Spatial Models Applied on Modern Epidemiological Research: An Example of Malignant Neoplasms of Larynx, Trachea, Bronchus and Lung

Abstract

Background: The effectiveness of the Greek Health policies is highly doubted, especially in times of economic crisis. We selected a disease associated with one of the highest causes of mortality in Greece to explore this phenomenon. Methods: The number of deaths due to malignant neoplasms of larynx, trachea, bronchus and lung in 2001 and 2006 was used. Mortality rates were analyzed in relation to socioeconomic factors, through Cluster Analysis k-means. Finally, prediction of their variance across the different area of Greece in 2001 and 2006 was fulfilled by the interpolation method of ordinary kriging. Results: Prefectures of the same administrative region are characterised by different behavior while they may match with Prefectures of other administrative regions. In the prediction map, mortality rates range from 0.53 to 1.31, in 2001 and from 0.66 to 1.27, in 2006. There is an increase of mortality from one year to another, especially in some Prefectures that move from low clusters in 2001 to very high ones in 2006. Conclusions: This study outlines the regional and spatial inequalities in health, which could be scientifically revealed through the study of health data and their trends. We suggest the promotion of health maps for communication among public health researchers and decision makers.