Hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) is a common childhood illness and the drivers of HFMD incidence are still not clear [1]. In mainland China, continuing and increasing HFMD epidemics have been recorded since 2008, causing millions of infections and hundreds of deaths annually. In Beijing, 28,667 cases were reported in 2015 and the incidence was 133.28/100,000. The variations in Beijing HFMD epidemics over population, space, and time that have been revealed [2] emphasize the need for further research about risk factors of HFMD occurrence. This study aims to explore local effects on HFMD incidence led by potential factors.
Objective
HFMD incidence varies between geographic regions at the township in Beijing. The objective of this study was to examine spatial heterogeneity for the association between HFMD incidence and demographic and socioeconomic factors.