Conceptualising local systems of consumption that produce inequalities: the night-time economy
Research Team: Katie Powell, Elizabeth McGill, Cheryl McQuire, Laura Fenton
Who's involved: University of Sheffield, LSTHM, University of Bristol
1st January 2023 – 30th June 2024
This project will address a gap in evidence about the commercial determinants of health at a local authority level, in the context of the night-time economy. The findings will help inform decisions about regulating businesses in the area and how decisions will affect people’s health and health inequalities.
The night-time economy can negatively affect our health and wellbeing, it can also cause more harm to some than others. This research will help improve our understanding about how alcohol and gambling link together on English high streets. It is hoped findings will help inform local councils when making decisions about businesses and implementing measures to tackle health inequalities.
The commercial determinants of population health are of increasing concern to leaders in public health, but tools to manage their influence in local public health decision making are lacking. In the particular context of the night-time economy, the way that unhealthy products relate to each other is complex. People going on a night out may consume more unhealthy food, tobacco and drink and be influenced by advertising. While the night-time economy provides jobs and other benefits, there may be other problems such as products, packaging and delivery systems that are bad for the environment.
Local councils want to know how and when most harm is caused to people’s health in the night-time economy and why some people experience more harm than others. This would help them make informed decisions about the night-time economy and to design projects and services to reduce the harms within it.
Aim
This project aimed to co-produce with stakeholders a conceptual framework for understanding inequalities in health from unhealthy commodities in the night-time economy.
Design and methods
Firstly, this project reviewed previous relevant research. Secondly, we mapped out the different elements of the night-time economy, how they link together and impact differently on the health and wellbeing of different people.
This project developed a conceptual (systems) map to support decision makers. A systems perspective was used to produce, in collaboration with stakeholders, a visual representation of systems that produce inequalities in health within the night-time economy.
Dissemination
Our findings have been shared with local councils to help inform decisions about whether and how to regulate businesses in their area. Its also being used to explore the potential impact of any decisions on health and health inequalities.
Katie Powell, Laura Fenton, Elizabeth McGill, Saima Nazir-Desforges, Mark Clowes, Abigail Kate Stevely, Cheryl McQuire, Paige M. Hulls, Zoe L. Clarke, Michael P. Daly, Matt Egan, Frank de Vocht. A synthesis of explanations for spatial inequalities in gambling harm: integrating social and material dimensions of place. Health & Place, Volume 97, 2026, 103574, ISSN 1353-8292, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2025.103574.
The night-time economy can negatively affect our health and wellbeing, it can also cause more harm to some than others. We know that harms from alcohol and gambling are unequal in different places. Many stakeholders in local night-time economies want to influence commercial activities that impact health. We produced systems maps with stakeholders in Derby and Swindon to show how harms develop unequally. Our interactive website lets you explore our research findings.
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