The South East London Community Health (SELCoH) study aims to examine the impact socioeconomic factors such as income or education have on people’s health, as well to understand if other demographic factors such as age, culture, ethnicity and/or residence make a difference for people’s wellbeing. The population of Southwark and Lambeth is highly diverse in terms of ethnicity and wealth, ensuring that the study encompasses as wide a range of health service users as possible.

The study is a community survey of psychiatric and physical morbidity of 1,698 adults, aged 16 years and over from 1,075 randomly selected households in the south London boroughs of Southwark and Lambeth. In the two boroughs, there is higher deprivation than the England average, but similar proportions of economically active and inactive residents in comparison to greater London. The boroughs are also ethnically diverse, with a greater number of Black Caribbean residents but fewer South Asian residents than other areas of London. The SELCoH sample resided in a community setting served by South London and Maudsley National Health Service Foundation Trust (SLaM), and the partnership between King's College London and SLaM allows this and other research to inform and benefit clinical treatment.