A diabetes risk index for small areas in England

UK and international studies point to significant area variation in diabetes risk, and summary indices of diabetic risk are potentially of value in effective targeting of health interventions and healthcare resources. This paper aims to develop a summary measure of the diabetic risk environment which can act as an index for targeting health care resources. The diabetes risk index is for 6791 English small areas (which provide entire coverage of England) and has advantages in incorporating evidence from both diabetes outcomes and area risk factors, and in including spatial correlation in its construction. The analysis underlying the risk index shows that area socio-economic status, social fragmentation and south Asian ethnic concentration are all positive risk factors for diabetes risk. However, urban-rural and regional differences in risk intersect with these socio-demographic influences.