Disciplines
Environmental Public Health | Epidemiology | Geographic Information Sciences | Other Geography | Spatial Science
Abstract (300 words maximum)
According to the CDC Cancer Statistics Report in 2020, Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct is the 6th leading cancer in both USA and the State of Georgia ranked by Rates of Cancer Death. Aflatoxin-containing foods, alcohol consumption, smoking, overeating, and other risky behaviors are among the factors linked to liver diseases. They have also been related to the socioeconomic status (SES) of individuals. The behaviors and SES of individuals are affected by the socioeconomic characteristics of the communities where they live. However, the relationships between the rates of liver diseases and community-level socioeconomic factors are not well studied. The objective of this project is to examine the spatial associations of the rates of both alcoholic and chronic liver diseases with socioeconomic factors, including income, education level, and social vulnerability index (SVI), at county-level in Georgia using GIS (Geographic Information System) and statistical analyses. GIS is used to map and compare the spatial patterns in rates of alcoholic and chronic liver diseases and socioeconomic factors by counties. GIS-based hot spot analysis is used to identify the spatial clusters of the rates of liver diseases. Statistical analyses, especially correlation analysis, are used to quantify and compare the associations of the rates of both alcoholic and chronic liver diseases with each of the studied socioeconomic factors. This study is expected to reveal the spatial patterns and hot spots of the rates of both alcoholic and chronic liver diseases and their associations with socioeconomic factors across counties in Georgia. It will contribute to a better understanding of the associations of liver diseases with socioeconomic factors and provide useful information for health policy making.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Geography & Anthropology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Jun Tu
Included in
Environmental Public Health Commons, Epidemiology Commons, Geographic Information Sciences Commons, Other Geography Commons, Spatial Science Commons
Spatial Associations of Liver Disease Rates with Socioeconomic and Health Risk Factors in Georgia
According to the CDC Cancer Statistics Report in 2020, Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct is the 6th leading cancer in both USA and the State of Georgia ranked by Rates of Cancer Death. Aflatoxin-containing foods, alcohol consumption, smoking, overeating, and other risky behaviors are among the factors linked to liver diseases. They have also been related to the socioeconomic status (SES) of individuals. The behaviors and SES of individuals are affected by the socioeconomic characteristics of the communities where they live. However, the relationships between the rates of liver diseases and community-level socioeconomic factors are not well studied. The objective of this project is to examine the spatial associations of the rates of both alcoholic and chronic liver diseases with socioeconomic factors, including income, education level, and social vulnerability index (SVI), at county-level in Georgia using GIS (Geographic Information System) and statistical analyses. GIS is used to map and compare the spatial patterns in rates of alcoholic and chronic liver diseases and socioeconomic factors by counties. GIS-based hot spot analysis is used to identify the spatial clusters of the rates of liver diseases. Statistical analyses, especially correlation analysis, are used to quantify and compare the associations of the rates of both alcoholic and chronic liver diseases with each of the studied socioeconomic factors. This study is expected to reveal the spatial patterns and hot spots of the rates of both alcoholic and chronic liver diseases and their associations with socioeconomic factors across counties in Georgia. It will contribute to a better understanding of the associations of liver diseases with socioeconomic factors and provide useful information for health policy making.