The Department of Health in Northern Ireland recently published the preliminary findings of the Health Survey 2018-2019. The survey provides key information about general health, mental health and well-being, antibiotics, obesity, smoking, drinking alcohol and sexual health.
Key preliminary findings in the report are as follows:
- Seventy-two per cent of respondents believed their health was good or very good and 87 per cent felt they led a fairly or very healthy life.
- Overall, two-fifths of respondents reported living with a longstanding physical or mental health condition. This figure varied with age from 15 per cent of those aged 16-24 years to 71 per cent of those aged ≥75 years.
- Eighteen per cent of respondents reported currently smoking cigarettes and 7 per cent reported the current use of electronic cigarettes.
- A quarter of adults were obese and a further 37 per cent were overweight. Among children aged two to 15 years, 67 per cent were normal weight, 6 per cent were underweight, 19 per cent were overweight and 8 per cent were obese.
- Among adults aged ≥18 years, more than three-quarters reported drinking alcohol (83% of men and 76% of women).
- Forty-six per cent of respondents reported consuming the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables every day in 2018-2019.
- Eighteen per cent of respondents scored highly on the GHQ12 suggestive of a possible mental health condition, and one-fifth of respondents showed signs of loneliness based on the UCLA loneliness scale.
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