Table 1

Regions detected as the most likely cluster by three procedures. Regions detected as the most likely cluster by the circular scan, the flexible scan and Duczmal and Assunção's scan, with the maximum length of cluster set to be K = 15 for the simulated random sample from the cluster model C where the hot spot cluster is assumed to be the set of connected four regions {14, 15, 26, 27} with the assumed relative risk θ = 3.0. For details, see text.

region no.

population

observed no. cases

expected no. cases

relative risk estimated (true)

Log likelihood ratio (LLR) and estimated relative risk for the most likely cluster

Circular

Flexible

Duczmal et al.

14

319,687

14

3.794

3.69 (3.0)

*

*

*

15

529,485

21

6.283

3.34 (3.0)

*

*

*

LLR = 20.1

= 3.47

26

139,077

6

1.650

3.64 (3.0)

*

*

27

165,564

6

1.964

3.05 (3.0)

*

*

33

105,899

4

1.257

3.18 (1.0)

*

*

LLR = 29.7

= 3.41

24

466,347

8

5.534

1.44 (1.0)

*

31

197,677

3

2.346

1.27 (1.0)

*

32

349,050

5

4.142

1.20 (1.0)

*

48

58,635

1

0.696

1.43 (1.0)

*

54

3,808

1

0.045

22.12(1.0)

*

69

119,575

3

1.419

2.11 (1.0)

*

77

177,742

5

2.109

2.37 (1.0)

*

78

125,127

2

1.485

1.34 (1.0)

*

90

194,866

5

2.312

2.16 (1.0)

*

110

21,535

1

0.256

3.91 (1.0)

*

LLR = 31.8

= 2.41

Tango and Takahashi International Journal of Health Geographics 2005 4:11   doi:10.1186/1476-072X-4-11