SAHSU

Small Area Health Statistics Unit

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The Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU) was established in 1987 following a recommendation by the Black Enquiry into the incidence of leukaemia in children and young adults near the Sellafield nuclear plant. Since this time, the main aim of SAHSU has been to assess the risk of exposure to environmental factors to the health of the population, with an emphasis on the use and interpretation of routine health statistics.

The current work programme to September 2009 is an extension to the previous programme (2000-2007), awarded following competitive tender. SAHSU is currently undertaking a number of major research projects (SAHSU Studies), with increasing attention being given to exposure assessment. A main focus is the expansion and regular updating of the SAHSU databases as well as the development of spatial statistical analysis methods. SAHSU works with a multi-disciplinary team that collaborates extensively with other departments within Imperial College and with external institutions in the UK, Europe and the USA.

SAHSU has also developed a software tool for environmental health risk assessment, the RIF (Rapid Inquiry Facility). Initially intended for internal use, it was subsequently modified for implementation in several European countries within the EUROHEIS project ( EUROHEIS ). Current collaboration with CDC, the US Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, in their Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (CDC) is working on enhancing the RIF to make it more adaptable and user-friendly.

In addition to its broad work programme, SAHSU also benefits from several externally-financed projects. The European collaboration includes a number of contracts with the EU within the Fifth and Sixth Framework Programmes for pan-European research projects of 3-5 years duration. Methods developed for these projects add value to the SAHSU programme.

 

• To develop and maintain databases of health data, environmental exposures as required to meet a specific need, and social confounding factors at the small-area level;
• To carry out substantive research studies on environment and health issues including studies of the relationship between socio-economic factors and health, in collaboration with other scientific groups as necessary;
• To respond rapidly, with expert advice, to ad hoc queries from the funding departments about unusual clusters of disease, particularly in the neighbourhood of industrial installations;
• In collaboration with other scientific groups, to build up reliable background information on the distribution of environmental exposure, socio-economic data and disease amongst small areas;
• To develop the methodology for analysing and interpreting statistics relating to small areas;
• To act as a centre of expertise, disseminating information on developments in spatial epidemiological methods to national and regional groups.

In addition, SAHSU is developing links with the Regional Public Health Observatories in England, the Wales Centre for Health and parallel organisations in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and within that context, SAHSU will provide expert advice and assistance to help the new Observatories to develop expertise in small-area health analysis.

 

Site Manager: Ania Kozniewska
Tel: + 44 (0) 207 594 3278
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Email: a.kozniewska@imperial.ac.uk