Displaying Data Geographically to Understand the Population

The complexity of capturing biological, behavioral and social environmental exposures on health outcomes for population and individual health require methods not usually taught to nurse researchers. Robust and rigorous assessment of ‘macro-level’ (environmental) factors with ‘micro-level’ (individual) factors on health outcomes is feasible with important software applications that are designed to create geographical relational databases using geographic information systems software (GIS). GIS allows a system for input, storage, processing and retrieval of spatially located data. This multidisciplinary software engages geographers, computer scientists, social scientists, planners, engineers and others. In this presentation, GIS will be thoroughly described and demonstrated in the context of this Nurse Practitioner’s NINR-funded program of health disparities research.

Understanding where people live and associated social determinants of health is critical to the development of tailored interventions to improve the overall health of the American people. With observed racial and ethnic health disparities across communities and socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods throughout the U.S, there are increasing priorities for clinicians and researchers to consider the built-environment on health and health care services that promote or hinder optimal health outcomes. Tailoring care to promote optimal wellness and disease prevention of those that nurse practitioners care for and the populations we study, we must consider the built environment.

Geographical relational databases using GIS software to link map layers allow assessment of spatial relationships using a multitude of data and variables aggregated to small or large geographic unit of analyses. Geocoding allows aggregation of individual level to the environmental unit of analysis. Through GIS, a plethora of data can be imported to understand the built environment of where. Cartography, the art of map making, allows creativity in GIS to spatially design the ‘picture’ that is powerful and much more understandable than complex data tables that display results from advanced multivariate hierarchal statistical models.  Assessment of spatial relationships uses a multitude of data and variables aggregated to small or large geographic unit of analyses. Mapping through GIS software is a powerful tool and should be considered to understand the environment where people live, work and relax.