Urban Policies and Health in Developing Countries: The Case of Maputo (Mozambique) and Cochabamba (Bolivia).
Urban planning and related policies can contribute to improvement in health. Recent epidemiological and quantitative Health Impact Assessment (HIA) studies in Europe and North
America suggest that a change from passive (car) to active transportation (cycling, walking) and public transport in daily life could improve health. HIA studies are still largely lacking in low and middle-income countries.
We collected information through interviews with different local agents, from the National Institute of Statistics and by conducting field work to identify the built environment and mobility characteristics in the respective cities. Conducting a quantitative HIA in Maputo (Mozambique) is currently not possible, mainly because there is no appropriate data on mortality, road traffic accidents and physical activity of the general population.
However, in Cochabamba (Bolivia) it might be possible when the mobility plan will be available (currently under development), in which data on traffic flows, mobility surveys and transport modal shares will become available. The current paper describes two examples of the opportunities and difficulties to conduct quantitative HIA in low- and middle-income countries, highlighting the limited availability of data on transport and urban planning and health outcomes.
Despite that between 2010 and 2011 the government gave credits to buy bicycles and motorbikes, the use of the bicycles is very limited, mainly because commuters feel that it is dangerous due to the number of cars circulating, and also because there are not infrastructures to ride and park the bike. Most of the time sidewalks in Maputo are wide, but these are in a bad condition, often with big holes and mostly occupied by cars.
Public Health Open J. 2016; 1(2): 24-31. doi: 10.17140/PHOJ-1-106
