Deprivation

Recommendations & Downloads

ISD recommendations for analysing health data

ISD have produced a set of recommendations for deprivation analyses which they are adopting in-house.   The report containing the empirical results of the investigative work underlying the recommendations is available in full: 
Deprivation and Urban Rural Measurements in ISD  and its appendix Deprivation report figures and appendix .

In brief the recommendations are as follows:

Analyses from 1997 onwards

• The latest Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation should be used for current analyses and trend analyses back to 1997.
• Deciles or quintiles derived from SIMD should be used (deciles where numbers are large enough, quintiles for smaller numbers).
• These can be matched on to your data via full postcode or datazone.  Information and files relating to SIMD may be found on the Scottish Government Website.  Postcode level information is available under 'Analysis by Postcode' and can be downloaded for your area of interest.  Datazone populations are available on the GROS website or from Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics .

Trend Analyses back to 1991

• 2001 census-based Carstairs deprivation quintiles or deciles should be used for trend analyses going back to 1991.
• Deciles or quintiles should be used (deciles where numbers are large enough, quintiles for smaller numbers).
• These can be matched on to your data via the full postcode and using the file Carstairs 2001 index at postcode level  .
• Population denominators over time by Carstairs 2001 deprivation decile are available in the file (to be added).

Trend Analyses back to before 1991

• 1991 census-based Carstairs deprivation quintiles or deciles should be used for trend analyses going back to before 1991.  
• Deciles or quintiles should be used (deciles where numbers are large enough, quintiles for smaller numbers).
• These can be matched on to your data via the full postcode back to 1997 using the file Carstairs 1991 index at postcode level and via postcode sector prior to 1997 using the file Carstairs 1991 index at postcode sector level(SPSS) (Excel).
• Population denominators over time by Carstairs 1991 deprivation decile are available in the file (to be added).

Downloadable files

The following files are available to view or download in SPSS or Excel format.  Please read the detailed description of the variables contained in each file to see which files you need.

Carstairs 1991 index at postcode sector level  ( SPSS)    ( Excel) : Files containing postcode sectors, 1991 Carstairs score for each postcode sector and the corresponding decile and quintile values.

Carstairs 1991 index at postcode level   (6,684 KB): The zip file contains an SPSS and Excel file showing the information detailed above and output area mapped to each individual postcode.

Carstairs 2001 index at postcode level    (6,005 KB): The zip file contains an SPSS and Excel file displaying output area, health board, and output area specific Carstairs 2001 scores, deciles and quintiles mapped to each individual postcode.

Urban Rural populations  (SPSS)   (Excel)  : File containing population estimates for Scotland in 2001 by the 8 level urban rural classification, five year age-band and sex.  Urban Rural indicators mapped to datazones and postcodes are available from the Scottish Government Website here .

Carstairs decile populations (to be added): A file containing NHS Board and Scotland level Carstairs 1991 and 2001 deciles with age and sex-specific population estimates for each year 1981-2003.

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