The Department of Public Health, with the School of Environment and Population Management, has won a 4-year NHMRC grant to explore urban locational disadvantage and health, particularly the factors that contribute to the differing health outcomes within Australian urban populations. The project aims to help reduce health inequalities in areas characterised by low socioeconomic status and locational disadvantage by comparing those compositional factors (ie characteristics of individuals) and contextual factors (ie characteristics of the social and physical environment) that contribute to health in areas of both low and high socio-economic status. From this research, the project will also develop a series of key indicators of social and environmental factors that contribute to the health promoting potential of local neighbourhoods.

This project has made significant progress over the last year. Case study suburbs have been selected from four LGAs representing extremes in levels of social capital and socioecnomic status and a questionnaire to be sent to households in these areas has been designed. The team has made several presentations to the project's steering committee and has received useful feedback and validation. We have made field trips to the study areas to take photographs of features such as housing type and style, gardens, open space, real estate signs and other aspects of neighbourhood characterising the area. The study is due for completion in 2006.

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