Equity is the foundation
of global health
Africa’s Rising Burden
of Obesity and Disease
Exploring Africa’s rapidly growing triple burden of malnutrition and how this trend mirrors and diverges from global patterns
How Climate Pressures Are
Reshaping The Global Food System
A look at how climate shocks are disrupting global food systems driving higher prices, shrinking nutrition quality, and deepening inequality for the communities
Community Well-being
Social Connection and Belonging
Communities thrive when people feel seen, supported, and connected. Shared spaces, cultural events, and opportunities for collective action build trust and resilience, especially in places facing social or economic inequities.
Access to Safe, Green Spaces
Community centres, markets, parks, and public gathering spaces give people room to connect, organise, and rest. When these spaces are safe, accessible, and well‑designed, they strengthen social cohesion and improve health outcomes across the lifespan.
Local Food Systems and Food Security
Community gardens, local markets, and culturally grounded food initiatives strengthen food security and create spaces for connection. When people have reliable access to nutritious, affordable food, both individual and collective well-being improve.
How Climate Shapes Health
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Climate change is intensifying heatwaves, droughts, floods, and unpredictable weather patterns. These pressures disrupt food production, increase infectious disease risks, and strain health systems that are already under‑resourced. As climate shocks accelerate, they shape everything from nutrition security to mental health, with the greatest impacts falling on regions least equipped to adapt.
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Air pollution, unsafe water, contaminated soil, and degraded ecosystems directly affect respiratory, cardiovascular, and cognitive health. Exposure is rarely equal: low‑income and marginalised communities often live closer to industrial sites, busy roads, or areas with poor infrastructure. These environmental burdens accumulate over time, shaping lifelong health outcomes.
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Climate and environmental risks fall hardest on communities with limited resources, unstable housing, or restricted access to healthcare and nutritious food. Displacement, loss of livelihoods, and weakened social support systems increase stress and reduce resilience. These vulnerabilities are rooted in structural inequities, not individual choices.
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Environmental conditions shape health across the lifespan. Clean air, safe water, stable food systems, and climate‑resilient environments support physical, mental, and cognitive well-being. When these conditions break down, health inequities widen. Addressing climate and environmental health is therefore essential for creating fairer, healthier futures for all.
Health Across The Lifespan
Health develops, adapts, and shifts from childhood to older adulthood. Nutrition, environment, stress, and social conditions shape the brain and body at every stage, influencing how people grow, learn, work, and age. Looking at health across the lifespan reveals how early experiences, structural inequities, and environmental conditions shape ageing. It highlights where interventions can be most effective and why supporting people at every stage, especially those facing systemic barriers is essential for healthier, more equitable futures.
The first 1,000 days from conception to age two are a period of rapid brain and body development. Influences during this time include:
Maternal nutrition affecting fetal growth, birth outcomes, and long‑term cognitive development
Micronutrient deficiencies (iron, iodine, zinc, B‑vitamins) impairing memory, attention, and learning
Exposure to stress or environmental toxins disrupting brain architecture
Food insecurity shaping growth, immunity, and emotional regulation
Early caregiving and stimulation influencing language, social skills, and resilience
These early conditions set the trajectory for health, educational attainment, and economic opportunity later in life.
Early Life
By adulthood, health is shaped by the environments people move through daily. These pressures often fall unevenly, with marginalised communities experiencing higher exposure and fewer buffers. Key factors include:
Work conditions (shift work, low wages, high stress) influencing metabolic and mental health
Urban food environments driving reliance on ultra‑processed foods
Chronic stress from financial instability, discrimination, or unsafe housing accelerating biological ageing
Limited access to green space or safe transport reducing physical activity and increasing cardiovascular risk
Cumulative nutritional patterns affecting inflammation, gut health, and cognitive function
Adulthood
Ageing and Later‑Life
Ageing is not simply biological, it is shaped by opportunity, environment, and structural conditions across the lifespan. Later‑life health reflects decades of accumulated experiences including:
Lifelong nutrition patterns influencing risk of dementia, frailty, and chronic disease
Long‑term exposure to pollution or unsafe environments increasing cardiovascular and respiratory illness
Social isolation accelerating cognitive decline and mortality
Economic insecurity limiting access to healthcare, nutritious food, and safe housing
Intergenerational caregiving roles affecting stress and well-being, especially for women
