By: Jessica Throwe, Sofia Marmolejos, and Colette HochsteinThe National Library of Medicine (NLM) periodically hosts classes to introduce aspiringpublic health professionals to the benefits of using low-cost GIS mapping tools incommunity health research. Recently, NLM interns Jessica Throwe and SofiaMarmolejos, along with NLM Research Assistant Julian Argoti, presented CommunityHealth Maps (CHM) to University of Maryland School of Public Health undergraduateand graduate students.
The first presentation was held during a seventy-five minute “Principles of CommunityHealth” class of twenty-five undergraduates. A second was provided to a close-knitclass of ten graduate students studying community health and health literacy.After an introduction to Community Health Maps and to the history and ideology ofGIS/mapping in health research, students used Fulcrum, a mobile data-collectionutility, to create customized forms for collecting data on their mobile phones. Theywere then given thirty minutes to explore the classroom building and collect data on thehealth topic of their choice. The data collected included the geographic location,functionality, and visual appearance of the points of interest.The larger undergraduate class chose a wide variety of subjects, ranging from nearbybus stops and curb ramps to building water fountains and bathroom stall colors. Thesmaller graduate class focused on the school building’s resources, including handsanitizer dispensers, bike racks, compost bins, wheel chair accessibility, and foodofferings. After the data collection and review process, problems with the building’sresources became more apparent, which sparked ideas regarding potentialimprovements.One group noticed that although the school has a new sustainability initiative, of thetwenty locations in the building with trash and recycling bins, only three included acompost bin. Another group found that the hand sanitizer dispensers functionedeverywhere except right outside the gym, a site where this product is in high demand. Athird group discovered the school has a limited number of locations to purchase snacks,and that each of these contains just one vending machine which does not offer healthyfood options.This introduction and exposure to Community Health Maps allowed University ofMaryland undergraduate students to explore the concept of mapping and to makeconnections with community health research. UMD graduate students actively appliedthe CHM processes to discovering geospatial inconsistencies in their built environmentand to brainstorming areas for potential improvements within the building.NLM looks forward to learning how students of varied educational levels will applyCommunity Health Maps to future educational and professional experiences.