"This book provides an overview of why geography is important in the investigation of health, the importance of the main components of a GIS, how important neighborhood context is when using a GIS, and the general differences found between urban and rural health environments"--Provided by publisher.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Today, as never before, healthcare has the ability to enhance the quality and duration of life. At the same time, healthcare has become so costly that it can easily bankrupt governments and impoverish individuals and families. Health services research is a highly multidisciplinary field, including such areas as health administration, health economics, medical sociology, medicine, , political science, public health, and public policy. The Encyclopedia of Health Services Research is the first single reference source to capture the diversity and complexity of the field. With more than 400 entries, these two volumes investigate the relationship between the factors of cost, quality, and access to healthcare and their impact upon medical outcomes such as death, disability, disease, discomfort, and dissatisfaction with care. Key Features Examines the growing healthcare crisis facing the United States Encompasses the structure, process, and outcomes of healthcare Aims to improve the equity, efficiency, effectiveness, and safety of healthcare by influencing and developing public policies Describes healthcare systems and issues from around the globe Key Themes Access to Care Accreditation, Associations, Foundations, and Research Organizations Biographies of Current and Past Leaders Cost of Care, Economics, Finance, and Payment Mechanisms Disease, Disability, Health, and Health Behavior Government and International Healthcare Organizations Health Insurance Health Professionals and Healthcare Organizations Health Services Research Laws, Regulations, and Ethics Measurement; Data Sources and Coding; and Research Methods Outcomes of Care Policy Issues, Healthcare Reform, and International Comparisons Public Health Quality and Safety of Care Special and Vulnerable Groups The Encyclopedia is designed to be an introduction to the various topics of health services research for an audience including undergraduate students, graduate students, andgeneral readers seeking non-technical descriptions of the field and its practices. It is also useful for healthcare practitioners wishing to stay abreast of the changes and updates in the field.

"This book tackles topics related to development of Geographic Information in terms of the technologies available for retrieving, managing, and analyzing geographical data"--Provided by publisher.

Among women’s health concerns, reproductive issues, both prenatal and postpartum, hold particular prominence. Yet despite the many programs dedicated to improving women’s reproductive health, maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates in minority communities remain unchanged—or have increased. Confronting this alarming statistic head-on, Reducing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Reproductive and Perinatal Outcomes is the first book systematically examining public health interventions designed toward meeting this important and elusive goal. Its contributors offer the best thinking and practice on this complicated topic, clarifying the relationship between evidence-based medicine and evidence-based public health and its potential for increasing parity, considering interventions in the multiple contexts of women’s lives, reviewing the evidence base for each program or initiative featured, and describing methodologies for evaluating interventions. The resulting volume advocates for an integrative lifespan approach, including topics related to: Family planning STI and HIV/AIDS screening and treatment Smoking cessation and reducing exposure to environmental smoke Preconceptional well-woman care Depression screening and treatment Labor/delivery approaches and intrapartum care Emerging prenatal care interventions, from centering pregnancy to doula support For professionals and graduate students in psychiatry, psychology, sociology, women’s health, and public health, Reducing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Reproductive and Perinatal Outcomes reframes a set of ongoing issues and guides the reader toward state-of-the-art solutions.

With new and updated content on biodiversity and chemicals in food, Textbook of Children's Environmental Health, Second Edition remains the quintessential textbook for the study of the environmental hazards that cause disease in childre