INTRODUCTIONRESULTS REFERENCES Interactive, Dynamic Mapping of
Health and Social Justice Factors in North Carolina. Christopher J.
Mansfield, PhD, MS, 1 Katherine Jones, PhD, 2 Denise Kirk, MA 3
MATERIALS & METHODS Maps and spatial analyses are useful for
describing disparities in health outcomes and underlying factors.
They facilitate discovery of patterns in data, suggest hypotheses,
and provide visual confirmation of correlations in hypothesis
testing. Maps are useful for communicating information to the
public and engaging community partners in research and
interventions to improve public health. Mapmaking and spatial
analysis typically involves expertise with complex GIS software
designed to create static products. We have employed a new
interactive dynamic software system to make data accessible to
researchers, public health practitioners, and the public. Data from
the US Census, 1 vital records, 2 the North Carolina Health
Professions Data System, 3 the CDC Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance Survey System, 4 and other public sources 5 were
assembled at the county level for North Carolina and aggregated to
be generalizable and protect confidentiality. Data are analyzed
using InstantAtlas which produces interactive applications on the
web with Adobe Flash technology for user- defined mapping and
analysis. The North Carolina Health Data Explorer provides access
to health data for North Carolina counties over the Internet in an
interactive, user-friendly atlas of maps, tables, and charts. It
allows users to select, visualize, explore and download data on
major disease mortality, disparities between groups, social and
economic factors, and health behaviors. Four kinds of user-defined,
interactive maps are presently available: 1) Profile maps with
spine charts relating county values to each other and a benchmark
(Fig. 1 & 2); 2) Double map displays of counties with scatter
plots and regression analysis of bivariate correlations (Fig. 3);
3) Maps with confidence intervals (Fig. 4); and, 4) Maps with
Bubble Plots describing relationships of up to four variables (Fig.
5& 6). DISCUSSION Fig.1. Diabetes Mortality Fig. 2. Obesity
Fig. 3. Diabetes Mortality and Poverty Fig. 4. Percent with no
personal doctor Fig. 5. Diabetes Mortality and Poverty by
Urban/Rural Region by NW- W Disparity Fig. 6. Premature Mortality
and Poverty and Female Headed Household by Region This innovation
in mapping is easy to employ and requires little instruction or
experience. It can be manipulated by users interactively on a
website for community diagnosis, policy analysis, research, and
teaching. It can facilitate prevention through innovative and
effective information technology. Funding for InstantAtlas software
was provided by East Carolina University. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1.US
Census, American Community Survey 2008, US Census 2000. 2.US
Compressed Mortality File and North Carolina State Center for
Health Statistics. 3.Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services
Research. UNC-Chapel Hill. 4.Centers for Disease Control and ECU
Center for Health Services Research and Development. 5.See NC
Health Data Explorer website. http://www.ecu.edu/chsrd/ AUTHORS
1.Professor, Department of Public Health and Director, Center for
Health Services Research and Development. East Carolina University
Greenville, NC 27858 2.Social Research Specialist, Center for
Health Services Research and Development. East Carolina University
3.Social Research Specialist, Center for Health Services Research
and Development. East Carolina University (formerly) Chris
Mansfield 252-744-2785 [email protected]