Abstract

Doc number: 14

Abstract: Using Geographic Information System (GIS), the spatial distribution of methadone clinic clients and their utilization of a treatment service in Hong Kong was analysed. A majority (93.7%) of the 63 methadone users recruited were residing in the same district, of which 84.1% spent not more than 15 minutes for traveling. Walking (55.6%) was the commonest transport mode followed by cycling (30.2%). There was no distance decay effect on traveling time, but an association between distance and transport selection could be demonstrated. The residence locations displayed a compact distribution, merging with the general population without any evidence of clustering. Though the distribution of methadone users could have been shaped by the location of clinic, it can also be concluded that methadone clinics at convenient locations are needed if maintenance is a key determinant of service effectiveness.

Details

Title
Assessing the spatial distribution of methadone clinic clients and their access to treatment
Author
Wong, Ngai Sze; Lee, Shui Shan; Lin, Hui
Pages
14
Publication year
2010
Publication date
2010
Publisher
BioMed Central
e-ISSN
14777517
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7517-7-14
ProQuest document ID
1026711095
Copyright
© 2010 Wong et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.