Spatial clustering of emergency department visits by asthmatic children in an urban area: south-western Detroit, Michigan.

ABSTRACTObjectiveThis ecological study evaluates the correlation of asthma clusters with outdoor air pollution, race, and household income in South-western Detroit, Michigan.DesignTo attain this objective (1) a geographic information aystem (GIS) is utilized to evaluate the relationships between rat...

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Publicado en:Ambulatory Child Health Vol. 7; no. 3/4; pp. 297 - 313
Autores principales: Meliker JR, Nriagu JO, Hammad AS, Savoie KL, Jamil H, Devries JM
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell 2001
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: 2001
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        10.1046/j.1467-0658.2001.00143.x
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        atl: Spatial clustering of emergency department visits by asthmatic children in an urban area: south-western Detroit, Michigan.
      aug:
        au:
          Meliker JR
          Nriagu JO
          Hammad AS
          Savoie KL
          Jamil H
          Devries JM
        affil: University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, 109 S. Observatory St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029; jmeliker@umich.edu
      sug:
        subj:
          Air Pollution
          Asthma Epidemiology
          Emergency Service Utilization
          Adolescence
          Air Pollutants Analysis
          Asthma Etiology
          Child
          Child, Preschool
          Correlational Studies
          Ethnic Groups
          Female
          Geographic Factors
          Geographic Information Systems
          Infant
          Infant, Newborn
          Male
          Maps
          Michigan
          Multiple Linear Regression
          Socioeconomic Factors
          Urban Areas
          Human
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Child: 6-12 years
          Child, Preschool: 2-5 years
          Infant: 1-23 months
          Infant, Newborn: birth-1 month
          Female
          Male
      ab: ABSTRACTObjectiveThis ecological study evaluates the correlation of asthma clusters with outdoor air pollution, race, and household income in South-western Detroit, Michigan.DesignTo attain this objective (1) a geographic information aystem (GIS) is utilized to evaluate the relationships between rates of emergency department (ED) admissions for asthma, race, and socio-economic status at the neighborhood block group level of analysis; (2) cluster statistical analyses are performed using Geomed software; and (3) the asthma risk from industrial air pollution was evaluated with windrose data and Screen3 air pollution model.SampleData from five major hospitals with ED admissions of asthma patients (code 493), aged 0-15 years, are used to select a region of analysis with good geographical representation based on the catchment areas of hospitals in the study. A total of 2067 of the reported cases between 1 January 1993 and 30 June 1998, are successfully geocoded to a map, generating a no-match rate of 8.4%. Data on racial characteristics, population density, and household income levels are obtained from neighborhood block groups in the 1990 census report. Locations of major polluting industries within the study area are obtained from the Toxics Release Inventory.ResultsSpatial analysis identified a local asthma cluster roughly 2 km east (the predominant downwind direction) of the second and third largest air polluters (in terms of tonnage) in Wayne County. Evaluation of the industrial pollution with a focused cluster test, Screen3 air pollution model, and windrose figures, displayed weak association between ED asthma admissions and estimated levels of outdoor air pollution from these two facilities. The neighborhood block groups in the local asthma cluster are more closely correlated with high proportions of African Americans and low median household income.Implications for practiceThis study illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of GIS in the public health arena. It highlights the difficulty of disentangling the effects of exposure to outdoor air pollutants and socio-economic factors on ED asthmatics (reflecting asthma severity) among an urban population. This study also illustrates the need for population-based, as opposed to hospital-based, asthma data, and the need for block-groups, as opposed to zip codes, as a spatial unit of analysis in the evaluation and analysis of asthma-related risk factors.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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