TITLE:
Analysis of the Spatial Distribution of Health Posts in Senegal
AUTHORS:
Mouhamadou Moustapha Mbacké Ndour, Alphousseyni Ndonky, Soda Loum, Gayane Faye
KEYWORDS:
Spatial Distribution, Local Indicators of Spatial Association, Ripley’s Statistic, Centrographic Measures
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.15 No.11,
November
21,
2025
ABSTRACT: Health infrastructure is a major socioeconomic and territorial equity issue, as its availability improves both local population living conditions and makes their areas attractive. The results of our study have provided insights into the various types of spatial distribution of health facilities and the local spatial relationship connecting them to the population. We used data from the general census of population and housing of Senegal and the ANAT in 2023. While the use of centrographic measures allowed the description of the overall spatial distribution, the use of the chi-square statistic enabled us to verify the existence of a preferential direction of spatial distribution. Using the Ripley statistic therefore facilitated the verification of the existence of a spatial structure of the health post seeding. Local indicators of local spatial association have been used to measure and visualize the clusters of local spatial association between health posts and the population. Our results can be useful in land use planning, spatial resource allocation policies and in combating spatial disparities in access to health infrastructure. Indeed, the identification of different types of spatial aggregates and the highlighting of the preferred directions of the spatial distribution of health posts constitute important information for this purpose.