The importance of sense of place for understanding health-related behaviours

It is widely acknowledged that place matters for health. Previous research has explored the ways in which the material and physical dimensions of place may shape the health-related behaviours of individuals. However, to date there has been much less focus on the importance of individuals’ ‘sense of place’ – the subjective and experiential aspects of place – in shaping health-related behaviours. This paper offers new insights into the importance of individuals’ sense of place in shaping attitudes towards, and consumption of, nicotine and tobacco products. Our qualitative study involved 42 interviews with residents and those working in a superdiverse UK neighbourhood, Handsworth, Birmingham. The study identified that attitudes towards, and consumption of, nicotine and tobacco products were variegated, and informed by issues such as neighbourhood identity and diversity, local infrastructures of nicotine and tobacco provision, the normalisation and regulation of nicotine and tobacco products and the extent to which place-based communities and social solidarity were evident or absent. Subsequently, the implications for place-based approaches to health are considered.