New algorithm for constructing area-based index with geographical heterogeneities and variable selection: An application to gastric cancer screening.

ABSTRACT: To optimally allocate health resources, policy planners require an indicator reflecting the inequality. Currently, health inequalities are frequently measured by area-based indices. However, methodologies for constructing the indices have been hampered by two difficulties: 1) incorporating the geographical relationship into the model and 2) selecting appropriate variables from the high-dimensional census data. Here, we constructed a new area-based health coverage index using the geographical information and a variable selection procedure with the example of gastric cancer. We also characterized the geographical distribution of health inequality in Japan. To construct the index, we proposed a methodology of a geographically weighted logistic lasso model. We adopted a geographical kernel and

SUBMITTER: Yoneoka D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4877577 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature