空间在流行病学中有什么作用？

What is the place for space in epidemiology?

机构信息

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; Rural and Minority Health Research Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; Big Data Health Science Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.

Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA; Emory Maternal and Child Health Center of Excellence, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

出版信息

Ann Epidemiol. 2021 Dec;64:41-46. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2021.08.022. Epub 2021 Sep 13.

DOI:10.1016/j.annepidem.2021.08.022

PMID:34530128

Abstract

At the heart of spatial epidemiology is the need to describe and understand variation in population health. In this review and introduction to the themed issue on "Spatial Analysis and GIS in Epidemiology," we present theoretical foundations and methodological developments in spatial epidemiology, discuss spatial analytical techniques and their public health applications, and identify novel data sources and applications with the potential to make epidemiology more consequential. Challenges with using georeferenced data are also explored, including dealing with small sample sizes, missingness, generalizability, and geographic scale. Given the increasing availability of spatial data and visualization tools, we have an opportunity to overcome traditionally siloed fields and practice settings to advance knowledge and more appropriately respond to emerging public health crises.

摘要

空间流行病学的核心是需要描述和理解人群健康的变化。在这篇关于“流行病学中的空间分析和 GIS”的综述和专题介绍中，我们介绍了空间流行病学的理论基础和方法进展，讨论了空间分析技术及其在公共卫生中的应用，并确定了具有潜在影响力的新数据源和应用。我们还探讨了使用地理参考数据所面临的挑战，包括处理小样本量、缺失值、可推广性和地理尺度等问题。鉴于空间数据和可视化工具的可用性不断增加，我们有机会克服传统上孤立的领域和实践环境，以推进知识并更恰当地应对新出现的公共卫生危机。