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Mapping the way to good health in Birmingham

Health: Citizen services

Mapping the way to good health in Birmingham
 Obesity is a major public health problem in Birmingham. While the determinants of obesity are complex and interrelated, social and environmental factors clearly have an influence. The city has a large number of hot-food takeaways close to schools and local centres. The use of maps helps us to accurately describe where they are located and to tackle their spread.
Dr Iris Fermin, Head of Public Health Information and Intelligence, Birmingham Public Health

At a glance

Birmingham City CouncilObesity is becoming a major public health problem in the UK. Widespread medical evidence, both from home and abroad, suggests that excess fat in the body increases the risk of contracting illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, liver disease and high blood pressure.

In Birmingham, obesity in both adults and children is significantly higher than the average for England and is on the rise. Diseases related to being overweight or obese cost the NHS® in Birmingham £330 million a year. When lost earnings due to early death or sickness are taken into account, the city overall is expected to lose £2.6 billion each year.

Printable version: download PDFVisit the Birmingham City Council website

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According to figures from the Association of Public Health Observatories, 29% of Birmingham’s adult population is obese, more than twice that of the European average of 14%. Of most concern, are the high levels of obesity in children. In Birmingham, a quarter of eleven to twelve year olds are classified as obese. While obesity is governed by a person’s biology and behaviour, social and environmental factors also have an influence. When looking at risk factors, the city also has significantly lower rates of healthy eating and physical activity than England on average, while having more cases of both type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. Obesity rates are higher in more deprived areas of Birmingham, where children are particularly at risk. In these areas, there are nearly four times as many hot-food takeaways than in the most affluent parts of the city.

Over the last 18 months, public health officials from Birmingham and Solihull NHS have been working with the city council to control the number of new licenses granted for hot-food takeaways.

Using Ordnance Survey geographic information, researchers plotted schools, youth facilities and leisure centres on to an interactive digital map. They then added local centres, such as retail, office and entertainment sites. Finally, they included hot-food takeaways located within a 400 m perimeter around each location

Subsequent analysis revealed that 71% of all primary and secondary schools in the city have a hot-food takeaway such as a kebab shop, fish and chip shop, pizza shop or Chinese takeaway within 400 m; some have as many as 19 within this distance. Nearly half of takeaways are within local centres and just 22% are not within a local centre or within 400 m of a school. By presenting the information on a digital map, where layers of information can be selected or deselected to show the different factors that may be affecting obesity within Birmingham, councillors, planners, public health officials and other key representatives across the city are able to see at a glance where action should be targeted.

As a result of the findings, new rules were agreed to control the number of unhealthy fast food outlets clustered around schools and within local centres. Several applications have been refused on these grounds already.

The public health team in Birmingham has taken full advantage of the Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA), a licensing arrangement between the Government and Ordnance Survey which allows all public sector organisations across England and Wales to use geographic data provided by Ordnance Survey to help plan and deliver their services. It replaces all collective mapping agreements and has the potential to achieve major savings throughout the public sector as a result of more accurate planning of services and a better use of resources. In Birmingham, the information helped inform the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment – the means by which health and local authorities work together – to plan local services.

Hot food takeaways (Class A5) shown in proximity to primary and secondary schools in Birmingham

  • Accurately shows the positioning of hot-food takeaways close to schools and in local centres.
  • Easy to visualise the information on an interactive map.
  • Enables sharing of geographic data through the PSMA to encourage more joint-working.
  • An important tool to help reduce obesity in the city.

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