Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26098858›Full record

ArticlePloS one2015

Improving the Rank Precision of Population Health Measures for Small Areas with Longitudinal and Joint Outcome Models.

Jessica K Athens, Patrick L Remington, Ronald E Gangnon

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Disparities in years of potential life lost among racial and ethnic groups in Washington state.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2022
    Article
  2. Value-based focused global population health management.Journal of gastrointestinal oncology · 2021
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Jessica K AthensDepartment of Population Health Sciences, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America.
Patrick L RemingtonUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America; Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America.
Ronald E GangnonDepartment of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America; Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute has published the County Health Rankings since 2010. These rankings use population-based data to highlight health outcomes and the multiple determinants of these outcomes and to encourage in-depth health assessment for all United States counties. A significant methodological limitation, however, is the uncertainty of rank estimates, particularly for small counties. To address this challenge, we explore the use of longitudinal and pooled outcome data in hierarchical Bayesian models to generate county ranks with greater precision.

methodsIn our models we used pooled outcome data for three measure groups: (1) Poor physical and poor mental health days; (2) percent of births with low birth weight and fair or poor health prevalence; and (3) age-specific mortality rates for nine age groups. We used the fixed and random effects components of these models to generate posterior samples of rates for each measure. We also used time-series data in longitudinal random effects models for age-specific mortality. Based on the posterior samples from these models, we estimate ranks and rank quartiles for each measure, as well as the probability of a county ranking in its assigned quartile. Rank quartile probabilities for univariate, joint outcome, and/or longitudinal models were compared to assess improvements in rank precision.

resultsThe joint outcome model for poor physical and poor mental health days resulted in improved rank precision, as did the longitudinal model for age-specific mortality rates. Rank precision for low birth weight births and fair/poor health prevalence based on the univariate and joint outcome models were equivalent.

conclusionIncorporating longitudinal or pooled outcome data may improve rank certainty, depending on characteristics of the measures selected. For measures with different determinants, joint modeling neither improved nor degraded rank precision. This approach suggests a simple way to use existing information to improve the precision of small-area measures of population health.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgedBayes TheoremChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesDelivery of Health CareHealth BehaviorHumansInfantLongitudinal StudiesMental HealthMiddle AgedModels, TheoreticalOutcome Assessment, Health Care

Identifiers

PMID26098858
PMCPMC4476712

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