Healthy life expectancy changes in Thailand, 2002-2007.

We investigate links between increasing longevity and health status in Thailand. Using data from 2002 and 2007 national surveys of the elderly, healthy life expectancies at older ages were estimated. Change depended on health indicator, gender and age. Self-reported health and self-care disability showed expansion of morbidity. Mobility disability change indicated compression but a wording change means this may be an artefact. We compare these findings with the 1990 and 2010 results of the Global Burden of Disease study. Using HLE based on disease prevalence, the GBD found that Thailand experienced small longevity gains and morbidity compression. Our findings suggest these results should be treated with caution, as, since 2000, Thailand has introduced universal health care.

Findings from a survey on GIS use in the UK National Health Service: organisational challenges and opportunities.

The use of geographical information systems (GIS) in a variety of application areas points to an increasing interest in the spatial aspects of health policies. Despite the fact that most public sector organisations in the United Kingdom (UK) have access to such software tools, there has not been a comprehensive review of take-up within the health sector. In this paper, we report on a recently completed mixed-method research project that has examined the current levels of GIS use in the UK National Health Service, and focus our discussion on health authorities (HAs). Couched within the context of previous studies that have been concerned with outlining the types of factors influencing IT implementation in the health sector, we illuminate the importance of behavioural, cultural and organisational factors on the diffusion of GIS in the UK National Health Service. It is noted that very few organisations had a GIS strategy and we contend that if GIS is to play a wider role in addressing issues surrounding 'joined-up' government, more advice and guidance is needed on policies promoting the exchange of geographical data between agencies concerned with tackling health issues. We conclude by drawing attention to the perceived lack of national guidance on GIS matters, more generally, within the UK health sector.

Themes in British health geography at the end of the century: a review of published research 1998-2000.

This paper provides a succinct overview of some recent trends in geography of health in Britain since 1998. We consider how the research we have reviewed illuminates the relationships between geographies of health and three fundamental processes which are widely recognized as being important for contemporary human geography as a whole: globalization, urbanization and polarization. We also consider the contribution of health geography to agendas in cultural geography agenda which we refer to here as 'geographies of imagination'. These perspectives all relate to dynamic and diverse processes operating in Britain and throughout the world. We explore how health geography is responding to change, and what the agenda for future research will be. By considering these themes, we also seek to show how the geography of health is contributing to a wider discourse, shared to some extent in human geography as a whole, and we discuss the themes which are likely to feature in the future health geography research agenda.