Public Health and Sustainable Development 10.55131/jphd/2025/230300

Abstract

Public health is a cornerstone precondition and an outcome of the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development of nations.¹ Good health and well-being are listed as the second UN goal to achieve sustainable development of the society. Public health challenges are becoming more complex as the development progresses to the modern post COVID-19 world. Lucero-Prisno III et al. (2023) summarised the main challenges faced globally as healthcare system management, mental health, substance abuse, infectious diseases, malnutrition and food safety, sexual and reproductive health, environmental pollution, cancer, climate change, and diabetes.² The environmental factors and pollution in the fast-paced developing world will accelerate the public health concerns in the region and globally. The growing demand for economically accessible energy, accelerated amounts of generated waste, uncontrolled emissions of greenhouse gases, persistent pollutants and toxins in the air, water and land, are some of the unintended impacts of the development and economic growth of nations. The South East Asian region is specifically prone to environmentally driven disasters, such as droughts, fires, extreme temperatures and floods, imposing further pressures on the public health systems and economic development.³ The academic research has a critical role in addressing the challenges and advancing the public health systems and outcomes in the developing world. There is still intensive research required for commercial uptake of the modern technologies by the public health sector, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, smart health sensors with real time monitoring and early detection of health problems, mobile health, virtual and augmented realities as emerging digital technologies to improve healthcare management.

The Journal of Public Health and Development aims to advance the scientific knowledge with scopes on primary and community health, health policy and management, health promotion and education, environmental and occupational health, addiction studies and behaviour, and global and one health research. The current issue covers the topics of the main importance globally and in the South East Asian countries, including mental health and wellbeing,^4-7 public health systems, services and technologies,^8-14 health behaviour and social determinants,^15-17 nutritional and metabolic health conditions,^18-23 infectious diseases,^17,24 environmental health^25,26 and life course health development.^27,28 The journal and this volume inform the academic research scholars, public administrators and general public on the recent developments and solutions to improve public health and promote sustainable development of modern societies.