Luke Munford
Biographic Data
| ID | 1126315 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Luke Munford |
| GIVEN NAMES | Luke |
| FAMILY NAME | Munford |
| SIGNATURE | MUNFORD L |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Manchester |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4540-6744 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 34 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 17 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 34 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Dividends and Disconnects
Decentralising health management
Many countries have implemented decentralisation reforms to address efficiency and equity concerns in health management. Most evidence on their impact focuses on average health outcomes and provides mixed results. We examine effects of administrative decentralisation of population health management on health behaviours in Greater Manchester, England, in 2016. Using data on 26,773 adult respondents to the UK Household Longitudinal Study between 20…
How does the integration of health and justice systems impact on health and care inequalities in marginalised populations? A mixed methods systematic review
Family income trajectories and adverse outcomes in late adolescence
BACKGROUND: Low family income and poverty are linked to adverse outcomes in childhood and adolescence. However, the role of early-life family income trajectories in shaping late-adolescence outcomes remains unclear. METHODS: Using longitudinal data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study and group-based trajectory modelling, we construct family income trajectories from infancy to early adolescence. We investigate associations of these trajectories wi…
Unequal high streets? A spatial analysis of inequalities in health-related amenities in England from 2014-2024
There are persistent inequalities in health-related behaviours in England which are stratified by region and deprivation. These are influenced by the interaction of people with places they live in, over and above individual risk factors. The amenities available on high streets is one such aspect of place but to date, its role in shaping health behaviours has been under examined. Our study presents a novel analysis into health-related amenities an…
Assessing the relationship between community resilience and health outcomes
BACKGROUND: Community resilience is a relevant concept in public health, but its empirical relationship with health outcomes remains underexplored. This study examines whether a Community Resilience Index (CRI) is associated with population health outcomes in England, and whether it offers explanatory added value beyond the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). METHODS: The CRI comprises 44 indicators reflecting community-level resilience to chron…
Does the timing of parental divorce or separation impact adolescent and young adult mental health differently by gender
Mental health issues are increasing in prevalence, particularly in adolescents. Many studies have linked parental divorce and separation to poor mental health outcomes among children and adolescents, but findings are mixed about whether the timing of divorce or separation matters and whether this impact varies by gender. We used panel data methods (pooled OLS with correlated random effects) to analyse the relationship between parental divorce occ…
Stakeholder perspectives on the effects of environmental and socio-economic factors on children's health and learning
Introduction: Environmental factors such as poor air quality may exacerbate health inequalities among children. This study aimed to explore stakeholders' views on the impact of environmental and socio-economic factors on children's health and learning, and the effectiveness of local air quality initiatives. Methods: Between April and June 2024, we conducted 15 semi-structured interviews with primary school teachers, local government and transport…
Exploring the acceptability of engaging in physical activity amongst older adults living in socioeconomically deprived areas after the Covid-19 pandemic
An increased motivation to do more physical activity post-pandemic was identified amongst this population, suggesting now is a good time to act for intervention development to capitalise on this. Better messaging is needed to communicate and improve the accessibility of physical activity guidelines amongst this population. To increase engagement in leisure-time physical activity amongst this population, future interventions and messaging should e…
Understanding the relationship between health and place
A community resilience-based approach to place-based funding
Regional inequalities in health and wealth across England have widened in recent years. The UK Government’s Levelling Up policy sought to address these disparities through six key funding programmes, collectively allocating £8.64 billion to local authority districts (LADs) in England. Using Levelling Up as a case study, this research assessed the alignment between actual and modelled ‘fair share’ allocations, using a Community Resilience Index (C…
Impact of family childhood adversity on risk of violence and involvement with police in adolescence
BACKGROUND: Childhood adversities, such as exposure to parental mental illness, domestic violence and abuse, substance use, and family poverty, have been linked to involvement in violence in early adulthood. However, evidence on the cumulative impact of multiple adversities throughout childhood on violence and crime in adolescence remains scarce. This study investigates the associations between trajectories of family adversity and poverty during …
Left behind? A longitudinal ecological study of ‘regional deprivation amplification’ and life expectancy growth in in England (2004 to 2020)
Geographical inequalities in health are substantial and increasing in many countries. In England, there is a life expectancy gap amongst the 20 % most deprived local authorities - between those in the northern regions and those in the rest of the country. We sought to quantify the size and evolution of this gap and to investigate potential contributing factors. We used data from official national statistics covering years 2004-2020 for the 20 % m…
The effects of engagement in arts and cultural activities on adolescent mental health
Adolescent mental health is in crisis in the UK and around the world, which has huge social and economic costs. Investing in prevention and early intervention is key. There has been much policy interest in 'Creative Health', and the role that engaging with arts and culture can have on mental health and wellbeing, including for adolescents. Existing research is positive but methodologically limited and it has often focused on short, sharp interven…
Association between individual level characteristics and take-up of a Minimum Income Guarantee for Pensioners
A Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) ensures people have a minimum amount of income for essentials such as healthy food, housing, health care, social and digital networks to support health and well-being. MIGs could be a useful tool to reduce inequalities. A MIG will only be effective if those who are eligible take it up. The aim of this paper is to explore how individual characteristics were associated with take-up of a MIG for pensioners (aged 60+ …
Adapting the Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities (BRIC) Framework for England
Community resilience results from complex interactions between people, places, and environments. Measuring community resilience aligns with policy objectives to enhance resilience to adverse events and address spatial disparities. The Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities (BRIC) is a composite index used to measure resilience. This study adapts the BRIC approach to develop a Community Resilience Index (CRI) for England. A systematic revi…
Risk factors for deaths of despair in England
Deaths of Despair (DoD) are socially patterned fatalities encompassing those attributable to drug and alcohol misuse and suicide. DoD occur much more frequently in socially deprived communities. This ecological study aimed to yield new knowledge on the spatial distribution of DoD, and socioeconomic factors that predict DoD risk in England. Via ICD-10 coding, deaths nationally during 2019-2021 were classified to non-overlapping categories of drug-…
Northern Exposure
EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic affected all parts of the country, it did not do so equally. Northern England was hit the hardest, exposing more than ever the extent of regional inequalities in health and wealth. Using original data analysis from a wide range of sources, this book demonstrates how COVID-19 has impacted the country unequally in terms of mortality, health care, mental heal…
Measurement of community resilience using the Baseline Resilience Indicator for Communities (BRIC) framework
Analysing changes to the flow of public funding within local health and care systems
Financial flows relating to health care are routinely analysed at national and international level. They have rarely been systematically analysed at local level, despite sub-national variation due to population needs and decisions enacted by local organisations. We illustrate an adaptation of the System of Health Accounts framework to map the flow of public health and care funding within local systems, with an application for Greater Manchester (…
Northern Exposure
North and South
The social capital penalty paid by teetotallers
Social capital is important and helps protect health and reduce loneliness. Governments worldwide are pursuing policies to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed to protect public health but alcohol consumption remains a prevalent feature of social interaction in the UK. Previous studies have identified a strong relationship between alcohol and social capital which varies in direction depending on the dimension of social capital studied. Using a l…
Exploring the health and sociodemographic characteristics of people seeking advice with claiming universal credit
As the rollout for UC continues, it is important to understand how changes in eligibility for UC may impact on those who need help with applying for UC. Ensuring that the advice process and application process is responsive to a range of people with different needs can help to reduce the likelihood that the process of claiming UC will exacerbate health inequalities
Longitudinal Associations between Peer and Family Relationships, Emotional Symptoms, and Regional Brain Volume across Adolescence
The period of adolescence brings with it a dynamic interaction between social context and behaviour, structural brain development, and anxiety and depressive symptoms. The rate of volumetric change in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and amygdala have been implicated in socioemotional development in adolescence; typically, there is thinning of grey matter volume (GMV) in the vmPFC and growth in the amygdala during this time. The directi…
Risk factors for deaths of despair in England
Deaths of Despair (DoD) are socially patterned fatalities encompassing those attributable to drug and alcohol misuse and suicide. DoD occur much more frequently in socially deprived communities. This ecological study aimed to yield new knowledge on the spatial distribution of DoD, and socioeconomic factors that predict DoD risk in England. Via ICD-10 coding, deaths nationally during 2019-2021 were classified to non-overlapping categories of drug-…
Levelling up or widening the gap? An analysis of community renewal fund allocation in English regions using an economic resilience index
This paper assesses the relationship between economic resilience in English regions and the allocation of the UK government’s Community Renewal Fund (CRF). The CRF is part of the government’s ‘Levelling Up’ agenda to address place-based inequalities. Economic resilience is measured using a composite index comprising productivity, skills, unemployment, population density and household income. Data were obtained for the five indicators at local aut…
Community asset participation and social medicine increases qualities of life
Policies to improve QoL in later life should be designed not just to promote community assets, but also maintain participation once initiated
Covid-19 and deprivation amplification
Deprivation amplification' is used to understand the relationship between deprivation, scale and COVID-19 mortality rates. We found that more deprived Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs) in the more deprived northern regions suffered greater COVID-19 mortality rates. Across England, the most deprived 20% of MSOAs had higher mortality than the least deprived (44.1% more COVID-19 deaths/10,000). However, the most deprived MSOAs in the north fared wor…
A community resilience-based approach to place-based funding
Regional inequalities in health and wealth across England have widened in recent years. The UK Government’s Levelling Up policy sought to address these disparities through six key funding programmes, collectively allocating £8.64 billion to local authority districts (LADs) in England. Using Levelling Up as a case study, this research assessed the alignment between actual and modelled ‘fair share’ allocations, using a Community Resilience Index (C…
Age-gender differences in the relationships between physical and mental health
Previous studies have identified that smoking, exercise and breadth of social interaction mediate the strong associations between physical and mental health. However, these studies have been restricted to older populations, have not explored differences by gender, and have not considered online social interaction. We explore how the effects of four mediators (exercise, smoking, in-person and online social interaction) of the two-way relationships…
The impact of devolution on experienced health and well-being
Devolution of health systems from national to local levels is a common focus of policymakers across the world. The overarching aim is to improve population health by better meeting the specific needs of local citizens. We examine the case of a coordinated devolution across several public service sectors in Greater Manchester, England, in 2016. We estimate the impact on experienced health and well-being using Short-Form 12 scores from 13,938 adult…
Election Outcomes and Individual Subjective Wellbeing in Great Britain
Exploiting novel longitudinal data on individuals in Great Britain matched to their parliamentary constituency, we find that supporting the incumbent political party, at both the national and constituency levels, exerts a positive influence on individual subjective wellbeing. This relationship varies across different measures of subjective wellbeing, gender and personal characteristics. We then implement a regression discontinuity in time design …
Is owning your home good for your health? Evidence from exogenous variations in subsidies in England
Home ownership is an important component of wealth and may affect health through a range of mechanisms. Using macro- and micro-level data from 2000 to 2008, we seek to estimate the causal effect of home ownership on health by exploiting the Right to Buy policy, which encouraged long-term tenants of publicly rented housing to buy their home at a large discount. At the macro-level we find that a 10 percentage-point increase in home ownership rates …
Community asset participation and social medicine increases qualities of life
Policies to improve QoL in later life should be designed not just to promote community assets, but also maintain participation once initiated
Election Outcomes and Individual Subjective Wellbeing in Great Britain
Exploiting novel longitudinal data on individuals in Great Britain matched to their parliamentary constituency, we find that supporting the incumbent political party, at both the national and constituency levels, exerts a positive influence on individual subjective wellbeing. This relationship varies across different measures of subjective wellbeing, gender and personal characteristics. We then implement a regression discontinuity in time design …
Understanding health inequalities in Wales using the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method
Background: Throughout Wales and the world, health inequality remains a problem that is interconnected with a wider and complex social, economic and environmental dynamic. Subsequently, action to tackle inequality in health needs to take place at a structural level, acknowledging the constraints affecting an individual's (or community's) capability and opportunity to enable change. While the 'social determinants of health' is an established conce…
The impact of Covid-19 lockdowns on physical activity amongst older adults
Reductions in older adults' physical activity levels during COVID-19 lockdowns have put them at risk of becoming deconditioned and developing adverse health outcomes. Resources should be allocated to promote the uptake of physical activity in older adults to reverse the effects of deconditioning
Covid-19 and deprivation amplification
Deprivation amplification' is used to understand the relationship between deprivation, scale and COVID-19 mortality rates. We found that more deprived Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs) in the more deprived northern regions suffered greater COVID-19 mortality rates. Across England, the most deprived 20% of MSOAs had higher mortality than the least deprived (44.1% more COVID-19 deaths/10,000). However, the most deprived MSOAs in the north fared wor…
Northern Exposure
EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic affected all parts of the country, it did not do so equally. Northern England was hit the hardest, exposing more than ever the extent of regional inequalities in health and wealth. Using original data analysis from a wide range of sources, this book demonstrates how COVID-19 has impacted the country unequally in terms of mortality, health care, mental heal…
Measurement of community resilience using the Baseline Resilience Indicator for Communities (BRIC) framework
Analysing changes to the flow of public funding within local health and care systems
Financial flows relating to health care are routinely analysed at national and international level. They have rarely been systematically analysed at local level, despite sub-national variation due to population needs and decisions enacted by local organisations. We illustrate an adaptation of the System of Health Accounts framework to map the flow of public health and care funding within local systems, with an application for Greater Manchester (…
Northern Exposure
North and South
The social capital penalty paid by teetotallers
Social capital is important and helps protect health and reduce loneliness. Governments worldwide are pursuing policies to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed to protect public health but alcohol consumption remains a prevalent feature of social interaction in the UK. Previous studies have identified a strong relationship between alcohol and social capital which varies in direction depending on the dimension of social capital studied. Using a l…
Exploring the health and sociodemographic characteristics of people seeking advice with claiming universal credit
As the rollout for UC continues, it is important to understand how changes in eligibility for UC may impact on those who need help with applying for UC. Ensuring that the advice process and application process is responsive to a range of people with different needs can help to reduce the likelihood that the process of claiming UC will exacerbate health inequalities
Longitudinal Associations between Peer and Family Relationships, Emotional Symptoms, and Regional Brain Volume across Adolescence
The period of adolescence brings with it a dynamic interaction between social context and behaviour, structural brain development, and anxiety and depressive symptoms. The rate of volumetric change in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and amygdala have been implicated in socioemotional development in adolescence; typically, there is thinning of grey matter volume (GMV) in the vmPFC and growth in the amygdala during this time. The directi…
Levelling up or widening the gap? An analysis of community renewal fund allocation in English regions using an economic resilience index
This paper assesses the relationship between economic resilience in English regions and the allocation of the UK government’s Community Renewal Fund (CRF). The CRF is part of the government’s ‘Levelling Up’ agenda to address place-based inequalities. Economic resilience is measured using a composite index comprising productivity, skills, unemployment, population density and household income. Data were obtained for the five indicators at local aut…
Age-gender differences in the relationships between physical and mental health
Previous studies have identified that smoking, exercise and breadth of social interaction mediate the strong associations between physical and mental health. However, these studies have been restricted to older populations, have not explored differences by gender, and have not considered online social interaction. We explore how the effects of four mediators (exercise, smoking, in-person and online social interaction) of the two-way relationships…
The impact of devolution on experienced health and well-being
Devolution of health systems from national to local levels is a common focus of policymakers across the world. The overarching aim is to improve population health by better meeting the specific needs of local citizens. We examine the case of a coordinated devolution across several public service sectors in Greater Manchester, England, in 2016. We estimate the impact on experienced health and well-being using Short-Form 12 scores from 13,938 adult…
Association between individual level characteristics and take-up of a Minimum Income Guarantee for Pensioners
A Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) ensures people have a minimum amount of income for essentials such as healthy food, housing, health care, social and digital networks to support health and well-being. MIGs could be a useful tool to reduce inequalities. A MIG will only be effective if those who are eligible take it up. The aim of this paper is to explore how individual characteristics were associated with take-up of a MIG for pensioners (aged 60+ …
Adapting the Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities (BRIC) Framework for England
Community resilience results from complex interactions between people, places, and environments. Measuring community resilience aligns with policy objectives to enhance resilience to adverse events and address spatial disparities. The Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities (BRIC) is a composite index used to measure resilience. This study adapts the BRIC approach to develop a Community Resilience Index (CRI) for England. A systematic revi…
Risk factors for deaths of despair in England
Deaths of Despair (DoD) are socially patterned fatalities encompassing those attributable to drug and alcohol misuse and suicide. DoD occur much more frequently in socially deprived communities. This ecological study aimed to yield new knowledge on the spatial distribution of DoD, and socioeconomic factors that predict DoD risk in England. Via ICD-10 coding, deaths nationally during 2019-2021 were classified to non-overlapping categories of drug-…
Does the timing of parental divorce or separation impact adolescent and young adult mental health differently by gender
Mental health issues are increasing in prevalence, particularly in adolescents. Many studies have linked parental divorce and separation to poor mental health outcomes among children and adolescents, but findings are mixed about whether the timing of divorce or separation matters and whether this impact varies by gender. We used panel data methods (pooled OLS with correlated random effects) to analyse the relationship between parental divorce occ…
Stakeholder perspectives on the effects of environmental and socio-economic factors on children's health and learning
Introduction: Environmental factors such as poor air quality may exacerbate health inequalities among children. This study aimed to explore stakeholders' views on the impact of environmental and socio-economic factors on children's health and learning, and the effectiveness of local air quality initiatives. Methods: Between April and June 2024, we conducted 15 semi-structured interviews with primary school teachers, local government and transport…
Exploring the acceptability of engaging in physical activity amongst older adults living in socioeconomically deprived areas after the Covid-19 pandemic
An increased motivation to do more physical activity post-pandemic was identified amongst this population, suggesting now is a good time to act for intervention development to capitalise on this. Better messaging is needed to communicate and improve the accessibility of physical activity guidelines amongst this population. To increase engagement in leisure-time physical activity amongst this population, future interventions and messaging should e…
Understanding the relationship between health and place
A community resilience-based approach to place-based funding
Regional inequalities in health and wealth across England have widened in recent years. The UK Government’s Levelling Up policy sought to address these disparities through six key funding programmes, collectively allocating £8.64 billion to local authority districts (LADs) in England. Using Levelling Up as a case study, this research assessed the alignment between actual and modelled ‘fair share’ allocations, using a Community Resilience Index (C…
Psychology (15 works) · Health disparities and outcomes (14 works) · Medicine (14 works) · Public health (12 works) · Population (10 works) · Economics (9 works) · Geography (9 works) · Political science (9 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Environmental health (8 works)