Study title

The Carstairs Deprivation Index calculated for the Census 2011, for Lower-layer Super Output Areas, based on Paul Norman's previous methods for 2001.

Existing evidence indicates that natural environments may be a significant positive resource for health and wellbeing. For example they provide opportunities for physical activity and for rest and relaxation. However, the evidence for this is mixed and not entirely clear. This might be partly due to the fact that much of the research has considered natural areas generically as ‘greenspace’, where all environments, from urban parks to wild moorland to forests, are considered equal. Contemporary environmental and health policy also reflect this generalisation of natural environments. This project will address these important knowledge and policy gaps by using the power of existing (secondary) UK data resources. It will geographically link data from large scale surveys (including 2011 Census, Understanding Society and 1958 birth cohort) with national and local ecological datasets. The research will also investigate how these relationships differ by rural/urban context and socio-economic status. The research team will work with key policy and practice partners, and will implement a series of activities to ensure that the research is effective and beneficial. It is anticipated that deepening our understanding of nature-health relationships will lead to evidence-based policy and practice development, and consequent health and environmental improvement and protection.