In the second edition of An Introduction to the Geography of Health, Helen Hazen and Peter Anthamatten explore the ways in which geographic ideas and approaches can inform our understanding of health. The book's focus on a broad range of physical and social factors that drive health in places and spaces offers students and scholars an important holistic perspective on the study of health in the modern era.
In this edition, the authors have restructured the book to emphasize the theoretical significance of ecological and social approaches to health. Spatial methods are now reinforced throughout the book, and other qualitative and quantitative methods are discussed in greater depth. Data and examples are used extensively to illustrate key points and have been updated throughout, including several new extended case studies such as water contamination in Flint, Michigan; microplastics pollution; West Africa's Ebola crisis; and the Zika epidemic. The book contains more than one hundred figures, including new and updated maps, data graphics, and photos.
The book is designed to be used as the core text for a health geography course for undergraduate and lower-level graduate students and is relevant to students of biology, medicine, entomology, social science, urban planning, and public health.
About the Author: Helen Hazen is a broadly trained geographer, who focuses on issues of health and environment. She is currently a teaching associate professor at the University of Denver, USA, where she teaches classes on health and sustainability, as well as other aspects of geography.
Peter Anthamatten studied geography and public health as a graduate student and is currently an associate professor at the University of Colorado, Denver, USA. His research interests are primarily around the geography of health, with a focus on children's behavioral and nutritional environments, but he also enjoys working on geographic education. Peter teaches the geography of health, cartography, and spatial statistics.