William K. Pan, DrPH, MS, MPH and Christine Erlien. Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, 305 University Square East, CB# 8120, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, 919-966-8678, wpan@bios.unc.edu

Understanding the complex and integrated relationship between human population growth, natural ecosystems, and public health has emerged as a major challenge facing national and international institutions. Population growth and demographic shifts have direct and indirect effects on both rural and urban environments, influencing human health. In turn, environmental and human health impacts may trigger population movements, creating a potentially hazardous cycle that could permanently damage fragile ecosystems. Such impacts have become increasingly apparent in the Ecuadorian Amazon, due to rapid in-migration over the past 30 years. The Ecuadorian Amazon, one of the most biologically diverse regions of the world and one of the world’s 11 ecological “hot spots,” has experienced tremendous stress from the expansion of road networks, growth of rural “cities,” and changes in land use and land cover. Studies are currently being conducted to assess the drivers of environmental change in the region; however, as migrants continue to claim land and incomes rise, demands upon the tenuous health infrastructure increase. From a regional perspective, this paper explores the relationship between population and environmental change with health status among colonists and indigenous populations in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Data are derived from a longitudinal study of colonists, a representative survey of indigenous people in 2001, colonist and indigenous communities surveyed in 2000 and 2001, and regional surveys conducted by national governmental organizations (e.g., CEPAR and INEC). Regional health trends are highlighted, and regression models are conducted to establish the link between population and environmental factors with health outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will acquire broad understanding of health issues facing colonist and ingenous populations living in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Participants will be able to recognize and describe the dynamic linkages between population, environment, and human health broadly as well as specifically for the Ecuadorian Amazon context. We intend to describe both broad and specific linkages between human health outcomes (e.g., injuries, infectious disease, and chronic disease) with changes in population, geographic location, and land cover changes as well as specific exposure information such as pollution from oil wells and outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Keywords: International Public Health, Rural Health Care

Related Web page: www.cpc.unc.edu/projects/ecuador/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Carolina Population Center - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. INEC - Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos CEPAR - Centro de Estudios sobre Población y Desarrollo Social
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.