Research looked at records of 14,800 people in Bradford to see what happened after they moved to more polluted area
What happens to your mental and physical health when you move to an area with worse air pollution? That’s the subject of a fascinating new UK-based study.
Prof Rosie McEachan, the director of NHS Born in Bradford, asked: “Do already unhealthy communities, who are often poorer members of our society, end up in unhealthier environments because no one else wants to live there; or is it the places themselves that are making people ill?”
The researchers used information from the Connected Bradford database. This contains the health records of more than 800,000 people who have lived in Bradford, West Yorkshire, since 1970 that can be studied in an anonymised way. Specifically, the researchers looked at 14,800 people who relocated within the city during early 2021.
With increasing evidence that air pollution affects mental health, the researchers focused on prescriptions for drugs for common mental health problems including depression and anxiety. Before moving, 2,100 people were taking these drugs. The researchers then checked for prescriptions a year later.
