Application of Multivariate Geostatistics in Environmental Epidemiology: Case Study from Houston, Texas

Faye  Anderson

doi:10.4236/gep.2016.44014

Faye Anderson^*

Abstract: This study represents an example of investigating the associations between the joint exposure to ozone (O3) and particulate matter of sizes less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) emergency room (ER) visits and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) ER visits using multivariate geostatistics in Houston, Texas, from 2004 to 2009. Analyses showed lack of strong pair-wise association among the predictors of O3, PM2.5, wind speed, relative humidity, and temperature. Whereas CVD and COPD ER visits exhibited a strong positive correlation. Both outcomes drastically increased from 2006 possibly due to immigration from neighboring locations. Parametric testing showed that the data differed significantly between the years. Multivariate multiple regression results on the 2009 data showed that PM2.5, relative humidity, and temperature were significant to both CVD and COPD ER visits. Codispersion coefficients were constant which justified the assumption of intrinsic correlation. That is, our predictors had strong influence on the spatial variability of CVD and COPD ER visits. This multivariate geostatistics approach predicted an increase of 34% in CVD ER visits and 24% increase in COPD ER visits, which calls for more attention from policy makers. The use of multivariate geostatistics analyses enabled us to successfully detect the effects of risk factors on both outcomes.

Keywords: Multivariate Geostatistics, COPD, CVD, Harris, Houston, PM2.5, Ozone

Cite this paper: Anderson, F. (2016) Application of Multivariate Geostatistics in Environmental Epidemiology: Case Study from Houston, Texas. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 4, 110-115. doi: 10.4236/gep.2016.44014.

References

[1] Vanderweele, T.J. and Vansteelandt, S. (2009) Conceptual Issues Concerning Mediation, Interventions and Composition. Statistics and Its Interface, 2, 457-468.
http://dx.doi.org/10.4310/SII.2009.v2.n4.a7

[2] Robins, J.M. and Greenland, S. (1992) Identifiability and Exchangeability for Direct and Indirect Effects. Epidemiology, 3, 143-155.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00001648-199203000-00013

[3] Wackernagel, H. (2013) Multivariate Geostatistics: An Introduction with Applications. Springer Science & Business Media.

[4] Goovaerts, P. (2006) Geostatistical Analysis of Disease Data: Accounting for Spatial Support and Population Density in the Isopleth Mapping of Cancer Mortality Risk Using Area-to-Point Poisson Kriging. International Journal of Health Geographics, 5, 52.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1476-072X-5-52

[5] Anderson, F., Carson, A., Whitehead, L. and Burau, K. (2015) Age, Race and Gender Spatiotemporal Disparities of COPD Emergency Room Visits in Houston, Texas. Occupational Diseases and Environmental Medicine, 3, 1-9.
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/odem.2015.31001

[6] Anderson, F., Carson, A., Whitehead, L. and Burau, K. (2014) Spatiotemporal Analysis of the Effect of Ozone and Fine Particulate on CVD Emergency Room Visits in Harris County, Texas. No. December, 87-99.

[7] EPA (2015) AirData. http://aqsdr1.epa.gov/aqsweb/aqstmp/airdata/download_files.html#Daily

[8] Begley, C., Burau, K. and Courtney, P. (2011) ER Utilization Study.
https://sph.uth.edu/research/centers/chsr/hsrc/

[9] CDC (1998) COPD. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/98-157-d.pdf

[10] AHA (2007) Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics.
http://sociedades.cardiol.br/socerj/area-cientifica/Heart_Disease_and_Stroke_Statistics_2007.pdf

[11] TSDC (2015) No Title.
http://txsdc.utsa.edu/txdata/shapefiles/

[12] Core, R. (2014) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing.

[13] Duffin, R., Mills, N.L. and Donaldson, K. (2007) Nanoparticles—A Thoracic Toxicology Perspective. Yonsei Medical Journal, 48, 561-572.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2007.48.4.561

[14] Mills, N.L., Miller, M.R., Lucking, A.J., Beveridge, J., Flint, L., Boere, J.F., Fokkens, P.H., Boon, N., Sandstrom, T., Blomberg, A., Duffin, R., Donaldson, K., Hadoke, P.W.F., Cassee, F.R. and Newby, D.E. (2011) Combustion-Derived Nanoparticulate Induces the Adverse Vascular Effects of Diesel Exhaust Inhalation. European Heart Journal, 32, 2660-2671.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehr195

[15] Donaldson, K., Mills, N., MacNee, W., Robinson, S. and Newby, D. (2005) Role of Inflammation in Cardiopulmonary Health Effects of PM. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 207, 483-488.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.taap.2005.02.020

[16] Wilker, E.H., Yeh, G., Wellenius, G.A., Davis, R.B., Phillips, R.S. and Mittleman, M.A. (2012) Ambient Temperature and Bioniarkers of Heart Failure: A Repeated Measures Analysis. Environmental Health Perspectives, 120, 1083-1087.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1104380

[17] Hosenpud, J.D. and Greenberg, B.H. (1994) Congestive Heart Failure. Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-8315-4

[18] Price, G. (2007) Effects of Weather, Air Quality and Geographical Location on Asthma and COPD Exacerbations in the Localities of Worcester and Dudley. University of Worcester, Worcester.

[19] Son, J.-Y., Bell, M.L. and Lee, J.-T. (2014) The Impact of Heat, Cold, and Heat Waves on Hospital Admissions in Eight Cities in Korea. International Journal of Biometeorology, 58, 1893-1903.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00484-014-0791-y

[20] Anderson, F. (2014) Multivariate Geostatistical Model for Groundwater Constituents in Texas. International Journal of Geosciences, 5, 1609-1617.
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ijg.2014.513132

[21] Goovaerts, P. (2008) Kriging and Semivariogram Deconvolution in the Presence of Irregular Geographical Units. Mathematical Geosciences, 40, 101-128.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11004-007-9129-1

[22] Schabenberger, O. and Gotway, C.A. (2004) Statistical Methods for Spatial Data Analysis. CRC Press, Boca Raton.

[23] Begley, C.E., Behan, P. and Seo, M. (2010) Who Uses Hospital Emergency Rooms?: Evidence from Houston/Harris County Texas. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 21, 606-616.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/hpu.0.0312

[24] Rencher, A.C. and Christensen, W.F. (2012) Methods of Multivariate Analysis. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118391686