Differences in walking access to healthcare facilities between formal and informal areas in 19 sub-Saharan African cities.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Spatial accessibility to healthcare is a critical factor in ensuring equitable health outcomes. While studies on a global, continental, and national level exist, our understanding of intra-urban differences, particularly between formal and informal areas within cities in sub-Saharan Africa, remains limited.

Methods

This study integrates openly available datasets on land use in 19 sub-Saharan cities, healthcare facilities in the region, and street networks from OpenStreetMap. Using these datasets, we calculate service areas around hospitals, considering travel times ranging from 1 to 120 minutes with walking as the mode of travel. The resulting service areas are then merged with population data from WorldPop, allowing us to assess the proportion of the population w

SUBMITTER: Friesen J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11828986 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature