News Release Page Title

29th January 2007

Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey 2005/06

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) today published results from the third Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey.

The survey was commissioned by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to monitor the health and wellbeing of the Northern Ireland population.

The results of the survey, which was conducted between February 2005 and March 2006, are based on interviews with a representative sample of adults aged 16 and over, living in Northern Ireland. The results presented are based on information from 4245 individuals. The bulletin provides summary information on general health conditions, diet and nutrition, cigarette smoking and drinking, mental health, obesity and physical activity.

The Survey's key findings include:

General Health

  • Nearly two thirds (63%) of respondents said their health had been 'good' in the previous 12 months, 23% said it had been 'fairly good' and 15% said it was 'not good'.
  • People were asked about circulatory illness, diabetes and asthma. 10% had been told by a doctor that they were suffering from asthma, 6% with angina and 4% with diabetes. 76% stated that they had not experienced any of these conditions.
  • Respondents were asked if they had ever been informed by a health professional that they had high blood pressure. 22% of men and 28% of women said they had been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Diet and Nutrition

  • Just over a quarter (27%) of adults said they eat, on average, five portions of fruit or vegetables per day.
  • Women were more likely to have eaten, on average, five portions of fruit or vegetables per day (31%) than men (22%).

    Cigarette Smoking and Drinking

  • Just over a quarter (26%) of people aged 16 and over said they currently smoke cigarettes, 30% had given up smoking cigarettes and 44% had never smoked cigarettes.
  • Overall, more than three in four (78%) people were current drinkers, 6% used to drink and 15% were lifetime abstainers.
  • Men were more likely than women to drink above the sensible weekly limit. Almost one in four (23%) male drinkers exceeded their sensible weekly limit of 21 units; while almost one in seven (15%) female drinkers drank over their 14 unit sensible limit.

Mental Health

  • Respondents were asked about the level of stress they had experienced over the previous 12 months. Overall, 10% of persons aged 16 and over had experienced a great deal of worry or stress and 67% had experienced little or no worry or stress.
  • 19% of people aged 16 and over showed signs of a possible mental health problem. Women were more likely to show signs of a possible mental health problem (21%) than men (16%).

Obesity

  • Overall, 59% of adults measured were either overweight (35%) or obese (24%).
  • A similar proportion of men (25%) and women (23%) were obese. Men were more likely (64%) than women (54%) to be either overweight or obese.
  • Almost a third (29%) of 45-54 year olds were obese, compared with 13% of those aged 16-24.
  • There is some debate over the most appropriate way to measure childhood obesity rates in the UK. One approach uses the United Kingdom National BMI percentiles. Using this approach, 18% of children aged 2-15 were obese, 20% of boys and 15% of girls.
  • An alternative approach to measuring childhood obesity which is gaining acceptance was put forward by the International Obesity Task Force. Using this approach, nearly one in ten (8%) children were obese, 8% of boys and 7% of girls.

Breast Screening and Cervical Smear Tests

  • 86% of women aged 20-64 had taken a cervical smear test.
  • Women aged 50-64 were asked if they had ever undergone breast screening. 84% had undergone breast screening at some point in their lives.

Physical Activity

  • Within the definitions used in the survey, 23% of all people aged 16 and over can be classed as sedentary. That is, they have not performed any activity of at least a moderate level, lasting 20 minutes, on at least one occasion in the last seven days.
  • 30% of all people take above the recommended level of physical activity of at least 30 minutes per day on five days a week.
  • Men were more likely (40%) than women (33%) to have taken part in sporting activities in the previous four weeks.
  • Overall, 23% of people said that they were not regularly active in the previous six months and did not intend to be so in the next six months.

Allergies

  • Respondents were asked if they had any allergies and a quarter (26%) reported at least one allergic reaction. The most common allergies were to grass/pollen (12%), house dust (5%), antibiotics (5%), certain foods (4%) and domestic pets/ horses or animals (3%).
  • 6% of people with an allergy (2% of all respondents) had been told by their doctor that they had suffered a life threatening allergic reaction or anaphylactic shock brought about by their allergy.

Copies of the bulletin and tables are available from the Central Survey Unit internet site at:- www.csu.nisra.gov.uk

Alternatively, copies of the bulletin and tables can be obtained from

Central Survey Unit
NISRA
McAuley House
2-14 Castle Street
Belfast
BT11SY
Tel: (028) 9034 8244
Fax: (028) 9034 8276

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