Skip to main content

Table 1 Univariate meta-regression models by incorporating city-specific characteristics to explain heterogeneity

From: Short-term effects of rainfall on childhood hand, foot and mouth disease and related spatial heterogeneity: evidence from 143 cities in mainland China

Meta-predictors

Low rainfall

High rainfall

Extreme rainfall

βa

PWb

I2 (%)

PQc

βa

PWb

I2 (%)

PQc

βa

PWb

I2 (%)

PQc

Intercept only

–

–

24.98

0.006

–

–

40.42

< 0.001

–

–

45.66

< 0.001

Climatic variables

 Temperature

0.016 (0.004, 0.028)

0.007

21.75

0.019

0.027 (0.013, 0.042)

< 0.001

35.13

< 0.001

0.030 (0.011, 0.050)

0.002

41.80

< 0.001

 Relative humidity

0.006 (− 0.006, 0.017)

0.320

25.66

0.006

0.012 (− 0.003, 0.026)

0.118

40.15

< 0.001

0.010 (− 0.011, 0.030)

0.348

45.66

< 0.001

 Sunshine

−0.008 (− 0.020, 0.004)

0.195

24.95

0.007

−0.012 (− 0.028, 0.004)

0.136

40.29

< 0.001

− 0.010 (− 0.031, 0.011)

0.348

46.05

< 0.001

 Air pressure

0.003 (−0.007, 0.013)

0.546

25.24

0.006

0.005 (−0.009, 0.019)

0.448

40.49

< 0.001

0.006 (−0.014, 0.026)

0.567

45.69

< 0.001

Demographic variables

 Student density

0.013 (0.002, 0.024)

0.018

22.26

0.016

0.023 (0.009, 0.036)

0.001

35.33

< 0.001

0.032 (0.016, 0.049)

< 0.001

38.86

< 0.001

 Population density

0.004 (−0.005, 0.014)

0.362

24.91

0.007

0.010 (−0.003, 0.022)

0.131

39.61

< 0.001

0.013 (−0.004, 0.031)

0.130

44.82

< 0.001

 Population increase

−0.002 (− 0.014, 0.009)

0.686

25.39

0.005

0.007 (−0.008, 0.023)

0.339

40.27

< 0.001

0.003 (−0.016, 0.023)

0.723

46.00

< 0.001

Health resources

 Hospital beds

0.009 (−0.003, 0.022)

0.153

23.72

0.009

0.012 (−0.004, 0.029)

0.129

39.96

< 0.001

0.015 (−0.006, 0.036)

0.155

45.17

< 0.001

 Licensed physicians

0.006 (−0.005, 0.017)

0.304

25.45

0.006

0.010 (−0.004, 0.025)

0.158

40.49

< 0.001

0.014 (−0.004, 0.033)

0.127

45.10

< 0.001

Economic variables

 GDP per person

0.005 (−0.006, 0.015)

0.351

25.07

0.006

0.008 (−0.006, 0.022)

0.246

40.21

< 0.001

0.024 (0.005, 0.042)

0.011

42.13

< 0.001

 GDP increase

0.003 (−0.009, 0.015)

0.600

25.63

0.005

0.000 (−0.015, 0.015)

0.999

40.72

< 0.001

−0.001 (− 0.021, 0.020)

0.951

45.89

< 0.001

 Traffic

0.001 (−0.008, 0.010)

0.862

25.50

0.005

0.004 (−0.008, 0.017)

0.507

40.59

< 0.001

0.010 (−0.006, 0.026)

0.207

45.05

< 0.001

  1. a β is the coefficient of each meta-predictor, which was obtained using the restricted maximum-likelihood method
  2. b PW is the P-value of the Wald test, which was used to test the significance of the coefficient of each meta-predictor
  3. c PQ is the P-value of the Cochran Q test, which was used to test the significance of the residual heterogeneity