban influence coding scheme, may report having a health care provider but report fewer visits to health care providers during a year.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Significance of urban climatologic expert assessment for urban planning and development].

Aspects of urban climatology relevant to urban planning are given in respect of quality of the atmosphere and urban climate modification. This paper deals with the spatial evaluation of emission and incidence of air pollution, local conditions of air flow and diffusion, climatic effects of different surface types and conditions of urban ventilation.

Air Movements↗
PubMed1995

Pattern of paediatric blood pressure in rural, semi-urban and urban communities in Ilorin, Nigeria.

The blood pressures of 2,526 children aged between 1 and 14 years were measured in their home environments in rural, semi-urban and urban communities in Ilorin. Blood pressure increased with age, but there was no significant difference between the communities. Girls had higher blood pressures than boys between the ages of 9 and 13 years, in the semi-urban and rural communities. The prevalence of high blood pressure in the urban community (9.5%) was higher, though not significantly so, than the rural community (6.3%). It is concluded that the prevalence of paediatric high blood pressure in the African is higher than previously reported.

Adolescent↗