(Syndromic) Surveillance of Birthweight, Gestation, and Infant Mortality

This study uses data on births in New York City between 2000-2005 to investigate the spatial pattern of birthweight and gestation, two primary risk factors for infant mortality. The analysis uses SatScan to perform normal-distribution cluster detection after controlling for individual-level demographic variables. While previous research has investigated neighborhood effects and spatial patterns of low birth weight and infant mortality, few studies have done so with individual-level information and continuous outcomes. The overarching goal is to develop a framework to better understand demographic and spatial patterns of infant mortality, birthweight, and gestation to inform public health practice.