ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 opens by providing a robust definition of health and what it means to support health in modern life. Key health concepts, such as the determinants of health, risk factors and the burden of disease, are introduced. The chapter gives an overview of the health of Australians, describing a Nation that, by most indicators and international standards, enjoys good health. There are, however, several worrying trends, particularly the increasing gap between the health of Australia’s richest and poorest populations. The chapter concludes with a review of some of the risk factors shaping Australia’s health and sets the scene for Part Two, which progresses to demonstrate how good urban planning can address some of these risk factors.
