Introduction
The South East England Health Inequalities Gap Measurement Tool has been produced by the Department of Health South East and SEPHO to provide detailed information on the nature and extent of health inequalities across the region in order to help guide service planning and provision at a local level.
The tool provides a standardised approach to measuring health inequalities based on cause-specific mortality rates for the five year period 2003 to 2007 for 2007 Index of Multiple Deprivation score-based quintiles of super output areas. The tool includes a variety of display options - including mortality trends for the period 2001 to 2007 – which show the inequalities gap for the region, two Strategic Health Authorities, 17 Primary Care Trusts, and 19 County and Unitary Authorities.
The tool is available both as a web-based Flash version (which can be accessed via the link at the top of this page) and as an Excel tool which can be downloaded to your computer (via the SEPHO website at http://www.sepho.org.uk/viewResource.aspx?id=10965).
How to use the web version of the gap tool
Begin by selecting the Primary and (optional) Comparator Areas you want to display, then choose the Sex, Confidence Intervals and Cause of Death options you want to use (steps 1 to 4 on the tool dashboard).
The next stage (step 5) is to choose the deprivation Quintiles to be displayed. There are five options (top, bottom, middle three, top four and all) which are available for both the primary and comparator areas.
The final stage is to choose which Graph Type you wish to display (step 6).
You can navigate around the dashboard using the mouse or tab key, and it is also possible to scroll between the options in the drop-down menus by first clicking on the box and then using the up/down arrow keys on your keyboard.
Graph options
The 'Causes of Death' (step 4) and 'Quintiles' (step 5) that can be displayed vary according to the graph type selected.
The line and bar graph options allow any number and combination of quintiles from the primary and/or comparator area to be displayed. Quintiles chosen for the primary area are displayed as solid bars/lines, while comparator area quintiles are displayed using dashed bars/lines.
The gap in rate and relative gaps graphs only allow two quintiles to be compared for any cause of death.
The trend in rates option allows for any number and combination of quintiles to be selected, but only for 'all causes of death'. The trends - bottom to other gaps and trends - any two gaps graphs only allow two quintiles to be selected for 'all causes'.
The mortality profile can be selected for any combination of two quintiles, while the numbers of deaths and population graph and data table option require just one quintile.
The tool provides instructions to help ensure that the correct options are chosen for each graph type.
Control panel
The control panel provides a number of options for changing the way the gap tool is displayed.
Resize graph
To enlarge the current graph for closer analysis or for print out, click the 'resize graph' button. Click the button again to return the graph to the original size.
'Resize application' buttons
These buttons can be used to resize the whole of the gap tool.
Toggle pop-up help
By hovering the mouse over a menu option or graph label, pop-up pointers explaining the functionality or providing fuller text will appear. This button can be used to switch the pop-up text on or off.
Further information
For further information contact:
Robert Kyffin
Department of Health South East
e. robert.kyffin@dh.gsi.gov.uk
t. 01483 882 264
Credits
Conversion to Flash/Actionscript coding: Henry McGuinness, South East Public Health Observatory
