Abstract

CUELLAR LUNA, Liliam  and  GUTIERREZ SOTO, Tania. Development of medical or health geography in Cuba. Rev Cubana Hig Epidemiol [online]. 2014, vol.52, n.3, pp. 388-401. ISSN 1561-3003.

Throughout history, geography and medicine have had common objects of study, for man is the essential pillar in both disciplines. The present review is aimed at analyzing the development of medical or health geography in Cuba. The paper consists of three main sections. The first one approaches the emergence of medical or health geography, the second deals with the incorporation and development of Geographic Information Systems, and the third refers to some studies conducted on the subject in Cuba. The palpable results obtained throughout the years show that medical geography is a branch of geography which has gained greater strength with the emergence of Geographic Information Systems. Medical geography was welcomed in Cuba, an example of which is the incorporation of geographers into the national health system, mainly in the area of hygiene and epidemiology. Numerous studies address spatial analysis within health / disease and cause / effect relationships, generating new knowledge about the current health situation and facilitating decision making on various levels.

Keywords : medical geography; health geography; geographic information systems; spatial analysis.

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