Geographical Inequalities in Health in Public Housing Districts in the Context of Rome: An Observational Study on the Territory of Local Health Unit Roma 1

In tackling social inequalities in health, the first step is to analyze and understand the territory, especially in urban contexts. In this sense, the Municipality of Rome represents an interesting case study due to its peculiar urban and social stratification. The large territory over which it extends is characterized by various types of urban patterns, from the dense city of the most central areas to the dispersed city that extends in all directions. The public housing projects built in the last sixty years are part of this complex urban system. The Local Health Unit Roma 1 is developing its own Health Equity Plan. Starting from this and from previous analysis carried out in the area of the Local Health Unit Rome 1 (comprising six municipalities, for an area of over 500 km2 and a population exceeding one million inhabitants), an observational study was carried out with the aim of identifying any inequalities in the use of second-level services. These were measured in terms of hospitalization and access to the Emergency Department and the resident population in the Public Building areas, delimited in Rome by the Zoning Plans. The study shows that there are significant differences for many of the areas analyzed, which could lead to inequalities in access to health services, especially those of primary health care. Analyzing these results in the light of the evolution of the urban fabric of the city, also in accordance with the field experience of the Local Health Unit operators, should guarantee a better understanding of the phenomenon with a view to providing epidemiological support to health planning.