Civilization as a threat to human health?

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health Science
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Civilization's progress, marked by industrialization and urbanization, has introduced new health challenges.
• The term 'civilization diseases' is often used to describe these health issues.
• However, this concept has limitations in explaining modern environmental influences on health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically evaluate the utility of the term 'civilization diseases'.
• To explore the limitations of the 'civilization diseases' concept in understanding contemporary health issues.
• To advocate for a more effective scientific framework for studying environment-health interactions.

Main Methods:

• Review of available data and literature on 'civilization diseases'.
• Analysis of the term's scientific foundation, specificity, and global applicability.
• Comparative assessment of 'civilization diseases' versus environmental health science.

Main Results:

• The concept of 'civilization diseases' lacks specificity and a unifying scientific basis.
• Its application is largely confined to post-socialist European countries.
• The term provides minimal direction for research or remediation of health problems.

Conclusions:

• The term 'civilization diseases' adds little to understanding modern environmental health influences.
• Discontinuing the use of 'civilization diseases' is recommended.
• Embracing environmental health science offers a more productive global approach to studying and addressing health challenges.