Health Geography introduction

Introduction to Health Geography

• Health geography explores the connections between geography and health.
• It examines the interaction between people and the environment as it relates to health.
• It uses a holistic perspective, encompassing society and space.
• It considers the role of place, location, and geography in health, well-being, and disease.

The Significance of Location

• Location is critical.
• Health is heavily influenced by where people live.
• Proximity to hazardous waste sites can increase the risk of illness.
• The Flint Water Crisis, where people were exposed to lead and bacteria, highlights this.
• Where you live impacts the type of treatment you receive.
• Place of residence affects the risk of disease or illness.

Key Concepts of Health

• The WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
• A shift in focus is required; from a state of complete well-being to the availability of resources which help us achieve our individual potential.
• Social well-being is an important, but sometimes overlooked, aspect of overall health.
• Illness is a subjective experience, while disease is an objective abnormality that doctors diagnose and treat.
• Diseases are objective like uncontrollable cell division in cancer.
• Illness refers to a patient's experience of having a disease
• Epidemiology studies disease in populations.
• Health data is collected through mortality (death) and morbidity (sickness, illness, or disease) rates.
• Age-standardized rates are used for comparisons, accounting for age structure differences.
• Incidence rates measure new cases within a time interval, as a proportion of the at-risk population.
• In 2022, there were 1,833 new HIV diagnoses, a 24.9% increase from 2021.
• Prevalence rates measure the total number of people with a disease or illness at a given time.
• At the end of 2023, about 39.9 million people were living with HIV.
• Chronic diseases are long-term, while acute diseases are short-term.
• Chronic diseases, like heart disease, can be long-lasting due to substance abuse.
• Acute conditions, like overdose, can result from it with the risk of death.
• Infectious diseases, spread directly between people, like measles, influenza, tuberculosis, and COVID-19.
• Impairment is a varying inability to physically or mentally function in a space
• Disability is a socially or culturally constructed form of exclusion.

Geographical Concepts

• Location is a fixed point and can be expressed in coordinates like 45°25'24.0"N 75°41'08.7"W.
• Place is a location imbued with meaning or emotion.
• Therapeutic landscapes are places with meanings related to health.
• Meanings of place/health have cultural dimensions often overlooked, especially among First Nations peoples, like sweat lodges at East York’s Michael Garron Hospital.
• Measuring the distance that separates places
• Important is distance between people and healthcare facilities.
• As well as possible pollution sources.
• Disease spreading range must be considered.
• Social distancing, keeping a 2-meter or 6-foot distance to prevent COVID-19 spread.
• Spatial separation is based on travel time, cost, or people’s estimates of such separation (“cognitive distance”).
• Social distance separates people by class, income, race, gender, or lifestyle.
• Distance has fewer barriers with air travel but is a key factor in understanding the source of illnesses such as COVID-19 and Ebola.
• Scale ranges from neighborhoods to global levels (e.g., COVID-19, Polio, e-coli).
• The CFIA had issued food recall warnings on Hankook (Korean characters only) brand Original Kimchi on January 28, 2022 and February 6, 2022.
• Time-scale matters as much as spatial scale
• The environment is the physical world and its impact.
• Disease ecology connects disease distribution to local and regional ecologies; the interactions between topography, climate, water, soils, plants, and animals.

Course Information

• The course is titled GEG/ENV 3303 - Health Geography.
• Dr. Aisha Giwa is the professor, and Kruti Mehta is the Teaching Assistant.

Indigenous Affirmation

• Respect is paid to the Algonquin people, the traditional guardians of the land.
• Their longstanding relationship with the territory, which remains unceded, is acknowledged.
• Respect is also paid to all Indigenous people in the region and from all nations across Canada, who call Ottawa home.
• Traditional knowledge keepers, both young and old, are acknowledged.
• Honour is paid to courageous leaders of the past, present and future.

Course Outline

• Introduction to Health Geography
• Learning Outcomes
• Assessment Strategy
• Concept of Health
• Geographical Concepts

House Keeping Notes

• Be respectful of shared spaces.
• Place phones on "Do Not Disturb" or silent.
• Attending each session is not mandatory.
• Arrive on time and stay for the entire session, barring emergencies.
• If you anticipate leaving class early, for life events, sit on the periphery of the classroom to not disturb the class.
• Students are required to participate in group discussions.

Course Learning Objectives

• The principal learning objectives of this course are to understand:
• Different social science and biomedical models of health.
• Theoretical approaches and methods used in health geography.
• The roles of social, economic, environmental, healthcare and other factors in determining health.
• The changing global context of health.
• Patterns and trends in health care delivery.
• Factors affecting healthcare access and health outcomes across populations.

Required Materials

• All learning materials are provided by the professor via Brightspace.
• No textbooks or extra course materials need to be purchased.
• Refer to the syllabus for more information.

Assessment Strategy

• Research Assignment: is a Paper worth 15% of grade and is due February 10, 2025.
• Mid-Term Quiz: is a mix of Multiple Choice, True/False and Short Answer questions and is worth 20% of the grade and is due March 12, 2025.
• Research Assignment and Group project: is a paper, with videos & group presentation, is worth 25% of the grade and is due March 31, 2025.
• Final Exam: is an in-person written exam worth 40% of the grade and the date is TBD.

Life Expectancy

• Life expectancy measures how long a person is expected to live.
• There are alarming disparities in life expectancy.