{"title":"Linking \"big\" geospatial and health data: implications for research in environmental epidemiology.","authors":"Andrea R Titus, Tarik Benmarhnia, Lorna E Thorpe","doi":"10.1289/EHP15756","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Environmental epidemiology studies increasingly integrate \"big\" geospatial and health datasets to examine associations between environmental factors and health outcomes. Using such datasets - and linking between them - presents a number of complexities with regard to study design and analytic approaches. These complexities are often magnified with the integration of additional contextual data representing other neighborhood characteristics, including socioeconomic factors. Guidance regarding the design of environmental health studies that leverage \"big\" geospatial and health outcome data is limited and fragmented.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>Drawing on methodological literature and case studies, this commentary outlines common challenges related to geospatial and health data linkages, posing a series of guiding questions and considerations for investigators conducting environmental health studies, particularly analyses with an etiological focus.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Recommendations include: 1) using a target trial approach to guide causal analysis, 2) aligning measures with hypothesized causal mechanisms, 3) exploring opportunities to \"groundtruth\" and validate data, and 4) prioritizing interdisciplinary science. The goal of the commentary is to consolidate insights from multiple disciplines - including exposure science, epidemiology, and sociology - to provide a foundation for etiologic research focused on advancing environmental health for all populations. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP15756.</p>","PeriodicalId":11862,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health Perspectives","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Environmental Health Perspectives","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP15756","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Environmental epidemiology studies increasingly integrate "big" geospatial and health datasets to examine associations between environmental factors and health outcomes. Using such datasets - and linking between them - presents a number of complexities with regard to study design and analytic approaches. These complexities are often magnified with the integration of additional contextual data representing other neighborhood characteristics, including socioeconomic factors. Guidance regarding the design of environmental health studies that leverage "big" geospatial and health outcome data is limited and fragmented.
Objective: Drawing on methodological literature and case studies, this commentary outlines common challenges related to geospatial and health data linkages, posing a series of guiding questions and considerations for investigators conducting environmental health studies, particularly analyses with an etiological focus.
Discussion: Recommendations include: 1) using a target trial approach to guide causal analysis, 2) aligning measures with hypothesized causal mechanisms, 3) exploring opportunities to "groundtruth" and validate data, and 4) prioritizing interdisciplinary science. The goal of the commentary is to consolidate insights from multiple disciplines - including exposure science, epidemiology, and sociology - to provide a foundation for etiologic research focused on advancing environmental health for all populations. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP15756.
期刊介绍:
Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) is a monthly peer-reviewed journal supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its mission is to facilitate discussions on the connections between the environment and human health by publishing top-notch research and news. EHP ranks third in Public, Environmental, and Occupational Health, fourth in Toxicology, and fifth in Environmental Sciences.