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![Interactive weather maps. Interactive weather maps [14] present precipitation forecasts that result from spatially smoothing reports from local monitoring stations and use color to indicate the type and quantity of precipitation.](profile/Linda-Pickle/publication/6705619/figure/fig1/AS:216466050818048@1428620936251/Interactive-weather-maps-Interactive-weather-maps-14-present-precipitation-forecasts.png)
Interactive weather maps. Interactive weather maps [14] present precipitation forecasts that result from spatially smoothing reports from local monitoring stations and use color to indicate the type and quantity of precipitation.
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To communicate population-based cancer statistics, cancer researchers have a long tradition of presenting data in a spatial representation, or map. Historically, health data were presented in printed atlases in which the map producer selected the content and format. The availability of geographic information systems (GIS) with comprehensive mapping...
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Background
Transforming spatial data from one scale to another is a challenge in geographic analysis. As part of a larger, primary study to determine a possible association between travel barriers to pediatric cancer facilities and adolescent cancer mortality across the United States, we examined methods to estimate mortality within zones at varyin...
Citations
... For cancer, exposures that are important to disease development may occur long before the manifestation of clinical symptoms and diagnosis (3,20,21). However, the conventional approach has been to link the exposure at the address at cancer diagnosis with cancer outcomes to study potential clustering of incidence cases, as well as to examine the potential risk factors (22,23). While this snapshot of address serves as a reasonable proxy for patient's present socioeconomic, demographic, and environmental circumstances, it is subject to exposure misclassification, due to the underlying assumption of a constant exposure level throughout the entire time prior to patient's cancer diagnosis. ...
Background
Exposure misclassification based solely on the address at cancer diagnosis has been widely recognized though not commonly assessed.
Methods
We linked 1,015 mesothelioma cases diagnosed during 2011–2015 from the New York State Cancer Registry to inpatient claims and LexisNexis administrative data and constructed residential histories. Percentile ranking of exposure to ambient air toxics and socioeconomic status (SES) were based on the National Air Toxic Assessment and United States Census data, respectively. To facilitate comparisons over time, relative exposures (REs) were calculated by dividing the percentile ranking at individual census tract by the state-level average and subtracting one. We used generalized linear regression models to compare the RE in the past with that at cancer diagnosis, adjusting for patient-level characteristics.
Results
Approximately 43.7% of patients had residential information available for up to 30 years, and 96.0% up to 5 years. The median number of unique places lived was 4 [interquartile range (IQR), 2–6]. The time-weighted-average RE from all addresses available had a median of −0.11 (IQR, −0.50 to 0.30) for air toxics and −0.28 (IQR, −0.65 to 0.25) for SES. RE associated with air toxics (but not SES) was significantly higher for earlier addresses than addresses at cancer diagnosis for the 5-year [annual increase =1.24%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.71–1.77%; n=974] and 30-year (annual increase =0.36%; 95% CI: 0.25–0.48%; n=444) look-back windows, respectively.
Conclusions
Environmental exposure to non-asbestos air toxics among mesothelioma patients may be underestimated if based solely on the address at diagnosis. With geospatial data becoming more readily available, incorporating cancer patients’ residential history would lead to reduced exposure misclassification and accurate health risk estimates.
... Maps may be particularly effective as a communication tool as they are a familiar and intuitive way of presenting spatial information to a wide spectrum of people. Bell et al. [3] underscores the importance of producing health-related maps that follow wellestablished cartographic design principles. ...
... Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have the potential to effectively deliver visual data such as, the prevalence of those individuals with high body mass. Indeed, as information technology has evolved, we have seen increased frequency of health communication with disease maps [28,29]. We also now live in an increasingly visual society, where most of us see and process images more than we read words [30]. ...
... Hobbs and colleagues have extensively applied GIS mapping techniques to describe the spatial and spatiotemporal patterning of health outcomes and environmental exposures [40][41][42]. While consideration is required to ensure confidentiality and interpretation of prevalence data to small geographic areas, the development of a mapping resource can help better inform emergency planning [29]. ...
Introduction: People have been left behind in disasters directly associated with their size, shape, and weight and
are disproportionately impacted in pandemics. Despite alignment with known vulnerabilities such as poverty,
age, and disability, the literature is inaudible on body mass. Emergency managers report little or no information
on body mass prevalence. This exploratory study aimed to illustrate population prevalence of high body mass for
emergency planning.
Methods: Cross-sectional data from the New Zealand Health Survey were pooled for the years 2013/14–2017/18
(n = 68 053 adults aged ≥15 years). Height and weight were measured and used to calculate body mass index.
The prevalence of high body mass were mapped to emergency management boundary shapefiles. The resulting
maps were piloted with emergency managers.
Results: Maps highlight the population prevalence of high body mass across emergency management regions,
providing a visual tool. A pilot with 14 emergency managers assessed the utility of such mapping. On the basis of
the visual information, the tool prompted 12 emergency managers to consider such groups in regional planning
and to discuss needs.
Conclusions: Visual mapping is a useful tool to highlight population prevalence of groups likely to be at higher
risk in disasters. This is believed to be the first study to map high body mass for the purposes of emergency
planning. Future research is required to identify prevalence at a finer geographical scale. More features in the
local context such as physical location features, risk and vulnerability features could also be included in future
research.
... The teenage birth rates and sociodemographic characteristics appeared to be geographically unstable due to small populations in some rural and other small ZCTAs. Thus, we performed a spatial empirical Bayesian (SEB) smoothing operation on these variables (Bell, Hoskins, Pickle, & Wartenberg, 2006). Spatial neighbors were defined as immediately adjacent ZCTAs for the operation (first-order queen neighbors). ...
Objectives
In the United States, Title X facilities are understood to be an effective starting point for improving teenagers’ reproductive health outcomes, including unintended pregnancy. We investigate geographic accessibility of Title X facilities and the relationship between geographic accessibility of Title X facilities and teenage birth rates in the state of North Carolina (NC).Methods
Vehicular travel time from each ZCTA to its nearest Title X facility was calculated using a geographic information system and summarized as the indicator of geographic accessibility. We used bivariate and multiple spatial lag regressions to evaluate the relationship between ZCTA-level teenage birth rates (n = 754) in 2016 and geographic accessibility to a Title X facility, as well as socioeconomic and demographic factors.ResultsNearly 60% of teenage women lived 30 min or less from a Title X funded facility, while approximately 12% of women lived 60 min or more from the nearest facility. In the regression models, percent non-Hispanic White, percent Hispanic, percent in Poverty, percent not enrolled in school, and population density were associated with teenage birth rates; however, geographic accessibility was only associated in the bivariate model.Conclusions
Our findings show that geographic accessibility of Title X facilities is lower in NC than in other states. However, our results suggest that geographic accessibility is not related to teenage birth rates. Overall, these findings may indicate that publicly funded family planning facilities are underutilized by proximal populations or factors other than proximity act as a barrier to utilization.
... Journalists prefer to tell their health and risk-related stories with the help of visualized statistical data. In a research, Bell et al. (2006) determined that the audience finds the statistical data to be more trustworthy rather than other types of information regarding health and risk issues. Previous research also suggested that images have a significant role in shaping the public's interpretation of an issue (Gibson and Zillman, 2000;Zillman, Gibson, and Sargent, 1999). ...
The aim of this research is to examine the role that data visuals in media coverage play on the risk perception of the public in times of a pandemic. The article reports findings from an online survey of 191 adults regarding the trajectory of the risk perception model during COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. We focused on eight statements clustered into three groups as indicators of the risk perception when the public came across with the data visuals: (1) the level of anxiety, fear and panic arousals, (2) the level of lacking credibility and trust and (3) the level of impression regarding fatality, irreversible effects and catastrophic consequences. For the survey, we selected 24 data visuals, which attracted the most interaction from Facebook and Twitter accounts of the seven most popular news outlets. We asked respondents to score eight items for each 24 data visuals of COVID-19 news reports. The results suggest that the respondents find the data presented in visuals credible and trustworthy and they agree that the visuals depict risk elements in many cases. Implications of the low and high levels of risk perception regarding data visuals on media for the risk communication theory are discussed.
... This discovery can trigger visual thinking that can inform decision-making. For example, new knowledge obtained by visual examination for the origin of disease incidence or distribution of limited public health resources may affect the adoption of specific public health policies [6]. The map of spatial distribution of air pollution concentrations also helps identify highly polluted areas and possible pollution sources, and initiates policy efforts to improve air quality in those areas. ...
Background:
As scientific findings of air pollution and subsequent health effects have been accumulating, public interest has also been growing. Accordingly, web visualization is suggested as an effective tool to facilitate public understanding in scientific evidence and to promote communication between the public and academia. We aimed to introduce an example of easy and effective web-based visualization of research findings, relying on predicted concentrations of particulate matter ≤ 10 µg/m3 (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) obtained from our previous study in South Korea and Tableau software. Our visualization focuses on nationwide spatial patterns and temporal trends over 14 years, which would not have been accessible without our research results.
Methods:
Using predicted annual average concentrations of PM10 and NO2 across approximately 250 districts and maps of administrative divisions in South Korea during 2001-2014, we demonstrate data preprocessing and design procedures in the Tableau dashboard, comprising maps, time-series plots, and bar charts.
Results:
Our visualization allows one to identify high concentration areas, a long-term temporal trend, and the contrast between two pollutants. The application of easy tools for user-interactive options in Tableau suggests possible easy access to the scientific knowledge of non-experts.
Conclusion:
Our example contributes to future studies that develop the visualization of research findings in further intuitive designs.
... One approach to support and efficiently carry out such efforts may involve the use of sophisticated geospatial tools to help identify geographic areas and communities experiencing high disparity. Geographic information system (GIS) technologies can be applied to detect and visualize patterns of health care utilization and outcomes (57), and communities are now employing GIS to map area cancer screening resources. For example, the Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network plotted colonoscopy clinics across several counties in their region (58). ...
The United States is home to 47 million foreign-born individuals, which currently represents over 14% of the U.S. population. With greater length of U.S. residence, immigrants experience increased risk for chronic disease including selected cancers; yet, they are less likely to access preventive health care services and undergo cancer screening. As a result, there have been concerted efforts to address disparities in cancer screening in immigrant populations. This minireview describes current progress in promoting participation in cancer screening among U.S. immigrants and explores potential opportunities for improving impact. Of the 42 studies included in the review, the majority targeted Asian and Latino immigrant populations and included some form of culturally specific educational programming, often delivered in-person by community health workers and/or using a multimedia format. Twenty-eight of the 42 studies also offered navigation assistance to help overcome logistical and access barriers to care, and these studies yielded somewhat greater increases in screening. Yet, despite considerable effort over the past 20+ years, screening rates remain well below national goals. Opportunities to harness digital health tools to increase awareness and engagement, evaluating nonclinic-based screening paradigms to promote greater participation, and increasing efforts to address the needs of other immigrant subgroups are likely to have beneficial outcomes. Together, these strategies may help reduce inequities in access and uptake of cancer screening in U.S. immigrant populations.
See all articles in this Special Collection Honoring Paul F. Engstrom, MD, Champion of Cancer Prevention
... Examining disease visual map, together with the spatial pattern assessment in relations to potential risk factors as proved by Philosopher Karl Popper and John Snow, is an initial possible scientific investigation that shows the capability of geospatial for formulating theoretical hypotheses and supporting animal and human health policy developments. In addition, [5] pointed out that to make fairly abstract quantitative results easier to comprehend on widespread understanding of scientific evidence, map or visual methods can be particularly useful. ...
This paper explores the scenario of tuberculosis (TB) dynamics and to evaluate risk factors contributing to local cases in Shah Alam using geographical information system (GIS) and geostatistical approach. This risk assessment is important to model the overall potential hazards factors that cause harm to local TB. Geostatistical model was applied to predict TB risk surface according to the existing locations of TB risk factors. The unknown points of risk TB locations were defined based on known points of the existing locations using GIS and logistic regression analysis. The risk map of TB has estimated 102 high risk localities in the study areas. Most the risk locations were concentrated around northern zone, central zone and a few areas around southern zone especially at 10 main sections of U17, U18, U19, U20, S7, S17, S18, S20, S27 and S28. Seven influential risk factors are identified to contribute to the local cases, including high risk group, Socioeconomic status (SES), population, type of houses, human mobility, urbanisation, and distance to of factory. These results stimulate new attributes of risk factor and interpretation on the local disease phenomena. The combinations of GIS and geostatistical method have also demonstrated its geographical neighbourhood capabilities to predict local TB risk dynamics.
... Mapping by using geographic information systems (GIS) has been used extensively to inform resource allocation and to evaluate access to health care services, including cancer screening (1)(2)(3)(4). By using area-level data, one can map estimates or rates of cancer risk factors; cancer screening use, incidence, and mortality; and access to cancer prevention, screening, and treatment services. ...
Bivariate choropleth mapping is a straightforward but underused method for displaying geographic health information to use in public health decision making. Previous studies have recommended this approach for state comprehensive cancer control planning and similar efforts. In this method, 2 area-level variables of interest are mapped simultaneously, often as overlapping quantiles or by using other classification methods. Variables to be mapped may include area-level (eg, county level) measures of disease burden, health care use, access to health care services, and sociodemographic characteristics. We demonstrate how geographic information systems software, specifically ArcGIS, can be used to develop bivariate choropleth maps to inform resource allocation and public health interventions. We used 2 types of county-level public health data: South Carolina's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System estimates of ever having received cervical cancer screening, and a measure of availability of cervical cancer screening providers that are part of South Carolina's Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. Identification of counties with low screening rates and low access to care may help inform where additional resources should be allocated to improve access and subsequently improve screening rates. Similarly, identifying counties with low screening rates and high access to care may help inform where educational and behavioral interventions should be targeted to improve screening in areas of high access.
... It is the first to examine MIR by congressional district, as previous studies had examined mortality rates alone (Hao et al., 2006;Siegel et al., 2015). Second, this paper displays policy-relevant maps, which can be helpful tools to inform the public and policymakers alike (Bell et al., 2006). Finally, although more work needs to be done to verify its relationship with 1-survival (Cordero-Morales et al., 2016;Ellis et al., 2019), the MIR has been shown to be a good proxy where it is cumbersome, difficult, expensive or impossible to compute survival (J.R. Hebert et al., 2009;Odahowski et al., 2018;Sunkara and Hebert, 2015, 2016a, 2016b. ...
