The Use of Small Area Estimates in Place-Based Health Research

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (6) ◽  
pp. 829-832
Author(s):  
Amanda Y. Kong ◽  
Xingyou Zhang

Interest in the impact of the built environment on health behaviors, outcomes, and disparities is increasing, and the growing development of statistical modeling techniques has allowed researchers to better investigate these relationships. However, without enough data that are identifiable at smaller geographic levels (e.g., census tract), place-based health researchers are unable to reliably estimate the prevalence of a health outcome at these more granular and potentially more salient neighborhood levels. When reliable direct survey estimates cannot be produced because of small samples or a lack of samples, estimates based on small area estimation techniques are often used. As place-based health research and the production and secondary use of small area estimates increase, it is critical that researchers understand both the underlying methods used to create these estimates and their limitations. Without this foundation, researchers may fit inappropriate models, or interpret findings inaccurately. As a demonstrative example, we focus this discussion on the small area health indicator estimates recently produced through the 500 Cities Project by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the CDC Foundation.

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Yury Travassos Ichihara ◽  
Dandara Ramos ◽  
Poliana Rebouças ◽  
Flávia Jôse Oliveira ◽  
Andrêa J. F. Ferreira ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE: To describe and assess currently used area-based measures of deprivation in Brazil for health research, to the purpose of informing the development of a future small area deprivation index. METHODS: We searched five electronic databases and seven websites of Brazilian research institutions and governmental agencies. Inclusion criteria were: studies proposing measures of deprivation for small areas (i.e., finer geography than country-level) in Brazil, published in English, Portuguese or Spanish. After data-extraction, results were tabulated according to the area level the deprivation measure was created for and to the dimensions of deprivation or poverty included in the measures. A narrative synthesis approach was used to summarize the measures available, highlighting their utility for public health research. RESULTS: A total of 7,199 records were retrieved, 126 full-text articles were assessed after inclusion criteria and a final list of 30 articles was selected. No small-area deprivation measures that have been applied to the whole of Brazil were found. Existing measures were mainly used to study infectious and parasitic diseases. Few studies used the measures to assess inequalities in mortality and no studies used the deprivation measure to evaluate the impact of social programs. CONCLUSIONS: No up-to-date small area-based deprivation measure in Brazil covers the whole country. There is a need to develop such an index for Brazil to measure and monitor inequalities in health and mortality, particularly to assess progress in Brazil against the Sustainable Development Goal targets for different health outcomes, showing progress by socioeconomic groups


Lupus ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 096120332110145
Author(s):  
Brittany L Smalls ◽  
Trevor D Faith ◽  
Hetlena Johnson ◽  
Edith M Williams

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus is an autoimmune disorder whose cause and reason for disproportionate impact on minorities remains enigmatic. Furthermore, statistics describing lupus incidence and prevalence are outdated and often based on small samples. To begin to address this disparity this report describes preliminary data to be utilized in the development of a state-wide lupus registry in South Carolina. Methods A prospective survey and retrospective data from the South Carolina Budget and Control Board Office of Research & Statistics were used to capture data pertaining to knowledge of lupus, prevalence, and access to lupus care. Results Retrospective ORS data indicated there were 11,690 individuals living with lupus in 2014 with the average direct cost of $69,999.40 in medical care. Prospective surveys (N = 325), in over 16 locations in South Carolina, showed 31% knew someone with lupus, 16% had been diagnosed with lupus, and 50% did not know of a medical facility that treated lupus. Conclusion A lupus registry and repository will provide ongoing access for researchers on the impact of lupus on communities in South Carolina. Lupus is highly prevalent, but disproportionately represented in terms of patient information and participation in clinical trials, so it is also expected that this preliminary work will provide an ongoing process in which the medical community can better engage lupus patients.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e040749
Author(s):  
Shanthi Ann Ramanathan ◽  
Sarah Larkins ◽  
Karen Carlisle ◽  
Nalita Turner ◽  
Ross Stewart Bailie ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo (1) apply the Framework to Assess the Impact from Translational health research (FAIT) to Lessons from the Best to Better the Rest (LFTB), (2) report on impacts from LFTB and (3) assess the feasibility and outcomes from a retrospective application of FAIT.SettingThree Indigenous primary healthcare (PHC) centres in the Northern Territory, Australia; project coordinating centre distributed between Townsville, Darwin and Cairns and the broader LFTB learning community across Australia.ParticipantsLFTB research team and one representative from each PHC centre.Primary and secondary outcome measuresImpact reported as (1) quantitative metrics within domains of benefit using a modified Payback Framework, (2) a cost-consequence analysis given a return on investment was not appropriate and (3) a narrative incorporating qualitative evidence of impact. Data were gathered through in-depth stakeholder interviews and a review of project documentation, outputs and relevant websites.ResultsLFTB contributed to knowledge advancement in Indigenous PHC service delivery; enhanced existing capacity of health centre staff, researchers and health service users; enhanced supportive networks for quality improvement; and used a strengths-based approach highly valued by health centres. LFTB also leveraged between $A1.4 and $A1.6 million for the subsequent Leveraging Effective Ambulatory Practice (LEAP) Project to apply LFTB learnings to resource development and creation of a learning community to empower striving PHC centres.ConclusionRetrospective application of FAIT to LFTB, although not ideal, was feasible. Prospective application would have allowed Indigenous community perspectives to be included. Greater appreciation of the full benefit of LFTB including a measure of return on investment will be possible when LEAP is complete. Future assessments of impact need to account for the limitations of fully capturing impact when intermediate/final impacts have not yet been realised and captured.


2021 ◽  
pp. 027347532110345
Author(s):  
Shannon Cummins ◽  
Jeff S. Johnson

Live cases, where students work directly with an outside organization to solve real-world problems, can be an immersive learning experience for marketing students. Current scholarship on live case usage in marketing is limited to small samples from a handful of live case devotees. This article draws from a large, international sample of 169 marketing educators to investigate the perceived educational impacts of live cases on student skill development. Specifically, the paper explores student teamwork, conflict handling, time management, presentation, communication, and critical thinking skills. Additionally, the article explores how student skill development is affected by the amount of course time dedicated to the live case as well as faculty experience with live cases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3320
Author(s):  
Amy R. Villarosa ◽  
Lucie M. Ramjan ◽  
Della Maneze ◽  
Ajesh George

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many changes, including restrictions on indoor gatherings and visitation to residential aged care facilities, hospitals and certain communities. Coupled with potential restrictions imposed by health services and academic institutions, these changes may significantly impact the conduct of population health research. However, the continuance of population health research is beneficial for the provision of health services and sometimes imperative. This paper discusses the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the conduct of population health research. This discussion unveils important ethical considerations, as well as potential impacts on recruitment methods, face-to-face data collection, data quality and validity. In addition, this paper explores potential recruitment and data collection methods that could replace face-to-face methods. The discussion is accompanied by reflections on the challenges experienced by the authors in their own research at an oral health service during the COVID-19 pandemic and alternative methods that were utilised in place of face-to-face methods. This paper concludes that, although COVID-19 presents challenges to the conduct of population health research, there is a range of alternative methods to face-to-face recruitment and data collection. These alternative methods should be considered in light of project aims to ensure data quality is not compromised.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Alexis De Crescenzo ◽  
Barbara Alison Gabella ◽  
Jewell Johnson

Abstract Background The transition in 2015 to the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Disease, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) in the US led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to propose a surveillance definition of traumatic brain injury (TBI) utilizing ICD-10-CM codes. The CDC’s proposed surveillance definition excludes “unspecified injury of the head,” previously included in the ICD-9-CM TBI surveillance definition. The study purpose was to evaluate the impact of the TBI surveillance definition change on monthly rates of TBI-related emergency department (ED) visits in Colorado from 2012 to 2017. Results The monthly rate of TBI-related ED visits was 55.6 visits per 100,000 persons in January 2012. This rate in the transition month to ICD-10-CM (October 2015) decreased by 41 visits per 100,000 persons (p-value < 0.0001), compared to September 2015, and remained low through December 2017, due to the exclusion of “unspecified injury of head” (ICD-10-CM code S09.90) in the proposed TBI definition. The average increase in the rate was 0.33 visits per month (p < 0.01) prior to October 2015, and 0.04 visits after. When S09.90 was included in the model, the monthly TBI rate in Colorado remained smooth from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM and the transition was no longer significant (p = 0.97). Conclusion The reduction in the monthly TBI-related ED visit rate resulted from the CDC TBI surveillance definition excluding unspecified head injury, not necessarily the coding transition itself. Public health practitioners should be aware that the definition change could lead to a drastic reduction in the magnitude and trend of TBI-related ED visits, which could affect decisions regarding the allocation of TBI resources. This study highlights a challenge in creating a standardized set of TBI ICD-10-CM codes for public health surveillance that provides comparable yet clinically relevant estimates that span the ICD transition.


2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Müller ◽  
Laura Castiglioni

In the context of cross-sectional surveys, the scope of research on the impact of response enhancing strategies on sample composition and nonresponse bias is vast. This topic has rarely been addressed for panel studies, however, although these are becoming an increasingly important data source in social research. In this article, we evaluate the impact of reissuing wave nonrespondents on sample composition and survey estimates in the German Family Panel pairfam. In light of concerns about an adequate representation of life changes in panel studies, we focus on whether temporary dropouts improve sample composition in this respect: Using retrospective information from these cases provided at reentry, we approximate the impact of “lost” reports of life changes due to attrition. Our analysis reveals that the inclusion of temporary dropouts does increase sample variability regarding life changes. However, example analyses indicate that substantive conclusions would not be compromised if temporary dropouts were excluded.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 631-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soumya Mazumdar ◽  
Nasser Bagheri ◽  
Paul Konings ◽  
Shanley Chong ◽  
Bin Jalaudin ◽  
...  
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