A recent Warwick Medical School study revealed that households within a community are affected by similar health factors. This effect has been aptly termed the neighborhood effect and has important health implications.

Urban communities in developing countries often concentrate households as a result of high population density and low space availability. Close contact increases the likelihood of outbreaks of severe diseases such as tuberculosis and influenza.

While epidemics are likely to gain momentum rapidly, the neighborhood effect suggests it is equally true that small improvements in health provision can have positive outcomes for entire communities at once. For instance, introduction of vaccines to prevent disease onset can shield most of the population from contracting the disease.

Establishment of local clinics and health facilities cater to large numbers of people at once, making health provision a lucrative and beneficial venture. It can also encourage individuals to seek healthcare more frequently, especially when they witness the benefits such as decreased rate of illness, improved vitality and greater life expectancy in the surrounding community.

Many overcrowded communities struggle to match supply with demand for resources. Provision of clean water is a notable problem, as waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery can be easily transmitted through consumption of or interaction with unclean water sources. Mass water purification techniques can quickly benefit large numbers of people, reducing the likelihood of contracting waterborne illnesses and other diseases associated with consumption of unclean water.

Statistics indicate that 54 percent of the global population lived in urban areas in 2015. This is predicted to increase to 66 percent by 2050. The United Nations expects low- and middle-income countries to be responsible for 90 percent of future urban population growth, and Cities Alliance reports that one third of the urban population in developing countries lives in slums.

Especially in light of these statistics, the neighborhood effect has important implications for the interventions we choose to provide to urban areas. The same phenomenon that amplifies health hazards in crowded slums has the potential to bring rapid health improvements instead.

– Tanvi Ambulkar

Photo: Flickr