Effects of study area size on geographic characterizations of health events: Prostate cancer incidence in Southern New England, USA, 1994–1998

Table 3 Geographic variation of prostate cancer incidence using of a restrictive (10%) scanning window according to selected study areas across Southern New England, USA, 1994–1998.

Study Area	Location*	Population at-risk	Size (sq km)	Cases	O/E**	p_value
CT, MA & RI	18	340,925	3,306.1	2763	0.79	0.0001
	19	200,603	13,809.5	2729	1.27	0.0001
	20	239,448	17,572.6	1917	0.77	0.0001
	21	115,636	973.1	1626	1.33	0.0001
	22	376,304	1,935.3	3925	1.16	0.0001
	23	5,741	5.3	0	0.00	0.0001
	24	31,229	36.1	127	0.49	0.0001
	25	177,096	865.7	2194	1.21	0.0001
	26	117,550	1,179.9	966	0.77	0.0001
	27	6,027	0.4	0	0.00	0.0001
	28	116,216	713.5	1293	1.24	0.0001
	29	20,338	12.8	220	1.66	0.0001
	30	91,701	1,626.0	774	0.82	0.0003
	31	17,970	86.9	211	1.50	0.0010
	32	28,139	42.5	228	0.71	0.0016
	33	32,013	779.3	225	0.73	0.0118
	34	19,704	28.8	159	0.69	0.0220
	35	3,526	1.3	42	2.33	0.0479
Massachusetts (MA)	36	164,636	13,224.3	1325	0.73	0.0001
	37	185,321	13,167.3	2546	1.27	0.0001
	38	29,381	497.2	114	0.45	0.0001
	39	5,741	5.3	0	0.00	0.0001
	40	31,229	36.1	127	0.48	0.0001
	41	177,096	865.7	2194	1.20	0.0001
	42	6,027	0.4	0	0.00	0.0001
	43	204,367	1,542.7	2174	1.19	0.0001
	44	144,083	3,295.9	1193	0.82	0.0001
	45	39,483	169.3	546	1.37	0.0001
	46	20,338	12.8	220	1.64	0.0001
	47	14,521	7.9	126	1.70	0.0010
	48	19,704	28.8	159	0.69	0.0098
Connecticut (CT)	49	105,999	920.8	1487	1.32	0.0001
	50	105,495	1,488.9	860	0.75	0.0001
	51	64,714	3,261.4	433	0.69	0.0001
	52	116,216	713.5	1293	1.22	0.0001
	53	28,139	42.5	228	0.69	0.0002
Rhode Island (RI)	54	36,996	912.2	424	1.51	0.0001
	55	31,645	31.8	215	0.71	0.0002
	56	28,593	28.3	198	0.75	0.0245

* Illustrated in Figure 2. ** Risk of prostate cancer for residents of a given location, relative to the risk elsewhere around the designated study area.

ISSN: 1476-072X