Urban health: challenges and opportunities

Urban health issues are multidimensional. Some effort has been made to identify their complexities in this presentation. Health providers working with inner-city populations must consider an array of social, health, and environmental factors in their assessments of health problems. Many of the societal issues which negatively impact health, such as poverty, lack of a universal health program, unemployment, violence, drugs, and other factors, can be corrected in our society only if the political will to do so is present. Health workers have a responsibility to advocate for programs and environments in which all citizens can maximize their full potential. Populations in urban areas who are at risk for disease, disability, and premature death make cities special places for focusing on the promotion of health and the prevention of disease. The contributions that can be made by health workers should be directed toward improving the quality of life for urban residents. The challenges to do so are essentially unlimited.