Introduction to Unit 2: Concepts in GIS and Health Analysis
This is the second unit in the module ‘GIS for Analysis of Health’. This unit explores spatial aspects of health analysis. In seeking to utilise GIS in the analysis of health it is particularly important that we are able to identify appropriate application questions.
There are 4 subsections in this unit:
- Spatial aspects of causality
- Unpacking composition and context
- Aggregated health data and the modifiable areal unit problem
- Calculating standardized rates
The first subsection, ‘spatial aspects of causality’, explores the unique contribution of a spatial perspective on the analysis of causality in relation to health.
In the second subsection you will review the complex issue of composition and context. This relates to the fact that similar types of people tend to live together, and that people living in the same area will tend to be exposed to the same influences on health. Disentangling those aspects which are characteristics of the people and those which are characteristics of the areas is a challenging but necessary consideration in the analysis of health.
In the third subsection, you will review the modifiable areal unit problem and the ecological fallacy and learn how they affect the observed patterns and relationships in geographically aggregated data, working with a simple dataset that is provided as part of the activity. Understanding of these concepts is fundamental to the appropriate use of area-based data within GIS.
The fourth subsection introduces the importance of taking account of denominator population characteristics when working with health event data, and introduces the concept of standardisation. This includes a practical exercise, looking at the standardisation of rates of long-term ill health from the 2011 census of England and Wales.