The mission of the Colorado Health GIS Users Group (CHUG) is "to provide an open forum for exchanging ideas that promote health GIS applications." Initially established in 2002, this informal group meets about every 3 months generally on the first Thursday of the month and anyone with an interest in health GIS is welcome. Co-hosted by: Mark Egbert, GIS Coordinator, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) and Deborah Thomas, Dept. of Geography and Environmental Sciences and Altitude Research Center, UCD ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).


PRESENTATIONS & ABSTRACTS:

• Thomas, Deborah, Benjamin Honigman and Robert Roach. “Altitude as an Environmental Health Hazard,” Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, Las Vegas, NV, March 24, 2009. (published abstract)
• Honigman, Benjamin, Majid Ezzati, Mara EM Horwitz, Deborah SK Thomas, Ari B Friedman, Robert Roach, Timothy Clark, and Christopher JL Murray. “Altitude, Life Expectancy, and Mortality from Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Population-based Analysis of United States Counties”. International Hypoxia Symposia. Lake Louise, Canada, March 10-15, 2009. (poster, published abstract)
• Thomas, Deborah and Benjamin Honigman.     “The Use of GIS to Study the Relationship between High Altitude and Health Outcomes, Public Health in the Rockies Annual Conference, September 19, 2007.
• Honigman, Benjamin, Deborah Thomas, Susan Niermeyer, and Mark Egbert. “Spatial Analysis for Studying the Relationship of Altitude and Health Outcomes,” Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Site Visit, 2006 ESRI Health GIS Conference, Denver, Colorado, October 26, 2006.

Altitude as an Environmental Health Hazard, Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, March 24, 2009.

Author(s):
Deborah Thomas* - University of Colorado Denver
Benjamin Honigman - University of Colorado Denver
Robert Roach - University of Colorado Denver

Abstract:
In the traditional sense, altitude as a hazard does not arise from a natural event or failures in human-created systems. Instead, altitude as an environmental condition is pervasive and relatively static. So, how does it present an environmental health hazard? In reality, people's use of the environment when living or traveling to moderate and high altitudes exposes them to lower oxygen availability, which in turn impacts health. Most studies on hypoxia have focused on the physiological effects of extreme elevations, but the effects of living in and traveling to moderate altitudes on various diseases are of increasing interest.  As an illustration, Colorado exhibits some extremely interesting health trends in the national context. For instance, when looking at life expectancy, 15 of the top 50 U.S. counties are in Colorado according to a recent Harvard study. While Colorado has a lower mortality rate than the U.S. for stroke, heart disease and many types of cancer, respiratory diseases, multiple sclerosis, and suicides all exhibit significantly higher rates than other parts of the country. This paper will begin by framing altitude as an environmental hazard, focusing on moderate elevations and human use of these environments. Then, we will illustrate the need for considering this unique hazard, particularly for risk communication, by presenting several studies on various health outcomes, including longevity, birth weight, and RSV.
Keywords: hazards, health, human-environment interaction
Available at: http://communicate.aag.org/eseries/aag_org/program/AbstractDetail.cfm?AbstractID=22746


Spatial Analysis for Studying the Relationship of Altitude and Health Outcomes, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Site Visit, 2006 ESRI Health GIS Conference, Denver, Colorado, October 26, 2006.
Authors: Benjamin Honigman, MD1, Deborah Thomas, PhD2, Susan Niermeyer, MD3, Mark Egbert4
1Director, Altitude Research Center (ARC), University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center; 2Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center; 3Departments of Pediatrics, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center; 4Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Abstract:
Colorado exhibits some extremely interesting health trends in the national context. For instance, when looking at life expectancy, 15 of the top 50 U.S. counties are in Colorado according to a recent Harvard study. While Colorado has a lower mortality rate than the U.S. for stroke, heart disease and many types of cancer, respiratory diseases, multiple sclerosis, and suicides all exhibit significantly higher rates than other parts of the country. With over 500,000 people (14% of the total population) living at/above 7000 feet, more than anywhere else in the U.S., and over 25 million tourists visiting Colorado annually, Colorado is an obvious place to study long-term and shorter-term health effects of altitude. The Altitude Research Center (ARC) at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center was established to bring scientists and doctors together for understanding and solving the problems created when humans live at or visit high altitude locations where hypoxia( low oxygen) exists.  As part of these efforts, the ARC has begun to integrate spatial analyses into the endeavors of the center. The explicit emphasis on an environmental factor (altitude) as a contributing variable to health outcomes lends itself to the utilization of spatial analysis/GIS technologies as a methodological tool to arrive at an increased understanding of the role of altitude. Output from GIS framed in spatial epidemiological approaches directly supports the ARC research, clinical and educational mission.

Contact Information:
Benjamin Honigman
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Deborah Thomas
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it