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Ravi Maheswaran, University of Sheffield and Lorna Fraser, University of York
(Project no. 1000494)
The project aims to examine the survival of individuals between 2001 and the most recent mortality data according to green space exposure. Therefore 2001 will be the baseline.
This study aims to examine the association between green space and mortality by cause in England over time.
Analysis will take all adult individuals registered at the census in 2001 (>18yrs). Baseline characteristics will be taken at 2001 in order to control for potential confounding variables. At baseline, individuals will be allocated an area measure of green space at LSOA.
Survival analysis will then be employed to examine the association between green space exposure and cause specific mortality between 2001 and the most recent date of death which can be supplied by the ONS.
Dependent on the numbers of individuals in subgroups, analysis will attempt to examine the association between green space and mortality by Ethnicity, Gender and deprivation. This is appropriate because the association between greenspace and health is known to vary according to gender, ethnicity and deprivation. Deprivation will be controlled for at both the individual, household and area level. This is partly because area deprivation may modify green space use or function. Additionally, household deprivation may reflect socioeconomic status more accurately in contrast to individual level indicators. This may be the case for females whose socioeconomic status is more strongly associated with their partner's economic status in contrast to their own position in the labour market.
The study aims to additionally control for air pollution, blue space (i.e. availability of open water in the area) and urbanicity. This is because the air pollution and blue space may confound the association with green space. Green space, air pollution and blue space data will be provided through alternative data sources. Urbanicity is included because the definition of a green space may change according to whether the area is urban or rural. Therefore the way the green space functions may be fundamentally different according to urbanicity.