fyi
cheers,
craig
the following abstract is from
Environmental Research
Volume 82, Number 2
Geographic Information Assessment of Birth Weight and Crop Production
Patterns around Mother's Residence
pp. 160-167
Huiyun Xiang1, Jay R. Nuckols, Lorann Stallones
Department of Environmental Health, College of Veterinary Medicine and
Biomedical Sciences,
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523-1676
(Received January 19, 1999)
Abstract
A landscape approach using remote sensing (RS) and geographic
information system (GIS) technologies was developed to identify the
proximity of maternal residence to agricultural areas, and the association
between crop production patterns around mothers residences and low birth
weight was evaluated. Satellite data obtained for Weld County, Colorado, in
1991 and 1993 were digitally processed to generate crop location maps for
this study. GIS procedures were then used to determine crop types within
300- and 500-m circular zones around mothers' homes for 125 births that
occurred from 1991 to 1993 in the study area. The relationships between
different crop patterns around the mothers' residences and the birth weight
of babies were investigated while controlling for potential confounding
variables. The results indicated that low birth weight was associated with
total crop production area within a 300-m buffer zone around mothers'
residences (P=0.058). When each of the study crops
was considered separately, low birth weight was associated with sugar beet
production (P=0.05) and corn production (P=0.1) within both the 300- and the
500-m buffer zones. This RS/GIS approach provides clues to the potential
relationships between birth weight and crop production near the residence.
Copyright 2000 Academic Press.
Key Words: GIS; birth weight; pesticides; agriculture; crops.
1Present address: Health Statistics Section, Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment, 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO
80246-1530. E-mail: huiyun.xiang@state.co.us.
craig k harris
department of sociology
center for integrated plant systems
michigan state university
429b berkey hall
east lansing michigan 48824-1111
tel: 517-355-5048
fax: 517-432-2856
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