AUTHOR=Yongheng Duan , Shan Xie , Fei Liu , Jinglin Tang , Liyue Gong , Xiaoying Liu , Tingxiao Wen , Hongrui Wang TITLE=GIS-based assessment of spatial and temporal disparities of urban health index in Shenzhen, China JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=12 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1429143 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2024.1429143 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=Purpose

To explore the inter-regional health index at the city level to contribute to the reduction of health inequalities.

Methods

Employed the health determinant model to select indicators for the urban health index of Shenzhen City. Utilized principal component analysis, the weights of these indicators are determined to construct the said health index. Subsequently, the global Moran’s index and local Moran’s index are utilized to investigate the geographical spatial distribution of the urban health index across various administrative districts within Shenzhen.

Results

The level of urban health index in Shenzhen exhibits spatial clustering and demonstrates a positive spatial correlation (2017, Moran’s I = 0.237; 2019, Moran’s I = 0.226; 2021, Moran’s I = 0.217). However, it is noted that this clustering displays a relatively low probability (90% confidence interval). Over the period from 2017 to 2019, this spatial clustering gradually diminishes, suggesting a narrowing of health inequality within economically developed urban areas.

Conclusion

Our study reveals the urban health index in a relatively high-income (Shenzhen) in a developing country. Certain spatially correlated areas in Shenzhen present opportunities for the government to address health disparities through regional connectivity.