Understanding Society Insights 2023
Understanding Society will be launching its eleventh annual Insights report at the event, showcasing these and other new research based on the Study’s data. The report focuses on three themes that reflect the pressing challenges faced by the UK we seek to move on from the pandemic: Resilience and vulnerability in times of change; long-term spatial inequalities; and work redefined.
In the context of deep seated spatial inequalities, the Levelling-up White Paper (England) was broadly welcomed in acknowledging that parts of the country have been ‘left behind’ compared to the rest of the country. Although skewed towards ‘liveability’, the Levelling-up Strategy recognises that the drivers that underlie spatial disparities are both entrenched and interlinked – with multiple missions across a wide front needed to work in harmony over the long-term to shift the trajectory of households and communities affected.
This virtual seminar will focus on health and wellbeing across neighbourhoods and ‘left behind’ areas. It will examine the economic consequences of poor health in deprived neighbourhoods, multi-morbidities across neighbourhoods, access to health care for coastal communities, and the effects of improving the quality of the physical environment.
Specifically, the event will examine and discuss four questions:
- How does hyper-local health matter in ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods for economic growth?
- Do multi-morbidities place a disproportionate burden on deprived neighbourhoods?
- How do health outcomes vary amongst the chronically ill across different areas?
- Do urban deprived neighbourhoods have to be green to improve wellbeing?
Many of the responsibilities for addressing spatial disparities are devolved, and this event will be of interest to key players in each of the home nations. Understanding Society is already linked to geo-codes, and will also be linked to the overall scores in the indices of multiple deprivation (at quintile level), facilitating further research across the majority of individual missions.
Programme*
10.00 – 10.10 Welcome and introduction
10.10 – 10.30 How does hyper-local health matter in ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods for economic growth?
Dr Luke Munford, Senior Lecturer in Health Economics, Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, University of Manchester
10.30 – 10.50 How do multi-morbidities vary across the most and least deprived areas?
Professor Meena Kumari, Associate Director, Health, Biomarkers and Genetics, Understanding Society, University of Essex
10.50 – 11.10 Health outcomes and health service use among people with chronic illness in coastal, rural and urban areas
Dr Sue Easton, Research Associate (Spatial Analytics), Lincoln International Institute for Rural Health (LIIRH), University of Lincoln
11.10 – 11.30 Tea & coffee break
11.30 – 11.55 Do urban deprived neighbourhoods have to be green to improve wellbeing?
Brendan Burchell, Professor in the Social Sciences, University of Cambridge
William Holy-Hasted, Economic Analyst and ESG, Algebris Investments
11.55 – 13.00 Panel discussion: Towards healthier neighbourhoods
- Dr Luke Mumford, Senior Lecturer in Health Economics, University of Manchester
- Professor Meena Kumari, Associate Director, Health, Biomarkers and Genetics, Understanding Society, University of Essex
- Dr Sue Easton, Research Associate (Spatial Analytics), Lincoln International Institute for Rural Health (LIIRH), University of Lincoln
*Programme subject to changes
