Leukaemia incidence, social class and estuaries: an ecological analysis.
Leukaemia incidence data for 1984-1986 for 22 counties of England and Wales have been collected by a specialist registry. The present study is an ecological analysis in which incidence in electoral wards has been tested for association with two predefined ward characteristics: socio-economic status and proximity to estuaries. Small but statistically significant associations have been observed with relative risks in the range 1.05-1.50. Adjustments have been made in the analysis for variation in the underlying regional incidence and also for statistical artefacts consequent upon the rarity of the condition. The results for socio-economic status confirm those of other recent studies, with increased incidence linked to higher status. The results for estuaries are new although derived from a prior hypothesis.
Alexander
F E
FE
Leukaemia Research Fund Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Springfield Mount, Leeds.
Cartwright
R A
RA
McKinney
P A
PA
Ricketts
T J
TJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004463:Ecology; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007938:Leukemia / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012042:Registries; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology