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Background: There is an open discussion on how the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) or mathematical models could offer a new perspective on health research and positive health outcomes. The present study is a literature review that aims to explore and identify several GIS and IT applications (spatial or mathematical oriented) in health research, clinical practice, public health and police making. Methods: The review was conducted in two different literature database (PubMed, The Cochrane Library and in grey literature via internet (Google). Results: Several applications were identified and selected examples are presented in this article. Their positive (current or expected) impact on health outcomes, health research and public health strategies is discussed. Conclusions: Such applications could empower positive health outcomes and promote healthy ageing, quality of life and wellbeing, develop networks of active citizens and multi-sector professionals.

Background: The effectiveness of the Greek Health policies is highly doubted, especially in times of economic crisis. We selected a disease associated with one of the highest causes of mortality in Greece to explore this phenomenon. Methods: The number of deaths due to malignant neoplasms of larynx, trachea, bronchus and lung in 2001 and 2006 was used. Mortality rates were analyzed in relation to socioeconomic factors, through Cluster Analysis k-means. Finally, prediction of their variance across the different area of Greece in 2001 and 2006 was fulfilled by the interpolation method of ordinary kriging. Results: Prefectures of the same administrative region are characterised by different behavior while they may match with Prefectures of other administrative regions. In the prediction map, mortality rates range from 0.53 to 1.31, in 2001 and from 0.66 to 1.27, in 2006. There is an increase of mortality from one year to another, especially in some Prefectures that move from low clusters in 2001 to very high ones in 2006. Conclusions: This study outlines the regional and spatial inequalities in health, which could be scientifically revealed through the study of health data and their trends. We suggest the promotion of health maps for communication among public health researchers and decision makers.

Abstract:Background: Tobacco use is one of the major causes of premature death worldwide. The purpose of the present study is to examine which of the known evidence-based control measures actually work, and indentify their preventive or risky effects, in order to determine the various risk areas for any daily tobacco use in Europe. This is a cross-sectional geoepidemiological study using secondary database data from the World Health Organization. Methods: Data from 2009 were used for all European countries. Daily smoking of any tobacco product (DSTP) and 12 other factors referring to tobacco control, comprise the main under study parameters. The final sample consisted of subjects from 45 European countries. First, the data management was fulfilled. Then, spatial statistics were performed in Arcmap 10 (GIS). Moran's I and OLS spatial regression model were applied for the detection of spatial correlations and the high risk areas. Results: High spatial heterogeneity was demonstrated through the DSTP distribution. Greece and Austria have the highest rates (38-49%), Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Russia follow with 30-37%. Three out of the twelve factors examined were found to be random. The rest of them were used in the regression model, highlighting the high risk areas. Greece presented the highest risk (Exp B= 2.9; 95% CI= 2.183-3.326), Bulgaria, Turkey, Serbia and other countries followed (Exp B= 2.7; 95% CI= 1.937-3.013), whereas Finland, Norway and UK proved to be of no present risk (Exp B= 0.76; 95% CI= 0.258-0.936). Conclusions: Geo-epidemiology of tobacco usage monitors the phenomenon's dynamics, effectively. It offers an insight in applying measures, co-examining for the first time, the effects of twelve measures of tobacco control as possible preventive or risk factors.