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IJERPH
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Digital and Spatial Epidemiology in Urban Health
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Digital and Spatial Epidemiology in Urban Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 8613

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Oliver Gruebner

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Geography, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
2. Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland
Interests: health geography; spatial epidemiology; digital epidemiology
Dr. Florian Fischer

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
1. Institute of Public Health, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
2. Bavarian Research Center for Digital Health and Social Care, Kempten University of Applied Sciences, 87437 Kempten, Germany
Interests: population medicine; health services; health care and nursing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Tobia Lakes

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Geography, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
Interests: spatial statistics; geostatistical analysis; geomatics; land use modelling; land use science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Mobarak Hossain Khan

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, East West University, 1212 Dhaka, Bangladesh
Interests: spatial and digital epidemiology; urban mental health
Prof. Dr. Sven Lautenbach

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Institute of Geography, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Interests: Trade-offs of land use decisions; Ecosystem services; Land use change; Environmental modelling; Health geography and spatial epidemiology; Species distribution modelling; Multi-objective decision making; Evolutionary computation; Data science, machine learning, big data analysis; Spatial data analysis; Analysis of social media data; Decision support systems
Prof. Dr. Alexander Krämer

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
Interests: global health; epidemiology of infectious diseases; setting migration: refugee health; setting universities: health of students; setting company: online company health management; setting cities: health in megacities; theory: concept of health in medicine and health sciences

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban living is becoming the new normal for many of us within the social contexts defined by cities. Many characteristics of the urban socio-ecological environment are likely to affect the distributions of mental health outcomes and both chronic and infectious diseases among urban populations. Furthermore, inner-city inequalities in health care access and disease prevention (e.g., healthy neighborhoods) are still present.

With this Special Issue, we aim to feature current digital and spatial epidemiological work on the topic of urban health. Digital epidemiological approaches use data that are mainly generated outside of the public health system, for example from social media, smart city devices, or the Internet of Things (IoT). Spatial epidemiological approaches investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of population health and locally specific causes of disease, so that we know where to intervene to prevent disease and improve health. When combined, digital and spatial epidemiological approaches provide ample opportunities to investigate and monitor urban health in compliance with ethical standards, so that we may build healthy cities by design. We very much look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Oliver Gruebner
Dr. Florian Fischer
Prof. Dr. Tobia Lakes
Prof. Dr. Mobarak Hossain Khan
Prof. Dr. Sven Lautenbach
Prof. Dr. Alexander Krämer
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • health geography
  • spatial epidemiology
  • digital epidemiology
  • eHealth
  • mHealth
  • urban health
  • mental health
  • urban design
  • smart cities
  • Internet of Things (IoT)

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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18 pages, 645 KiB  
Article
The Role of Social Media in Building Pandemic Resilience in an Urban Community: A Qualitative Case Study
by Joel Oommen George, Suzanne Elayan, Martin Sykora, Marin Solter, Rob Feick, Christopher Hewitt, Yiqiao Liu and Ketan Shankardass
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(17), 6707; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20176707 - 4 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2408
Abstract
This paper explores the influence of social media in fostering resilience within an urban spatial context, specifically in Bangalore, India, during the COVID-19 lockdown, a period marked by a surge in digital communication due to movement restrictions. To control the rapid spread of [...] Read more.
This paper explores the influence of social media in fostering resilience within an urban spatial context, specifically in Bangalore, India, during the COVID-19 lockdown, a period marked by a surge in digital communication due to movement restrictions. To control the rapid spread of the virus, over 1.38 billion people were given stay-at-home orders by the government of India during the onset of the pandemic. The restrictions in movement forced individuals to shift to online modes of connection and communication. As the field of digital epidemiology, that is, the use of digital tools and data to understand and improve health took center stage during the pandemic, the focus shifted towards the social media landscape, which is often associated with its negative aspects, such as misinformation. However, this paper delves into social media’s potential to build resilience on a local scale, particularly given its increased usage during the pandemic. Through in-depth online interviews with eight urban residents, we conducted a thematic analysis to understand social media’s role during the lockdown. Results indicate that social media facilitated effective information exchange and fostered a sense of community. Furthermore, it engendered an environment conducive to prosocial behavior, a known resilience amplifier. We also highlight the importance of baseline context regarding the users directly engaged in social media data generation with respect to digital epidemiology analytics tools for large-scale social media data and the need for qualitative input feeding into their design. Our study highlights the need for a balanced perspective on social media use in times of crisis, recognizing its potential to boost community resilience in an urban setting, and further enriching digital epidemiology approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital and Spatial Epidemiology in Urban Health)
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22 pages, 851 KiB  
Systematic Review
Sustainable Smart Cities—Social Media Platforms and Their Role in Community Neighborhood Resilience—A Systematic Review
by Soumya Balakrishnan, Suzanne Elayan, Martin Sykora, Marin Solter, Rob Feick, Christopher Hewitt, Yi Qiao Liu and Ketan Shankardass
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(18), 6720; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20186720 - 6 Sep 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1902
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic took most communities off guard and has highlighted gaps in community preparedness and resilience in spite of the numerous technological advancements and the variety of available social media platforms that many relied on during lockdown periods. This served to emphasise [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic took most communities off guard and has highlighted gaps in community preparedness and resilience in spite of the numerous technological advancements and the variety of available social media platforms that many relied on during lockdown periods. This served to emphasise the necessity for exploring the roles of social media and smart city technologies in mitigating pandemic impacts. In this systematic literature review, we examined twelve articles on social media usage and smart city technologies and their contributions to community resilience during COVID-19. The analysis focused on the use of social media platforms and smart city technologies during and after lockdown periods, examining their role in fostering community resilience. Results indicate that social media and smart city technologies were instrumental in helping communities adapt and recover from the pandemic. While past studies have examined community resilience, social media, or smart cities separately, there is limited literature collating insights on the three elements combined. We therefore argue that these technologies, employed collaboratively, enhance community resilience during crises. Nevertheless, further research is recommended, particularly on urban resilience and comparative analyses to deepen our understanding of the complex interplay between these variables. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital and Spatial Epidemiology in Urban Health)
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15 pages, 1684 KiB  
Commentary
Reproducibility and Scientific Integrity of Big Data Research in Urban Public Health and Digital Epidemiology: A Call to Action
by Ana Cecilia Quiroga Gutierrez, Daniel J. Lindegger, Ala Taji Heravi, Thomas Stojanov, Martin Sykora, Suzanne Elayan, Stephen J. Mooney, John A. Naslund, Marta Fadda and Oliver Gruebner
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1473; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021473 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3317
Abstract
The emergence of big data science presents a unique opportunity to improve public-health research practices. Because working with big data is inherently complex, big data research must be clear and transparent to avoid reproducibility issues and positively impact population health. Timely implementation of [...] Read more.
The emergence of big data science presents a unique opportunity to improve public-health research practices. Because working with big data is inherently complex, big data research must be clear and transparent to avoid reproducibility issues and positively impact population health. Timely implementation of solution-focused approaches is critical as new data sources and methods take root in public-health research, including urban public health and digital epidemiology. This commentary highlights methodological and analytic approaches that can reduce research waste and improve the reproducibility and replicability of big data research in public health. The recommendations described in this commentary, including a focus on practices, publication norms, and education, are neither exhaustive nor unique to big data, but, nonetheless, implementing them can broadly improve public-health research. Clearly defined and openly shared guidelines will not only improve the quality of current research practices but also initiate change at multiple levels: the individual level, the institutional level, and the international level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital and Spatial Epidemiology in Urban Health)
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