Developing a new small-area measure of deprivation using 2001 and 2011 census data from Scotland

Material deprivation contributes to inequalities in health; areas of high deprivation have higher rates of ill-health. How deprivation is measured has a great impact on its explanatory power with respect to health. We compare previous deprivation measures used in Scotland and proposes a new deprivation measure using the 2001 and 2011 Scottish census data. We calculate the relative index of inequality (RII) for self-reported health and mortality. While across all age groups different deprivation measures provide similar results, the assessment of health inequalities among those aged 20-29 differs markedly according to the deprivation measure. In 2011 the RII for long-term health problem for men aged 20-24 was only 0.71 (95% CI 0.60-0.83) using the Carstairs score, but 1.10 (0.99-1.21) for the new score and 1.13 (1.03-1.24) for the income domain of Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). The RII for mortality in that age group was 1.25 (0.89-1.58) for the Carstairs score, 1.69 (1.35-2.02) for the new measure and 1.76 (1.43-2.08) for SIMD. The results suggest that researchers and policy makers should consider the suitability of deprivation measures for different social groups.