title: Brief introductory guide to agent-based modeling and an illustration from urban health research.
abstract: There is growing interest among urban health researchers in addressing complex problems using conceptual and computation models from the field of complex systems. Agent-based modeling (ABM) is one computational modeling tool that has received a lot of interest. However, many researchers remain unfamiliar with developing and carrying out an ABM, hindering the understanding and application of it. This paper first presents a brief introductory guide to carrying out a simple agent-based model. Then, the method is illustrated by discussing a previously developed agent-based model, which explored inequalities in diet in the context of urban residential segregation.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Amy H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Auchincloss
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: Leandro Martin Totaro
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Garcia
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D003198:Computer Simulation / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D013597:Systems Analysis; D014504:Urban Health