Background: A high population growth rate increases demand for resources as well as the rate
at which these resources are exploited. Population, health and environment (PHE) are
inextricably connected. Population growth unbalanced with economic development creates food
insecurity which leads households to consume food with reduced quality and quantity leading to
increased risk of malnutrition and poor health. Food insecurity obliges people to encroach into
the natural environment leading to a spiraling path to destitution. A study in the Philippines
provided concrete evidence that integrated development programming incorporating PHE can be
more effective at lowering population growth rates and preserving critical coastal ecosystems
than single-sector development interventions (D’Agnes, D’Agnes, Schwartz, Amarillo & Castro,
2010).