Association of tobacco use with the tobacco-related built environment: an ecological study from urban slums of Bhopal, India

INTRODUCTION

Tobacco is one of the biggest public health problems and a major risk factor for various non-communicable diseases (NCDs). An important aspect of tobacco control strategy could include modifications in the tobacco-related built environment. This study investigated the association between tobacco shop density and tobacco use prevalence in the urban slums of Bhopal city, India.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional survey to obtain the distribution of tobacco-related built environment (tobacco shops) in the neighbourhood (400-m service area) of 32 urban slum clusters of Bhopal. We plotted this distribution using the 'network service area analysis' in ArcMap 10.7.1 software. Then, we used an ecological design to determine the association between tobacco shop density and tobacco use prevalence in these 32 clusters (N = 6214 adult inhabitants). We used multiple linear regression analysis to estimate the regression coefficient (adjusted for socio-demographic variables) between tobacco use and tobacco shop density at the cluster level.

RESULTS

The prevalence of tobacco use among all 32 slum clusters ranged from 22.1 to 59.6% (median 40.9% with IQR 31.8-44.2). There were 194 tobacco shops situated in the neighbourhood of all clusters. The median density of tobacco shops was 59.40/km² (IQR 39.9-108.1/km²) in the neighbourhoods of slum clusters. Tobacco use prevalence was significantly associated with tobacco shop density (estimate or B = 0.071, p value = 0.002) after adjusting for age, literacy, wealth index, and gender ratio.

CONCLUSIONS

Tobacco use prevalence is significantly associated with tobacco shop density in the slums of Bhopal city in central India. We need to develop appropriate built environment interventions to control rampant tobacco use.

Risk management in water supply networks: Aveiro case study

Water supply networks are critical infrastructures essentials to health, safety, economic and social well-being which have to be maintained and preserved to ensure their proper functioning. Considering the importance of these critical infrastructures, the risks to which they are exposed and the consequences of such risks must be analysed. Thus, it is important that companies responsible for the management of these assets incorporate risk management in their activities. In the scope of risk management, this paper intends to identify the vulnerabilities of water supply infrastructures, by analysing the risks they are exposed and identifying the measures that need to be implemented or reinforced. Risk assessment methodologies were analysed to identify the advantages and disadvantages of each one. As a case study, the water supply network of the Aveiro municipality in mainland Portugal was used. This network was analysed resourcing ArcMap, ArcGIS desktop software, which allows a better understanding of the water supply network. Risk management was applied and the probability and possible consequences of six distinct categories of threats were determined in eight scenarios, allowing the development of risk maps concluding that all these scenarios are in a low or medium level of risk. To decrease the vulnerability of the water network, a set of plans and specific measures have to be developed.

Spatio-Temporal Risk-Analysis of Cancer Endemicity in Sulthan Bathery Taluk of Wayanad District of Kerala-A Geo-Informatics Approach

Context

Asian countries have to confront with the global burden of cancer and various environmental factors predisposing the incidence. Geoinformatics can assist in spatial autocorrelation and statistical analysis in determining environmental and demographic correspondence to endemicity. What is of prime importance is the availability of the spatial datasets of cancer cases.

Aims

The aim of this study was to reveal the distribution pattern of cancer and its magnitude in the eight panchayats of Sulthan Bathery Taluk of Wayanad district. The present study also attempted to develop and implement a data frame facilitating better data collection.

Settings and Design

This was a taluk-level cross-sectional retrospective analysis and interventional study.

Subjects and Methods

A retrospective survey created a geodatabase with 547 cancer cases registered along the timeline of 2015-2016. Input datasets were geocoded using Google Earth Pro software.

Statistical Analysis Used

The analysis was performed using ArcMap-10.2 version.

Results

Registration revealed the high breast cancer incidences and temporal increment mainly in town areas. The incidence depicted male predominance and prevalence along the age group of 30-69 years. The pattern showed cancer incidence at a proximity to state borders and forest regions (Noolpuzha) which are high population density regions, instantiated relation of geographic variables, and cancer incidences. The implementation of data frame ensured structured data collection.

Conclusions

This study concluded the spatial association of cancer incidence demonstrating the high-risk regions with male predominance and role spatial risk analysis in cancer database management.

Data Preparation for West Nile Virus Agent-Based Modelling: Protocol for Processing Bird Population Estimates and Incorporating ArcMap in AnyLogic

BACKGROUND

West Nile Virus (WNV) was first isolated in 1937. Since the 1950s, many outbreaks have occurred in various countries. The first appearance of infected birds in Manitoba, Canada was in 2002.

OBJECTIVE

This paper describes the data preparation phase of setting up a geographic information system (GIS) simulation environment for WNV Agent-Based Modelling in Manitoba.

METHODS

The main technology used in this protocol is based on AnyLogic and ArcGIS software. A diverse variety of topics and techniques regarding the data collection phase are presented, as modelling WNV has many disparate attributes, including landscape and weather impacts on mosquito population dynamics and birds' roosting locations, population count, and movement patterns.

RESULTS

Different maps were combined to create a grid land cover map of Manitoba, Canada in a shapefile format compatible with AnyLogic, in order to modulate mosquito parameters. A significant amount of data regarding 152 bird species, along with their population estimates and locations in Manitoba, were gathered and assembled. Municipality shapefile maps were converted to built-in AnyLogic GIS regions for better compatibility with census data and initial placement of human agents. Accessing shapefiles and their databases in AnyLogic are also discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

AnyLogic simulation software in combination with Esri ArcGIS provides a powerful toolbox for developers and modellers to simulate almost any GIS-based environment or process. This research should be useful to others working on a variety of mosquito-borne diseases (eg, Zika, dengue, and chikungunya) by demonstrating the importance of data relating to Manitoba and/or introducing procedures to compile such data.

Risk of human helminthiases: geospatial distribution and targeted control

OBJECTIVES

We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 2012 among 22 rural barangays in Northern Samar, the Philippines in order to determine the prevalence of single and multiple species helminth infections, their geospatial distribution and underlying risk factors.

METHODS

A total of 10,434 individuals who had completed both a medical questionnaire and a stool examination were included in the analysis. Barangay specific prevalence rates were displayed in ArcMap.

RESULTS

The prevalence of Trichuris trichiura infection was found to be the highest at 62.4%, followed by Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm and S. japonicum with the prevalence rates of 40.2%, 31.32%, and 27.1%, respectively. 52.7% of people were infected with at least two parasites and 4.8% with all four parasites. Males aged 10-19 years were the most vulnerable to coinfection infection. Students, fishermen, farmers and housewives were the most vulnerable occupations for co-infection of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura. Considerable heterogeneity in the spatial distribution was observed for the different parasite species. There was a considerably higher risk of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura co-infection in villages with no schistosomiasis infection (P<0.0001) regardless of MDA treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

A better understanding of the geospatial distribution of multi-parasitism will guide future integrated strategies leading to elimination.