Area-based Indicators Research Articles

Theoretical Research of the Urban Comprehensive Carrying Capacity in the Epoch of Urbanization

Conventional wisdom suggests that ecological factors are prominent constraints of cities in the urbanization process. By contrast, this article provides a fresh conception of the urban comprehensive carrying capacity in the context of ecosystem, economy and social dimensions. Based on in-depth analysis, the author makes out a list of informative area-based indicators in three differentiated layers and the findings are that the urban comprehensive carrying capacity is an entanglement of three subsystems of resource carrying capacity, economic carrying capacity and social carrying capacity, with all concepts fundamental to sustainable urbanization process.

Inequalities in cancer survival and the NHS cancer plan: evidence of progress?

Inequalities in cancer survival and the NHS cancer plan: evidence of progress?

Individual and Area-Based Indicators of Acculturation and the Metabolic Syndrome Among Low-Income Mexican American Women Living in a Border Region

We sought to examine the relationships between individual and area-based indicators of acculturation and metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk among a sample of Mexican American women living in the California-Baja California border region. We examined data collected between October 2003 and December 2004 from 141 women (mean age = 47.07 years) who completed physical and psychosocial assessments. We reviewed medical records for laboratory values. Individual-level US acculturation was associated with a greater consumption of fruits, vegetables, and fiber; increased odds of engaging in health-enhancing levels of physical activity; and decreased odds of meeting the clinical criteria for MetS. Moreover, beyond the influence of individual-level factors, US neighborhood acculturation was associated with less fat intake. These findings provide preliminary evidence for a relationship between acculturation and the development of MetS in this population. Such information may assist efforts aimed at understanding and eliminating ethnic disparities in MetS risk and related health conditions.

Environmental assessment tools for the evaluation and improvement of European livestock production systems

Different types of assessment tools have been developed in Europe with the purpose of determining the environmental impact of various livestock production systems at farm level. The assessment tools differ in terms of which environmental objectives are included and how indicators are constructed and interpreted. The paper compares typical tools for environmental assessment of livestock production systems, and recommends selected indicators suitable for benchmarking. The assessment tools used very different types of indicators ranging from descriptions of farm management and quantification of input to estimates of emissions of, e.g., nitrate and ammonia. The indicators should be useful in a benchmarking process where farmers may improve their practices through learning from farms with better agri-environmental performance. An example of this is given using data on P-surplus on pig farms. Some indicators used the area of the farm as the basis of the indicator—e.g. nitrogen surplus per hectare—while others were expressed per unit produced, e.g. emission of greenhouse gasses per kilogram milk. The paper demonstrates that a comparison of organic vs. conventional milk production and comparison of three pig production systems give different results, depending on the basis of the indicators (i.e. per hectare or per kilogram product). Indicators linked to environmental objectives with a local or regional geographical target should be area-based—while indicators with a global focus should be product-based. It is argued that the choice of indicators should be linked with the definition of the system boundaries, in the sense that area-based indicators should include emissions on the farm only, whereas product-based indicators should preferably include emissions from production of farm inputs, as well as the inputs on the actual farm. The paper ends with recommendations for choice of agri-environmental indicators taking into account the geographical scale, system boundary and method of interpretation.

HOUSEHOLD SURVEY OF DENGUE INFECTION IN CENTRAL BRAZIL: SPATIAL POINT PATTERN ANALYSIS AND RISK FACTORS ASSESSMENT

Urban dengue fever is now considered a major public health threat in most American countries. A household survey was conducted in the city of Goiania in central Brazil in 2001 to assess prevalence of dengue infection and individual and area-based risk factors. Spatial point pattern analysis was performed using the dual Kernel method. A total of 1,610 households were surveyed; 1,585 individuals more than five years old had blood and data collected. Sera were tested for IgM/IgG antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Area-based indicators derived from census data were linked to geocoded residential address. The seroprevalence of dengue was 29.5% and the estimate prevalence surface reached 50% in the outskirts areas. The risk of infection was significantly associated with older age (P < 0.01), low education (odds ratio [OR] = 3.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.82-6.55), and low income (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.02-1.71) in multivariate analysis. This study highlighted the heterogeneity of dengue transmission within the city and can assist in spatial targeting control interventions.

Individual and area-based indicators of socioeconomic status and childhood asthma.

The current study evaluated the association between individual and area-based indicators of socioeconomic status and the prevalence, severity, and lifetime hospitalisation for asthma in children. The representative sample of 4,027 children from Rome, aged 6-7 yrs, used for the 1994 ISAAC (International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) initiative, was selected. Individual and small area indicators of socioeconomic status were used. Individual data on parents' education and on childhood asthma were gathered from self-administered parental questionnaires. Two small-area indicators (socioeconomic status index (SES) and average income in 1994) were derived using information available at the census tract of residence. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association of parental education and small area indicators with asthma prevalence, severity, and hospitalisation. Parental smoking was considered in the analysis as a potential confounder. Prevalence of physician diagnosis of asthma (11.3%) increased as father's education decreased. Prevalence of severe asthma (1.6%) increased as maternal and paternal educational levels decreased. Lifetime hospitalisation for asthma (2.8%) was strongly associated with both parental education and small-area indicators of social disadvantage, even when considered simultaneously in the same logistic model. Socioeconomic conditions are associated with asthma occurrence, its severity, and hospitalisation. The association was stronger for asthma severity and hospitalisation. Individual indicators correlated better with the outcomes than area-based indicators. However, living in an underprivileged area is a strong independent predictor of hospital admission for asthma.

Changes in service provision in rural areas. Part 1: The use of GIS in analysing accessibility to services in rural deprivation research

Previous work has highlighted the importance of public service provision in rural areas particularly for potentially vulnerable groups such as the elderly, unemployed and single parents especially where this coincides with a lack of access to either private or public transport. Disadvantage can often be compounded by limited access to services for such groups with the superior resources of more affluent social groups enabling them to respond and adapt to the increasing centralisation and reduction of services. This paper reviews previous investigations of the implications of changing accessibility to services in rural areas and draws attention to the need for a new research agenda which uses spatial analytical techniques to gauge the current levels of (in)accessibility to key services at the community level. These techniques are illustrated in Part 2 of the paper with reference to changes in post office provision in mid Wales, and the policy significance of incorporating geographical information systems-based measures of provision into traditional area-based indicators of disadvantage is discussed.

Changes in service provision in rural areas. Part 2: Changes in post office provision in mid Wales: A GIS-based evaluation

This paper develops themes set out in Part 1 of this paper relating to the importance of public service provision in rural areas, particularly for potentially vulnerable members of the community such as the elderly, unemployed and single parents. Changes in a key service sector, post office services, in rural mid Wales over a 15-year period are assessed and analysed in relation to the developing sociodemographic profile of the underlying population. A Geographic Information System (GIS) approach is adopted to chart changing levels of post office provision in the study area, and the subsequent impacts on accessibility to those post offices. The policy significance of developing measures of accessibility to services with a view to incorporating these GIS-generated measures into traditional area-based indicators of disadvantage is highlighted.

Revisiting carrying capacity: Area-based indicators of sustainability

Conventional wisdom suggests that because of technology and trade, human carrying capacity is infinitely expandable and therefore virtually irrelevant to demography and development planning. By contrast, this article argues that ecological carrying capacity remains the fundamental basis for demographic accounting. A fundamental question for ecological economics is whether remaining stocks of natural capital are adequate to sustain the anticipated load of the human economy into the next century. Since mainstream (neoclassical) models are blind to ecological structure and function, they cannot even properly address this question. The present article therefore assesses the capital stocks, physical flows, and corresponding ecosystems areas required to support the economy using “ecological footprint” analysis. This approach shows that most so-called “advanced” countries are running massive unaccounted ecological deficits with the rest of the planet. Since not all countries can be net importers of carrying capacity, the material standards of the wealthy cannot be extended sustainably to even the present world population using prevailing technology. In this light, sustainability may well depend on such measures as greater emphasis on equity in international relationships, significant adjustments to prevailing terms of trade, increasing regional self-reliance, and policies to stimulate a massive increase in the material and energy efficiency of economic activity.

Area-based social indicators: Signed chi-square as an alternative to ratios

This paper examines the statistical requirements of area-based social indicators. It argues that on technical and conceptual grounds conventional ratio-measures fall short as indicators for use in area-based programmes of positive discrimination. Ratios quantify only one of the propositions of area-based policies as identified by Holtermann. The signed chi-square measure expresses all three statistical requirements of social indicators simultaneously, particularly when used with constant areal units. It can also consider subjective value-laden issues in the ranking of geographic areas on a good to bad scale. The concepts will be discussed using the 1971 grid square population census data on unemployment in Humberside.

Operational Definition of Area-Based Social Indicators

On technical and conceptual grounds, ratio measures fall short as social indicators for use in area-based programmes. This paper discusses the requirements of area-based social indicators and examines some value-laden issues which must be operationalised if the signed chi-square representation is to form a viable and effective alternative.