by
Anthony Ayotunde Olayoku
In September 2015, the Heads of State and Government along with the High Representatives assembled at the United Nations headquarters in New York to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the creation of the United Nations (UN). At the meeting, they decided on 17 new global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a shift from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Representatives of the member states of the UN pledged to actualize the SDGs with 169 targets as part of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development (United Nations, nd). These goals and targets were specifically designed to guide governments, civil society organisations, and communities on the ways to end extreme poverty, fight gender inequality, achieve health, and protect our environment (Daniel, 2016).
The environment remains an important focus with the lingering advocacy for more responsiveness with the challenge of climate change. It is on this premise that one can connect public spaces with the SDGs, specifically with reference to Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), 5 (Gender Equality), 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) 8 (Decent Work), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 13 (Climate Action) (see Daniel, 2016). Public spaces could be applied to several outdoor locations within communities. For our operation definition, public spaces etymologically refer to places that are public, open, or closed but are accessible to all and sundry in a community or society. UNESCO defined public spaces as an area or place that is open and accessible to all peoples, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, or socio-economic level. One of the core attributes of public spaces as stated above is accessibility to presumably every member of a particular society at no cost (Martoni, 2010). Examples of public spaces include streets, motor parks, markets, malls, and roads to mention but a few.
From the foregoing, the main focus of this paper is to explore how public spaces impact on the health of the community members within the context of the attainment of the SDGs. Suffice to say that public spaces are usually crowded places and based on their conditions can either be hazardous or healthy to people who interact within them. Some common health problems in Nigeria emanate from public spaces which result from Air Pollution. Air pollution as defined by the Environmental Pollution Centres is the presence of toxic chemicals or compounds (including those of biological origin) in the air, at levels that pose health risks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills about seven (7) million people worldwide every year. Furthermore, nine (9) out of ten (10) people breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits containing high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries, like Nigeria, suffering from the highest exposures. Also, of those seven (7) million people, 4.2 million people die as a result of outdoor pollution (WHO, nd) which can easily be encountered in public spaces. This can only mean one thing, air pollution is dangerous and fatal, even if fatalities occur over a period of time. Air pollution is a common hazard in Nigeria. From observation, air pollution is rife in public spaces such as markets, major roads, motor parks, streets within residential areas, and open pubs. Smoke from exhaust pipes of cars, bikes, trucks, and trailers is one major source of air pollution in the majority of public spaces which are largely unregulated by the Nigerian government both at the state and national levels. Outdoor air pollution and Tobacco use are identified risk factors that result in fatal sicknesses including lung cancer (WHO, 2018). In open pubs, a major source of air pollution is from cigarette smokers. A lot of public – open – pubs are found in residential areas, and this poses significant health risks to the residents due to an increase in the chance of having lung cancer by 20 – 30%, and 30% of other cancers resulting from exposure. Hence, air pollution which is target 3.9 under SDG 3 is a major public health issue in public spaces in Nigeria, and across the ECOWAS region, as it poses other health risks including respiratory infections and heart diseases. It should be noted that the risks are not temporally dependent as both short or long contact with air pollutants are associated with negative health impacts (WHO, 2019).
Furthermore, public spaces are also connected with the occurrence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The hygienic culture and conditions of these places can either aid or hinder the occurrence of NCDs among the population. NCDs have been earmarked as target 3.4 under the SDG 3. In 2016, NCDs were reported to account for 29% of all deaths in Nigeria (WHO, 2018). Some risk factors have contributed to these including activities in and design of public spaces. The allure of a sedentary lifestyle in these spaces has also been highlighted as a major risk factor. For example, physical inactivity has been noted as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality as it accounts for about 6% of deaths (WHO, 2010). Physical inactivity is likewise a causal factor for Cardiovascular Diseases which eventually results in about 11% of deaths associated with NCDs (WHO, 2018).
In Nigeria for example, the architecture of public spaces like markets and motor parks are such that can facilitate the easy flow of diseases among occupants. This is because the structures are not hygiene-friendly and thus discourages healthy relational practices. Communicable diseases, which are seen as one of the major public health challenges in Nigeria (Healthwise, 2020) thus thrive in markets and motor parks. The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) (2019), listed Diarrhea and Tuberculosis among the top 10 causes of death in the country and both can easily be transmitted in unhygienic public.
Within the present global context, the new coronavirus codenamed COVID-19 has placed a discussion on personal and environmental health at the front burner. Globally, about 32, 460, 127 cases of the new coronavirus have been recorded with the death toll numbered at 988, 532 (almost a million) as of the 25th of September, 2020 (Worldometers, 2020). In Nigeria, there is a total number of 52, 849, cases, out of which about 1, 102 deaths have been recorded. A major reason that has been adduced for the quick spread of the coronavirus, as recorded in some countries, was that the government delayed in putting the lockdown measures in place to curb the spread. Hence, people were allowed to continue physical interactions as public spaces remained opened and this enabled the spread to spiral out of control. As it stands, some countries – especially in Europe – have observed the likelihood of a second wave and are trying to be proactive through quick responses to avert heavy casualties that were suffered during the first wave.
It must however be noted that the right utilization of public spaces is a step in the right direction in helping people of a community live healthy lifestyles, a fallout of which will be the actualization of global goals too. The implication of having a healthy environment is that its population will be healthy and function within its full potentials. This will also impact the socio-economic life of the people and could help drive towards the attainment of sustainable towns and cities and people will be able to contribute more positively to their environment.
In enhancing the health of populations through public spaces, there is a need to prioritize the preservation of the environment in what can be regarded as environmental justice. It is thus important that the awareness level of the public is increased in ensuring that there is conscious respect for the environment. There is a need for more aggression in terms of advocacy on public health issues. While commendable progress has been made in the areas of promoting family planning and reproductive health, especially in terms of media advocacy (through both legacy media (Radio, Television, and print media) and various social media platforms), very little has been done concerning healthy practices within the environment. People should thus be educated in their respective local languages to ensure proper understanding of the formulated environmental policies. This is because people cannot comply with what they do not understand.
An important aspect of driving behavioural change is implementation advocacy. Nigeria, as a country, is not short on policies, including those designed for conserving the environment. The challenge has however been a lack of proper implementation of the projects derived from these policies. The need to bridge the gap between policy and implementation has been belabored but cannot be overemphasized. On the bright side, a lesson from the current context is that the policies made to manage the new coronavirus pandemic have been enforced to some extent in some Nigerian states. However, this will for enforcement should not end with the pandemic but should be continuous. Policies made by the government should be implemented in such a way that it is sustainable by the people themselves to help the society to become healthier for all to live in.
Furthermore, there is a need for an architectural policy that incorporates the construction of appropriate structures that encourage environmental hygiene. As a society, we should imbibe the culture of building structures in such a way that it promotes healthy practices among people. Conclusively, all stakeholders including the government, community leaders, and members should collaborate to enshrine environmental justice within communities through the proper and consistent implementation of health-related policies.
References
Centre for Disease Control (2019). CDC Global Health – Nigeria. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/countries/nigeria/default.htm
Daniel, K. (2016). Public Spaces: A Key Tool to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from https://healthbridge.ca/images/uploads/library/Final_Electronic.pdf
Healthwise. (2020, January 4). Communicable, infectious diseases major health problems in Nigeria —Researchers – Healthwise. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from Punch website: https://healthwise.punchng.com/communicable-infectious-diseases-major-health-problems-in-nigeria-researchers/
Martoni, J. (2010). PUBLIC SPACES. In METROPOLIS A green CITY OF YOUR OWN! PUBLIC SPACES PUBLIC SPACES. Retrieved from www.pps.org
United Nations (n.d.). TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD: THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD: THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
What Is Air Pollution | Environmental Pollution Centers. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://www.environmentalpollutioncenters.org/air/
World Health Organization. (2018). World Health Organization – Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) Country Profiles, 2018. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/nmh/countries/nga_en.pdf?ua=1
World Health Organization. (2019). Health consequences of air pollution on populations. Retrieved September 24, 2020, from https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/15-11-2019-what-are-health-consequences-of-air-pollution-on-populations
World Health Organization. (2019). Nigeria fulfills commitment, launches Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases | WHO | Regional Office for Africa. Retrieved September 24, 2020, from https://www.afro.who.int/news/nigeria-fulfils-commitment-launches-plan-prevention-and-control-non-communicable-diseases
Worldometer. (2020). Coronavirus Cases. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.23.20018549V2
Anthony Olayoku is the Research Lead for WATJCentre in Oyo State and a graduate student in the Department of Public Health at the University of Ibadan
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this
write-up and the rest of the website is also really good.