1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910300232703321

Autore

Castellani Brian

Titolo

Place and Health as Complex Systems : A Case Study and Empirical Test / / by Brian Castellani, Rajeev Rajaram, J. Galen Buckwalter, Michael Ball, Frederic Hafferty

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing : , : Imprint : Springer, , 2015

ISBN

3-319-09734-2

Edizione

[1st ed. 2015.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (83 p.)

Collana

SpringerBriefs in Public Health, , 2192-3701

Disciplina

362.1072

Soggetti

Public health

Computational complexity

Statistical physics

Dynamics

Human geography

Public Health

Complexity

Complex Systems

Human Geography

Statistical Physics and Dynamical Systems

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

The Complexities of Place Approach.-Definitional Test of Complex Systems -- Case-Based Modeling and the SACS Toolkit -- Methods -- C1: Places are Complex -- C2: Places are Emergent and Self-Organizing -- C3 Places are Nodes Within Larger Networks -- C4: Places are Dynamic and Evolving -- C5: Places are Nonlinear -- C6: Places are Subjective and Historical -- C7: Places are Open- Ended with Fuzzy Boundaries -- C8: Places are Power-Based Conflicted Negotiations -- C9: Places are Agent-Based -- Conclusion.

Sommario/riassunto

The history of public health has focused on direct relationships between problems and solutions: vaccinations against diseases, ad campaigns targeting risky behaviors. But the accelerating pace and



mounting intricacies of our lives are challenging the field to find new scientific methods for studying community health. The complexities of place (COP) approach is emerging as one such promising method.   Place and Health as Complex Systems demonstrates how COP works, making an empirical case for its use in for designing and implementing interventions. This brief resource reviews the defining characteristics of places as dynamic and evolving social systems, rigorously testing them as well as the COP approach itself. The study, of twenty communities within one county in the Midwest, combines case-based methods and complexity science to determine whether COP improves upon traditional statistical methods of public health research. Its conclusions reveal strengths and limitations of the approach, immediate possibilities for its use, and challenges regarding future research. Included in the coverage:   Characteristics of places and the complexities of place approach. The Definitional Test of Complex Systems. Case-based modeling using the SACS toolkit. Methods, maps, and measures used in the study. Places as nodes within larger networks. Places as power-based conflicted negotiations.   Place and Health as Complex Systems brings COP into greater prominence in public health research, and is also valuable to researchers in related fields such as demography, health geography, community health, urban planning, and epidemiology.  .