Health and population

Health and population dynamics are intertwined, embodying an intricate relationship with significant implications on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Health is fundamentally at the center of these 17 global goals, aimed to transform the world by 2030. Specifically, Goal 3 endeavors to "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages." It acknowledges that health is pivotal to human life quality, social cohesion, and sustainable development. Inextricably linked to this are the complexities of population dynamics, including growth rates, age structure, fertility and mortality rates, and migration patterns.

With the world's population projected to exceed 9.7 billion by 2050, the pressure on health systems will undoubtedly escalate. The demographic transition, with an aging population and an increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases, poses new challenges for health systems globally. Additionally, areas with high fertility rates often overlap with extreme poverty, resulting in heightened health risks, including higher maternal and child mortality rates, malnutrition, and infectious diseases.

Moreover, rapid urbanization and migration present both opportunities and threats to health. While urban areas may provide better access to healthcare, they also harbor risks of disease transmission, air and water pollution, and social determinants of health like inadequate housing and social inequality. Simultaneously, migrants often face disproportionate health risks due to unstable living conditions, exploitation, and limited access to healthcare services.

Achieving the SDGs will necessitate comprehensive approaches that consider the intricate interplay of health and population dynamics. It means strengthening health systems, promoting universal health coverage, and addressing social determinants of health. It also implies crafting policies that recognize demographic realities and foster an environment conducive to sustainable development. Only by understanding and harnessing these dynamics can the world meaningfully progress towards realizing the SDGs, ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all.

This study supports SDG 3 by developing predictive tools for treatment outcomes in chronic hepatitis B patients.
This study supports SDG 3 by investigating the relationship between NAFLD and liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients.
This Health Policy paper supports SDG 3 by calling for greater coordination and coherence using a UHC+ lens to suggest new approaches to funding that can extend beyond biomedical health services to include the cross-cutting determinants of health.
This Article supports SDG 3 by providing robust evidence of health-care financing policies deployed by 15 countries representing all WHO regions and offering an overview and illustrative examples of the modifications made to these policies for countries to rapidly mobilise fiscal resources for health.
This paper assess parental and guardian perceptions of dental health service accessibility among primary school students Saudi Arabia.
This Article supports SDG 3 by highlighting the importance of not just measuring life expectancy but also disability-free life expectancy as an indicator of population health, and showing that in Hong Kong, a word leader in life expectancy, there has been a trend of increasing disability burden, particularly in women. The authors discuss the public health implications of their findings.
This article supports SDG 3 by analysing associations between socioeconomic status and dementia risk, and finding that associations were more pronounced for early-onset than late-onset dementia risk.
This cross sectional study found that serum lipid levels were significantly correlated with lower-extremity function in participants with and without AD but not with gait disorder in participants with AD.
This Article supports SDG 3 by showing that there is a high global seroprevalence of HCV infection among pregnant women (estimated at 2.2–5.3 million cases worldwide), and particularly in lower-income settings. The authors suggest policy implications, such as expanding screening programmes for pregnant women and women of childbearing age, particularly in lower-income settings.
This Article supports SDG 3 by providing estimates of HIV and hepatitis C testing and treatment uptake among people who inject drugs. Data availability was variable, and where data were available, uptake was generally suboptimal, indicating a need for countries to implement targeted interventions to improved testing, linkage to care, and treatment among people who inject drugs

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