March Dana, Susser Ezra
Department of Epidemiology, Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Am J Epidemiol. 2006 Jun 1;163(11):979-81. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwj170. Epub 2006 May 4.
In recent years, epidemiologists have established major variations in the incidence of schizophrenia and have begun to investigate the causes of these variations. The report by Pedersen and Mortensen (Am J Epidemiol 2006;163:971-8) in this issue of the Journal examines the contribution of family-level factors to the urban-rural difference in the incidence of schizophrenia. Their results suggest that familial life in urban environments confers some effect that persists after families move to rural settings. Taking these findings together with those of previous studies, it appears that factors operating at the level of the social context, the family, and the individual may all contribute to the urban-rural difference in schizophrenia incidence. This work exemplifies an integrative, multilevel approach to epidemiologic research that employs principles central to eco-epidemiology and other, similar frameworks.
近年来，流行病学家已证实精神分裂症发病率存在重大差异，并已开始调查这些差异的成因。Pedersen和Mortensen在本期《美国流行病学杂志》（2006年；163:971 - 8）上发表的报告，探讨了家庭层面因素对精神分裂症发病率城乡差异的影响。他们的研究结果表明，城市环境中的家庭生活具有一定影响，即便家庭搬到农村地区后这种影响依然存在。将这些研究结果与之前的研究相结合，似乎社会环境、家庭和个体层面的因素都可能导致精神分裂症发病率的城乡差异。这项研究体现了一种综合的、多层次的流行病学研究方法，该方法运用了生态流行病学及其他类似框架的核心原则。
