Modelling spatial inequalities in health in cities of developing countries: the case of Accra, Ghana

John R. Weeks, San Diego State University
Allan G. Hill, Harvard University
Arthur Getis, San Diego State University
David Rain, George Washington University
Mark R. Montgomery, Population Council
Douglas A. Stow, San Diego State University

Sustainable development requires a healthy population because only this can generate the levels of economic productivity necessary to lift an economy out of widespread poverty. We posit that variability in health within urban places, where most jobs are being created, is importantly a function of the composite characteristics of place, not just of the people themselves. In this research we model the spatial inequality in health outcomes in Accra, Ghana, by analyzing data on child mortality derived from census and survey data. We examine the spatial patterns in child mortality and then we also evaluate whether that pattern can be inferred from proxy variables derived from remotely sensed imagery. These estimates will allow health inequality across Accra, as indexed by child mortality, to be decomposed into its within-neighborhood and between-neighborhood components, and will allow for identification of those neighborhoods that exhibit higher than expected levels of health vulnerability.