Census 2011: A Healthiness Index?
Posted by irelandafternama under
Commentaries,
Data | Tags:
census,
health,
Ronan Foley |
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My colleague, Adrian Kavanagh, has designed a very simple but clever metric to explore the recently published data on general health from the 2011 Census. Calculated at local authority, traditional county, provincial and state level, it shows an overall weighted score* based on the levels of self reported health in each area. The results are presented in the table below and seem to make intuitive sense.
The national average for the state is 149.92. We then see that the range of scores that in essence give us a score for healthicity or healthiness. The area with the highest score and therefore the least healthy, is Limerick City with 164.03. At the other end of the scale, the area with the lowest score and by extension, the most healthy, is Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. Looking at the other local authorities with high scores/low healthicity, we can see a good mix of urban and rural areas which makes sense in terms of extremes of urban and rural poverty. By comparison, Galway City fares better than the other urban areas while the bulk of the counties in the low score/high healthicity categories seem to be the suburban and urban region counties around Dublin and Cork which typically have younger and relatively affluent age-income profiles.
Longer term it will be a very interesting process to see how robust this measure is in relation to other associated measures of poverty and deprivation. Recalculating this data at ED level and comparing the ranked results with deprivation scores may confirm this relationship, though issues of age-standardisation also have to be considered and applied. In addition, there will be some pockets of poverty in affluent counties like Dún-Laoghaire Rathdown and Fingal which will only emerge from more fine-scaled geographical analysis.
| Area |
Health Status (% of respondents) |
|
|
| |
Very Good
|
Good
|
Fair
|
Bad
|
Very Bad
|
Healthicity Index
|
| Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown |
66.71
|
25.50
|
6.53
|
1.02
|
0.23
|
142.55
|
| Fingal |
65.63
|
27.21
|
6.01
|
0.95
|
0.20
|
142.89
|
| Meath |
65.09
|
27.23
|
6.54
|
0.94
|
0.21
|
143.93
|
| Cork County |
64.97
|
27.01
|
6.88
|
0.93
|
0.20
|
144.38
|
| Kildare |
64.91
|
27.09
|
6.67
|
1.10
|
0.22
|
144.62
|
| Wicklow |
64.16
|
27.07
|
7.46
|
1.09
|
0.22
|
146.16
|
| South Dublin |
63.30
|
27.94
|
7.29
|
1.20
|
0.27
|
147.20
|
| Waterford County |
63.08
|
27.80
|
7.86
|
1.06
|
0.20
|
147.51
|
| Cork (City & County) |
63.09
|
27.80
|
7.73
|
1.14
|
0.25
|
147.65
|
| Kilkenny |
62.88
|
27.81
|
7.90
|
1.15
|
0.26
|
148.09
|
| Cavan |
62.85
|
27.43
|
8.40
|
1.11
|
0.20
|
148.39
|
| Leinster |
62.62
|
28.07
|
7.76
|
1.27
|
0.28
|
148.52
|
| Dublin (City & Counties) |
62.64
|
28.03
|
7.70
|
1.32
|
0.30
|
148.61
|
| Limerick County |
61.97
|
28.89
|
7.81
|
1.10
|
0.22
|
148.72
|
| Laois |
61.58
|
28.82
|
8.07
|
1.21
|
0.32
|
149.86
|
| State |
61.66
|
28.58
|
8.20
|
1.28
|
0.28
|
149.92
|
| Galway City |
60.64
|
30.12
|
7.72
|
1.25
|
0.27
|
150.38
|
| Munster |
61.15
|
28.99
|
8.35
|
1.25
|
0.26
|
150.49
|
| Waterford (City & County) |
61.22
|
28.83
|
8.40
|
1.31
|
0.25
|
150.55
|
| Galway (City & County) |
60.93
|
29.34
|
8.24
|
1.23
|
0.27
|
150.58
|
| Galway County |
61.05
|
29.00
|
8.46
|
1.22
|
0.26
|
150.66
|
| Wexford |
61.21
|
28.54
|
8.59
|
1.37
|
0.28
|
150.98
|
| Monaghan |
61.02
|
28.47
|
9.17
|
1.11
|
0.22
|
151.04
|
| Louth |
61.23
|
28.32
|
8.74
|
1.41
|
0.30
|
151.23
|
| Clare |
60.05
|
30.14
|
8.28
|
1.25
|
0.26
|
151.53
|
| Westmeath |
60.46
|
29.42
|
8.47
|
1.34
|
0.32
|
151.63
|
| Kerry |
59.48
|
30.28
|
8.79
|
1.17
|
0.27
|
152.46
|
| North Tipperary |
59.88
|
29.46
|
9.07
|
1.34
|
0.25
|
152.63
|
| Ulster (part of) |
60.24
|
28.73
|
9.47
|
1.31
|
0.26
|
152.63
|
| Offaly |
59.86
|
29.63
|
8.82
|
1.38
|
0.31
|
152.66
|
| Carlow |
59.63
|
29.73
|
9.01
|
1.38
|
0.25
|
152.88
|
| Limerick |
59.42
|
29.93
|
8.93
|
1.43
|
0.30
|
153.26
|
| Connacht |
59.21
|
29.94
|
9.20
|
1.35
|
0.29
|
153.58
|
| Sligo |
58.99
|
29.71
|
9.59
|
1.44
|
0.26
|
154.28
|
| Leitrim |
58.34
|
30.42
|
9.80
|
1.20
|
0.24
|
154.59
|
| South Tipperary |
58.65
|
30.11
|
9.46
|
1.49
|
0.31
|
154.70
|
| Dublin City |
59.11
|
29.51
|
9.26
|
1.71
|
0.40
|
154.77
|
| Waterford City |
58.52
|
30.32
|
9.17
|
1.66
|
0.33
|
154.97
|
| Donegal |
58.76
|
29.40
|
10.05
|
1.48
|
0.30
|
155.15
|
| Roscommon |
58.52
|
29.66
|
10.01
|
1.48
|
0.33
|
155.44
|
| Longford |
57.95
|
30.28
|
9.96
|
1.46
|
0.34
|
155.95
|
| Mayo |
56.59
|
31.24
|
10.29
|
1.52
|
0.36
|
157.82
|
| Cork City |
56.71
|
30.45
|
10.61
|
1.84
|
0.39
|
158.73
|
| Limerick City |
53.36
|
32.40
|
11.57
|
2.20
|
0.48
|
164.03
|
Ronan Foley, Centre for Health GeoInformatics, NUI Maynooth.
* The score is calculated on the basis of weighting the percentage for ‘very good’ by 1, the percentage for ‘good’ by 2 and all the way through to weighting the percentage for ‘very bad’ by 5. This ends up by balancing out the scores across all responses but giving a higher level of impact, in poor health terms, to the ‘very bad’ and ‘bad’ responses. It also gives a sense of levels of variation from the national average.
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June 29, 2012
Census 2011: A Healthiness Index?
Posted by irelandafternama under Commentaries, Data | Tags: census, health, Ronan Foley |Leave a Comment
My colleague, Adrian Kavanagh, has designed a very simple but clever metric to explore the recently published data on general health from the 2011 Census. Calculated at local authority, traditional county, provincial and state level, it shows an overall weighted score* based on the levels of self reported health in each area. The results are presented in the table below and seem to make intuitive sense.
The national average for the state is 149.92. We then see that the range of scores that in essence give us a score for healthicity or healthiness. The area with the highest score and therefore the least healthy, is Limerick City with 164.03. At the other end of the scale, the area with the lowest score and by extension, the most healthy, is Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. Looking at the other local authorities with high scores/low healthicity, we can see a good mix of urban and rural areas which makes sense in terms of extremes of urban and rural poverty. By comparison, Galway City fares better than the other urban areas while the bulk of the counties in the low score/high healthicity categories seem to be the suburban and urban region counties around Dublin and Cork which typically have younger and relatively affluent age-income profiles.
Longer term it will be a very interesting process to see how robust this measure is in relation to other associated measures of poverty and deprivation. Recalculating this data at ED level and comparing the ranked results with deprivation scores may confirm this relationship, though issues of age-standardisation also have to be considered and applied. In addition, there will be some pockets of poverty in affluent counties like Dún-Laoghaire Rathdown and Fingal which will only emerge from more fine-scaled geographical analysis.
Very Good
Good
Fair
Bad
Very Bad
Healthicity Index
66.71
25.50
6.53
1.02
0.23
142.55
65.63
27.21
6.01
0.95
0.20
142.89
65.09
27.23
6.54
0.94
0.21
143.93
64.97
27.01
6.88
0.93
0.20
144.38
64.91
27.09
6.67
1.10
0.22
144.62
64.16
27.07
7.46
1.09
0.22
146.16
63.30
27.94
7.29
1.20
0.27
147.20
63.08
27.80
7.86
1.06
0.20
147.51
63.09
27.80
7.73
1.14
0.25
147.65
62.88
27.81
7.90
1.15
0.26
148.09
62.85
27.43
8.40
1.11
0.20
148.39
62.62
28.07
7.76
1.27
0.28
148.52
62.64
28.03
7.70
1.32
0.30
148.61
61.97
28.89
7.81
1.10
0.22
148.72
61.58
28.82
8.07
1.21
0.32
149.86
61.66
28.58
8.20
1.28
0.28
149.92
60.64
30.12
7.72
1.25
0.27
150.38
61.15
28.99
8.35
1.25
0.26
150.49
61.22
28.83
8.40
1.31
0.25
150.55
60.93
29.34
8.24
1.23
0.27
150.58
61.05
29.00
8.46
1.22
0.26
150.66
61.21
28.54
8.59
1.37
0.28
150.98
61.02
28.47
9.17
1.11
0.22
151.04
61.23
28.32
8.74
1.41
0.30
151.23
60.05
30.14
8.28
1.25
0.26
151.53
60.46
29.42
8.47
1.34
0.32
151.63
59.48
30.28
8.79
1.17
0.27
152.46
59.88
29.46
9.07
1.34
0.25
152.63
60.24
28.73
9.47
1.31
0.26
152.63
59.86
29.63
8.82
1.38
0.31
152.66
59.63
29.73
9.01
1.38
0.25
152.88
59.42
29.93
8.93
1.43
0.30
153.26
59.21
29.94
9.20
1.35
0.29
153.58
58.99
29.71
9.59
1.44
0.26
154.28
58.34
30.42
9.80
1.20
0.24
154.59
58.65
30.11
9.46
1.49
0.31
154.70
59.11
29.51
9.26
1.71
0.40
154.77
58.52
30.32
9.17
1.66
0.33
154.97
58.76
29.40
10.05
1.48
0.30
155.15
58.52
29.66
10.01
1.48
0.33
155.44
57.95
30.28
9.96
1.46
0.34
155.95
56.59
31.24
10.29
1.52
0.36
157.82
56.71
30.45
10.61
1.84
0.39
158.73
53.36
32.40
11.57
2.20
0.48
164.03
Ronan Foley, Centre for Health GeoInformatics, NUI Maynooth.
* The score is calculated on the basis of weighting the percentage for ‘very good’ by 1, the percentage for ‘good’ by 2 and all the way through to weighting the percentage for ‘very bad’ by 5. This ends up by balancing out the scores across all responses but giving a higher level of impact, in poor health terms, to the ‘very bad’ and ‘bad’ responses. It also gives a sense of levels of variation from the national average.
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