Feasibility of Using Survey Data and Semi‐variogram Kriging to Obtain Bespoke Indices of Neighborhood Characteristics: A Simulation and a Case Study

Abstract

Data on neighborhood characteristics are not typically collected in epidemiological studies. They are however useful, for example, in the study of small‐area health inequalities and may be available in social surveys. We propose to use kriging based on semi‐variogram models to predict values at nonobserved locations with the aim of obtaining indicators of neighborhood characteristics of epidemiological study participants. The spatial data available for kriging is usually sparse at small distance and therefore we perform a simulation study to assess the feasibility and usability of the method as well as a case study using data from the RECORD study. Apart from having enough observed data at small distances to the non‐observed locations, a good fitting semi‐variogram, a larger range and the absence of nugget effects for the semi‐variogram models are factors leading to a higher reliability. Recommendations on the required number of observations within the neighborhood range are given.