Design for health: the relationship between design and noncommunicable diseases.

The authors explore the relationship between design and noncommunicable diseases, first by highlighting how design knowledge and practice can have a direct and indirect effect on these diseases. They then review the literature on the link between the physical environment (e.g., dwellings, the neighborhood, cities) and noncommunicable diseases. Last, they illustrate the links between design and noncommunicable diseases by exploring in greater detail how designers and the design of the urban environment can play a positive role in the reduction of noncommunicable diseases.