Applications of geodemographic methods in the analysis of health condition incidence data

This paper describes how a geodemographic discriminator can be used in a variety of research contexts as a means of revealing the extent of variation in the incidence of phenomena among a population. The paper draws upon a number of applications of an approach to the use of area typologies in the investigation of a wide range of health conditions in North West England. For illustrative purposes, examples are presented which are based upon the analysis of data relating to the incidence of food poisoning in the Blackpool, Wyre, and Fylde District Health Authority area and the attendance of a drug abuse clinic in Liverpool. The first part of the paper sets the context for the application of these geodemographic methods by describing, briefly, some of the background to their development and use. The empirical section concludes with a brief discussion of refinements to the basic form of geodemographic analysis reported here.