Research into the geography of health has expanded
dramatically in recent years, as witnessed by the
appearance of several major texts (see, for example,
Cliff and Haggett 1988; Jones and Moon 1987;
Thomas 1992), by the vitality of specialist research
groups attached to the major geographical societies,
and by the success of a series of international
symposia and accompanying publications (see, for
example, several special issues of Social Science and
Medicine; also Gatrell and Löytönen 1997; Lepper
et al 1995; Savigny and Wijeyaratne 1994).
Approaches to the geography of health take a
variety of forms and methodological perspectives,
some researchers choosing to create statistical
models of the incidence of disease, others adopting
qualitative approaches to an understanding of illhealth,
or exploring the geographical expression of
the politics of health (to give but three broad
examples). Among this diversity of approaches and
methodologies, a growing number of researchers
have found value in the use of GIS. These
approaches and the applications they have spawned
form the substance of this review.