Dr Dianna M Smith

My research interests are primarily in health geography, with a focus on social and spatial inequalities. Much of my research utilises population simulation techniques to create estimates of health outcomes and behaviours (such as diabetes, obesity, smoking, diet and physical activity) within small areas. I am interested in investigating the potential impact of policy interventions on local-level health outcomes using simulated datasets.

Additional research interests include the visualisation of health data using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This provides an alternative means of data exploration within a spatial context, creating maps to illustrate how health outcomes vary within and between areas.  Ideally this work will move beyond the academic arena for greater use in applied health services research and analysis.

I am currently an MRC Fellow, under the Population Health Scientist scheme. My project ('Simulation and analysis of the effect of environmental interventions on physical activity & obesity: international study') is exploring the use of spatial microsimulation to replicate longitudinal data and allow for policy analysis. The main focus of this work is to consider the utility of such models to assess the health impacts of environmental interventions such as improved cycle paths, access to green space or changes in housing density. This project makes use of an existing datasets in London as well as testing the model at the national level in England and New Zealand.

Articles in journals:

Noble, D., Smith, D., Mathur, R., Robson, J., Greenhalgh, T., 2012.Feasibility study of geospatial mapping of chronic disease risk to inform public health commissioning. BMJ Open 2:1

Harland, K., Heppenstall, A., Smith, D.M., Birkin, M., online 12/01/12. Creating realistic synthetic populations at varying spatial scales: a comparative critique of population synthesis techniques. Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation.

 Riva, M., Smith, D.M., online 31/05/11. Generating small-area prevalence of common mental health disorders and alcohol consumption: validation of a spatial microsimulation method. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. doi: 10.1007/s00127-011-0376-6

 Smith, D.M., Pearce, J.R., Harland, K., 2011. Can a deterministic spatial microsimulation model provide reliable small-area estimates of health behaviours? An example of smoking prevalence in New Zealand. Health & Place 17, 618-624. doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2011.01.001 

 Smith, D.M., Cummins, S., Taylor, M., Dawson, J., Marshall, D., Sparks, L., Anderson, A.S., 2010. Neighbourhood food environment and area deprivation: spatial accessibility to grocery stores selling fresh fruit and vegetables in urban and rural settings. International Journal of Epidemiology 39, 277-284. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyp221

 Cummins, S., Smith, D.M., Aitken, Z., Dawson, J., Marshall, D., Sparks, L., Anderson, A.S., 2010. Neighbourhood deprivation and the price and availability of fruit and vegetables in Scotland. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 23, 494-501. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-277X.2010.01071.x

 Cummins, S., Smith, D.M., Taylor, M., Dawson, J., Marshall, D., Sparks, L., Anderson, A.S., 2009. Variations in fresh fruit and vegetable quality by store type, urban-rural setting and neighbourhood deprivation in Scotland. Public Health Nutrition 12, 2044-2050.

 Smith, D.M., Clarke, G.P., Harland, K., 2009. Improving the synthetic data generation process in spatial microsimulation models. Environment and Planning A 41, 1251 - 1268. doi:10.1068/a4147

 Smith, D.M., Cummins, S., 2009. Obese Cities: How our environment shapes overweight. Geography Compass 3, 518-535. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-8198.2008.00198.x

 Procter, K.L., Smith, D.M., 2008. Size matters: the role of scale in geographies of health. Area 40, 303-305. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4762.2008.00833.x

 Smith, D.M., Clarke, G.P., Ransley, J., Cade, J., 2005. Food access and health: A microsimulation framework for analysis. Studies in Regional Science 35, 909-927.

 Book chapters:

Smith, D.M. 2011. Simulating Spatial Health Inequalities, in: See, L.(Ed.), Agent Based Models for Geographic Systems: Principles, Concepts and Applications. Springer, pp 499-510.

 Smith, D.M., Cummins, S., 2011. Food Deserts, in: Cawley, J.(Ed.), TheOxford Handbook of the Social Science of Obesity.OxfordUniversity Press, pp. 452-462.

 Smith, D.M., Edwards, K., Clarke, G.P., Harland, K., 2010. Measuring obesogenic environments – representing place in studies of obesity in: Pearce, J.,Witten, K.(Eds.), Geographies of Obesity: Environmental Understandings of the Obesity Epidemic. Ashgate, pp. 277-296