In addition to its programme of competitively awarded seed grants, SCPHRP commissioned seven needs-based projects during 2008 ’ 2012, with a focus on the development of improved data-systems for sensitive population-level monitoring of overall changes in Scottish health status, and trends and patterns in health inequalities, particularly by socio-economic status (SES).
In collaboration with Sarah Wild of the Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Edinburgh and Colin Fischbacher of the NHS Information Services Division, SCPHRP used data from the Scottish Care Information ’ Diabetes Collaboration and routinely collected data on deaths and hospital admissions from ISD to explore inequalities in risk of vascular events among people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This involves one of the research fellows being seconded for two days per week to the Public Health Sciences Unit.
Previous analyses revealed that absolute all-cause mortality among people with T2DM increased with age and socioeconomic deprivation, and was higher for men than women. The relative risk of T2DM-related mortality compared to the general population was lowest among more deprived groups, and highest among less deprived groups. In this project, we will explore this further to determine whether similar age, gender and socioeconomic patterns are observed for cause-specific mortality, specifically cardiovascular mortality. In addition, such patterns may differ by type of cardiovascular disease (e.g. myocardial infarction, heart failure, ischaemic /haemorrhagic stroke etc).
