Health and Social Wellbeing Survey 2001 - Topline Results

Statistical Press Release
Embargoed until 9.30am Thursday 13 December 2001

Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey 2001

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) today published results from the second 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 and July 2001, reflect the findings from interviews of a representative sample of adults, aged 16 and over, living in Northern Ireland.

Among the key findings of the survey: -

General Health

Just over half (52%) of respondents said their health had been ´good´ in the previous 12 months, 31% said it had been ´fairly good´ and 17% said it was ´not good´.

Over a quarter of men (26%) and women (29%) indicated they had a health problem or disability that substantially limited their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.

People were asked about circulatory illness, diabetes and asthma. 11% had been told by a doctor that they were suffering from asthma, 7% with angina and 3% with diabetes.  76% stated that they had not experienced any of these conditions.

Cigarette Smoking

Less than a third (29%) of people aged 16 and over said that they currently smoke cigarettes, 31% had given up smoking cigarettes and 39% had never smoked cigarettes.

Men were the heaviest smokers and were almost twice as likely (19%) as women (10%) to smoke more than 25 cigarettes a day.

Drinking

Overall, 76% of people were current drinkers, 7% used to drink and 17% were lifetime abstainers.

Men were almost twice as likely as women to drink above the sensible weekly limit. 25% of male drinkers exceeded the sensible weekly limit of 21 units while 14% of female drinkers drank over the 14 unit sensible limit.

Mental Health

Respondents were asked about the level of stress they had experienced over the previous 12 months. Overall, 12% of persons aged 16 and over had experienced a great deal of worry or stress and 61% had experienced little or no worry or stress.

17% of men and 24% of women showed signs of a possible mental health problem. Women in most age groups, with the exception of those aged 55-64, were more likely than men to show signs of mental health problems.

Sexual Health

This section was only asked of respondents aged 16-44, using a self-completion form.

Half of the respondents reported having had sexual intercourse for the first time by the age of 17 for men and age 18 for women.

7% of men and 5% of women who have had sexual intercourse have attended a Genito Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinic.

9% of people said that they, or their partner, had sought medical or professional help about infertility.

Physical Activity

Within the definitions used in the survey, 25% of people aged 16 and over can be classed as sedentary. That is, they have not performed some activity of at least a moderate level, lasting 20 minutes, on at least one occasion in the last 7 days.

Approximately a quarter of both men (24%) and women (25%) were sedentary.  Young women aged 16-24, however, were almost twice as likely to be sedentary (16%) as young men (8%), whereas men aged 35-44 were more likely to be sedentary (17%) than women (10%). There was no difference between men and women in other age groups.

28% of all people take above the recommended level of physical activity of at least 30 minutes per day, 5 days a week.

Overall, 24% 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.  Women were more likely to be of this opinion than men, 25% and 22% respectively.

Copies of the bulletin and tables are available from the NISRA internet site
or by clicking on the above links.

www.nisra.gov.uk

Additionally, the bulletin may be accessed through the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety internet site at:

www.dhsspsni.gov.uk

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

Central Survey Unit
NISRA
McAuley House
2-14 Castle Street
Belfast
BT1 1SY

Tel: (028) 9034 8244
Fax: (028) 9034 8205

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Commissioning of the survey

The Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing 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 Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), which is an Agency within the Department of Finance and Personnel, was commissioned to conduct the fieldwork for the survey.

2. The Aims and Design of the Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey

2.1 This report describes the results of the second Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey. This survey is designed to yield a representative sample of all adults aged 16 and over living in Northern Ireland. The sample is drawn from the Valuation and Lands Agency list of private addresses and made available to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency for research purposes. People living in institutions (though not in private households in such institutions) are excluded.

2.2 A total of 5000 addresses was issued to a panel of NISRA interviewers on a monthly basis between February and July 2001. In each household contacted, all persons aged 16 and over were asked to take part in the survey. From the allocated sample of 5000 addresses, a total of 5205 full or proxy interviews were obtained.

2.3 Respondents used a self-completion form to answer the more sensitive questions about mental health and sexual health. Only respondents aged 16-44 were asked the sexual health questions.

2.4 The top line bulletin and tables provide an analysis of the survey data by the age and sex of the respondents. Additional bulletins will be produced over the next 6 months to look at specific topic areas in more detail.  The Bulletins are planned to issue in the following order: Mental Health, Physical Activity, General Health, Sexual Health and Smoking and Drinking.

Press & PR Contact: DFP Press Office Ann Williamson Tel: 028 90527374