Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
Health Place. 2023 May;81:103001. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.103001. Epub 2023 Mar 20.
Population density is an indicator in many studies, but often with only a cursory explanation of why. Unfortunately, elected officials and the media draw misleading conclusions about population density and public health. After providing three reasons why population density is linked to human health outcomes, using state, county, municipal and neighborhood scale data, we show that population density serves as a surrogate for explaining the geographical distribution of life expectancy and broadband access. However, population density loses its unique contribution when other factors influencing health are included. We urge authors to explain why they include population density in their studies.
人口密度是许多研究中的一个指标，但往往只是粗略地解释了为什么。不幸的是，政府官员和媒体对人口密度与公众健康之间的关系得出了误导性的结论。在提供了人口密度与人类健康结果相关的三个原因后，我们使用州、县、市和社区规模的数据表明，人口密度可以用来解释预期寿命和宽带接入的地理分布。然而，当纳入其他影响健康的因素时，人口密度就失去了其独特的贡献。我们敦促作者解释为什么在他们的研究中包含人口密度。
