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Does food insecurity lead to greater health inequalities in Oxfordshire?

Researchers from the Consumer Data Research Centre have been working in partnership with Good Food Oxfordshire (GFO) to investigate the spatial association between food insecurity risk and health outcomes in Oxfordshire.

Food insecurity is a growing concern in the UK and one that around 9 million adults suffered from last June (2023).

Food insecurity, which could lead to both obesity and malnutrition, is also a major driver of health inequalities and a risk factor for severe health outcomes (diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and several cancers).

The purpose of this project was to produce data driven resources to empower Good Food Oxfordshire (GFO) to support and promote a healthy, sustainable, and fair food system in areas where its absence is exhausting NHS resources the most.

“The Priority Places for Food Index in general, and this research in particular, are really useful for us in help setting priorities and metrics for the Oxfordshire Food Strategy, which has local plans for each District. PPFI is a key metric, and the dashboard provides an easy-to-access, easy-to-explain visualisation for discussion with expert and non-expert alike.”

Fiona Steel, Manager, Good Food Oxfordshire

The data

This project combined qualitative insights from Good Food Oxfordshire (GFO), with quantitative data on food insecurity risk and various health outcomes to pinpoint areas where supporting the food system could most reduce health inequalities. 

Visualising the data

One of the outputs of this project was a Power BI dashboard – an accessible, intuitive, and responsive tool that empowers policy- and decision-makers to identify Oxfordshire areas where food insecurity could aggravate health inequalities.


You can find further detail on the data and methods in the full case study: Does food insecurity lead to greater health inequalities in Oxfordshire?


Using insights to target support

Policymakers in GFO’s network will use the dashboard to help make strategic decisions on where to focus their efforts to best support the food system.  The dashboard enables them to prioritise specific levers (i.e., addressing the most salient food insecurity risk factors) for each area, to improve health outcomes and reduce the prevalence of specific health conditions.

  • Tackling income deprivation in Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys (among the 20% most deprived areas in England) could significantly reduce the prevalence of child obesity (by 0.7% at the reception year and 1.8% at year six) and Type 2 diabetes (by 1.6-1.7%), with each decile shift in the socio-demographic barriers PPFI dimension.

  • Initiatives to make energy more accessible, affordable, and efficient for the population in Barton, Churchill, and Sandhills (whose areas are among the 20% most deprived in England) could significantly reduce child obesity at the reception year (by up to 0.9%) and year six (by up to 1.7%), with each decile shift in the fuel poverty PPFI dimension.

  • The reinforcement of family food support schemes in Churchill, Iffley, Littlemore, and Rosehill (whose areas are among the 20% most deprived in England) is expected to reduce the prevalence of child obesity (by 1.8% at the reception year and 3.6% at year six) and diabetes (to a lesser extent—by 0.3-0.4%).

Further information

Research Team

Ahmad Ammash, Data Scientist, Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, University of Leeds

Dr Francesca Pontin, Senior Research Data Scientist, Consumer Data Research Centre, University of Leeds

Dr Emily Ennis, Research Impact Manager, Consumer Data Research Centre, University of Leeds

Alexander Hambley, Research Software Engineer, Consumer Data Research Centre, University of Leeds

Fiona Steel, Manager, Good Food Oxfordshire

Stuart Newstead, Director, Good Food Oxfordshire