Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography for GEO 565 Winter 09
The use of GIS in Watsan-Health Issues
Prepared by:
Madhurima Bhadra, MPH-IH Candidate
Contact: bhadram@onid.orst.edu
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In 1854, an English physician, John Snow, provided the classic example of how mapping can be used in epidemiological research. He identified the water source responsible for an outbreak of cholera in London by mapping the locations of those afflicted. GIS has continued to be used in public health for epidemiological studies. By tracking the sources of diseases and the movements of contagions, agencies can respond more effectively to outbreaks of disease by identifying at-risk populations and targeting intervention. (http://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/0499/umbrella.html)
Many health professionals can benefit from further education in this area, and with their new knowledge, they can influence the progress of health surveillance, environmental health assessment and the geographic allocation of health resources.
Improvements in the following areas are contributing to the rapid adoption of GIS:
• health information systems--the increasing availability of geo-coded health data;
• availability of digital geographic files that contain layers of geographical information;
• availability of environmental exposure information;
• GIS technology--inexpensive software is easier to use, contains increased functionality and runs on a wider range of hardware, including PCs;
• methods of spatial analysis are becoming available as separate software modules or are embedded in GIS. (http://www.uiowa.edu/~geog/health/)
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Cifuentes, E., Mazari-Hiritart, M., Carneiro, F., Bianchi, F., & Gonzales, D. (2002). The risk of enteric diseases in young children and environmental indicators in sentinel areas of Mexico City.. International Journal of Environmental Health Reseach. 12, 53-62.
This study tries to promote the development of environmental health indicators in Mexico City. The authors of the study focused on water quality, household characteristics like sanitation and risk of enteric diseases. The GIS was used to identify eligible wells and the surrounding homesteads. The pilot study was conducted during rainy season with a random sampling of 1250 households. Linkages between environmental factors and health risk were created from spatially distributed information and the environmental health indicators. The authors feel that this information will contribute to more investigations and policy making.
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Ali, M., Emch, M., Donnay, J.P., Yunus, M., & Sack, R.B. (2002). Identifying environmental risk factors for endemic cholera: a raster GIS approach. Health & Place. 8, 201-210.
The authors of this study identify environmental risk factors for cholera in an endemic area of Bangladesh using a GIS approach. The study collected data from a longitudinal health and demographic surveillance system and the data was integrated in a GIS database for the research area. The study found three risk factors, which were proximity to surface water, high population density and poor educational level. This paper indicates that the methodological deficiencies of defining socio-environmental risk factors in earlier studies can now be resolved using a spatial research framework.
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Njemanze, P.C., Anozie, J., Ihenacho, J.O., Russell, M.J., Uwaeziozi, A.B., & (1999). Application of risk analysis and geographic information system technologies to the prevention of diarrheal diseases in Nigeria. 61(3), 356-360.
In this article the authors describe a project that used risk analysis methods and GIS technologies to evaluate the health impact of water sources in Imo State, Nigeria. The true spatial relationship of the geology, hydrology, towns and villages were provided by an overlay of the layers in a GIS database. These were used to determine the proximity of rivers and streams to towns and villages. The contribution of the various layers to the database to the overall probability of a hazard occurring was calculated by a probabilistic layer analysis (PLA). This integration of the PLA in the GIS database had wide applications. Its application to development of water resources and evaluation of health impact on diarrheal disease has been suggested by the authors.
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Pande, S., Keyzer, M.A., Arouna, A., Sonneveld, B.G.J.S., & (2008). Addressing diarrhea prevalance in the West African Middle Belt: social and geographic dimensions in a case study of Benin. Internaional Journal of Health Geographics. 7(17).
This paper looks at the capacity of the Middle Belt zone of Benin to reduce diarrhea prevalence, as a case study. The study combines the data from the Demographic health survey with various spatial data sets for Benin. The authors apply mixed effect logit regression to arrive at a spatially explicit assessment of geographical and social determinants of diarrhea prevalence. The study confirms that a household with access to clean water and with good hygienic practices will not suffer form diarrhea very often. The endogenicity tests show that joint estimation is better than an instrumental variable regression. Regarding geographical causes, diarrhea prevalence varies with ground water availability and quality across Benin. A multifaceted approach is needed that acknowledges the public good aspects of health situation and consequently combines collective action with investments into water sources with improved management of public wells and further educational efforts to change hygienic practices.
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McKee, K.T., Shields, T.M., Jenkins, P.R., Zenilman, J.M., & Glass, G.E. (2000). Application of a geographic information system to the tracking and control of an outbreak of Shigellosis. Clinial Infectious diseases. 31, 728-733.
This article describes the use of a commercial GIS to gain insight into the source and persistence of a Shigellosis outbreak. The study used a database consisting of demographic, temporal and home-address information for all the recognized cases of shigellosis. The use of GIS enabled the researchers to demonstrate a space-time clustering of cases and get a comprehensive picture of the evolution and distribution of the epidemic. Targeted education among residents of the neighborhood in which there was intense transmission was associated with prompt extinction of the epidemic. GIS is finding widespread application in the prediction, management, and control of infectious disease and other public health problems.
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Cifuentes, E., Suarez, L., Solano, M., & Santos, R. (2002). Diarrheal diseases in children from a water reclamation site in Mexico City. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110, A619-A624.
Cifuentes et al, conducted a study to assess the risk of enteric disease among children living in water reclamation site in Mexico City. They used a GIS to define eligible wells and surrounding homesteads. This study visited 750 households and interviewed those homes with children less than 5 years of age. Data was obtained during the rainy season and during the dry season. The study suggests that there is an endemic pattern to enteric diseases rather than a water-borne outbreak. The authors emphasize the association between groundwater quality and health risk. The article also points out the influence of housing deficiencies, hygiene related behavior, water storage practices, and risk perceptions on health risk. The authors recommend a health protection policy with regards to water reclamation sites.
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Ali, M., Emch, M., Donnay, J.P., Yunus, M., & Sack, R.B. (2002). The spatial epidemiology of cholera in an endemic area of Bangladesh. Social Science & Medicine, 55, 1015-1024.
The authors of this article analyzed the spatial distribution of cholera over two time periods. It defines high-risk areas of cholera based on environmental risk factors of the disease in an endemic area of Bangladesh. It identifies the determinants of death due to cholera for the two different time periods dominated by the different cholera agents. The study was conducted in Matlab and a vector spatial database of the study area was created in 1994. Health and demographic data was collected for all individuals living in this area. Cholera-morbidity and acute watery diarrhea were calculated within the raster GIS. The modeled risk areas that were based on the risk factors were found to correspond with actual distributions of cholera morbidity and mortality. The high-risk areas of the dominant cholera agents were stable over time. This study shows that geographical investigations are important in public health for initiating effective control programs to reduce health problems from environmental diseases.
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Lewis, M.D., Pavlin, J.A., Mansfield, J.L., O'Brien, S., Boomsma, L.G., & Elbert, Y. (2002). Disease outbreak detection system using syndromic data in the Greater Washington DC area. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 23(3), 180-186.
This article describes the importance of early detection of infectious disease outbreak. The authors describe the medical information systems at the Department of Defense. They performed geospatial mapping and trend analysis on a daily basis from December 1999 to January 2002. The paper discusses several natural disease outbreaks and an analysis of retrospective data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s sentinel physicians-surveillance network during the influenza season.
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Ali, M., Emch, M., Ashley, C., & Streatfield, P.K. (2001). Implementation of a medical geographic information system: concept and uses. Journal of Health Population and Nutrition, 19(2), 100-110.
This paper introduces a medical geographic information system which has been implemented to enhance public health research by facilitating the modeling of spatial processes of disease, environment, and healthcare systems in a rural area of Bangladesh. It presents concepts and uses of a well structured MGIS that was implemented in 1994 to enhance the research capabilities of Center for Health and Population Research in public health. Selected information on reproductive and child health, socioeconomic conditions, and health and family planning interventions were collected. The paper discusses the conceptual design for integrating the surveillance database with the medical geographic information system and its use in conducting multidisciplinary health research.
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Clarke, K.C., McLafferty, S.L., & Temalski, B.J. (1996). On Epidemiology and Geographic Information Systems: A review and discussion of future directions. Emerging Infectious Diseases . 2.
This article tries to bridge the gap between the principles of GIS, the technology of GIS, the discipline of geography and the health sciences. Epidemiologists have traditionally used maps when analyzing associations between location, environment, and disease. GIS is well suited for studying these associations because of its spatial analysis and display capabilities. The authors provide examples of GIS being used to identify locations of high prevalence, monitor interventions and disease control programs. The authors also see GIS as a set of tools that would improve and promote public health.
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Fayzieva, D., Kamilova, E. (2008). On development of GIS based drinking water quality assessment tool for the Aral Sea area. Transboundary Water Resources: A foundation for regional stability in Central Asia, 183-192.
This paper presents and discusses results of the GIS-based studies of the Zarafshan River including the territories of the Samarkand, Navoi and Bukhara provinces, where the epidemic situation from water borne infection occurs, especially for typhoid fever and bacterial dysentery. The major objectives of the present study are to improve the methodology of evaluation of impact water quality on public health using GIS including collection, systematization of the existing data, to perform information analysis on water indicators of the water reservoirs that are affecting by various kinds of contamination and to evaluation possible effects on the health indicators. Thematic maps were created on the basis of ecological and epidemiological data of different territories and it was found that zones with high rates of morbidity tend to be associated with unfavorable water conditions. The authors conclude that approved methods of the epidemiological analysis using the GIS helps with the evaluation of environment risk for human health. GIS technology ensures joining different agencies, organizations and institutions of industrial, nature protection and medical profiles and enables one to form a holistic conception on the risk of getting infected with water borne diseases.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Clean water, healthy lives