place and health
Geography is one of the primary determinants of health. Our location – everything from where we live, work, and play, to where we decide to sit in a restaurant can affect our health.
The relationship between place and health can be as strong, if not stronger than the genes that define us. It’s critical to our overall health that we have the tools, technology, and data to fully understand this relationship and see the unseen of what drives our health. It’s now more important than ever to reiterate the fact that where you live directly effects how you live. This is true regardless of race, gender, or social status.
Place and health informatics is the application of geospatial science, practice, and technology to the field of health informatics. One of fundamental aspects of place and health informatics is the innovative integration of geographic information systems and sciences (GIS) into the health domain. Sometimes referred to as location analytics, spatial data science, spatial analysis, or just health GIS, it provides the tools needed to unlock hidden insights in the relationship between place and health.
This integration of location and GIS into health informatics supports the advancement of individual health by understanding the history and details of where a person spends their time; population health by supporting health care systems, agencies and organizations to improve the health outcomes of their communities; and public health by promoting research, education, and preparedness to ensure our society is as healthy as possible. Ultimately, this can lead to healthier communities and improved health outcomes for all.
Place and Health in Action: Life Expectancy by County
One of the most striking examples of the relationship between place and health is that of life expectancy. There is a big variation in how long you live based on where you were born. The map below shows the variation in life expectancy across the united states at the county level. It does not differentiate by race, gender, or ethnicity but it’s important to note that those factors can have just as much impact on life expectancy as place.
The map below highlights geographic trends in life expectancy, such as lower life expectancy in Appalachia or the Deep South compared to higher life expectancy in the Upper Midwest or New England. However, like most other county-level maps, it faces a common limitation – the uneven population distribution. Some counties are densely populated, while many others have relatively few people. As a result, a large number of counties shaded in a certain color doesn’t necessarily represent a large portion of the population. For example, if Los Angeles County were a state, it would be the 10th most populous state in the country.
Counties shaded in red have a lower life expectancy than the national average and counties shaded in blue have a higher life expectancy than the national average, which is around 78.41. The darker the shading, the further away from the average the value is.
- Murphy SL, Kochanek KD, Xu J, Arias E. Mortality in the United States, 2023. NCHS Data Brief. 2024 Dec;(521):CS356116. doi: 10.15620/cdc/170564. PMID: 39819663; PMCID: PMC11770397.