The Marmot Review, published back in 2010, still has important implications today for evidence-based approaches to addressing health inequity. Here, we explore data that is regularly updated, available at small area level and can be aligned to each of the six Marmot Principles. All of the indicators are available in Local Insight – our place-based data platform that brings together more than 1000 small-area indicators ready to explore for any area through maps, reports and dashboards.
The Marmot Review was an independent study, commissioned by the government, to explore the most effective evidence-based strategies for reducing health inequalities in England from 2010.
The final report, “Fair Society, Healthy Lives”, was published in February 2010 and found that many people were dying prematurely due to health inequalities. It found that these health inequalities resulted from social inequalities, and that the lower a person’s social position, the worse his or her health. In total, between 1.3 and 2.5 million extra years of life were lost due to these inequalities.
Focusing on solely the most disadvantaged areas is not enough to reduce health inequalities sufficiently – but while actions must be universal, this should be proportionate to the level of disadvantage (which is where access to reliable small-area data comes in useful).
The Marmot Review argues that reducing health inequalities will require action on six principles to address the social determinants of health – and that the successful delivery of these objectives will depend on action from a range of both national and local stakeholders. These include central and local government, the NHS, third and private sectors as well as community groups.
Social determinants of health are the non medical factors that ultimately influence health outcomes – either positively or negatively.
They are the conditions and systems that shape the context of daily life and can refer to the social, cultural, political, economic, commercial and environmental factors we operate in.
Examples of social determinants of health include:
A Marmot Place (such as Coventry) recognises that health inequalities are largely shaped by the social determinants of health and they take action to reduce health inequalities.
Based on the Marmot Principles, Marmot Places develop and deliver interventions to improve health equity through a long-term, whole system approach.
In order to “give every child the best start in life” the Marmot Review suggests we need to:
The following indicators, available at small-area level can help identify the most disadvantaged areas. Dates are correct as of 05/07/2024.
| Name | Source | Date | Update frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deaths under 28 days (neonatal mortality), all causes | Nomis | 2018 – 2022 | Annual |
| Deaths under 1 (infant mortality), all causes | Nomis | 2018 – 2022 | Annual |
| Children in relative and absolute low-income families (various breakdowns) | Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) | 2023 | Quarterly |
| Households on Universal Credit, Disabled Child Entitlement | Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) | February 2024 | Quarterly |
| Children providing unpaid care | Census 2021 | 2021 | Every ten years |
In order to “enable all to maximise capabilities and control their lives, the Marmot Review suggests we need to:
The following indicators, available at small-area level can help identify the most disadvantaged areas. Dates are correct as of 05/07/2024.
| Name | Source | Date | Update frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest level of qualification (various indicators including Level 1 – 4 and apprenticeships) | Census 2021 | 2021 | Every 10 years |
| Participation in higher education (Proportion of a young cohort that has entered higher education by age 19) | Office for Students | 2010 – 2015 | Irregular |
| Participation of state school pupils in higher education | Office for Students | 2019 – 2020 | Annual |
| Indices of Deprivation: Education, Skills and Training Rank | Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) | 2019 | Irregular (next update due 2025) |
In order to “create fair employment and good work for all” the Marmot Review suggests we need to:
The following indicators, available at small-area level can help identify the most disadvantaged areas. Dates are correct as of 05/07/2024.
| Name | Source | Date | Update frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobseekers Allowance claimants, claiming for over 12 months | Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) | May 2024 | Monthly |
| Unemployment benefit claimants (JSA and Universal Credit) – including breakdowns by gender | Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) | May 2024 | Monthly |
| Youth unemployment (18-24 receiving JSA or Universal Credit) | Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) | May 2024 | Monthly |
| Older person unemployment (50+ receiving JSA or Universal Credit) | Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) | May 2024 | Monthly |
| Job access score | UK Onward | 2021 | Irregular |
| Indices of Deprivation 2019 – Employment Score | Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) | 2015 – 2016 | Irregular (next update due in 2025) |
In order to “ensure a healthy standard of living for all”, the Marmot Review suggests we need to:
The following indicators, available at small-area level can help identify the most disadvantaged areas. Dates are correct as of 05/07/2024.
| Name | Source | Date | Update frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in Fuel Poverty | Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) | 2022 | Annual |
| Priority Places for Food Index (Rank) | Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) | 2023 | Irregular |
| Overcrowded housing (with occupancy rating of -1 or less) | Census 2021 | 2021 | Every 10 years |
| Houses lacking central heating | Census 2021 | 2021 | Every 10 years |
| Indices of Deprivation 2019 – Income Score | Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) | 2019 | Irregular (next update due 2025) |
In order to “create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities”, the Marmot Review suggests we need to:
The following indicators, available at small-area level can help identify the most disadvantaged areas. Dates are correct as of 05/07/2024.
| Name | Source | Date | Update frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access to Healthy Assets and Hazards – various indicators | Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) | 2022 | Irregular |
| Community Needs Index and its sub domains | OCSI / Local Trust | 2023 | Irregular |
| Travel time to key services (various indicators) | Department for Transport (DfT) | 2019 | Irregular |
| Digital Exclusion Risk Index | Greater Manchester Office of Data Analytics | 2021 | Irregular |
| Broadband speed | Ofcom | May 2023 | Irregular |
In order to “strengthen the role and impact of ill-health prevention, the Marmot Review suggests we need to:
The following indicators, available at small-area level can help identify the most disadvantaged areas. Dates are correct as of 05/07/2024.
| Name | Source | Date | Update frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obese children in reception year | National Child Measurement Programme, NHS Digital | 2019 – 2022 | Irregular |
| Obese children in year 6 | National Child Measurement Programme, NHS Digital | 2019 – 2022 | Irregular |
| Disease prevalence (Including obesity, cardiovascular disease, asthma, diabetes – 20 total) | NHS Digital via House of Commons Library | 2022/2023 | Irregular |
| Life expectancy at birth | Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) | 2016 – 2020 | Irregular |
| Indices of Deprivation 2019 – Health Deprivation and Disability Rank | Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) | 2019 | Irregular (next update due 2025) |
| Bad / Very Bad health | Census 2021 | 2021 | Every 10 years |
| Deaths from key causes | Office for National Statistics (ONS) | 2016 – 2019 | Irregular |
| Adults who are physically active / inactive | Sport England: Active Lives Survey | 2021 | Irregular |
| Participation in physical activity at least twice in the last month | Sport England: Active Lives Survey | 2021 | Irregular |
The indicators outlined here are generally available as open data via the source highlighted. However, it can be time consuming to find, clean and process this data in order to gain the insights you are looking for.
This is where Local Insight comes in. Local Insight brings together all of these indicators (plus 1000 more) under one roof. All indicators are instantly aggregated to the areas you care about and can be explored through maps, reports and dashboards.
Local Insight will save you time and resources – and will free up your time to do the more interesting things, like analysing the data.
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