Spatial differentiation and key determinants of health-related well-being in Tameside and Glossop: geo-visualisation and multi-level spatial modelling

This proposed study aims to bridge the above identified knowledge gaps by systematically
examining the key determinants, and their interrelations, over differential health-related well-being
in urban neighbourhoods from a human-environment perspective. The study will greatly benefit
from gaining access to different geo-referenced health datasets provided by the collaborative
partner and fostering inter-disciplinary research between planning academics and public health
practitioners. The proposed study will address two main questions: how can we understand the
spatially variated patterns of health related well-being across different neighbourhoods; and how
different dimensions of determinants are interrelated and impact on health-related well-being of
residents in different neighbourhoods?
There are five key research objectives:
(1) To develop a conceptual framework that guides our theoretical understanding and empirical
modelling of key determinants (under different dimensions) and their interrelations on health-related well-being, both physical and emotional, by adopting a salutogenic approach that
focuses on the human-environment perspective.
(2) To operationalise multi-variate measures of key health-related well-being determinants by
collating, validating and integrating relevant data sources and indicators from different geo-referenced datasets and population/patient surveys.
(3) To establish the variegated geographic patterns and temporal change of different chronic
diseases and health outcomes across different neighbourhoods and to understand their spatial
correlations with the different health-related determinants via GIS mapping and spatial
clustering analysis.
(4) To apply multi-level spatial modelling framework to establish the interrelations among different
dimensions of determinants over different spatial levels and to establish their relative
importance in explaining differential health-related well-being of residents in different
neighbourhoods.
(5) To draw out the evidence-base to inform policy and practice development over the tackling of
health inequalities issues and to foster joint working in local authorities and combined
authorities to reduce health inequalities in and beyond the case study area.
Tameside and Glossop, where our collaborative partner operates, is the case study area. While the
case study area consists of neighbourhoods with varied socio-spatial contexts, residents in many
neighbourhoods suffer from lower life expectancy and other chronic diseases and live in the
country's 10% most deprived neighbourhoods