Spatiotemporal Distribution of Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer through GIS over 2007-2012 in Kermanshah-Iran

Abstract

Background: Cancer is one of the common causes of disability and mortality in the world. The present study aimed to define the spatiotemporal distribution of gastrointestinal tract cancers using a geographic information system (GIS) over the time period of 2007-2012 in Kermanshah-Iran. Materials and Methods: The method of studying was descriptive-analytical as well as comparative with gastrointestinal tract cancer patients based in the City of Kermanshah over the time period covered. For data analysis, the GIS and SPSS 16.0 were applied. Results: According to the pathological reports within the space of 5 years, 283 cases of gastrointestinal tract cancer (157 in males, 156 in females) were reported. The performed tests in terms of spatial distribution in the environment of GIS indicated that the disease demonstrated a clustered pattern in the City of Kermanshah. More to the point, some loci of this disease have emerged in the City of Kermanshah that in the first level, 6 neighborhoods with 29-59 cases of this disease per square kilometer and in the second level, 15-29 cases. Conclusions: Gastrointestinal tract cancer demonstrated an ascending trend within the space of 5 years of research and the spatiotemporal distribution of cancer featured a concentrated and clustered pattern in the City of Kermanshah.

Investigating Inequalities in Access to Healthcare: The Case of Townships of Kermanshah, Iran

“…Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate inequality in access to medical care in the townships based in Kermanshah, Iran. The results of studying the status quo of the distribution of health resources in Kermanshah showed that there was heterogeneity in this regard, which was consistent with the results of studies stating that there were large gaps between different regions in Iran in terms of this factor [11,32,39,[43][44][45].In a study performed by , it was concluded that the factors such as lack of planning, wrong policymaking in terms of the distribution of health services, unfair distribution of financial resources and structural problems accounted for this situation [45].In addition, the consequences of the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq, economic sanctions, political-economic weaknesses, excessive population growth, and excessive migration of villagers to cities might account for this situation in Iran [46].Besides, the health status of people in various health issues, including diseases and other cases in Kermanshah will be negated by the lack of proper access to healthcare supplies [35,47]. In terms of the ratio of specialists to a population of 10,000 people, the results of the present study were indicative of an unequal distribution of facilities across the townships of Kermanshah Province.…”

“…This situation, as expressed in other studies, has been influenced by the willingness of governments and local authorities to give some regions more access to medical care due to their natural features or their influence in planning and political centers [66]. So, given Kermanshah's large population (1,900,831 people) and its high HIV [34], unemployment and poverty [67] statistics as well as the distribution of gastrointestinal cancer in Kermanshah [35] and the prevalence of accidents [68] in this province, it is essential to pay attention to the equitable access of medical care provided by the health policymakers in the province. Given that GIS is useful for assessing various spatial disparities (64) including healthcare needs as well as analyzing access to health services and understanding inequalities among different locations, and the fact that it is a good tool for evaluating health policies which bring about reductions in health costs and result in development of health at the community level [69], it is recommended that this tool be used in management and promotion of health in the Kermanshah Province.…”

“…The results of their research revealed that among 30 provinces of Iran, 12 were developed, nine were semi-developed, and nine were underdeveloped, in their categorization, Kermanshah Province was among the semi-developed provinces [33]. Studies conducted in Kermanshah the high significant rates for HIV/AIDS [34], cancer [35], cardiovascular diseases [36], accidents [37], high total fertility rates [38], and inadequate access to health centers [11].such evidences revealed the need for assessing healthcare resources and surviving the access to these cares. Since increasing the level of health and easy access to medical care are among the most prominent needs in development plans and considering the fact that the Kermanshah Province is one of the deprived provinces of Iran and given the prevalence of the above mentioned challenges in Kermanshah, this paper aimed to investigate the inequality in access to medical care in the townships based in Kermanshah, Iran according to population density.…”

Using a geographic information system to identify the number and location of new health centres needed in the city of Kermanshah, Islamic Republic of Iran

“…26 No. 8 -2020 high rates of disease such as gastrointestinal cancer and AIDS (19,20) and inequity in access to health centres (2).…”