The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) recently published the annual report 2024 from Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty,  

This latest report, entitled ‘Health in Cities’ examines the health of our major cities, looks at the issues affecting them and addresses some specific challenges for health.  

It concludes with several recommendations including: 

• The food environment in parts of cities entrenches inequalities in health and promotes obesity. Healthy food deserts combine with junk food advertising to set children and adults up to live a shorter and unhealthier life through obesity and the diseases it causes, particularly in the more deprived areas of our cities. Changes will need to be tailored to local needs and food choices. 

• To reduce air pollution, transport emissions, including from public transport and space heating (especially solid fuel burners), need particular action specific to cities. Air pollution is a particular risk in cities where the greatest levels of pollution are combined with the highest concentrations of people. It causes significant lung and cardiovascular disease. Many mayors and city authorities have proposed sensible steps to reduce them; those who oppose these should say what they would do to improve air quality instead. 

• Healthcare service planning and delivery should consider the needs of young adults in cities. The health needs of young adults are concentrated in cities and are often overlooked. Mental health issues generally emerge by or in early adulthood, and current increases in mental health needs for already stretched mental health services therefore fall disproportionately in cities. Similarly, increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the weakened provision of STI services is particularly a city problem. 

• We need to account for, and explore solutions to, the itinerant nature of city populations in providing routine immunisation and screening services. Steady engagement with communities with historically lower uptake is also essential. The relatively poor, and falling, rates of routine immunisation and screening in our cities deprive their citizens of effective tools which could prevent major diseases. This needs action. 

Read the full report here