Cohort study
Methods for Retrospective Geocoding in Population Studies: The Jackson Heart Study
Cardiovascular disease
Additional Topic(s)
has_subject_area
Geographic information systems (GIS)
"The increasing use of geographic information systems (GIS) in epidemiological population studies requires careful attention to the methods employed in accomplishing geocoding and creating a GIS. Studies have provided limited details, hampering the ability to assess validity of spatial data. The purpose of this paper is to describe the multiphase geocoding methods used to retrospectively create a GIS in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). We used baseline data from 5,302 participants enrolled in the JHS between 2000 and 2004 in a multiphase process to accomplish geocoding 2 years after participant enrollment. After initial deletion of ungeocodable addresses (n=52), 96% were geocoded using ArcGIS. An interactive method using data abstraction from participant records, use of additional maps and street reference files, and verification of existence of address, yielded successful geocoding of all but 13 addresses. Overall, nearly 99% (n=5,237) of the JHS cohort was geocoded retrospectively using the multiple strategies for improving and locating geocodable addresses. Geocoding validation procedures revealed highly accurate and reliable geographic data. Using the methods and protocol developed provided a reliable spatial database that can be used for further investigation of spatial epidemiology. Baseline results were used to describe participants by select geographic indicators, including residence in urban or rural areas, as well as to validate the effectiveness of the study’s sampling plan. Further, our results indicate that retrospectively developing a reliable GIS for a large, epidemiological study is feasible. This paper describes some of the challenges in retrospectively creating a GIS and provides practical tips that enhanced the success."
Keywords: African Americans, Jackson Heart Study, Cohort studies, Geocoding, Geographic information systems, Spatial distribution
Resource Description
resource_description
5,302 participants enrolled in the JHS between 2000 and 2004
Study Population
study population
has_study_population
Related Publication or Documentation
has documentation
has_documentation
Methods for retrospective geocoding in population studies: the Jackson Heart Study
Topic
has topic
has_topic
cardiovascular system disease
Performed by
human study performed by
human_study_performed_by
Jackson Heart Study
Contact
has contact
has_contact
Taylor, Jr., Herman A.
PI
has PI
has_PI
Funded by
funded by
funded_by
National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
2011-02-09T09:55:05.321-06:00
sgarner (Solomon Garner)
2011-05-05T15:04:34.648-05:00
workflow state
Published
mwilson (Melanie Wilson)
tjohnson (Tenille Johnson)
Observational study
Human Study
human study
human study
Research project
research project
planned process
planned process
Quantitative human study
process
occurrent
entity