Modeling social factors of oral health equity for older adults

Abstract

Recognizing oral health equity as a critical indicator of progress toward a more inclusive health care system, this research effort develops simulation models informed by the qualitative and quantitative data collected through the ElderSmile community outreach program operated by Columbia University's College of Dental Medicine. Through an iterative process drawing upon group model-building workshops to share expertise among members of our interdisciplinary research team, we have constructed a portfolio of models involving different methods associated with systems science: system dynamics, spatial analysis, agent-based modeling (ABM), social network simulation, and geographic information science (GIS). This poster features a hierarchical ABM, explains how it builds upon other models in the portfolio, identifies performance improvements, and points to conceptual insights that have emerged from this multi-method approach to integrating social and systems science with simulation.