BACKGROUND: The necessity of aggregating health data over areas can impede our understanding of health determinants. METHODS: We demonstrate the possibility of creating anonymous links between individual residences and the local environment using digital map data and a data linkage system. RESULTS: Digital map data were used successfully to anonymously link 1.3 million addresses to the local environment. The data linkage system allows detailed environment data surrounding each residence to be linked both to each resident therein and to their medical records. CONCLUSIONS: Local environment data specific to each house can be effectively and anonymously linked to the population registered with the National Health Service. Our integrated approach potentially enables flexible fine-scale, large-area observational studies of communities and health.
BACKGROUND: The necessity of aggregating health data over areas can impede our understanding of health determinants. METHODS: We demonstrate the possibility of creating anonymous links between individual residences and the local environment using digital map data and a data linkage system. RESULTS: Digital map data were used successfully to anonymously link 1.3 million addresses to the local environment. The data linkage system allows detailed environment data surrounding each residence to be linked both to each resident therein and to their medical records. CONCLUSIONS: Local environment data specific to each house can be effectively and anonymously linked to the population registered with the National Health Service. Our integrated approach potentially enables flexible fine-scale, large-area observational studies of communities and health.
Authors: Rebecca A Hill; Sinead Brophy; Huw Brunt; Mel Storey; Non E Thomas; Catherine A Thornton; Stephen Palmer; Frank Dunstan; Shantini Paranjothy; Roderick McClure; Sarah E Rodgers; Ronan A Lyons Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2010-03-23 Impact factor: 3.295
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Authors: David V Ford; Kerina H Jones; Jean-Philippe Verplancke; Ronan A Lyons; Gareth John; Ginevra Brown; Caroline J Brooks; Simon Thompson; Owen Bodger; Tony Couch; Ken Leake Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2009-09-04 Impact factor: 2.655
Authors: L Trefan; A Akbari; S Paranjothy; D M Farewell; A Gartner; D Fone; J Greene; A Evans; A Smith; V Adekanmbi; J Kennedy; R A Lyons; S C Moore Journal: Int J Popul Data Sci Date: 2019-05-20
Authors: Daniel A Thompson; Hoda Abbasizanjani; Richard Fry; Emily Marchant; Lucy Griffiths; Ashley Akbari; Joe Hollinghurst; Laura North; Jane Lyons; Fatemeh Torabi; Gareth Davies; Mike B Gravenor; Ronan A Lyons Journal: BMJ Paediatr Open Date: 2021-05-10
Authors: Hayley A Hutchings; Annette Evans; Peter Barnes; Joanne Demmler; Martin Heaven; Melanie A Hyatt; Michelle James-Ellison; Ronan A Lyons; Alison Maddocks; Shantini Paranjothy; Sarah E Rodgers; Frank Dunstan Journal: PLoS One Date: 2013-08-05 Impact factor: 3.240