Abstract

SPATIAL EPIDEMIOLOGY: GEOSTATISTICAL TOOL FOR DISEASE MAPPING

Dr. Dipayan Datta, BDS*, Dr. S. G. Ramesh Kumar, MDS, Dr. M. B. Aswath Narayanan, BSc, MDS, Dr. A. Leena Selvamary, MDS and Dr. A. Sujatha, MDS

Abstract

Spatial Epidemiology is the description and analysis of geographic variations in disease with respect to demographic, environmental, behavioural, socioeconomic, genetic and infectious risk factors. Currently the use of Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and Remote Sensing is increased in public health research in most of the developed countries. Advances in GIS and statistical methodology together with the availability of highresolution, geographically referenced health databases present unprecedented new opportunities to investigate the environmental, social and behavioural factors underlying geographic variations in disease rates at small-area scale. In the future, developments in exposure modelling and mapping, enhanced study designs, and new methods of surveillance of large health databases promise to improve our ability to understand the complex relationships of environment to health.

Keywords: Spatial Epidemiology; Geographic Information System; Disease mapping; Public health research.