Places, people, and their physical and mental functional health

Abstract

Study objective: To investigate the impact of area of residence on functional health as represented by medical outcomes study SF-36 physical and mental component summary scores. Design: Multilevel analysis of cross sectional data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition in Norfolk, UK (EPIC-Norfolk). Participants: A community dwelling cohort of 18 399 men and women, aged 41 to 80 and resident in 162 electoral wards in Norfolk, UK. Main results: Significant residual variation in physical functional health was observed at the area level after controlling for important individual level socioeconomic factors (pConclusions: Area of residence was associated with physical functional health, albeit with modest effect size. Evidence for an association between area of residence and mental functional health was weak.