Building Healthy Populations

In this issue, we ask what it takes to build a healthier future for populations — a necessary condition to deliver on the commitments of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Eighteen million children have received no routine vaccines — prioritizing them will save lives and build health infrastructure.

Climate change must be embedded in funding strategies and medical curricula, with research being best conducted in the countries most affected.

Non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries can be tackled with integrated health systems interventions that consider multimorbidity, supported by patient involvement and new technologies.

Tailored community engagement led or co-led by the community can build trust with underserved communities to deliver health equity.

Researchers use artificial intelligence and bioinformatics to discover new antimicrobials, while governments pilot financial incentives for pharma.

Risk-based screening approaches can reduce over-detection, while self-testing and new diagnostics find early disease.

As the proportion of older adults increases globally, digital health innovations, particularly wearables, could transform the future of healthy aging.

This Review outlines three ‘grand challenges’ to protect and promote health in the face of climate change, and discusses the role of the health community in driving change within and beyond the health sector.

Adverse childhood experiences can negatively impact lifelong health; this Review discusses the underlying mechanisms and potential solutions, advocating for multisectoral interventions and implementation research.

Multimorbidity is increasing globally, and addressing it requires a shift in the prevailing clinical, educational and scientific thinking. This Review discusses emerging mechanisms, research challenges and the implications for patients and healthcare systems.

Analyses using genetic data and electronic medical records as part of the ATLAS Community Health Initiative revealed differences in disease risk and healthcare utilization among ancestrally diverse groups in the Los Angeles region.

This ecological analysis using the Eurostat database estimated that summer 2022, the hottest summer on record, was associated with over 61,000 heat-related deaths across 35 countries in Europe, with the highest mortality rates in countries near the Mediterranean Sea.

A study investigates the links between fine-scale populations and outcomes including healthcare use and disease risk in a Los Angeles biobank, unveiling crucial insights into healthcare disparities in the USA.

Escalating severity and frequency of heatwaves have outpaced the effectiveness of existing prevention and adaptation measures; there is urgency for reassessment, enhancement and implementation of strategies to mitigate health impacts in dealing with this global health challenge.