Assessing geographic heterogeneity and variable importance in an air pollution data set

摘要

Abstract In this article, we examine data on the relationship between air quality and mortality in the United States using a published observational data set. Observational studies are complex and open to various interpretations. We show that there is geographic heterogeneity for the effect of air pollution on longevity. We also show that the relative importance of air pollution on longevity is much less than that of income or smoking. Most often authors do not address the relative importance o.