Unit 1: Introduction to GIS for Analysis of Health
This is the first unit in the module ‘GIS for Analysis of Health’. This unit introduces the analysis of health, with a particular objective to show that many of the central concepts surrounding health and disease are in fact ambiguous and contested – they have different meanings to different groups of people and at different times. Academic study of the geography of health has traditionally been divided between two traditions – firstly concerned with the causes and spread of disease and secondly with the organisation and use of health care services. The methods and examples covered in this module ‘GIS for Analysis of Health’ deal primarily with the first of these. GIS can play an important role in many aspects of health analysis, but should not be applied without recognition of contextual factors such as the interests of different agencies and the value-laden nature of standard definitions.
This unit consists of 4 subsections:
- Purposes of health analysis
- Agencies of health analysis
- Definitions of health and disease
- Introduction to causality
‘Purposes of health analysis’ introduces the analysis of patterns of health and disease, examining the contexts in which this work is undertaken and how it may be used. It introduces some national and international aspects of health inequality and particularly explores the role of geographical location in helping us to understand the reasons for observed patterns.
This is extended in ‘Agencies of health analysis’ by reviewing the different agencies who analyse health data and assessing their requirements. It is apparent that the analysis of health data is undertaken by many stakeholders. A geographical perspective, implemented using GIS, can have a particularly valuable role to play in integrating the data and persepectives of different organizations.
Building on these introductory concepts, ‘Definitions of health and disease’ reviews some basic definitions which set the context for the remainder of this module. An important underlying theme is that neither health nor disease are amenable to neat scientific definition, but that understandings of health are socially constructed and subject to change over time. Even the necessary changes in formal classification schemes cause particular problems to the health analyst.
‘Introduction to causality’ introduces a framework for investigating the causes of disease, which will be used throughout the module as a framework for understanding the relationships between the various factors affecting health and disease.
Expect to spend about 1 week working through these materials.