The Use of Big Data in Public Health Research and Practice

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are organizing a Topic on the use of big data to inform health research and practice. To enable decision-making, it is important to obtain timely data on the determinants of health and well-being. Big data can often be operational or “organic” data generated for non-research purposes, including social media, news feeds, Google Street View images, online reviews, blogs, electronic health records, pharmacy records, and billing records. This Topic is focused on innovative ways that big data are leveraged for health research and practice. Some possible submission ideas are listed below; however, submissions addressing other related topics are also welcomed:

• Use of electronic health records, billing data, and pharmacy data to understand individualized risk factors and treatment success; 
• Characterization of built environments with big data derived from various sources (e.g., Street View images and remote sensing imagery data) as well as their impact on health; 
• Using various user-generated content (e.g., GPS data, accelerometer data, users’ review data, social media data, and web search data) to study individual behaviors and social/cultural environments as well as their impacts on people’s health; 
• Development of new methods or tools (e.g., natural language processing, machine learning, database management, high-performance computing, data mining, cloud computing, computer vision, visualization, geographic information systems, and spatial analysis) for big-data-based health research; 
• Use of big data in COVID-19-related research; 
• Application or development of causal inference methods for big data;
• Investigating and addressing data quality and uncertainty issues;
• Blending and integration of big data from different sources.

Dr. Quynh C. Nguyen
Dr. Thu T. Nguyen
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Cancers cancers	4.5	8.8	2009	17.4 Days	CHF 2900	Submit
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ijerph	-	8.5	2004	25.8 Days	CHF 2500	Submit
ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information ijgi	2.8	7.2	2012	35.8 Days	CHF 1900	Submit
Machine Learning and Knowledge Extraction make	4.0	9.9	2019	20.8 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Smart Cities smartcities	7.0	14.7	2018	28.4 Days	CHF 2000	Submit

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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All Cancers IJERPH IJGI MAKE Smart Cities

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20 pages, 6355 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

How Did the Fever Visit Management Policy During the COVID-19 Epidemic Impact Fever Medical Care Accessibility?

by Zhiyuan Zhao, Youjun Tu and Yicheng Ding

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2025, 14(3), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi14030117 - 6 Mar 2025

Viewed by 565

Abstract

Fever visit management (FVM) played a critical role in reducing the risk of local outbreaks caused by positive cases during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic under the dynamic zero-COVID-19 policy. Fever clinics were established to satisfy the healthcare needs of citizens with [...] Read more.

Fever visit management (FVM) played a critical role in reducing the risk of local outbreaks caused by positive cases during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic under the dynamic zero-COVID-19 policy. Fever clinics were established to satisfy the healthcare needs of citizens with fever symptoms, including those with and without COVID-19. Learning how FVM affects fever medical care accessibility for citizens in different places can support decision making in establishing fever clinics more equitably. However, the dynamic nature of the population at different times has rarely been considered in evaluating healthcare facility accessibility. To fill this gap, we adjusted the Gaussian-based two-step floating catchment area method (G2SFCA) by considering the hourly dynamics of the population distribution derived from mobile phone location data. The results generated from Xining city, China, showed that (1) the accessibility of fever clinics explicitly exhibited spatial distribution patterns, being high in the center and low in surrounding areas; (2) the accessibility reduction in suburban areas caused by FVM was approximately 2.8 times greater than that in the central city for the 15 min drive conditions; and (3) the accessibility of fever clinics based on the nighttime anchor point was overestimated in central areas, but underestimated in suburban areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic The Use of Big Data in Public Health Research and Practice)

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27 pages, 23808 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Shared Bicycle Spatial Patterns During Public Health Emergencies: A Case Study in the Core Area of Beijing

by Zheng Wen, Lujin Hu and Jing Hu

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2025, 14(2), 92; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi14020092 - 19 Feb 2025

Viewed by 639

Abstract

During public health emergencies, studying the travel characteristics and influencing factors of shared bicycles during different time periods on weekdays can provide valuable insights for urban transportation planning and offer recommendations for bike-sharing systems (BSS) affected by such events. Utilizing bike-sharing data, this [...] Read more.

During public health emergencies, studying the travel characteristics and influencing factors of shared bicycles during different time periods on weekdays can provide valuable insights for urban transportation planning and offer recommendations for bike-sharing systems (BSS) affected by such events. Utilizing bike-sharing data, this study initiated the analysis by scrutinizing the spatial flow patterns in the core area of Beijing, employing network indicators within the framework of complex network theory. Subsequently, influencing factors associated with bike-sharing trips were pinpointed using the exponential random graph model (ERGM). Using COVID-19 as an example, it examines the impact of public health emergencies on bike-sharing during multiple time periods. Supported by the network analysis method, our findings revealed that the majority of travel activities occurred between adjacent areas. Throughout weekdays, a consistent level of travel activity was observed, exhibiting distinct patterns during daytime and nighttime. The period from 4:00 to 8:00 emerged as the peak time, characterized by heightened traffic and temperature changes. Morning commuting extended until 8:00–12:00, followed by a transition period from 12:00–16:00. The most active travel time, encompassing various purposes, was identified as 16:00–20:00. Additionally, the presence of hospitals and train stations amplified travel within the pandemic-affected area. Finally, variants of ERGMs were employed to assess the influence of finance, shopping, dining, education, transportation, roads, and COVID-19 on bike-sharing activities. The road network emerged as the most critical factor, exhibiting a significant negative impact. Conversely, COVID-19 had the most pronounced positive influence, with transportation stops and educational institutions also contributing significantly in a positive manner. This research provides valuable transportation planning insights for addressing public health emergencies and promotes the effective utilization of bike-sharing systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic The Use of Big Data in Public Health Research and Practice)

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19 pages, 11085 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Understanding Urban Park-Based Social Interaction in Shanghai During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from Large-Scale Social Media Analysis

by Haotian Wang, Tianyu Su and Wanting Zhao

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2025, 14(2), 87; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi14020087 - 17 Feb 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 925

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the role of urban parks as green spaces in mitigating social isolation and supporting public mental health. Research in this area is limited due to the lack of large-scale datasets. Moreover, timely studies are indeed necessary under pandemic conditions. [...] Read more.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the role of urban parks as green spaces in mitigating social isolation and supporting public mental health. Research in this area is limited due to the lack of large-scale datasets. Moreover, timely studies are indeed necessary under pandemic conditions. This study employs quantitative methods to analyze the temporal and spatial changes in social interaction in 160 urban parks before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and assesses their correlation with the built environment. Social media data from the Dianping platform were collected for this purpose. A two-step analytical approach was employed: first, machine learning-based keyword analysis identified review data related to social interaction, leading to the construction of two indicators: social interaction intensity and social interaction recovery rate. Second, we applied regression models to explore the correlation between the two indicators in urban parks and 18 characteristics of the built environment. The built environment characteristics associated with social interaction intensity varied across different periods, with seven factors, including natural landscapes, perceptual experience, building density, and road intersections, showing significant correlations with the recovery of social interaction capabilities in the post-pandemic era. Based on these findings, it is recommended that urban planners consider integrating more flexible design element, such as adding greenery and enriching the audio-visual experience for visitors. Furthermore, enhancing the quality and accessibility of park amenities can foster social interaction, thereby contributing to public health resilience in future crises. This research recommends that urban park design should not only support communities’ immediate needs but also prepare for unforeseen challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic The Use of Big Data in Public Health Research and Practice)

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19 pages, 8912 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Revealing Spatial Patterns and Environmental Influences on Jogging Volume and Speed: Insights from Crowd-Sourced GPS Trajectory Data and Random Forest

by Xiao Yang, Chengbo Zhang and Linzhen Yang

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2025, 14(2), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi14020080 - 13 Feb 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 787

Abstract

Outdoor jogging plays a critical role in active mobility and transport-related physical activity (TPA), contributing to both urban health and sustainability. While existing studies have primarily focused on jogging participation volumes through survey data, they often overlook the real-time dynamics that shape jogging [...] Read more.

Outdoor jogging plays a critical role in active mobility and transport-related physical activity (TPA), contributing to both urban health and sustainability. While existing studies have primarily focused on jogging participation volumes through survey data, they often overlook the real-time dynamics that shape jogging experiences. This study seeks to provide a data-driven analysis of both jogging volume and speed, exploring how environmental factors influence these behaviors. Utilizing a dataset of over 1000 crowd-sourced jogging trajectories in Shenzhen, we spatially linked these trajectories to road-section-level units to map the distribution of jogging volume and average speed. By depicting a bivariate map of both behavioral characteristics, we identified spatial patterns in jogging behavior, elucidating variations in the distribution of volume and speed. A random forest regression model was validated and employed to capture nonlinear relationships and assess the differential impacts of various environmental factors on jogging volume and speed. The results reveal distinct jogging patterns across the city, where jogging volume is shaped by the mixed interplay of natural, visual, and built environment factors, while jogging speed is primarily influenced by visual factors. Additionally, the analysis highlights nonlinear effects, particularly identifying a threshold beyond which incremental environmental improvements provide diminishing returns in jogging speed. These findings clarify the distinct roles of environmental factors in influencing jogging volume and speed, offering insights into the dynamics of active mobility. Ultimately, this study provides data-informed implications for urban planners seeking to create environments that support TPA and promote active lifestyles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic The Use of Big Data in Public Health Research and Practice)

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23 pages, 4222 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Intersecting Paths to Health: A Factor Analysis Approach to Socioeconomic and Environmental Determinants in Indiana

by Siavash Ghorbany, Ming Hu, Siyuan Yao, Chaoli Wang, Matthew Sisk, Quynh C. Nguyen and Kai Zhang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(2), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22020219 - 4 Feb 2025

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1036

Abstract

Public health is the basis of society’s well-being and the nation’s development. Despite the importance of this factor and huge investments in the health sector in the United States, public health is facing enormous challenges due to the unknown nature of the influential [...] Read more.

Public health is the basis of society’s well-being and the nation’s development. Despite the importance of this factor and huge investments in the health sector in the United States, public health is facing enormous challenges due to the unknown nature of the influential variables in this sector. This research aims to investigate the influential variables on public health from different sources including the demographic features, built environment, socioeconomic variables, and environmental factors impact on 30 major health issues. To achieve this goal, this study utilizes exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression methods on the data obtained from the state of Indiana. The results indicated that health issues and influential factors can be divided into five main factors. This study identifies Health Burdens and Socioeconomic Disparities as a key factor, encompassing a wide range of health issues and socioeconomic variables, highlighting a significant association between socioeconomic disparities, poor health outcomes, and environmental exposures. The analysis underscores the intricate relationship between socioeconomic status, health behaviors, chronic diseases, and environmental factors, suggesting that effective interventions must address healthcare access, quality, and broader determinants of health to improve outcomes in affected communities. The results of this study can be helpful to public health policymakers, urban planners, and future public health researchers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic The Use of Big Data in Public Health Research and Practice)

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14 pages, 2597 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Potential and Observed Supply–Demand Characteristics of Medical Services: A Case Study of Nighttime Visits in Shenzhen

by Xiaojie Wu, Zhengdong Huang and Xi Yu

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2024, 13(11), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi13110382 - 30 Oct 2024

Viewed by 910

Abstract

Hospital selection patterns are essential for evaluating medical accessibility and optimizing resource management. In the absence of medical records, early studies primarily used accessibility functions to estimate potential selection probabilities (PSPs). With the advent of travel data, data-driven functions have enabled the calculation [...] Read more.

Hospital selection patterns are essential for evaluating medical accessibility and optimizing resource management. In the absence of medical records, early studies primarily used accessibility functions to estimate potential selection probabilities (PSPs). With the advent of travel data, data-driven functions have enabled the calculation of observed selection probabilities (OSPs). Comparing PSP and OSP helps to leverage travel data to understand hospital selection preferences and improve medical service evaluation models. This study proposes a selection probability-based accessibility model for calculating PSP and OSP accessibility. A case study in Shenzhen employed nighttime navigation data to reduce interference from different travel modes. The distance decay function was validated, with exponential and Gaussian functions performing best. For hospitals, the PSP distribution closely aligned with OSP, except in areas with high hospital density. This discrepancy may result from the PSP function overestimating the selection probability for nearby hospitals, a limitation that could be addressed by fitting the distance decay function to actual data. PSP-based accessibility and Gini coefficients differ from those of OSP. However, when parameters are fitted to actual data, the PSP- and OSP-based functions produce nearly identical results. Fitting to actual data can notably improve the accuracy of PSP and the corresponding accessibility outcomes. These findings may provide valuable references for medical service evaluation methodologies and offer insights for planning and management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic The Use of Big Data in Public Health Research and Practice)

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16 pages, 2887 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Global and Local Interpretable Machine Learning Allow Early Prediction of Unscheduled Hospital Readmission

by Rafael Ruiz de San Martín, Catalina Morales-Hernández, Carmen Barberá, Carlos Martínez-Cortés, Antonio Jesús Banegas-Luna, Francisco José Segura-Méndez, Horacio Pérez-Sánchez, Isabel Morales-Moreno and Juan José Hernández-Morante

Mach. Learn. Knowl. Extr. 2024, 6(3), 1653-1666; https://doi.org/10.3390/make6030080 - 17 Jul 2024

Viewed by 1627

Abstract

Nowadays, most of the health expenditure is due to chronic patients who are readmitted several times for their pathologies. Personalized prevention strategies could be developed to improve the management of these patients. The aim of the present work was to develop local predictive [...] Read more.

Nowadays, most of the health expenditure is due to chronic patients who are readmitted several times for their pathologies. Personalized prevention strategies could be developed to improve the management of these patients. The aim of the present work was to develop local predictive models using interpretable machine learning techniques to early identify individual unscheduled hospital readmissions. To do this, a retrospective, case-control study, based on information regarding patient readmission in 2018–2019, was conducted. After curation of the initial dataset (n = 76,210), the final number of participants was n = 29,026. A machine learning analysis was performed following several algorithms using unscheduled hospital readmissions as dependent variable. Local model-agnostic interpretability methods were also performed. We observed a 13% rate of unscheduled hospital readmissions cases. There were statistically significant differences regarding age and days of stay (p < 0.001 in both cases). A logistic regression model revealed chronic therapy (odds ratio: 3.75), diabetes mellitus history (odds ratio: 1.14), and days of stay (odds ratio: 1.02) as relevant factors. Machine learning algorithms yielded better results regarding sensitivity and other metrics. Following, this procedure, days of stay and age were the most important factors to predict unscheduled hospital readmissions. Interestingly, other variables like allergies and adverse drug reaction antecedents were relevant. Individualized prediction models also revealed a high sensitivity. In conclusion, our study identified significant factors influencing unscheduled hospital readmissions, emphasizing the impact of age and length of stay. We introduced a personalized risk model for predicting hospital readmissions with notable accuracy. Future research should include more clinical variables to refine this model further. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic The Use of Big Data in Public Health Research and Practice)

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