Families are foundational social units through which health risks, protection, values, and resources are transmitted. Yet family structures are not static. Declining fertility, delayed parenthood, increased life expectancy, urbanisation, migration, and changing gender norms have transformed households across the globe.

This chapter explores trends such a…

Urbanisation is one of the defining demographic shifts of the modern era. Cities concentrate opportunity, innovation, healthcare, and economic growth - yet they also amplify inequality, environmental exposure, injury risk, communicable disease transmission, and chronic disease burden.

This chapter examines the determinants of health within urban environm…

War reshapes the health of populations at every level. Beyond battlefield deaths, conflict drives displacement, famine, infectious disease outbreaks, environmental contamination, collapse of health systems, and generational trauma.

This chapter examines the epidemiology of armed conflict, including direct mortality, civilian injury, landmines, chemical a…

Interpersonal violence is a major contributor to premature mortality, disability, and psychological trauma worldwide. This chapter approaches violence through an epidemiological and structural lens, examining how violence emerges from intersecting risk factors across the individual, relational, community, and societal levels.

We explore child maltreatmen…

Injuries represent one of the leading causes of death and disability globally, particularly among children, adolescents, and young adults. This chapter examines injury through a public health lens: not as isolated events, but as predictable and preventable outcomes shaped by environment, behaviour, policy, and systems.

We explore the epidemiology of inju…

Alcohol is deeply embedded in many cultures, economies, and social rituals - yet it remains a major contributor to global morbidity and mortality. Harmful alcohol use is associated with liver disease, cancers, cardiovascular conditions, injuries, violence, mental health disorders, and social disruption.

This episode examines:

• Global patterns of alcohol …

Illicit psychoactive drug use is a significant contributor to global morbidity and mortality. Although its overall burden is smaller than that attributable to tobacco or alcohol, illicit drug use generates substantial health, social, and economic consequences - including overdose deaths, infectious disease transmission, mental health disorders, and soci…

Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of premature mortality worldwide. It is a driver of cardiovascular disease, cancers, chronic respiratory disease, and a wide range of other conditions. Despite decades of evidence, tobacco continues to exert a profound influence on global health, particularly in low- and middle-income countries wh…

Bioterrorism represents the deliberate release of biological agents to cause illness, fear, and societal disruption. Although rare compared to naturally occurring outbreaks, the consequences of intentional biological release can be profound, requiring rapid detection, coordinated response, and effective risk communication.

This episode examines:

• Histori…

Emerging infections represent one of the most dynamic and unpredictable areas of public health. Novel pathogens, zoonotic spillovers, antimicrobial resistance, and ecological disruption continuously reshape global disease landscapes.

This episode examines:

• Drivers of emerging and re-emerging infections• Zoonotic spillover and wildlife–human interfaces• …