Duck-Hye Yang

Improving Geocoding Practices: Evaluation of Geocoding Tools

This study examined the sources of error involved in geocoding, by systematically evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of three widely used tools for geocoding. We tested them against a random sample of addresses from a state administrative address master file and found considerable variation in identification of census block geocodes of addresses. This high variation was mainly attributable to differences in preprocessing of addresses before geocoding and the reference street data used for geocoding. Preprocessing includes not only parsing and standardizing, but also correcting addresses against the US Postal Service Zip+4 Database, the master mailing address database maintained and updated regularly by USPS.

Health and GIS: Toward Spatial Statistical Analyses

This study examined the extent to which health studies, mostly in public health and epidemiology, used geographical information systems (GIS). We identified a wide range of tools they used—ranging from geocoding through simple buffer/overlay functions to spatial query functions. However, studies tend to rely on tools outside of GIS for spatial statistical analyses. This may reflect a lack of spatial statistical tools that are suitable for health researchers whose data are rather geographically aggregated count data than continuous data. Implementation within GIS of spatial analytical tools suitable for aggregated data over a region will increase the use of GIS beyond simple GIS operations in health studies.

Unmet Mental Health Service Needs in Kinship Care: The Importance of Assessing and Supporting Caregivers

Although children in kinship care reportedly have better outcomes than their nonkinship foster care peers, some have unmet mental health needs or delayed service utilization. This study confirms the presence of unmet mental health needs among children in kinship care and indicates that concerns about caregivers moderate the relationship between identified service needs and service utilization. It is important that child welfare assessments consider caregiver capacity to meet each childs needs and, especially within kinship care where not all caregivers are licensed, respond to the resource, housing, education, and service needs of caregivers.

The Effects of the Americans with Disabilities Act: A Longitudinal Model Analysis

Abstract The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 intends to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities. By 1994 the ADA extended to all employers with 15 or more employees that were recommended to make reasonable accommodations for qualified workers with disabilities. This article provides statistically rigorous estimation of employment effects of the ADA on working-age (25–59) men with disabilities using the panel data of Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Previous studies failed to detect the beneficial effect of the ADA by failing to focus on the relevant subpopulation that the ADA intends to target—those who can participate in workforce. Our findings suggest that the implementation of the extended ADA regulations in 1994 had positive impact on the well-being of the disabled who are labor participants. This held true regardless of measures of disability used.