The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #73842

Gerard Rushton, PhD, Department of Geography, University of Iowa, 215 Lexington Ave, Iowa City, IA 52246, 319-351-8604, gerard-rushton@uiowa.edu

Alternative methods for describing geographic patterns of colorectal and breast cancer in Iowa based on Cancer Registry data will be discussed. The sensitivity of the patterns to the geographic scale of the original data and to the geographic scale of the analyses will be shown. The problem of separating “real geographic features in the pattern” from expected random variations in geographic patterns—a general problem encountered in all maps of disease rates--will be discussed in relation to simulated geographic patterns. This work illustrates how GIS-based models can improve our ability to make reliable inferences about geographic patterns of disease. Participants will learn how maps produced in a geographic information system can change with different levels of detail in the input data. They will also learn to recognize that some kinds of variations in geographic patterns of disease are spurious and to identify characteristic features of such patterns.

Learning Objectives:

• Alternative methods for describing geographic patterns of colorectal and breast cancer in Iowa based on Cancer Registry data will be discussed. The sensitivity of the patterns to the geographic scale of the original data and to the geographic scale of the analyses will be shown. The problem of separating “real geographic features in the pattern” from expected random variations in geographic patterns—a general problem encountered in all maps of disease rates--will be discussed in relation to simulated geographic patterns. This work illustrates how GIS-based models can improve our ability to make reliable inferences about geographic patterns of disease. Participants will learn how maps produced in a geographic information system can change with different levels of detail in the input data. They will also learn to recognize that some kinds of variations in geographic patterns of disease are spurious and to identify characteristic features of such patterns.

Keywords: Geographic Information Systems, Cancer

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.