Mathematical modelling of health impacts

• Published in: Journal of epidemiology and community health (1979) Vol. 59; no. 8; pp. 617 - 618
• Main Authors: Mindell, Jennifer, Joffe, Mike
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01.08.2005; BMJ Publishing Group; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: City ordinances; Community health; Costs; Editorials; Epidemiology; Funding; Health care access; health impact assessment; Health insurance; health insurance cover; Health Policy; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Income; Income inequality; Income redistribution; inequalities; Infectious diseases; Mathematical inequalities; mathematical modelling; Mathematical models; Minimization of cost; Models, Theoretical; Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care) - methods; Psychoeducational intervention; Public health; Studies; United Kingdom > UK
• ISSN: 0143-005X; 1470-2738
• DOI: 10.1136/jech.2005.034355

[...]good quality primary studies on the effects of change. 5 Even where there is good evidence of a causal relation, reversibility cannot be assumed 7 : as a quantified illustration, the magnitude of the effect of a rise or a fall in cigarette price on cigarette consumption (the elasticities) differ. 8 In relation to socioeconomic inequalities, while cross sectional studies of unemployment and health are subject to direct and indirect selection effects, 9 factory closure studies overcome this problem, 10 but do not directly answer the question, "how much health gain would be expected from the creation of a certain number of jobs?"-which arises frequently in the context of health impact assessment.