Applying the Small-Area Estimation Method to Estimate a Population Eligible for Breast Cancer Detection Services

Details

• Journal Article:
  Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
• Personal Author:
  Knutson, Kirsten ; Zhang, Weihong ; Tabnak, Farzaneh
• Description:
  Introduction
  
  Populations eligible for public health programs are often narrowly defined and, therefore, difficult to describe quantitatively, particularly at the local level, because of lack of data. This information, however, is vital for program planning and evaluation. We demonstrate the application of a statistical method using multiple sources of data to generate county estimates of women eligible for free breast cancer screening and diagnostic services through California's Cancer Detection Programs: Every Woman Counts.
  
  Methods
  
  We used the small-area estimation method to determine the proportion of eligible women by county and racial/ethnic group. To do so, we included individual and community data in a generalized, linear, mixed-effect model.
  
  Results
  
  Our method yielded widely varied estimated proportions of service-eligible women at the county level. In all counties, the estimated proportion of eligible women was higher for Hispanics than for whites, blacks, Asian/Pacific Islanders, or American Indian/Alaska Natives. Across counties, the estimated proportions of eligible Hispanic women varied more than did those of women of other races.
  
  Conclusion
  
  The small-area estimation method is a powerful tool for approximating narrowly defined eligible or target populations that are not represented fully in any one data source. The variability and reliability of the estimates are measurable and meaningful. Public health programs can use this method to estimate the size of local populations eligible for, or in need of, preventive health services and interventions.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adult Breast Neoplasms Ethnicity Female Health Care Surveys Health Services Accessibility Humans Mammography Mass Screening Middle Aged Monte Carlo Method Needs Assessment Preventive Health Services Public Health Risk Assessment Small-Area Analysis Statistics As Topic Women's Health Services

  More +
• Source:
  Prev Chronic Dis. 2008; 5(1).
• ISSN:
  1545-1151
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  5
• Issue:
  1
• Collection(s):
  Preventing Chronic Disease
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6956a82ea50cbbdfb94f63642a9fd96cd4b0fd10453b88d3b41bb0c7601e7a453677a0ca9a7c4c72dd94e90d3bc4ca25a604d395998214ccdddba76fc34fda55
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/20199/cdc_20199_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 471.63 KB ]