A study by Oyinlola Oyebode, Utz J. Pape, Anthony A. Laverty, John T. Lee, Nandita Bhan and Christopher Millett.
At HORUS, one of our key areas of focus is understanding how the environments we live in—and move through—impact our health. A 2015 study offers valuable insight into this question by comparing non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors across different population groups.
The study, “Rural, Urban and Migrant Differences in Non-Communicable Disease Risk-Factors in Middle Income Countries”, explores how urbanisation and rural-to-urban migration shape the health profiles of adults in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa.
Using data from the WHO Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (WHO-SAGE), the researchers examined over 39,000 adults between 2007 and 2010. The study looks at how lifestyle and health risks—such as physical activity levels, alcohol consumption, obesity, and diabetes—differ between rural, urban, and migrant populations.
The findings challenge assumptions about urban health. While some risk factors appear more prevalent in urban areas, the study also highlights surprising exceptions across countries, emphasizing that the effects of urbanisation and migration are not uniform.
For HORUS, this type of research is essential. It reinforces the need for context-sensitive, equitable strategies when addressing the rising global burden of NCDs—and reminds us that health outcomes are deeply influenced by the urban environments we create.
Want to learn more? You can read the full article here.