The North West Public Health Observatory uses P² People & Places to assess health needs
The North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO) used P² People & Places within their geographic information system (GIS) to identify and map small areas in the North West that are likely to experience health problems, thus assess the variation in healthcare needs and inequalities across the population.
Where Wealth Means Health: Illustrating Inequality in the North West explains the findings of their extensive analysis, in particular how different datasets, such as the prevalence of mental health conditions and the incidence of alcohol specific conditions, analysed by P² People & Places, can assist in the targeting of particular areas and population groups.
P² People & Places is built at output area level using 2001 Census data, but was redesigned for the NWPHO at lower super output area (LSOA) to incorporate the changes in small area populations updated since 2001, thus providing a greater level of accuracy for analysis.
Beacon Dodsworth are now offering this dataset free of charge to registered NHS bodies so that health inequalities such as those highlighted in the NWPHO report can be discovered and remedied.
Following the Where Wealth Means Health report, the NWPHO carried out research comparing different geodemographic classifications and recommended P² People & Places for the systematic segmentation of the North West population across a wide variety of health conditions. In the December 2006 issue of Synthesis – Population Targeting: Tools for Social Marketing, the NWPHO published guidance on what local healthcare agencies should look for when selecting a geodemographic classification for use within a geographic information system. They announce “P² People & Places provides a greater level of discrimination by deprivation, and possibly other demographic and social measures, than other geodemographic classification systems.”
For more details on P² People & Places call 01904 701020 or use the free mapping functionality at http://www.p2peopleandplaces.co.uk/.