Jcg. Hyndman et al., A comparison of measures of access to child health clinics and the implications for modelling the location of new clinics, AUS NZ J PU, 23(2), 1999, pp. 189-195
Citations number
29
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science
Journal title
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Objective: To determine whether measurement of access to existing child hea
lth clinics, and modelled location of new clinics, was affected by the spat
ial definitions of the target population.
Method: Populations requiring childhood screening services were defined as
located at individual households, and at geographic and population-weighted
centroids of small and large areas. Straight-line and network distances we
re measured and compared from these origins to varying numbers of existing
clinics. The same origins were used to model sets of locations for new clin
ics, and access levels were again compared.
Results: Travel distances for 82,499 annual baby-visits to 140 existing cli
nics were between 136,000 km and 84,000 km, depending on origin definition.
An analysis based on small area centroid data was as accurate as one based
on household data. Planning solutions for new clinics located on the basis
of few large areas, with populations centred at spatially defined centroid
s, resulted in poorer access for the population (231,000 km of travel) than
one based on many small areas with populations centred at population weigh
ted centroids (194,000 km of travel).
Implications: Public access to health facilities will be improved if decisi
ons about their locations are aided by the application of spatial analysis
techniques based on small area definitions.