Is there an urban health crisis? An investigation of the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract

During the last fifty years the rapidly growing cities of the developing world have been characterised by their relatively low mortality levels in comparison to rural areas - in contrast to the situation of nineteenth century European cities. Concerns, however, have risen that this advantage no longer holds especially among the poorer sections of the urban communities. This is a particular worry as the urban population is set to become the majority population in these countries in the next few years. This paper uses data from a new survey of poorer Dhaka, Bangladesh to explore some of the factors that influence health status and health behavior. Dhaka is one of the world's most rapidly growing cities, a growth driven in large part by the influx of the very poor and those most likely to suffer from ill health and to be disadvantaged in gaining access to heal th services. Show more