Exploring the effect of access to health care and community-level characteristics on mortality in West Virginia

Access to primary health care is a long-standing challenge in West Virginia and Appalachia. While it is known that limited access to care is associated with adverse health outcomes, the spatial variation of this effect is less studied. This research examines the spatial distribution of all-cause mortality at the county scale within West Virginia, and its association with access to primary health care facilities. This study used ArcGIS Pro 2.9 to examine total age-adjusted mortality rates, community characteristics, and spatial health care access at the county level using various spatial statistical methods. Mortality rates were highest in the southern part of the state, which also has limited health care access. Increased spatial access was associated with lower mortality rates across the state, supporting the idea that spatial access to health care is essential to improve public health strategies in Appalachia.