The INHERIT model: A tool to jointly improve health, environmental sustainability and health equity through behavior and lifestyle change

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordThe need for analysis and action across the interrelated domains of human behaviors and lifestyles, environmental sustainability, health and inequality is increasingly apparent. Currently, these areas are often not considered in conjunction when developing policies or interventions, introducing the potential for suboptimal or conflicting outcomes. The INHERIT model has been developed within the EU-funded project INHERIT as a tool to guide thinking and intersectoral action towards changing the behaviors and lifestyles that play such an important role in today’s multidisciplinary challenges. The model integrates ecological public health and behavioral change models, emphasizing inequalities and those parts of the causal process that are influenced by human behaviors and lifestyles. The model was developed through web-based and live discussions with experts and policy stakeholders. To test the model’s usability, the model was applied to aspects of food consumption. This paper shows that the INHERIT model can serve as a tool to identify opportunities for change in important −food-related behaviors and lifestyles and to examine how they impact on health, health inequalities, and the environment in Europe and beyond. The INHERIT model helps clarify these interrelated domains, creating new opportunities to improve environmental health and health inequality, while taking our planetary boundaries into consideration.European Union Horizon 202

Urban green space: creating a triple win for environmental sustainability, health, and health equity through behavior change

Urbanization, costs of green space maintenance, and diminishing connection between people and nature all exert pressures on urban green space. This is regrettable as green space has the potential to create wins for environmental sustainability, health, and health equity. This paper explores this potential triple win and investigates how to increase the use of urban green space through behavior change. A narrative literature review was conducted and was supplemented with literature suggested by experts. Results show that creating well-designed green spaces and stimulating people to use them can indeed deliver this triple win. Providing accessible, attractive, well-maintained green space with room for socialization, and where people feel safe, may increase the opportunity and motivation of people to use it more often. Informing and educating people and organizing activities may increase capability (and motivation) to use green space. Since the use of green space depends on life stage, lifestyle factors and individual values, it is important to involve potential users in its design. We recommend a specific focus on those groups who may benefit most from the use of green space. More evaluation is needed to inform effective green space interventions and to assess related economic, social, and environmental benefits.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Advancing global health through environmental and public health tracking

Challenges such as climate change, resource depletion (with its huge implications for human health and wellbeing), and persistent social inequalities in health have been identified as global public health issues with implications for both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. This contributes to pressure on healthcare systems, as well as societal systems that affect health. A novel strategy to tackle these multiple, interacting and interdependent drivers of change is required to protect the population’s health. Public health professionals have found that building strong, enduring interdisciplinary partnerships across disciplines can address environment and health complexities, and that developing Environmental and Public Health Tracking (EPHT) systems has been an effective tool. EPHT aims to merge, integrate, analyse and interpret environmental hazards, exposure and health data. In this article, we explain that public health decision-makers can use EPHT insights to drive public health actions, reduce exposure and prevent the occurrence of disease more precisely in efficient and cost-effective ways. An international network exists for practitioners and researchers to monitor and use environmental health intelligence, and to support countries and local areas toward sustainable and healthy development. A global network of EPHT programs and professionals has the potential to advance global health by implementing and sharing experience, to magnify the impact of local efforts and to pursue data knowledge improvement strategies, aiming to recognise and support best practices. EPHT can help increase the understanding of environmental public health and global health, improve comparability of risks between different areas of the world including Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), enable transparency and trust among citizens, institutions and the private sector, and inform preventive decision making consistent with sustainable and healthy development. This shows how EPHT advances global health efforts by sharing recent global EPHT activities and resources with those working in this field. Experiences from the US, Europe, Asia and Australasia are outlined for operating successful tracking systems to advance global health

First report on elements in blood and urine. Health survey fireworks explosion Enschede

In deze eerste rapportage over het gezondheidsonderzoek dat 2 tot 3 weken na de vuurwerkramp in Enschede werd uitgevoerd, worden de resultaten gerapporteerd van een steekproef van 936 personen uit de in totaal 2905 personen(bewoners en hulpverleners) die van 31 mei tot 4 juni 2000 aan het onderzoek hebben deelgenomen. De belangrijkste conclusie is dat er geen consistente verhogingen zijn gevonden van de stofniveaus (Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sr, Ti, Zn) in bloed en urine ten opzichte van wat normaal in de algemene bevolking wordt gevonden. Evenmin is er een consistente relatie gevonden tussen de potentiele blootstelling aan stoffen (bepaald op basis van een vragenlijst) en gemeten niveaus in bloed en urine. De conclusie op basis van deze steekproef is dat er voor de onderzochte stoffen bij bewoners en hulpverleners geen verhoogde lichaamsbelasting is opgetreden door de vuurwerkramp.A health survey was conducted two to three weeks after the fireworks explosion in Enschede. This first report presents the results of a random sample of 936 persons taken from the 2905 persons (residents, relief workers) who took part in the survey between May 31 and June 4, 2000. The most important conclusion is that no consistent increases in blood and urine levels were found for the elements studied (Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sr, Ti, Zn) when compared to the levels normally found in the population. Neither was a relationship found between the potential exposure to elements (as deduced from a questionnaire) and levels of the elements measured in blood or urine. Thus the fireworks explosion did not give rise to an increased body burden from the elements measured.VW

Bouwstenen voor gezondheid en milieubeleid

Bijlage bij briefnummer 200/2007De notitie start met een beschrijving van milieufactoren die de belangrijkste bijdrage leveren aan de huidige milieugerelateerde ziektelast: luchtverontreiniging, geluid, binnenmilieu, leefomgeving, elektromagnetische velden en bodemverontreiniging. Per milieufactor wordt de omvang van de huidige blootstelling, mogelijke gezondheidsschade, risicoperceptie en beleidsacties beschreven. Daarna volgt een korte schets van relevante demografische ontwikkelingen en risicogroepen gevolgd door een samenvatting van recente meldingen van milieugerelateerde gezondheidsklachten van burgers. Vervolgens worden enkele andere risicos geschetst die mogelijk aandacht vragen: nanotechnologie, hitte en nieuwe drinkwaterverontreinigingen. Tenslotte wordt nog separaat stilgestaan bij preventiemaatregelen rond de belangrijkste milieufactoren.Abstract not availableVROM-SA