Geographies of Health: An Introduction - Tapa blanda

"Overall, this is a fascinating text. It describes, in very accessible terms, the basic patterns and processes of health and illness. By the time one has finished the book there are almost as many new questions as answers. Since there is so much literature available (albeit in hard-to-access journals) it is surprising that such a subject hasn't been tackled more widely before. Of greatest benefit to educators are the website links (brief, but all the key sites are there) and the range of ideas the author presents. This latter idea is crucial. I have often reviewed texts that might otherwise escape attention because of their implied subject matter or even title. So often there is much to be gained from studying these books. This is a prime example. Virtually every page has a desk or field study idea. Since health has an ecology and certainly an environmental aspect it would make an ideal study for students. Although all but the higher grades of senior school students might find the topic too difficult it should be widely available for all teachers who could find a great range of ideas in the text." Dr Paul S Ganderton, TEGNews,British Ecological Society "Gatrell's breadth of knowledge of the field of health geography is, I believe, unparalleled. His ability to write for a lay audience is exemplary. His use of copious examples from the widest variety of settings is refreshingly novel and the two dozen pages of references display the geographical and temporal extent of study that have gone into creating this book." Environment and Planning

This text shows how health may be studied from geographical perspectives and reviews a wide range of studies linking health outcomes with social and physical environments. The structure of the book is designed to guide the reader through the relevant theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and research. It opens with definitions of health and an explanation of how they relate to geography, followed by illustrations of the different theoretical approaches employed. There is also a comprehensive overview of quantitative and qualitative methods. Research is then considered in two broad areas: first, the ways in which social processes operate in space to produce inequalities in health and health provision: second, the ways in which human modification of the environment (including air and water quality, and global environmental change) impacts upon health. The text is supported by current examples of research in a range of geographical settings. Pedagogical features include text boxes, directed further reading at the end of each chapter, a comprehensive bibliography and a guide to useful Internet resources. Anthony Gatrell has produced a website to accompany his book. Please visit this at http: //www .lancs.ac.uk/users/ihr/gatrell/geohealth.html