Evaluating Utility of Cold-Injury Syndromic Surveillance Data in New York City

Authors

  • Kathryn Lane Bureau of Environmental Surveillance & Policy, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
  • Ramona Lall NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene - Bureau of Communicable Diseases, New York, NY
  • Katherine Wheeler Bureau of Environmental Surveillance & Policy, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
  • Kazuhiko Ito Bureau of Environmental Surveillance & Policy, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
  • Thomas Matte Bureau of Environmental Surveillance & Policy, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, New York, NY

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v5i1.4437

Abstract

Cold weather exposure-related injuries are preventable causes of mortality and morbidity. We conducted a retrospective analysis to compare hypothermia and cold-injury case characteristics, and temporal and meteorological correlates, between 2008-2010 cold season syndromic surveillance and hospital discharge data. Poisson regression models were fit to estimate the relation of daily case counts with temperature, snow depth, and other weather conditions. There were no meaningful differences in relationships with weather variables across data sources. Daily mean minimum temperature and snow depth are potentially useful in determining timing of analyses. Syndromic surveillance could provide useful information to guide cold-related injury prevention.

Author Biography

Katherine Wheeler, Bureau of Environmental Surveillance & Policy, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, New York, NY

Katherine Wheeler is a senior epidemiologist at the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. She conducts a wide range of environmental health surveillance activities, including analyses of the health effects of extreme heat, air pollution, and other climate threats in NYC. She has an MPH in Epidemiology from Emory University and was a recipient of the 2004-2006 CSTE Fellowship in Applied Epidemiology.

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Published

2013-03-23

How to Cite

Lane, K., Lall, R., Wheeler, K., Ito, K., & Matte, T. (2013). Evaluating Utility of Cold-Injury Syndromic Surveillance Data in New York City. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v5i1.4437

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Section

Poster Presentations