AUTHOR=Wang Xi , Cui Yueying , Cheng Jiu , Gao Mingming , Wang Yifei , Feng Ruihua TITLE=Evaluating the coupling coordination between Healthy Beijing initiative and economic development JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2025 YEAR=2025 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1674436 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2025.1674436 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=Background and objectiveHealth and economic development are pivotal elements underpinning societal progress, with intricate mutual influences. Under China’s “Healthy China” Initiative, the “Healthy Beijing Initiative” plays a crucial role in promoting coordinated health-economic development in the capital. This study aims to evaluate the coupling coordination between the Healthy Beijing Initiative and economic development in Beijing from 2020 to 2023, addressing imbalances and spatial disparities in their interactive development.MethodsThe study employed the Global Entropy Value Method for dynamic indicator weighting and the Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD) model to measure system interactions. Municipal and district-level data were used: health indicators were sourced from the Healthy Beijing Initiative Monitoring Report, and socioeconomic metrics from the Beijing Statistical Yearbook. ArcGIS was applied to visualize spatial variations in coupling coordination levels across 16 districts, with quantitative disparity indicators (coefficient of variation [CV], extreme ratio) used to analyze regional gaps.ResultsThe overall coupling coordination degree (D) showed an upward trend, transitioning from “basic coordination” (D = 0.68) in 2020 to “intermediate coordination” (D = 0.714) in 2023, driven by synergies between health infrastructure investments and economic policies. Subsystem analysis revealed disparities: health status (D = 0.748) and services (D = 0.726) maintained sustained “intermediate coordination,” while health security (D = 0.683) and environment (D = 0.665) lagged due to volatile resource allocation and persistent environmental challenges. Spatially, core urban districts (e.g., Xicheng, D > 0.9) achieved “high-quality coordination,” contrasting with exurban areas (e.g., Pinggu, D < 0.5) plagued by infrastructure gaps and health-economic decoupling.ConclusionTargeted policies are required to address subsystem imbalances (especially in health security and environmental governance) and spatial inequities. This study provides empirical evidence for integrated health-economic planning in megacities. Limitations include a 4-year data span and reliance on quantitative metrics; future research should extend the study period and integrate qualitative analyses to deepen insights.