Contemporary Themes in Geographic Epidemiology

Dear Colleagues,

Many current global issues and trends illustrate the contemporary relevance of geographic epidemiology. These include the COVID-19 epidemic and the impact of geographic comparisons of incidence and mortality on policy choices. Effects on health of climate change, pollution, and environmental degradation have been highlighted by international agencies such as the United Nations. Neighbourhood contrasts in healthy life expectancy and access to healthy environments have major importance in achieving spatial health equity. Modern health crises such as the growth of obesity and the drug overdose epidemic also have a clear geospatial context. Geographic epidemiology is also affected by new ways of collecting spatial data and by the availability of big data.

This Special Issue will publish applications and methods papers; critical conceptual review papers; and policy applications using geographic epidemiology. We welcome contributions that highlight the relevance and application of geographic epidemiology to contemporary health problems and to understanding the factors that influence them. Policy applications are relevant, as also are perspectives on, and applications of, the widening range of available analytic methods and data sources. Both international comparisons and lower-scale locality studies are suitable, as are studies of both chronic and infectious diseases. Reviews of conceptual issues such as the context–composition distinction, and the modifiable areal unit problem (in health applications), are also suitable.

Prof. Dr. Peter Congdon
Guest Editor

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