Data Visualizations for Health
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington is an excellent resource for those interested in the connections between health and place globally. Particularly useful is its section on data visualization that provides numerous examples. The US Health Map, while presenting only a few variables, does this in a very user-friendly […]
Health in the Green Economy
A new WHO briefing paper series on Health in the Green Economy proposes links between climate change mitigation and improved health. There are a number of related publications dealing with housing and transportation. For example, the housing report highlights the health consequences for non-communicable diseases of extreme heat and cold, dampness, and ventilation problems that […]
Decibel Meters for Smart Phones
High noise levels are an irritation and, at very high levels, a health hazard. Several new applications allow smart phone owners to turn their phone into a sound meter. A number are reviewed at healthyhearing.com. For more about the connections between noise and health see the noise section of the Design for Health web site. […]
Noise Mapping England
Noise Mapping England is a terrific online resource providing highly localized noise mapping for a number of English cities. Noise sources include raid, rail, industry, and air and users can create separate maps for day and night. For more information about health and noise see the noise section of the Design for Health web site.
Plan Evaluations from the American Planning Association
The American Planning Association recently released a report, Healthy Planning, evaluating 22 comprehensive and sustainability plans in terms of health issues. Funded by the CDC this report looks at 22 plan documents. As the APA’s web site web site states: “The evaluation assessed the extent to which these plans addressed public health through six broad health-related […]
Global Health Data from the WHO
For those interested in the broad situation of health and place globally, the World Health Organization’s Global Health Observatory is a useful resource. The observatory includes data repository, reports, and a useful map gallery. Maps, using data at the country scale, cover a wide range of topics from average cholesterol and avian influenza to health expenditure. […]
Mapping Rural Health: The USDA Economic Research Service’s Online Maps
The USDA Economic Research Service’s Food Environment Atlas and Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America provide a wealth of data on health issues and determinants (causes). Boasting an easy-to use interface the Food Environment Atlas deals with a very wide range of issues including grocery store access, restaurant expenditures, food assistance, food insecurity, food prices, […]
American Planning Association’s Planning and Community Health Research Center
For those interested in how to connect health and urban planning, the APAs Planning and Community Health Research Center is a good place to start. Resources include links to a number of health-related interest groups, links to educational programs, and a useful listing of APA’s health-related publications. A companion resource is the Planning and University Research Registry (PURR) where […]
OTREC Healthy Communities Work
The Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium is a national-level federally-funded University Transportation Center. One of their three research themes is healthy communities. To find out about their different projects go to the search page, at http://otrec.us/research/browse, type in “health” and click on “filter projects. Projects range from a focus on air quality to pedestrian infrastructure and […]
Colorado Active Transportation Mile Markers
People trying to plan to increase active transportation face problems with data. It isn’t clear how much active transportation is occurring so it is difficult to tell if it is increasing or decreasing. Recently I was involved with Kevin Krizek and Charlier Associates in creating a set of recommendations for measuring walking and cycling in […]