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. 2009 Jan;6(1):A03.
Epub 2008 Dec 15.

Mapping cancer for community engagement

Kirsten M M Beyer  1 , Gerard Rushton
Affiliations

Mapping cancer for community engagement

Kirsten M M Beyer et al. Prev Chronic Dis. 2009 Jan.

Abstract

Introduction: Two research strategies may reduce health disparities: community participation and the use of geographic information systems. When combined with community participation, geographic information systems approaches, such as the creation of disease maps that connect disease rates with community context, can catalyze action to reduce health disparities. However, current approaches to disease mapping often focus on the display of disease rates for political or administrative units. This type of map does not provide enough information on the local rates of cancer to engage community participation in addressing disparities.

Methods: We collaborated with researchers and cancer prevention and control practitioners and used adaptive spatial filtering to create maps that show continuous surface representations of the proportion of all colorectal cancer cases diagnosed in the late stage. We also created maps that show the incidence of colorectal cancer.

Results: Our maps show distinct patterns of cancer and its relationship to community context. The maps are available to the public on the Internet and through the activities of Iowa Consortium for Comprehensive Cancer Control partners.

Conclusion: Community-participatory approaches to research are becoming more common, as are the availability of geocoded data and the use of geographic information systems to map disease. If researchers and practitioners are to engage communities in exploring cancer rates, maps should be made that accurately represent and contextualize cancer in such a way as to be useful to people familiar with the characteristics of their local areas.

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Figures

Map of Iowa
Figure 1
Example of map and explanatory information to illustrate the spatial pattern of the proportion of all colorectal cancer cases diagnosed in the late stage, mapped using adaptive spatial filtering, Iowa, 1998-2003. Data sources: Cancer incidence data from the Iowa Cancer Registry; 1:100,000 digital raster graphic from the Iowa Geographic Image Map Server hosted by Iowa State University; incorporated area locations from the Natural Resources GIS Library hosted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the US Geological Survey.
Map of Iowa
Figure 2
Example of map and explanatory information to illustrate the spatial pattern of colorectal cancer incidence, mapped using adaptive spatial filtering, Iowa, 1998-2003. Data sources: Cancer incidence data from the Iowa Cancer Registry; 1:100,000 digital raster graphic from the Iowa Geographic Image Map Server hosted by Iowa State University; incorporated area locations from the Natural Resources GIS Library hosted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the US Geological Survey.
Map of Iowa
Figure 3
Example of map and explanatory information to illustrate the comparison of adaptive spatial filtering and traditional mapping using county boundaries for 9 northwest Iowa counties to show all colorectal cancer cases diagnosed in the late stage, 1998-2003. Data sources: Cancer incidence data from the Iowa Cancer Registry; 1:100,000 digital raster graphic from the Iowa Geographic Image Map Server hosted by Iowa State University; incorporated area locations from the Natural Resources GIS Library hosted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the US Geological Survey.
Map of Iowa
Figure 4
Example of map and explanatory information to illustrate the spatial pattern of the proportion of all colorectal cancer cases diagnosed in the late stage, mapped using county boundaries, Iowa, 1998-2003. Data sources: Cancer incidence data from the Iowa Cancer Registry; county border data from the Natural Resources GIS Library hosted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the US Geological Survey.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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