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Volume :45 Issue : 1 2017
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Studying the Spatial Distribution of Asthma Patients in the State of Kuwait Using GIS
Auther : Elham AlDousari Mohammad M AlSahli
This study aimed at designing a systematic framework for establishing a healthcare geodatabase as well as studying the geographic distribution of asthma patients in the State of Kuwait by using the spatial analysis tools available in the Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The establishment of this geodatabase followed three main steps: data collection, data preparation, and incorporation of the spatial and non-spatial data. The data were analyzed both statistically and spatially according to the gender and citizenship of patients. Regression and chi-squared analyses were used to study the relationships among patients. The geographic distributions of patients were investigated by using distribution maps and by calculating the mean centers of patients as well as Moran's indices. The statistical analysis revealed that female patients were more likely to visit asthma clinicsthan male patients. The distribution of patient visits varied in the various governorates of Kuwait, but this spatial variation did not agree with the total population distribution.
Keywords: Asthma, GIS, Spatial Analysis, Spatial Distribution, Epidemiological Diseases, Geography.