Spatial epidemiology
Encyclopedia
Spatial epidemiology
is a subfield of health geography
focused on the study of the spatial distribution of disease
.
Specific applications
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
is a subfield of health geography
Health geography
Health geography is the application of geographical information, perspectives, and methods to the study of health, disease, and health care.- Overview :...
focused on the study of the spatial distribution of disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
.
See also
General topics- Cluster (epidemiology)Cluster (epidemiology)A cluster refers to a grouping of health-related events that are related temporally and in proximity. Typically, when clusters are recognized, they are reported to public health departments in the local area. The 1854 cholera outbreak which occurred in London is a classical example of a cluster...
- Complete spatial randomnessComplete spatial randomnessComplete spatial randomness describes a point process whereby point events occur within a given study area in a completely random fashion. Such a process is often modeled using only one parameter, i.e. the density of points, \rho within the defined area...
- Geographic information systemGeographic Information SystemA geographic information system, geographical information science, or geospatial information studies is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographically referenced data...
- Geographic information scienceGeographic Information ScienceGeographic information science is the academic theory behind the development, use, and application of geographic information systems...
- Modifiable Areal Unit ProblemModifiable Areal Unit ProblemThe modifiable areal unit problem is a source of statistical bias that can radically affect the results of statistical hypothesis tests. It affects results when point-based measures of spatial phenomena are aggregated into districts. The resulting summary values are influenced by the choice of...
- Spatial analysisSpatial analysisSpatial analysis or spatial statistics includes any of the formal techniques which study entities using their topological, geometric, or geographic properties...
- Spatial autocorrelation
Specific applications
- French paradoxFrench paradoxThe French Paradox is the observation that French people suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a diet relatively rich in saturated fats...
- Stroke BeltStroke BeltStroke Belt or Stroke Alley is a name given to a region in the southeastern United States that has been recognized by public health authorities for having an unusually high incidence of stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease...
External links
- Spatialepidemiology.net - Provides a map-based interface for the display and analysis of infectious disease epidemiological data
Further reading
- Paul Elliott, J. C. Wakefield, Nicola G. Best, and David J. Briggs, editors (2000). Spatial Epidemiology: Methods and Applications. Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780198515326