title: [Study on bias and confounding in 'Spatial Epidemiology'].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the biases and confoundings in Spatial Epidemiological studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Possible bias and confounding and their impact on study results in Spatial Epidemiology were analyzed in given examples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In Spatial Epidemiology, biases related to ascertainment/numerator/denominator induced by the choice of the disease induction/latency period and mis-specification of exposure-disease model, exposure inaccuracy, spatial dependency, significance tests etc. were involved, as well as to ecological, socio-economic confoundings factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sources of bias in 'Spatial Epidemiology' were both numerous and complex, that might be overestimated or underestimated on the study results. Hence, careful interpretation of such studies was needed.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Yi-biao
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Qing-wu
authors.initials: QW
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Gen-ming
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D004463:Ecology; D004813:Epidemiology; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013029:Space-Time Clustering