Using GIS and perceived distance to understand the unequal geographies of healthcare in lower‐income urban neighbourhoods

Abstract

Geographers play important roles in public health research, particularly in understanding healthcare accessibility, utilisation, and individual healthcare experiences. Most accessibility studies have benefited from the increased sophistication of geographic information systems (GIS). Some studies have been enhanced with semi-structured in-depth interviews to understand individual experiences of people as they access healthcare. However, few accessibility studies have explicitly utilised individual in-depth interview data in the construction of new GIS accessibility measures. Using mixed methods including GIS analysis and individual data from semi-structured in-depth interviews, we offer satisfaction-adjusted distance as a new way of conceptualising accessibility in GIS. Based on fieldwork in a predominantly lower-income community in Columbus, Ohio (USA), we find many residents felt neighbourhood healthcare facilities offered low-quality care, which suggested an added perceived distance as they attempt to access high-quality healthcare facilities. The satisfaction-adjusted distance measure accounts for the perceived distance some residents feel as they search for high-quality healthcare in lower-income urban neighbourhoods. In moving beyond conventional GIS and re-conceptualising accessibility in this way, we offer a more realistic portrayal of the issues lower-income urban residents face as they attempt to access high-quality healthcare facilities. The work has theoretical implications for conceptualising healthcare accessibility, advances the mixed-methodologies literature, and argues for a more equitable distribution of high-quality healthcare in urban neighbourhoods.

Correspondence between objective and perceived walking times to urban destinations: Influence of physical activity, neighbourhood walkability, and socio-demographics

“…[56,57]), this study has shown that these perceived walking times/distances are often an overestimation of the objective walking times/distances. Future studies should keep this poor correspondence in mind, as well as the fact that when only using self-reported walking times, the results can be influenced by physical activity and other variables.…”

Integrative Biological Chemistry Program Includes The Use Of Informatics Tools, GIS And SAS Software Applications

“…With the advent and evolution of statistical and computer sciences and the greater availability of medical and epidemiological data, it gave rise to medical GIS, which has integrated statistical and spatial analysis functions. GIS has been used descriptively in population and public health fields (Ogden et al, 2014; Moore et al, 2008; Ricketts, 2003) to examine healthcare service provision (Hawthorne and Kwan, 2012) and epidemiology (Clarke et al, 1996). …”

“…Additionally data intensive scientific analyses (Park and VanRoekel, 2013; Ailamaki et al, 2010) that merge visualization and workflow technologies have become especially important aspects to sort large quantities of available biological data; Big Data (United States Census Bureau, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute). Mature spatial analysis GIS applications on the Environmental Systems Research Institutes (ESRIs) ArcGIS suites and SAS techniques developed by the SAS Institute are found to be useful in integrating optimal search strategies and are powerful evidence-based practice tools in the domain of public health (Ogden et al, 2014; Duncan et al, 2014; Musa et al, 2013; Hawthorne and Kwan, 2012; Moore et al, 2008; Ricketts, 2003; Lee and Wong, 2001; Clarke et al, 1996). …”

Placing Bets: gambling venues and the distribution of harm

“…The role of distance is clearly important here, both physical ) and cognitive (e.g. Hawthorne & Kwan 2012). In addition, while we know the time available to an individual affects gambling outcomes (Baker & Marshall 2005), we know little about the temporal sequencing of gambling behaviour and the way it fits into daily spatial patterns.…”