Grant Number:	1R01CA195218-01 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Cockburn, Myles
Organization:	University Of Southern California
Project Title:	Innovative Solutions to Spatial Uncertainty in Geocoding
Fiscal Year:	2015

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The development of efficient spatial methods and the widespread availability of spatially referenced data have changed the landscape of exposure assessment in disease etiology. Most spatial-based exposure-disease assessment approaches require knowing where study participants are located in space and time, and linking that information to spatially-referenced data that estimate potential for exposure. Such approaches not only allow for estimation of both current and past exposures, but are efficient alternatives to traditional methods of collecting exposure data longitudinally, enhancing the utility of existing large cohorts by reverse engineering exposures when improved exposure surfaces become available. However, while the spatial resolution of exposure surfaces has greatly improved, our ability to locate people in space (with geocoding) has not, and remains a rate- limiting factor in accurate exposure assessment. The effort engaged in improving spatially referenced exposure data is compromised without addressing the problem of misclassification of the location of people (geocoding uncertainty). We have developed a geocoding approach that records the exact spatial extent of the final geocode that fully describes the area in which the study participant is known to be located, and a novel statistical approach to incorporate variability in exposure and covariate data based on spatial extent. These combined approaches can be extended to appropriately incorporate spatial uncertainty from geocoding misclassification into the overall exposure assessment model. We aim to test the inclusion of geocode uncertainty into an exposure assessment model, and then apply that approach in a study of the role of pesticides in childhood leukemia - an example which has a high resolution exposure surface, high variability in geocode accuracy, and is an excellent example of some of the worst case scenarios in assuming uniform spatial certainty of geocodes. We will ensure wide dissemination of the approach as a global solution to the problem of misclassified study participant geographic location.




Area-Based Geocoding: An Approach to Exposure Assessment Incorporating Positional Uncertainty.
Authors: Thompson L.K. , Langholz B. , Goldberg D.W. , Wilson J.P. , Ritz B. , Tayour C. , Cockburn M. .
Source: Geohealth, 2021 Dec; 5(12), p. e2021GH000430.
EPub date: 2021-12-01 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 34859166
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Residential mobility in early childhood and the impact on misclassification in pesticide exposures.
Authors: Ling C. , Heck J.E. , Cockburn M. , Liew Z. , Marcotte E. , Ritz B. .
Source: Environmental Research, 2019 Jun; 173, p. 212-220.
EPub date: 2019-03-19 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 30928851
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High Birth Weight, Early UV Exposure, and Melanoma Risk in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults.
Authors: Wojcik K.Y. , Escobedo L.A. , Wysong A. , Heck J.E. , Ritz B. , Hamilton A.S. , Milam J. , Cockburn M.G. .
Source: Epidemiology (cambridge, Mass.), 2019 03; 30(2), p. 278-284.
PMID: 30499783
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NFE2L2, PPARGC1α, and pesticides and Parkinson's disease risk and progression.
Authors: Paul K.C. , Sinsheimer J.S. , Cockburn M. , Bronstein J.M. , Bordelon Y. , Ritz B. .
Source: Mechanisms Of Ageing And Development, 2018 Jul; 173, p. 1-8.
EPub date: 2018-04-06 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 29630901
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Particulate matter air pollution and liver cancer survival.
Authors: Deng H. , Eckel S.P. , Liu L. , Lurmann F.W. , Cockburn M.G. , Gilliland F.D. .
Source: International Journal Of Cancer, 2017-08-15 00:00:00.0; 141(4), p. 744-749.
EPub date: 2017-06-07 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 28589567
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The Role Of Spatially-derived Access-to-care Characteristics In Melanoma Prevention And Control In Los Angeles County
Authors: Escobedo L.A. , Crew A. , Eginli A. , Peng D. , Cousineau M.R. , Cockburn M. .
Source: Health & Place, 2017-04-05 00:00:00.0; 45, p. 160-172.
PMID: 28391127
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Air pollution affects lung cancer survival.
Authors: Eckel S.P. , Cockburn M. , Shu Y.H. , Deng H. , Lurmann F.W. , Liu L. , Gilliland F.D. .
Source: Thorax, 2016 10; 71(10), p. 891-8.
EPub date: 2016-08-04 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 27491839
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Retinoblastoma and ambient exposure to air toxics in the perinatal period.
Authors: Heck J.E. , Park A.S. , Qiu J. , Cockburn M. , Ritz B. .
Source: Journal Of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 2015 Mar-Apr; 25(2), p. 182-6.
EPub date: 2013-11-27 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 24280682
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Exposure to infections and risk of leukemia in young children.
Authors: Marcotte E.L. , Ritz B. , Cockburn M. , Yu F. , Heck J.E. .
Source: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention : A Publication Of The American Association For Cancer Research, Cosponsored By The American Society Of Preventive Oncology, 2014 Jul; 23(7), p. 1195-203.
EPub date: 2014-05-03 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 24793957
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Prenatal exposure to air toxics and risk of Wilms' tumor in 0- to 5-year-old children.
Authors: Shrestha A. , Ritz B. , Wilhelm M. , Qiu J. , Cockburn M. , Heck J.E. .
Source: Journal Of Occupational And Environmental Medicine, 2014 Jun; 56(6), p. 573-8.
PMID: 24854250
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An exploratory study of ambient air toxics exposure in pregnancy and the risk of neuroblastoma in offspring.
Authors: Heck J.E. , Park A.S. , Qiu J. , Cockburn M. , Ritz B. .
Source: Environmental Research, 2013 Nov; 127, p. 1-6.
EPub date: 2013-10-16 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 24139061
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Solar UV radiation and cancer in young children.
Authors: Lombardi C. , Heck J.E. , Cockburn M. , Ritz B. .
Source: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention : A Publication Of The American Association For Cancer Research, Cosponsored By The American Society Of Preventive Oncology, 2013 Jun; 22(6), p. 1118-28.
PMID: 23585515
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The effect of administrative boundaries and geocoding error on cancer rates in California.
Authors: Goldberg D.W. , Cockburn M.G. .
Source: Spatial And Spatio-temporal Epidemiology, 2012 Apr; 3(1), p. 39-54.
EPub date: 2012-02-10 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 22469490
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