Linking data on services collected from health facilities with information on women's health behavior from household surveys enables program managers and policy makers to evaluate the role of health services on the health of women and their children. The Kenya Service Provision Assessment, a sample survey of health facilities in Kenya, provides extensive information on family planning, antenatal care, STD, and sick child services. The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, a sample survey of women of reproductive age and their children, provides information on health knowledge, behaviors, and outcomes. Global positioning system units were used in both surveys to collect latitude and longitude data. The geocoded datasets were then bought into a geographic information system (GIS) to geographically link health service data to information on women in the population that these facilities likely serve. Based on geographic proximity, 299 health facilities were linked to 187 sample clusters consisting of 2,782 women of reproductive age. An additional 317 women in 20 sample clusters did not live close to a surveyed facility. Preliminary analysis suggests that women who live close to a surveyed facility are more likely to use modern contraception and are more likely to consider themselves at moderate risk of HIV/AIDS than women who do not. For example, among the 2,782 women near a facility, over 44 percent had ever used a modern contraceptive method, compared to only 29 percent of the 317 surveyed women who were not located close to a surveyed facility.
Learning Objectives: 1. Realize that GIS is an innovative method to link population and facility based data 2. Recognize the potential of linked data to measure the association between health inputs and population outcomes for program management
Keywords: Women's Health, Geographic Information Systems
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.