Facility or Transport Inequality? Decomposing Healthcare Accessibility Inequality in Shenzhen, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
; 19(11)2022 06 04.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1892886
ABSTRACT
Accessibility to healthcare services is crucial for residents' wellbeing. Numerous studies have revealed significant spatial inequality in healthcare accessibility across various contexts. However, it still remains unclear whether the inequality is caused by the unbalanced spatial distribution of healthcare facilities or by unequal transport access to them. This study decomposes inequality in healthcare accessibility into facility- and transport-driven inequality by comparing scenarios of healthcare accessibility, which consider various combinations of multidimensional components of accessibility using different distance measures. Using a case study in Shenzhen, this study reveals that both facility distribution and transport access substantially contribute to spatial inequality in healthcare accessibility. Facility distribution accounts for 61.3% and 50.8% of the overall accessibility inequality for driving and transit modes, respectively. The remaining inequality is induced by imbalanced mobility provided by transport networks. Furthermore, the impact of transport component on healthcare accessibility is unevenly distributed. This study highlights that both facility- and transport-related countermeasures should be considered to improve the accessibility and equality of healthcare services. It provides transferable methods for quantitatively decomposing facility- and transport-driven inequality in accessibility to healthcare or other facilities.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Healthcare Disparities
/
Health Services Accessibility
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ijerph19116897
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