Orienting Policy Towards Inequality Minimising Actions (OPTIMA): A systems science approach to 20-minute neighbourhood policy and evaluation

In a 20-minute neighbourhood, local communities can easily get to daily services like healthy stores, schools, healthcare, and parks within a short walk or bike ride from their homes (20-minute return trip). There is an ambition to implement these across Scotland, and other parts of the UK and internationally.

There are claims that these will reduce health inequalities, but evidence to support this claim is lacking. There is also a real chance that health inequalities might get worse – for example, if prices increase and the poorest are left behind, or there is increased access to unhealthy services, like those providing alcohol or gambling.

We are going to provide evidence to make better decisions possible to reduce health inequalities, before costs are fully sunk. We will:

1. Look at what is already known about how bringing services closer to people affects health and inequalities and co-produce evidence with the community and with decision-makers.

2. Put together data on where services currently are in Scotland and who lives there.

3. Put all this knowledge and data together in a computer model of how things might change over time.

4. Use real data and changes that have already happened to plan more tests and further improve the evidence.

Getting involved

We’re looking for 3-4 people interested in the research project and with lived experience of different places/types of neighbourhood (e.g., urban/rural; more/less deprived).

You would take part in a 1-hour monthly meeting to regularly feed in to the research project, plus occasional requests for feedback on material we produce along the way.

This is a 3-year project on a policy-relevant topic, so there is the opportunity to contribute your insights on a regular basis, from start to finish. Our Patient and Public Involvement Group members will also be reimbursed for their time at NIHR Involve rates (depends on task, but £25 per hour for the meeting as an example).

Interested? Please contact Jonathan Stokes: jonathan.stokes@glasgow.ac.uk 

First published: 25 September 2024

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