GENERATE is comprised of a series of R script files that allow sites to locally geocode address data from NA-ACCORD participants and merge it with annually updated neighborhood-level American Community Survey data collected by the United States Census. This allows sites to submit neighborhood-level social determinants of health to the NA-ACCORD without necessarily sending addresses. Geocoding was made possible utilizing the DeGAUSS geocoding function¹ in R created by Dr. Cole Brokamp (https://degauss.org). We are able to incorporate time-updated (2010 versus 2020) census tract information based on the date an address was recorded utilizing the call_geolocator_updated() function written by Dr. Mark Richards. For the purposes of the NA-ACCORD at this time, we are interested in collecting data from 2012 forward, and will be collecting median household income, proportion of individuals >16 years who are employed, and proportion with a college education at the census tract, ZCTA, county, and state-level. We are excited to begin incorporating neighborhood-level social determinants of health into the NA-ACCORD which are timely and relevant factors for the populations of people with HIV we serve!
 
These files are free to utilize and download publicly, though we caution that they were developed specifically for the scientific aims and epidemiologic approaches of the NA-ACCORD.
 
For NA-ACCORD sites submitting these data, please download the zip folder appropriate for your site below based on whether you already complete geocoding.
 
For any questions or concerns regarding the GENERATE Tool please contact Sally Coburn at: [email protected].

1. Brokamp C, Wolfe C, Lingren T, Harley J, Ryan P. Decentralized and reproducible geocoding and characterization of community and environmental exposures for multisite studies. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2018 Mar 1;25(3):309-314. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocx128. PMID: 29126118; PMCID: PMC7378876.