Developing an Urbanicity Index

Exposure to the urban environment is frequently described as a determinant of health status.  However, to date there has not been an agreed and reliable method of measuring the relative ‘urbanicity’ of a settlement at a given point in time.

We have conducted literature reviews of agreed scales and been analysing APCAPS data, using factor analysis, principle component analysis and longitudinal studies to develop a new scale to capture the more subtle differences evident at the lower end of the urban-rural spectrum, where villages are more homogeneous.

This scale will be used in many areas of our work and will enable us to look at the epidemiological transitions according to levels of urbanicity across the APCAPS villages.