Browsing by Author "Shahid, Rizwan"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Comparison of distance measures in spatial analytical modeling for health service planning
    (BioMed Central, 2009-11-06) Shahid, Rizwan; Bertazzon, Stefania; Knudtson, Merril L.; Ghali, William A.
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    Geospatial patterns of comorbidity prevalence among people with osteoarthritis in Alberta Canada
    (2020-10-15) Liu, Xiaoxiao; Shahid, Rizwan; Patel, Alka B; McDonald, Terrence; Bertazzon, Stefania; Waters, Nigel; Seidel, Judy E; Marshall, Deborah A
    Abstract Background Knowledge of geospatial pattern in comorbidities prevalence is critical to an understanding of the local health needs among people with osteoarthritis (OA). It provides valuable information for targeting optimal OA treatment and management at the local level. However, there is, at present, limited evidence about the geospatial pattern of comorbidity prevalence in Alberta, Canada. Methods Five administrative health datasets were linked to identify OA cases and comorbidities using validated case definitions. We explored the geospatial pattern in comorbidity prevalence at two standard geographic areas levels defined by the Alberta Health Services: descriptive analysis at rural-urban continuum level; spatial analysis (global Moran’s I, hot spot analysis, cluster and outlier analysis) at the local geographic area (LGA) level. We compared area-level indicators in comorbidities hotspots to those in the rest of Alberta (non-hotspots). Results Among 359,638 OA cases in 2013, approximately 60% of people resided in Metro and Urban areas, compared to 2% in Rural Remote areas. All comorbidity groups exhibited statistically significant spatial autocorrelation (hypertension: Moran’s I index 0.24, z score 4.61). Comorbidity hotspots, except depression, were located primarily in Rural and Rural Remote areas. Depression was more prevalent in Metro (Edmonton-Abbottsfield: 194 cases per 1000 population, 95%CI 192–195) and Urban LGAs (Lethbridge-North: 169, 95%CI 168–171) compared to Rural areas (Fox Creek: 65, 95%CI 63–68). Comorbidities hotspots included a higher percentage of First Nations or Inuit people. People with OA living in hotspots had lower socioeconomic status and less access to care compared to non-hotspots. Conclusions The findings highlight notable rural-urban disparities in comorbidities prevalence among people with OA in Alberta, Canada. Our study provides valuable evidence for policy and decision makers to design programs that ensure patients with OA receive optimal health management tailored to their local needs and a reduction in current OA health disparities.
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    Integrating Spatial Analysis and System Dynamics to Model Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevalence
    (2014-05-16) Shahid, Rizwan; Bertazzon, Stefania
    Weight is an important indicator of current and future health and it is more crucial in children who are tomorrow’s adults. This research analyzes physical activity, food environment and socioeconomic factors but recognizes that there may be other factors, not included in the analyses that are influencing overweight and obesity. Contrary to the conventional thinking of global analysis, this research suggests localized analysis and need-based interventions. The one-size-fit-all strategy may not be effective in controlling obesity rates since each neighbourhood or set of neighbourhoods has unique characteristics that need to be addressed individually. This thesis offers an innovative framework combining local analysis with simulation modeling to analyze childhood overweight and obesity for children 4.5 to 6 years old. Spatial models generally do not deal with simulation over time, making it cumbersome for health planners and policy makers to effectively design and implement interventions and to quantify their impact over time. This research fills this gap by combining geographically weighted regression (GWR) to identify vulnerable neighbourhoods and critical factors for childhood overweight and obesity, and simulation modeling to evaluate the impact of suggested interventions on the targeted neighbourhoods. Walkability was chosen as a potential intervention to test the framework. Simulation results suggest that some walkability interventions would achieve measurable declines in childhood obesity rates. The result appears encouraging, and the improvement will likely compound over time. Moreover, the significant association between obesity and walkability decreases over time, exposing other factors that can be targeted at a later stage. The research further addresses an outstanding issue in the emerging GWR method, local multicollinearity, by proposing a novel solution. Another contribution in the GWR and cartography literature is the introduction of an innovative way of mapping t-values and R2. Overall, the results demonstrate that the integration of GWR and simulation modeling is cost effective, flexible and general in nature that can be applied to different areas and to address other health issues. The innovative framework has great potential for health professionals and policy makers to design obesity control and prevention programs that meet the unique characteristics of each neighbourhood.
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    Schools, Air Pollution, and Active Transportation: An Exploratory Spatial Analysis of Calgary, Canada
    (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2017-07-25) Bertazzon, Stefania; Shahid, Rizwan
    An exploratory spatial analysis investigates the location of schools in Calgary (Canada) in relation to air pollution and active transportation options. Air pollution exhibits marked spatial variation throughout the city, along with distinct spatial patterns in summer and winter; however, all school locations lie within low to moderate pollution levels. Conversely, the study shows that almost half of the schools lie in low walkability locations; likewise, transitability is low for 60% of schools, and only bikability is widespread, with 93% of schools in very bikable locations. School locations are subsequently categorized by pollution exposure and active transportation options. This analysis identifies and maps schools according to two levels of concern: schools in car-dependent locations and relatively high pollution; and schools in locations conducive of active transportation, yet exposed to relatively high pollution. The findings can be mapped and effectively communicated to the public, health practitioners, and school boards. The study contributes with an explicitly spatial approach to the intra-urban public health literature. Developed for a moderately polluted city, the methods can be extended to more severely polluted environments, to assist in developing spatial public health policies to improve respiratory outcomes, neurodevelopment, and metabolic and attention disorders in school-aged children.