GEOGRAPHICAL SPACE AS AN ANALYSIS CATEGORY OF LIFE QUALITY AND POPULATION HEALTH

Abstract

The Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro (RMRJ) has the highest population density in the country, the second in concentration of industries and vehicles, and consequently of atmospheric pollutants that are harmful to human health. Even so, it has received in the last years two big industries (CSA and Comperj), extremely polluting. The objective of this study is to identify the characteristics that make population groups more vulnerable to the effects of air pollution to map the quality of life of the RMRJ population.  To do so, the Health and Living Condition Index was constructed with data from the 2010 Census, which includes indicators of basic sanitation, demography, income and education, which mapped RMRJ to ArcGis software. The results showed that the municipalities of Rio de Janeiro and Niterói, old and present capitals of the State of Rio de Janeiro, present a higher percentage of population with high and very high life quality, while the periphery presents a higher concentration of population with medium and low life quality. The CSA and Comperj are located in the periphery, where the social situation is very bad, making the population more vulnerable.