Is Population Density Associated with Non-Communicable Disease in Western Developed Countries? A Systematic Review

Abstract

Over the last three decades, researchers have investigated population density and health outcomes at differing scale. There has not been a systematic review conducted in order to synthesise this evidence. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines, we systematically reviewed quantitative evidence published since 1990 on population density and non-communicable disease (NCD) within Westernised countries. Fifty-four studies met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated utilising a quality assessment tool for ecological studies. High population density appears to be associated with higher mortality rates of a range of cancers, cardiovascular disease and COPD, and a higher incidence of a range of cancers, asthma and club foot. In contrast, diabetes incidence was found to be associated with low population density. High and low population density are therefore risk markers for a range of NCDs, indicating that there are unidentified factors and mechanisms underlying aetiology. On closer examination, our synthesis revealed important and complex relationships between population density, the built environment, the nature of greenspace and man-made exposures. In light of increasing rates of morbidity and mortality, future research is required to investigate these associations in order to establish causative agents for each NCD.

Global conflict escalation during the pandemic, climate, and economic dilemmas: Healthcare sustainability challenges in conflict zones and elsewhere

“…Uncontrolled population growth not only creates food insecurity but also threatens health safety. High population density appears to be associated with cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases (Carnegie et al, 2022); a higher risk of transmission of COVID-19, especially with the Delta variant (Iderus et al, 2022;Jamal et al, 2022); poor living conditions, such as insufficient access to healthy food, drinking water, poverty-related diseases with poor healthcare access. Also, food vulnerability and price volatility are an explosive combination for certain types of conflicts (Gutiérrez-Romero, 2022).…”

Healthcare Challenges due to Global Conflict Escalation Amid the Pandemic, Climate, and Economic Dilemmas

“…Uncontrolled population growth not only creates food insecurity but also threatens health safety. High population density appears to be associated with cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases (Carnegie et al, 2022); a higher risk of transmission of COVID-19, especially with the Delta variant (Jamal et al, 2022;Md Iderus et al, 2022); poor living conditions, such as insufficient access to healthy food, drinking water, poverty-related diseases with poor healthcare access. Also, food vulnerability and price volatility are an explosive combination for certain types of conflicts (Gutiérrez-Romero, 2022).…”

Global Health Issues With Conflict Escalation Among Pandemic, Climate, and Economic Crises

“…Uncontrolled population growth not only creates food insecurity but also threatens health safety. High population density appears to be associated with cancer, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases [294], a higher risk of transmission of COVID-19, particularly the Delta variant [295,296], and poor living conditions, such as insufficient access to healthy food and drinking water, and povertyrelated diseases with limited access to healthcare. Furthermore, food vulnerability and price volatility are an explosive combination for certain types of conflicts [297].…”