title: A common spatial factor analysis model for measured neighborhood-level characteristics: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to reduce the dimensionality of a set of neighborhood-level variables collected on participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) while appropriately accounting for the spatial structure of the data. A common spatial factor analysis model in the Bayesian setting was utilized in order to properly characterize dependencies in the data. Results suggest that use of the spatial factor model can result in more precise estimation of factor scores, improved insight into the spatial patterns in the data, and the ability to more accurately assess associations between the neighborhood environment and health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Hall, CB # 7420, Chapel USA. Electronic address: nethery@live.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Rachel C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Nethery
authors.affiliation: Yale University, Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Hall, CB # 7420, Chapel USA.
authors.forename: Amy H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Herring
authors.affiliation: Drexel University, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Kari A B
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Evenson
authors.affiliation: Drexel University, School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Ana V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Diez-Roux
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014481:United States
keywords: Bayesian analysis; Body mass index; Factor analysis; Spatial statistics