Application of the double kernel density approach to the analysis of cancer incidence in a major metropolitan area

Davarashvili, Sarit; Zusman, Marina; Keinan‐Boker, Lital; Rybnikova, Nataliya; Kaufman, Zalman; Silverman, Barbara; Dubnov, Jonathan; Linn, Shai; Portnov, Boris A.

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2016.06.010

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…To eliminate the confines of arbitrary administrative boundaries, we followed the double kernel density (DKD) method [ 43 – 48 ] to calculate distributions of SGA and LBWT, normalized by all births. DKD involves kernel density estimation—a non-parametric method that spreads point values across a surface by calculating the magnitude-per-unit area from points (representing the counts of birth events), fitted to a smoothly tapered function that spreads the values within a specified distance (25 km for this study) around each point [ 49 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping outdoor habitat and abnormally small newborns to develop an ambient health hazard index

2017

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BackgroundThe geography of where pregnant mothers live is important for understanding outdoor environmental habitat that may result in adverse birth outcomes. We investigated whether more babies were born small for gestational age or low birth weight at term to mothers living in environments with a higher accumulation of outdoor hazards.MethodsLive singleton births from the Alberta Perinatal Health Program, 2006–2012, were classified according to birth outcome, and used in a double kernel density estimation to determine ratios of each outcome per total births. Individual and overlay indices of spatial models of 136 air emissions and 18 land variables were correlated with the small for gestational age and low birth weight at term, for the entire province and sub-provincially.ResultsThere were 24 air substances and land sources correlated with both small for gestational age and low birth weight at term density ratios. On the provincial scale, there were 13 air substances and 2 land factors; sub-provincial analysis found 8 additional air substances and 1 land source.ConclusionThis study used a combination of multiple outdoor variables over a large geographic area in an objective model, which may be repeated over time or in other study areas. The air substance-weighted index best identified where mothers having abnormally small newborns lived within areas of potential outdoor hazards. However, individual air substances and the weighted index provide complementary information.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%