Relationships between Central Appalachia Surface Mining and Birth Outcomes

This dataset contains most GIS data files and scripts from McKnight (2020) and McKnight et al. (2022). Birth outcome data for Central Appalachia are protected by IRB agreements and must be obtained from the health departments of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Data for active surface mines greater than 40 acres from 1989 to 2015 include annual shapefiles for each year and centroids of those mines in a separate zip file. Scripts are provided to model airsheds and conduct statistical analyses.
McKnight, Molly X. 2020. Examining the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem: Associations Between Surface Mining and Birth Outcomes in Central Appalachia at Multiple Spatial Scales. Master’s Thesis. Virginia Tech.
McKnight, M.X., K.N. Kolivras, L.G. Buttling, J.M. Gohlke, L.C. Marr, T.J. Pingel, and S. Ranganathan. 2022. Associations between surface mining airsheds and birth outcomes in Central Appalachia at multiple spatial scales. GeoHealth. doi: 10.1029/2022GH000696