Abstract

Scotland has some of the worst reported health in the developed world. In comparison to England and Wales it has higher mortality rates, as well as higher incidence and prevalence of heart disease, many cancers (especially lung cancer) and deaths from suicides, accidents and alcohol. Scotland also has some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the UK, with most being concentrated in Glasgow. The link between poor health and neighbourhood deprivation is well documented but research has also shown that neighbourhood deprivation does not explain the higher levels of mortality in Glasgow compared to similarly the deprived post industrial cities of Liverpool and Manchester. The distribution or patterning of deprived neighbourhoods in Glasgow may in part be an explanation for differences between health outcomes in Glasgow and similar deprived post industrial cities.

Using a combination of mortality, deprivation and contextual data at a neighbourhood level this study examines: the extent to which the distribution or patterning of deprived neighbourhoods is associated with differing neighbourhood health outcomes; whether any variance in the patterning of deprived neighbourhoods in the three cities can be detected; and more specifically, whether the difference in patterning of deprived neighbourhoods is in part an explanation for the poorer health experienced in Glasgow compared to Liverpool and Manchester?