176407 Using CX3 and geographic information systems (GIS) to evaluate resource inequity and health disparities in two neighboring communities: Riverside County, California

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Kevin Meconis, MPH , Epidemiology and Program Evaluation, Riverside County Department of Public Health, Riverside, CA
Sandy Wales , Riverside County Department of Public Health, Riverside, CA
Gayle Hoxter, MPH, RD , Nutrition Services, Riverside County Department of Public Health, Riverside, CA
Wendy Betancourt, MPH , Epidemiology and Program Evaluation Branch, Riverside County Department of Public Health, Riverside, CA
Unequal distribution of resources has been shown to affect health outcomes, such that those who have social and economic capital also typically have better health than those with fewer resources. For this reason, the Riverside County Department of Public Health (RCDOPH) is taking actions to ensure that all community residents, regardless of socioeconomic status, have access to healthy food, health care, and places for children and adults to be safely physically active. GIS mapping was combined with CX3, an evaluation tool developed by the California Department of Public Health, to identify and characterize communities with great resource inequity. A standardized list of indicators was used to quantify the number of grocery stores, farmer's markets, parks, convenience stores, fast food restaurants, public transportation access points, and health care clinics. The focus area is a small, youthful, impoverished, and predominantly Hispanic community in the Coachella Valley. Comparable data were collected for a neighboring community that is primarily white and affluent, with a higher median age. The resulting maps and data products demonstrate the dramatic differences between the two proximate built environments to local policy makers, planners, and developers. Combined with local morbidity and mortality data, the maps stimulate residents to participate in community forums on local growth and development. RCDOPH staff effectively target local businesses to increase awareness and participation with various nutrition programs. Local leaders use this data to help identify areas where physical activity can be increased by modifying or adding structures like streets, sidewalks, and parks.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the value of utilizing a standardized set of indicators for quantifying the built environment as it pertains to nutrition and physical activity. 2. Understand the value of utilizing GIS maps for local asset mapping. 3. Discuss the benefits of using GIS in epidemiology.

Keywords: Geographic Information Systems, Health Disparities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I prepared, researched, and developed this described study. I have 5+ years of public health epidemiology experience.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.