Open data on health-related neighbourhood features in Great Britain
Konstantinos Daras; Mark A. Green; Alec Davies; Benjamin Barr; Alex Singleton (2019). Scientific Data, 6(1). DOI: 10.1038/s41597-019-0114-6
Abstract
Our study details the creation of a series of national open source low-level geographical measures of accessibility to health-related features for Great Britain. We create 14 measures across three domains: retail environment (fast food outlets, gambling outlets, pubs/bars/nightclubs, off-licences, tobacconists), health services (General Practitioners, pharmacies, dentists, hospitals, leisure centres) and the physical environment (green space and air quality). Using the network analysis process of Routino, postcode accessibility (km) to each of these features were calculated for the whole of Great Britain. An average score for each domain was calculated and subsequently combined to form an overall Index highlighting ‘Access to Healthy Assets and Hazards’. We find the most accessible healthy areas are concentrated in the periphery of the urban cores, whilst the least accessible healthy areas are located in the urban cores and the rural areas. The open data resource is important for researchers and policy makers alike with an interest in measuring the role of spatial features on health.
Extended Summary
This research creates the first comprehensive open-source dataset measuring neighbourhood-level access to health-related environmental features across Great Britain. The study addresses the critical gap in available data for assessing how geographical context influences health outcomes at a national scale. Using data from multiple sources including the Local Data Company, NHS Digital, and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, this work developed 14 accessibility indicators organised into three key domains. The retail environment domain captures proximity to potentially harmful outlets including fast food establishments, gambling venues, pubs and bars, off-licences, and tobacco retailers. The health services domain measures access to beneficial facilities such as GP practices, hospitals with A&E departments, pharmacies, dentists, and leisure centres. The physical environment domain incorporates air quality data for nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, and sulphur dioxide, alongside measures of accessible green space within 900 metres of residential areas. Network analysis using Routino software calculated actual travel distances via road networks rather than simple straight-line distances, providing more realistic accessibility measures for approximately two million postcodes across Great Britain. These individual indicators were then standardised and combined using an exponential transformation methodology adapted from the English Index of Multiple Deprivation to create domain scores and an overall ‘Access to Healthy Assets and Hazards’ (AHAH) index. The exponential transformation emphasises areas with particularly poor access to health-promoting features whilst minimising cancellation effects between different domains. Geographical analysis reveals that the most health-promoting accessible areas are concentrated in suburban locations on the periphery of urban cores, where residents benefit from proximity to health services and green spaces whilst avoiding high concentrations of potentially harmful retail outlets and air pollution. Conversely, both urban city centres and remote rural areas score poorly on the overall index, though for different reasons. Urban cores typically have excellent access to health services but suffer from high exposure to retail health hazards and poor air quality. Remote rural areas enjoy good physical environments with clean air and green space access but face significant barriers in reaching essential health services due to geographical isolation and sparse population density. This open dataset represents a significant contribution to public health geography research and policy development. The freely available data enables researchers to investigate how environmental factors influence health outcomes at unprecedented geographical detail across Great Britain. For policymakers, the AHAH index provides an evidence-based tool for identifying neighbourhoods requiring targeted interventions to improve health-promoting environmental features whilst addressing potential health hazards in the local area.
Key Findings
- The research created 14 open-source accessibility indicators measuring health-related neighbourhood features across three domains for Great Britain
- Suburban areas on urban peripheries demonstrate the best overall access to healthy assets whilst avoiding health hazards
- Both urban city centres and remote rural areas perform poorly but for contrasting reasons related to service access
- Network-based distance calculations using actual road infrastructure provide more accurate accessibility measures than straight-line distances
- The AHAH index successfully combines multiple environmental health factors into a single composite measure for policy applications
Citation
@article{daras2019open,
author = {Konstantinos Daras; Mark A. Green; Alec Davies; Benjamin Barr; Alex Singleton},
title = {Open data on health-related neighbourhood features in Great Britain},
journal = {Scientific Data},
year = {2019},
volume = {6(1)},
doi = {10.1038/s41597-019-0114-6}
}