SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF CONTRACEPTIVE OUTLETS IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Reproductive health entails that the public should be able to have access to safe and satisfying sex life and be at liberty to decide if, how and when to reproduce, ( , al 2015). Implicit in the first condition is the fact that access to and use of contraceptives among the citizen of a place depends on the spatial distribution of contraceptive outlets in the area. Therefore this study examines the spatial distribution of contraceptive outlets in Osun State. Six largest towns were selected from the three senatorial district of the state, i.e, Osogho and Ikirun (Osun Central), Ede and Iwo (Osun West) and Ile-Ife and Ilesa (Osun East).The inter and intra-city pattern of the outlets was examined. The primary data included the geographic coordinates of the contraceptive outlets in the selected towns. Secondary data included analogue map of Osun State, the names and address of the registered pharmacies in the selected town and their population figure. The spatial pattern of the contraceptive outlets in the area was analysed using Nearest Neighbour Analysis and Moran I index. Analysis of efficiency of service provision was also examined by town and residential density using inferential statistics. The result of analysis shows a higher concentration of the contraceptive outlets in the two largest town of the state, Osogbo and Ile-Ife with 45% and 26%. Likewise, the high density residential areas have the highest concentration of contraceptive outlets (72%) followed by the medium (17%) and low density areas (11%). There was high level of inadequacy of service provision as the average of the efficiency ratio was 1: 15,070 population. On profile of the town, level of inefficiency in the distribution of outlets was highest in Ede with a ratio of 1:45,682. The profile of the residential density areas shows that level of inefficiency in the distribution of outlets was highest in low residential density area with a ratio of 1:34,404 followed by medium and high with a ratio of 1:31,874 and 1:8,052 respectively. The pattern of the contraceptive outlets is in line with the general pattern of urban population distribution and the fact that contraceptive outlets are market-oriented services. It is only logical for the distribution to be concentrated in populated areas.