Spatial clusters of AIDS in Indonesia

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study seeks to determine whether distinctive clusters of case rates, number of new cases, treatment types, and other socio-demographic characteristics exist among provinces in Indonesia. Hierarchical Agglomerative and k-means clustering techniques are used to empirically derive the patterns of AIDS among Indonesian provinces by forming clusters of provinces with similar characteristics. MethodsCluster analysis is used to segment the Indonesian provinces in terms of how their rates of medical care and number of new cases of AIDS vary with respect to the socio-economic characteristics and sustainable health system of the province. Data from the 2011 Statistik Indonesia (2014–2015) and the 2006 Governance and Decentralization Survey were used. ResultsCluster analysis yielded three distinct clusters: the high incidence rates and moderately high case rates cluster, the low case and incidence rates cluster, and the high case and incidence rates cluster. ConclusionAddressing the socioeconomic, demographic, and health inequalities that exist among the provinces should be a priority. Preventive interventions should consider provincial poverty and illiteracy rates, the population and its density, the type of self-treatment sought, the unmet need for healthcare services, the density of medical professionals, as well as the number of opportunistic infections.