Distance and Lack of Information as Barriers to Cancer Screening: A Spatial Empirical Evidence From Nepal

In the absence of a national cancer registry system in Nepal, the objective of our study is to bring in current cancer incidence data through a primary survey across five different cancer hospitals of Nepal. The study helps in understanding the prevalence of cancer and also in examining the barriers behind proper utilization of cancer preventative measures. Through cluster analysis using Local Moran’s I and Getis-Ord G*, we have identified hot spots of cancer cases across Kathmandu Valley, the central development region of Nepal. The spatial analysis implies the presence of clusters of cancer incidences in that region. Finally, through regression analysis, we tried to quantify the impact of distance and accessibility to information on patients’ likelihood to screen for cancer. We ran three different specifications each of Probit and Negative Binomial model to establish the relationship. From our empirical regression analysis, we found that if a patient had to travel a distance of more than 10 hours to avail medical services, it would significantly reduce their likelihood to screen. Whereas any informational, intervention had significantly increased the probability of undertaking cancer screening tests. Other socio-economic factors such as income and employment status also play important roles in medical care utilization. The results are uniform across both the probit and negative binomial models. *Corresponding author Soumi Roy Chowdhury, Department of Economics, University of New Mexico, 1915 Roma Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA Tel: 1-505-277-5304;