title: Do socio-economic, behavioural and biological risk factors explain the poor health profile of the UK's sickest city?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The extent to which the poor health profile of Glasgow, the city with the highest mortality rates in the UK, can be explained solely by socio-economic factors is unclear. This paper additionally considers behavioural and biological factors as explanations of excess risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Scottish Health Survey data for 2008-09 were analysed using logistic regression models to compare the odds of physical and mental health outcomes, as well as adverse health behaviours, for residents of the Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) conurbation compared with the rest of Scotland.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment for age and sex, significant differences were observed among Glasgow residents for most mental and physical health outcomes, but not for most adverse health behaviours. Adjustment for area and individual-level socio-economic characteristics explained the differences for all outcomes except anxiety, psychological ill-health, heart attack and men being overweight. After additional adjustment for behavioural and biological characteristics, significantly higher odds of anxiety and heart attack remained for residents of the Glasgow area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adjusting for area- and individual-level socio-economic conditions explained the excess risk associated with residents of GGC for most (16 out of 18) outcomes; however, significant excess risks for two outcomes remained: anxiety and heart attack. Additional explanations are, therefore, required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health,  University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 6BT,  UK.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Landy
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramsay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010808:Physical Examination; D011204:Poverty Areas; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012923:Social Class; D014504:Urban Health / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data