Graph: 3.31 Absolute change of the Health Index (HI) from 2007 to 2010 by voivodeship (points) HI in 2007
Change since 2007
80.0 70.0 60.0
4.3
50.0
8.7
40.0 30.0
10.0
20.0
10.0 0.0 -10.0
47.8
7.9
5.1
6.4
6.0 10.5
46.3 44.3 38.9 40.5 43.5 42.8
8.4
3.6
5.8 10.1
6.1
4.2 14.3
68.1 60.3 63.0 57.0 53.8 50.2 56.2 53.2
21.5
-1.8
Source: Own study, based on Central Statistical Office data.
A comparison of changes to the first five and the last five voivodeships (classified based on the Index value for 2007) indicates that the leaders improved their score at a slightly slower pace: an average of 6.8 points, compared with an increase of an average of 7.6 points for the last five voivodeships. Given the fact that the difference in the pace of changes is not very big, the positions in the ranking held by particular regions are rather stable and unlikely to vary over time. One exception is the Świętokrzyskie voivodeship, which during the last four years moved six places down the list. The Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Lubusz, Greater Poland and Pomeranian voivodeships, on the other hand, moved two places up in the ranking. Assessing the Health Index at the county level is of an exploratory nature, mainly because the use of the life expectancy ratio. Up until now, the analysis of the health status of the inhabitants of Poland at the local scale based on this ratio has rarely been performed, mainly due to the lack of reliable data sets available in the official statistics (Wojtyniak et al. 2011). Spatial diversification of the Health Index at the county level has a multidimensional character. The first thing that seems of importance is the strong position of counties situated in South-Eastern Poland. Within the scope of the uppermost quintile of counties (categorised based on natural divisions as well; see the Map 3.15), i.e. counties with a particularly high Index value (51 units) – as many as 18 belong to the Podkarpacie voivodeship and as many as 12 to the Lesser Poland voivodeship. A relatively good position in the ranking was achieved by municipalities, with a slight predominance of the eastern part of the country. The top group includes 21 municipalities, eight of which are located in Podlasie, Lublin and Podkarpacie voivodeships. The group includes the top performers, based on the Index value, namely Suwałki, Białystok and Rzeszów. What is also evident is a relatively high rank of suburban areas. Such is the case of Trójmiasto, but also Poznań, Warsaw and Opole. The bottom of the ranking is dominated by the area of central Poland, especially the Łódź voivodeship (14 counties out of 42 lowest quintile areas). Very low Index values were also recorded for the areas belonging to the Świętokrzyskie, Mazovian, Kuyavian-Pomeranian and Silesian voivodeships that neighbour the Łódź voivodeship. The group includes the two counties with the lowest score,
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