Health-care availability, preference, and distance for women in urban Bo, Sierra Leone

Lila C. Fleming (), Rashid Ansumana, Alfred S. Bockarie, Joel D. Alejandre, Karen K. Owen, Umaru Bangura, David H. Jimmy, Kevin M. Curtin, David A. Stenger and Kathryn H. Jacobsen
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Lila C. Fleming: George Mason University
Rashid Ansumana: Mercy Hospital Research Laboratory
Alfred S. Bockarie: Mercy Hospital Research Laboratory
Joel D. Alejandre: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Karen K. Owen: George Mason University
Umaru Bangura: Mercy Hospital Research Laboratory
David H. Jimmy: Mercy Hospital Research Laboratory
Kevin M. Curtin: George Mason University
David A. Stenger: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Kathryn H. Jacobsen: George Mason University

International Journal of Public Health, 2016, vol. 61, issue 9, No 11, 1079-1088

Abstract: Abstract Objectives To examine the diversity of the health-care providers in urban Bo, Sierra Leone, identify the types of health-care facilities preferred by women for fevers, and analyze the road network distances from homes to preferred health-care providers. Methods A population-based random sampling method was used to recruit 2419 women from Bo. A geographic information system was used to measure the road distance from each woman’s home to her preferred provider. Results Preferred health-care providers for acute febrile illnesses (commonly referred to as “malaria” in the study communities) were hospitals (62.3 %), clinics (12.6 %), and pharmacies (12.4 %). Participants lived a median distance of 0.6 km from the nearest provider, but on average each woman lived 2.2 km one-way from her preferred provider. Women living farther from the city center had preferred providers significantly farther from home than women living downtown. Conclusions The diverse health-care marketplace in Bo allows women to select clinical facilities from across the city. Most women prefer a malaria care provider farther from home than they could comfortably walk when ill.

Keywords: Health services accessibility; Choice behavior; Urban population; Sierra Leone; West Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1007/s00038-016-0815-y

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