Current Research Themes

Spatial Patterns of HIV and AIDS in Texas in the 25-49 Age-group

This research examines the relationship between HIV/AIDS and a variety of socio-economic variables including race, ethnicity, unemployment, poverty, and education. Preliminary results at the county-level indicate that low-income areas with high concentrations of African-American populations are most susceptible to this disease. For more information contact jonathanrodriguez[at]my.unt.edu.

Geography of HIV Infection Among Adults 50 and Older in Texas

This research examines the spatial and temporal patterns of adults aged 50 or older living with HIV infection in Texas from 1999 to 2009 and associated explanatory variables including gender, race/ethnicity, mode of exposure, poverty and urban/rural. Results revealed higher HIV infection among White homosexual men, Black males engaged in IV-drug use (IDU), and Black female heterosexuals. White homosexual men had three times the HIV infection rate as Blacks and 1.5 times Hispanics. Poverty was shown to be positively correlated to HIV infection among minorities and negatively associated with Whites. The Black race/ethnic group was disproportionately affected by HIV infection in Texas and zip codes with higher percentage of minorities had higher rates of HIV infection compared to Whites. Highly urbanized centers showed higher rates of HIV infection compared to rural areas. This research has raised the need and provided insights for targeted intervention to reduce the incidence and spread of HIV infection among mature adults in Texas. For more information contact marahedrich[at]gmail.com.

Place Vulnerability and HIV/AIDS in Texas

How does the area in which one lives affect the risk of infection with a contagious disease, even when that disease is primarily behavior driven? Are there any other place effects that contribute to an area disease incidence other than the aggregated characteristics of people in that area? If so, do these effects occur at the same unit of analysis? Using multi-level modeling, a place vulnerability model is introduced as a theoretically robust approach to capturing place effects and operationalized using the example of HIV/AIDS in Texas to show that it provides the best fit using Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) as an indicator. For more information contact oppong[at]unt.edu.

Urban Slum Health in Ghana

This research applies the vulnerability framework to show how vulerable conditions such as high population density, poor access to water, and poor sanitation contribute to create poor health conditions in a place. Our preliminary results conducted at the Enumeration Area [EA] level indicates that those areas with poor conditions tend to have higher rates of diseases compared to other places. For more information contact emmanuelaggreykorsah[at]my.unt.edu.

Spatio-Temporal Variation in Nitrate Levels in Groundwater in Texas, 1970-2010

This study examines nitrate levels in groundwater in Texas and how it has changed over time from 1970 to 2010. Preliminary results indicate that the highest concentrations are found in rural areas, particularly in the Ogallala and Seymour aquifers in the Texas Panhandle. Historically, this area has been targeted for extensive agriculture. For more information contact susan.rice[at]my.unt.edu.

Examining Relationships between Food Deserts and Birth Defects in Major Cities in Texas

This research examines the relationship between access to local food environments and birth defects in major metropolitan areas in Texas. Preliminary results examining the relationships between where food deserts are located and low socio-economic status of those places indicate that areas of high crime and high poverty levels are likley to have inadequate access to nutrient-rich foods. For more information contact harunamiyakado[at]my.unt.edu.

Environmental Impacts of Gas Well Drilling in North Texas

This research examines socio-economic disparities in the location of gas drilling activites in North Texas. Preliminary results indicate that areas of low socio-economic status are more likely to have a greater density as well as closer proximity of gas well operations. For more information contact chetan.tiwari[at]unt.edu.

GIS Methods for Mapping Disease Burdens

WebDMAP is a web-based disease mapping software that enables users to create smoothed, spatially continuous representations of disease burdens. WebDMAP can create smoothed, directly, and indirectly age-adjusted maps. For more information visit http://www.webdmap.com.

HIV Infection, Socioeconomic Status and Prison Locations in Texas

HIV prevalence among incarcerated persons in the United States is much higher than the general public. High risk behaviors associated with prisoners such as illicit drug use and unprotected sexual activity both before and during incarceration facilitate HIV transmission, and may contribute to the higher rates of HIV infection. Also, prisons tend to be located in poor areas. Consequently, HIV prevalence in areas immediately adjacent to prison facilities may be much higher. We examine this hypothesis using de-identified HIV surveillance data, obtained from the Texas Department of State Health Services, to explore the relationship between the location of prison units and HIV infection rates in the surrounding zip codes. The results suggest that areas in close proximity to prison units have lower socioeconomic status and higher HIV prevalence rates, with clear distance decay. Consequently, such locations should be targeted for increased HIV surveillance and intervention to improve detection and reduce HIV incidence. For more information, contact oppong[at]unt.edu.

Environmental and Behavioral Factors in Buruli Ulcer Prevalance in Ghana

Past Research

Maternal Mortality in Nigeria

Publications and Presentations

Emmanuel Aggrey-Korsah, Researching Urban Slum Health in Nima, Ghana

David Ferring, Environmental and Behavioral Risk Factors for Buruli ulcer in Ghana: A Multi-Scalar Analysis

Stephanie Heald, HIV/AIDS Survival in Dallas and Harris Counties, Texas

Mara Hedrich, Wealth Gap-Health Gap and HIV in Adults Over 50 Years in Texas

Abhishek K. Kala, West Nile virus disease prediction modeling using GIS techniques

Haruna Miyakado, Association between Neighborhood safety and food deserts in Dallas

Jonathan B Rodriguez, Epidemiology of HIV Prevalence in Texas in the 25-49 Age group

Warangkana Ruckthongsook, The Impact of Land Use and Land Cover on the Spatial Distribution of Buruli Ulcer in Southwest Ghana

Janthima Srisombat, HIV/AIDS diagnosis rate, testing facilities, and Socioeconomic Status in Texas

Joseph R Oppong, Predicting the Spatial Pattern of HIV/AIDS in Texas

Chetan Tiwari, Assessing the Spatial Distribution of Gas Well Drilling in North Texas: A Case Study of Denton County