Mark Green

Death in England and Wales, 1981-2009: Using a classificatory approach for researching mortality

Supervisors: Dan Vickers and Danny Dorling

Everybody dies. It is just one of those harsh facts of life that we all experience. Nevertheless what we all die of is not always the same (the latest International Classification of Diseases has over 14,000 possible causes of death). Most research tends to concentrate upon the medical side to our health, however this is not always the most important area for understanding patterns. Our mortality is determined by a number of complex interacting factors such as lifestyle choice or exposure to poverty. Yet whilst certain causes of death vary by social factors, our mortality is also inherently related to our geography. Where we live not only determines the social life chances that affect our health, but may also have an independent effect itself.

My research seeks to explore the geographical variations in mortality across Britain, between 1981 and 2009. With millions of deaths occurring throughout this period, it is proposed that some form of data reduction is needed to be able to “see the wood for the trees”. Through searching for clusters within the data set, a classification can be produced which sorts areas into more “general” groups for the aid of data description. These groups are based on similarities within the data set, showing relationships of places and diseases which are like each other and also different from other groups. These clusters can be "drilled down" into to search for interacting patterns of causes. The variation in group membership for areas over time will be examined, to look for changes in disease patterns, specifically if there are neighbourhoods where generations are now dying of completely different diseases than previously.

Research Interests

• Geographical determinants of poverty and health
• Social and spatial inequalities
• Visualising patterns and processes

Previous Education

• BA (Hons) Geography, University of Sheffield, 2009, First Class
• MSc Social and Spatial Inequalities, University of Sheffield, 2010, Merit

Conference Presentations

• BSA (British Sociological Association) Sponsored Conference - Researching Inequality: A Theory for Everything?, Open University, 6th May 2011, Title - Visualising Inequality in London: A Different Approach?

Teaching

• GEO152 Statistical Data Analysis in Geography (Practical Demonstration and Exam Marking)
• GEO163 Information and Communication Skills (Adviser for Group Projects)
• FCS650 Quantitative Methods for Social Science Research (Practical Demonstration and Running 'Drop-in' Sessions)

Funding Awarded

• MSc Fees Bursary
• ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) +3 PhD Studentship 2010-2013

Contact: mark.green@sheffield.ac.uk