GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION-SYSTEMS, SPATIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS, AND CONTRACEPTIVE CHOICE

How does family planning accessibility affect contraceptive choice? In this paper we use techniques of spatial analysis to develop measures of family planning accessibility, and evaluate the effects of these ge ographically derived measures in a multilevel statistical model of tem porary method choice in Nang Pong Thailand. In our analyses we combine spatial data obtained from maps and Global Positioning System (GPS) r eadings with sociodemographic data from surveys and administrative rec ords. The new measures reveal (1) important travel time effects even w hen family planning outlets are close by; (2) independent effects of r oad composition; (3) the relevance of alternative sources of family pl anning supply; and (4) the importance of the local history of program placement.