The richness of urban health realities lost in measurement monocultures

Jil Molenaar; Lenka Beňová; Seye Abimbola; Onikepe Owolabi; Grégoire Lurton; Peter M Macharia

doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2025-023241

The richness of urban health realities lost in measurement monocultures

Jil Molenaar
, Lenka Beňová
, Seye Abimbola
, Onikepe Owolabi
, Grégoire Lurton
, Peter M Macharia

Reproductive and Maternal Health

Research output: Contribution to journal › A1: Peer-reviewed journal articles › peer-review

Abstract

Summary box
Standardised measurement approaches obscure urban diversity and marginalise locally relevant insights.

We draw examples from maternal health in African urban contexts to illustrate how these standardised metrics create measurement monocultures that fail to capture city-specific insights needed for effective interventions.

The current moment of funding cuts and data disruption is a chance to prioritise measurement that honours local complexity, rather than flattens it.

Original language	English
Article number	e023241
Journal	BMJ Global Health
Volume	11
Issue number	3
Number of pages	4
ISSN	2059-7908
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2025-023241 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2025-023241
Publication status	Published - 26-Mar-2026

Keywords

Africa
Global Health
Indices of health and disease and standardisation of rates
Maternal health

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Cite this

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title = "The richness of urban health realities lost in measurement monocultures",

abstract = "Summary box Standardised measurement approaches obscure urban diversity and marginalise locally relevant insights. We draw examples from maternal health in African urban contexts to illustrate how these standardised metrics create measurement monocultures that fail to capture city-specific insights needed for effective interventions. The current moment of funding cuts and data disruption is a chance to prioritise measurement that honours local complexity, rather than flattens it.",

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AU - Owolabi, Onikepe

AU - Lurton, Grégoire

AU - Macharia, Peter M

N1 - FTX: CC BY NC

PY - 2026/3/26

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N2 - Summary box Standardised measurement approaches obscure urban diversity and marginalise locally relevant insights. We draw examples from maternal health in African urban contexts to illustrate how these standardised metrics create measurement monocultures that fail to capture city-specific insights needed for effective interventions. The current moment of funding cuts and data disruption is a chance to prioritise measurement that honours local complexity, rather than flattens it.

AB - Summary box Standardised measurement approaches obscure urban diversity and marginalise locally relevant insights. We draw examples from maternal health in African urban contexts to illustrate how these standardised metrics create measurement monocultures that fail to capture city-specific insights needed for effective interventions. The current moment of funding cuts and data disruption is a chance to prioritise measurement that honours local complexity, rather than flattens it.

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KW - Indices of health and disease and standardisation of rates

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The richness of urban health realities lost in measurement monocultures

Abstract

Keywords

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Conurba_M_ATLAS.: Precision identification of maternal health vulnerability in sub-Saharan African conurbations using advanced geospatial approaches.

Discontinu-Cities: Discontinu-Cities: Bevorderen van methodologisch en empirisch inzicht in de complexe dynamiek van zorgverlening en gebruik van moederlijke zorg in Afrikaanse steden met een case study van Conakry, Guinee

Cite this

The richness of urban health realities lost in measurement monocultures

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Conurba_M_ATLAS.: Precision identification of maternal health vulnerability in sub-Saharan African conurbations using advanced geospatial approaches.

Discontinu-Cities: Discontinu-Cities: Bevorderen van methodologisch en empirisch inzicht in de complexe dynamiek van zorgverlening en gebruik van moederlijke zorg in Afrikaanse steden met een case study van Conakry, Guinee

Cite this