GIS and the Geography of Obesity Workshop

As part of its goal to highlight the use of emerging methodologies to address public health issues, ECOR hosted a workshop on the geography of obesity. The August 3 meeting demonstrated current applications of geographic information systems (GIS) technology to obesity research, with expert presentations on topics such as the built environment and public health, spatial sampling for socioeconomic status, geocoding of public health data, and translation to community action and policy.

The workshop was also geared toward building transdisciplinary understanding and partnerships. The group of workshop participants spanned academia, public health, and the community; the UW School of Medicine, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, College of Engineering, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Public Health- Seattle & King County, King County Board of Health, Washington Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were all represented.

Results from surveys conducted at the workshop indicated that participants felt the workshop facilitated discussion and networking and effectively presented a variety of quality speakers and topics. Participants also expressed excitement in building potential synergistic collaborations. When asked about barriers to conducting transdisciplinary collaborations, they noted finding interested partners and adequate funding-- both areas on which ECOR is actively working.

• GIS Workshop Agenda
• List of Participating Organizations