This volume creates a platform to showcase health geography research from countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and draws on theoretical and methodological innovations to initiate a discussion on the complexities of the issues impacting health in the region. Through theoretically and empirically grounded contributions from a variety of researchers working across SSA, the book addresses a wide range of topics that are usually treated separately when discussing health geography in the region. By bridging the social science and health disciplines, the book introduces new ways of thinking temporally and spatially about these topics in non-geography contexts as well. In 4 sections, the text will broadly appeal to students, researchers, teachers, policy makers, and global health professionals. Section 1 addresses the social determinants of health, including gender, disability, and other inequities and inequalities associated with healthcare access. Section 2 discusses the environmental determinants of health such as food security, water and sanitation, mining, and climate change. Section 3 focuses on current and emerging challenges to health in SSA, including ageing, non-communicable disease, and infectious diseases. Section 4 concludes the text by discussing the need to develop social and environmental intervention policies and strategies to address health challenges in SSA.

This contributed volume focuses on the evolution and current state of the sub-discipline of health and medical geography in Africa. It encompasses theoretical and methodological issues as well as the current teaching and research capacities of institutions offering programs in health and medical geography in Africa. Further, the book will review the level of adoption of the sub-discipline in State policies and practice and also provide practical illustrations, with case studies, of how studies in the sub-discipline are central to the actualization of Africa's development agenda. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between health and development. Through its direct and indirect impacts on labor productivity, population health and wellbeing matter for the social and economic development of households and national economies. Yet, health is not uniform in space. And so is development. Comparatively on many health and development indicators, Africa fairs poorly. The variation in health may present as differences in the occurrence and spread of diseases, the distribution of and access to healthcare facilities, and/or in health outcomes among the population. Reasons for these variations range from biology to the population’s levels of exposure and susceptibility to elements in their environment, including the social interactions taking place within the environment. The field of health and medical geography focuses on the spatial patterns and processes underlying these variations and provides pathways for understanding and addressing them. More specifically, the sub-discipline of health and medical geography focuses on, among others, how places (their characteristics and processes that go on in them) and environmental factors underlie and/or influence disease patterns, exposure and susceptibility to diseases, health variations, health behavior, health outcomes, and the provision of and access to healthcare services. This volume documents perspectives and applications in health and medical geography in Africa for academics, students, health practitioners, and development policymakers.

This book is a study of the multi-faceted aspects of the physical and human geography of Sub-Saharan Africa. An introductory book, it is designed for those readers with little or no knowledge of geography to a variety of contemporary ideas, theories, and concepts in African geography, and their applicability to "real world" situations. Using extensive maps, photographs, and illustrations, this book covers such topics as the physical-environmental, socio-cultural, and developmental aspects of Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the region's prospects for global integration. For anyone interested in African geography and its socio-political climate.

Medical geography is a fascinating area of rapidly evolving study that aims to analyse and improve worldwide health issues based on the geographical factors which have an impact on them. Perspectives in Medical Geography will appeal to both novice and seasoned researchers looking to be informed on the latest theories and applications in the field. Chapters represent a wide range of industries, ranging from private/public universities to private companies to non-profit foundations. Contributors describe ways in which map and geography librarians can engage in public health research – creating data standards, archiving map collections and providing mapping/GIS services. In addition to compiling current theories and practices related to medical geography, this volume also features commentaries from two pre-eminent geography librarians, sharing their perspectives on this emerging field and how map and geographic information librarians can engage in health-related research through their profession. This book was originally published as two special issues of the Journal of Map & Geography Libraries.

Why are rainfall, carcinogens, and primary care physicians distributed unevenly over space? The fourth edition of the leading text in the field has been updated and reorganized to cover the latest developments in disease ecology and health promotion across the globe. The book accessibly introduces the core questions and perspectives of health and medical geography and presents cutting-edge techniques of mapping and spatial analysis. It explores the intersecting genetic, ecological, behavioral, cultural, and socioeconomic processes that underlie patterns of health and disease in particular places, including how new diseases and epidemics emerge. Geographic dimensions of health care access and service provision are addressed. More than 100 figures include 16 color plates; most are available as PowerPoint slides at the companion website. New to This Edition: *Chapters on the political ecology of health; emerging infectious diseases and landscape genetics; food, diet, and nutrition; and urban health. *Coverage of Middle East respiratory syndrome, Ebola, and Zika; impacts on health of global climate chan≥ contaminated water crises in economically developed countries, including in Flint, Michigan; China's rapid industrial growth; and other timely topics. *Updated throughout with current data and concepts plus advances in GIS. Pedagogical Features: *End-of-chapter review questions and suggestions for further reading. *Section Introductions that describe each chapter. *"Quick Reviews"--within-chapter recaps of key concepts. *Bold-faced key terms and an end-of-book glossary.

Geographic information, spatial analysis and geospatial technologies play an important role in understanding changes in planetary health and in defining the drivers contributing to different health outcomes both locally and globally. Patterns influencing health outcomes and disease in the environment are complex and require an understanding of the ecology of the disease and how these interact in space and time. Knowing where and when diseases are prevalent, who is affected and what may be driving these outcomes is important for determining how to respond. In reality, we all would like to be healthy and live in healthy places. In this book, epidemiology and public health are integrated with spatial data science to examine health issues in dynamically changing environments. This is too broad a field to be completely covered in one book, and so, it has been necessary to be selective with the topics, methods and examples used to avoid overwhelming introductory readers while at the same time providing sufficient depth for geospatial experts interested in health and for health professionals interested in integrating geospatial elements for health analysis. A variety of geographic information (some novel, some volunteered, some authoritative, some big and messy) is used with a mix of methods consisting of spatial analysis, data science and spatial statistics to better understand health risks and disease outcomes. Key Features: Makes spatial data science accessible to health Integrates epidemiology and disease ecology with spatial data science Integrates theoretical geographic information science concepts Provides practical and applied approaches for examining and exploring health and disease risks Provides spatial data science skill development ranging from map making to spatial modelling

This Companion provides a comprehensive account of health and medical geography and approaches the major themes and key topics from a variety of angles. Offers a unique breadth of topics relating to both health and medical geography Includes contributions from a range of scholars from rising stars to established, internationally renowned authors Provides an up-to-date review of the state of the sub-discipline Thematically organized sections offer detailed accounts of specific issues and combine general overviews of the current literature with case study material Chapters cover topics at the cutting edge of the sub-discipline, including emerging and re-emerging diseases, the politics of disease, mental and emotional health, landscapes of despair, and the geography of care

The leading text in the field, this comprehensive book reviews geographic approaches to studying disease and public health issues across the globe. It presents cutting-edge techniques of spatial and social analysis and explores their relevance for understanding cultural and political ecology, disease systems, and health promotion. Essential topics include how new diseases emerge and epidemics develop in particular places; the intersecting influences on health of biological processes, culture, environment, and behavior; and the changing landscape of health care planning and service delivery. The text is richly illustrated with tables, figures, and maps, including 16 color plates.

This volume uniquely presents case studies on health geography in Africa, and analyzes health practices in different African regions to illustrate a unified perspective to the geographies of health. The book describes various contemporary and traditional themes that have characterized the discipline of health geography, and uses its 13 case studies across 14 chapters to challenge the perceived dichotomy between health geography and medical geography among health researchers and practitioners. In 3 sections, the book provides readers with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to understanding health geography in Africa. The first chapter introduces the major theories and perspectives in health geography, and how these characteristics apply to health geography practices in Africa. Section 1 discusses the different uses of space-based analyses in health geography, including geo-data infrastructures, geographies of disease burden, spatial epidemiology, spatially precise public health, and spatial access to health. Section 2 discusses the different uses of place-based analyses in health geography, including health representation, healthcare access, food allergies, and health determinants. Section 3 addresses how geography is incorporated into decision processes in Africa, and how policy planning shapes health-related interventions at the population and individual level. The case studies here discuss geo-enabling health records, health policy, public health planning, and mobile health geographies.

Geography is a component of Encyclopedia of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Geographical perceptions can be traced from very ancient cultures, although geography as a science started its development during the eighteen century, it was firmly established after the Darwinian revolution and many of its fundamentals appeared during the nineteenth century. The history of geography is closely connected with the history of human society Geography embraces both the physical and human worlds, and aims to bridge natural and human sciences. For a geographer, although the environment and its conservation is a crucial item, it is also fundamentally concerned with the living standards of humankind. Although its wide embrace may be seen as a weakness, diversification is also strength and an attraction. Approaches are multidisciplinary, exploring the complex linkages between the cultural and the natural. These favor cross-cultural communication and mutual understanding at a global scale. There is a geographical basis to most of the outstanding political problems, and geographical reasons to explain them. The subject matter of the geography theme is presented basically on how the subject matter is taught presently at the universities, and following the many paths its practitioners are following in doing research. It introduces modern subject matters and goes much further than a simple description of places and travels. The theme has been divided into four main topics: Foundations, Physical Geography, Human Geography, and Technical matters. The scope of the foundation topic is to present an overview of the basis of the geographical field, its scope, history, methods, and its importance in education. The chapters included are Main Stages of the Development, Theory and Methods, and Geographical Education. The Physical Geography topic includes the historical background of the geographical study of the Earth natural environment, and the main fields cultivated by geographers. It consists of eight chapters on basic research fields, which are Geomorphology, Climatology, Hydrology, Biogeography, Soil Geography, Coastal Systems, Ocean Geography, Mountain Geoecology, and two chapters on environmental issues: Natural Hazards and Land Degradation and Desertification. In the Human Geography topic six chapters discuss the more current fields, that is: Population, Cultural and Social, Agricultural and Rural, Industries and Transport, Economic Activities and Urban Geography. Three chapters present subjects developed more recently: Medical, Political and Tourism geographies. Finally, the Regional approach is presented as the most traditional and integrative field. These volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.