What a map of Queensland reveals about health inequality
(Photo credit: The University of Queensland )
Researchers have used geospatial data to illustrate significant life expectancy differences across Queensland, including for areas only kilometres apart within cities.
Health geographer Associate Professor Jonathan Olsen from The University of Queensland’s Institute for Social Science Research led a team which used railway stations as geographic markers to map health data.
“We overlayed median age of death statistics onto Queensland’s rail network to investigate spatial inequalities in health, and it shows some stark differences,” Dr Olsen said.
“The median age of death for women in Queensland can span between 68 and 88 years, and between 60 and 83 years for men.
“Differences between health outcomes in urban and rural areas have been shown previously, and indeed we found residents in South East Queensland generally have a longer life expectancy than people elsewhere in the state.
“But what may surprise people is the difference in data within cities.
“Communities just 5 train stops apart – less than 5 kilometres by road – can have more than 20 years' difference in median age of death for men.”
The researchers also mapped a 26-year gap in age of death between males living only 85 kilometres apart.
These maps highlight how age of death can vary considerably across the geographically vast state of Queensland. Each train station is coloured to show the median age of death of people living in the community.
(Photo credit: Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland. )
These maps highlight inequities in age of death for Brisbane residents living only a few train stops apart.
(Photo credit: Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland )
Dr Olsen said population health was shaped by a broad range of factors including social, environmental, economic, cultural and commercial conditions.
“Spatially referenced data can be valuable to guide place-based health initiatives such as upgrading parks and green space and expanding infrastructure for active travel.
“Interventions can be tailored to the specific community and have been found to be most effective when co-designed with communities themselves.”
Dr Olsen said achieving equitable health outcomes poses complex challenges.
“Queensland covers more than 1.7-million square kilometres with an uneven population distribution,” Dr Olsen said.
“Geospatial data can help to not only identify where resources are most needed but crucially, also monitor the impact of initiatives at national, state/territory and local levels."
The research was co-authored by Associate Professor Mark Robinson and Professor Lisa McDaid from the Institute for Social Science Research and Professor Jonathan Corcoran from the School of the Environment.
The research has been published in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia.
Collaboration and acknowledgements
The Australia Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN) was a partner on the research.
The project used material from the Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU).
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