---
title: "Hayfever on the Rise: It's a Pandemic But Not Really!"
author: "Hannah Ramsay"
output:
flexdashboard::flex_dashboard:
storyboard: true
social: menu
source: embed
---
```{r setup, include=FALSE}
knitr::opts_chunk$set(echo = FALSE)
library(rmarkdown)
library(flexdashboard)
library(sf)
library(dplyr)
library(readr)
library(ggplot2)
library(plotly)
setwd("~/Masters of Analytics/2024/Data Visualisation and Communication MATH2270/Assessments/Assignment 3")
getwd()
auspollen <- read.csv("Data/auspollen_parkville_count.csv")
class(auspollen)
str(auspollen)
auspollen$start_date2 <- as.Date(auspollen$start_date2)
emissions <- read.csv("Data/co2_emissions_state.csv")
class(emissions)
str(emissions)
health_con <- read.csv("Data/prop_health_conditions.csv")
class(health_con)
str(health_con)
```
### Health Conditions in Australia
```{r}
health_con <- health_con[order(health_con$proportion_ppl_longterm),]
health_con$aus_state <- factor(health_con$aus_state, levels = rev(health_con$aus_state))
theme_set(theme_bw())
ggplot(health_con, aes(x = aus_state, y = proportion_ppl_longterm, fill = proportion_ppl_longterm)) +
geom_bar(stat = "identity", width = 0.5, colour = "black") +
scale_fill_gradientn(colors = c("lightcyan", "cyan", "deepskyblue", "purple", "magenta"),
name = "Proportion (%)") +
labs(
title = "Proportion of Australians Experiencing Hay Fever in 2022",
y = "Proportion of Population (%)",
x = "State/Territory",
caption = "Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2024"
) +
theme(axis.text.x = element_text(angle = 0, vjust = 0.6),
axis.title.y = element_text(angle = 0, vjust=0.5)) +
coord_flip()
```
***
- Everyday, Australians experience many health conditions such as arthritis, asthma, cancer, and hay fever to name a few (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2024).
- Specifically, hay fever (also known as allergic rhinitis) is a reaction from the immune system, causing symptoms including a runny nose, sneezing, and watery eyes.
- This response can be triggered by the presence of animal fur, dust mites, or by allergens like pollen or grass which appear seasonally throughout the year (Healthdirect Australia 2024).
- As seen in the provided bar chart, the proportion of Australians which have experienced hay fever ranges from roughly 13.5% (of NT population) to 34% (of ACT population).
- <b>Future research recommendation:</b> Difference in population and flora existing in these States or Territories.
### Seasonal Allergens and Pollen Count in Victoria
```{r}
plot_ly(auspollen, x = ~start_date2) %>%
add_lines(y = ~poaceae_pollen_concentration_grains_metre_cubed, name = "Poaceae Pollen", line = list(color = 'skyblue')) %>%
add_lines(y = ~other_pollen_concentration_grains_metre_cubed, name = "Other Pollen", line = list(color = 'orange')) %>%
layout(
title = "Pollen Concentration Over Time in Parkville, Victoria<br><sub>Source: National Health and Medical Research AusPollen Partnership Project, 2023</sub>",
xaxis = list(
title = "Time",
rangeslider = list(
visible = TRUE,
autorange = TRUE,
thickness = 0.1)),
yaxis = list(title ="Concentration in grains/m<sup>3</sup>")
)
```
***
- <b>Study:</b> National Health and Medical Research AusPollen Partnership Project (2023) collected data on samples of airborne pollen concentrations in Parkville, Victoria.
- The dataset contains two sets of concentration: Poaceae (grass) and all other pollen.
- This time series analysis shows 4 large spikes in both concentration sets, with Poaceae climbing drastically.
- The pollen concentrations grow between mid-August and January of the next year, with the highest peak around the September-October time.
- Considering the different Australian seasons, this indicates an increased number of samples during Spring and early Summer which is not surprising as it is during these times when flora can be found blooming at it's best.
- Additionally, the Poaceae concentrations seem to be growing increasingly over time. This can lead people to ask if climate change has affected pollen concentrations over time.
### Effects of Climate Change on Pollen Concentrations
```{r}
plot_ly(emissions, x = ~year, y = ~emissions_tpc, color = ~aus_state, type = 'scatter', mode = 'lines') %>%
layout(
title = "CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions Over Time by Australian State <br><sub>Source: Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, 2023</sub></br>",
xaxis = list(
title = "Year",
rangeslider = list(visible = TRUE)
),
yaxis = list(title = "CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions (Tonnes per Capita)")
)
```
***
- <b>Climate change:</b> The continual shift in temperature and weather patterns.
- Human activities lead to the increased release of emissions, and carbon dioxide is one of the major greenhouse gases causing climate change (United Nations n.d.).
- Kari Nadeau at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: "Warming is affecting our pollen seasons".
- Warmer weather due to the emission of these greenhouse gases signal plants to bloom and pollen becomes airborne earlier (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 2023).
- Data shows decrease of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions.
- NT values higher than ACT and VIC which contradicts first tab if correlating higher CO<sub>2</sub> -> higher pollen count. What does this mean?
- <b>Limitations to data:</b> Data set contains data from 1990, but the effect of climate change has progressed slowly over a prolonged period of time.
- <b>Future research recommendation:</b> Obtain a larger data set to include data from many more decades ago to get an accurate conclusion on the effect of climate change on pollen concentrations.
### References
* Australian Bureau of Statistics (2024). <i>National Health Survey: State and territory findings</i>. Australian Bureau of Statistics. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/national-health-survey-state-and-territory-findings/2022
* Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (2023). <i>State and territory CO2e emissions per capita</i>. Data.gov.au. https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/state-co2e-emissions-per-capita
* Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2023, April 11). <i>Allergies are getting worse with climate change</i>. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/allergies-are-getting-worse-with-climate-change/
* Healthdirect Australia (2024). <i>Hay fever (allergic rhinitis)</i>. Healthdirect Australia.
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hay-fever
* National Health and Medical Research AusPollen Partnership Project (2023). <i>AusPollen - Weekly Pollen Count - Parkville site, Melbourne, Victoria (Point) July 2016 - June 2020</i>. AURIN. https://adp-access.aurin.org.au/dataset/auspollen-parkville-vic-6168c42016eb4e98d9b8cb28-na
* United Nations (n.d.). <i>What Is Climate Change?</i> United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change
