Measuring Spatial Social Polarization in Public Health Research: A Scoping Review of Methods and Applications.

Spatial social polarization (SSP) refers to the uneven spatial distribution and subsequent concentration of polarized social and/or economic groups in a specified geographic area. However, there is heterogeneity in how SSP is measured and operationalized in research. To this end, we conducted a scoping review to characterize the use of SSP measures in public health research, providing a foundation for those seeking to navigate this complex literature, select measurement options, and identify opportunities for methodological development.

Business Data Categorization and Refinement for Application in Longitudinal Neighborhood Health Research: a Methodology.

Retail environments, such as healthcare locations, food stores, and recreation facilities, may be relevant to many health behaviors and outcomes. However, minimal guidance on how to collect, process, aggregate, and link these data results in inconsistent or incomplete measurement that can introduce misclassification bias and limit replication of existing research. We describe the following steps to leverage business data for longitudinal neighborhood health research: re-geolocating establishment addresses, preliminary classification using standard industrial codes, systematic checks to refine classifications, incorporation and integration of complementary data sources, documentation of a flexible hierarchical classification system and variable naming conventions, and linking to neighborhoods and participant residences.

Patterns in Geographic Access to Health Care Facilities Across Neighborhoods in the United States Based on Data From the National Establishment Time-Series Between 2000 and 2014.

Importance: The association between proximity to health care facilities and improved disease management and population health has been documented, but little is known about small-area health care environments and how the presence of health care facilities has changed over time during recent health system and policy change.

Objective: To examine geographic access to health care facilities across neighborhoods in the United States over a 15-year period.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Using longitudinal business data from the National Establishment Time-Series, this cross-sectional study examined the presence of and change in ambulatory care facilities and pharmacies and drugstores in census tracts (CTs) throughout the continental United States between 2000 and 2014.

Process of care compliance is associated with fewer diabetes complications.

Objective: To examine the association between processes measures of diabetes care and time to progression for 4 diabetes complications: coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, heart failure (HF), and renal disease (RD).

Study Design: This retrospective study followed outcomes from 2003 through 2009 in a cohort of 1797 employees with diabetes who worked for a large US manufacturer and were enrolled in the same health insurance plan.

Methods: Quality of care was measured by consensus standards for testing glycated hemoglobin, lipids, and microalbuminuria.

Reproductive outcomes among male and female workers at an aluminum smelter.

Objectives: Several adverse pregnancy outcomes were reported among female laboratory workers in a North American aluminum smelter. To determine whether these outcomes were associated with any occupational exposure at the plant, a cross-sectional survey was undertaken.

Methods: Rates of miscarriage, premature singleton birth, and major congenital anomaly occurring during employment were compared with a reference group comprised of all pregnancies that occurred before employment.

Beryllium sensitization in aluminum smelter workers.

Objective: To determine whether beryllium-related disease exists among aluminum smelter workers.

Methods: A total of 1278 employees from four aluminum smelters determined to have significant beryllium exposure based on 5 years of sampling were invited to participate in medical surveillance that included a respiratory symptoms questionnaire, spirometry, and blood beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test.

Results: Of these, 734 employees participated in the program.