Regional EU Sustainable Development Indicators for Ireland 2022

Healthy lives

Healthy life years at birth

SDG_03_11 of healthy life years (HLY) measures the number of remaining years that a person of specific age is expected to live without any severe or moderate health problems. The notion of health problem for Eurostat's HLY is reflecting a disability dimension and is based on a self-perceived question which aims to measure the extent of any limitations, for at least six months, because of a health problem that may have affected respondents as regards activities they usually do (the so-called GALI - Global Activity Limitation Instrument foreseen in the annual EU-SILC survey). The indicator is therefore also called disability-free life expectancy (DFLE). So, HLY is a composite indicator that combines mortality data with health status data. HLY also monitor health as a productive or economic factor. An increase in healthy life years is one of the main goals for European health policy. And it would not only improve the situation of individuals but also result in lower levels of public health care expenditure. If healthy life years are increasing more rapidly than life expectancy, it means that people are living more years in better health. See Table 3.1 and Figure 3.1.

People with good or very good self-perceived health

SDG_03_20 is a subjective measure on how people judge their health in general on a scale from "very good" to "very bad". It is expressed as the share of the population aged 16 or over perceiving itself to be in "good" or "very good" health. The data stem from the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU SILC). Indicators of perceived general health have been found to be a good predictor of people’s future health care use and mortality. See Table 3.2 and Figure 3.2.

Health determinants

Smoking prevalence

SDG_03_30 measures the share of the population aged 15 years and over who report that they currently smoke boxed cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos or a pipe. The data does not include use of other tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes and snuff. The data are collected through a Eurobarometer survey and are based on self-reports during face-to-face interviews in people’s homes. See Table 3.3 and Figure 3.3.

Causes of death

Standardised death rate due to tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis

SDG_03_41 measures the standardised death rate of tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis (International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes A15-A19_B90, B15-B19_B942 and B20-B24). The rate is calculated by dividing the number of people dying due to selected communicable diseases by the total population. Data on causes of death (COD) refer to the underlying cause which - according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) - is "the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury". COD data are derived from death certificates. The medical certification of death is an obligation in all member states. The data are presented as standardised death rates, meaning they are adjusted to a standard age distribution in order to measure death rates independently of different age structures of populations. This approach improves comparability over time and between countries. The standardised death rates used here are calculated on the basis of the standard European population referring to the residents of the countries. See Table 3.4 and Figure 3.4.

Standardised avoidable mortality

SDG_03_42 Avoidable mortality covers both preventable and treatable causes of mortality. Preventable mortality refers to mortality that can mainly be avoided through effective public health and primary prevention interventions (i.e. before the onset of diseases/injuries, to reduce incidence). Treatable mortality can mainly be avoided through timely and effective health care interventions, including secondary prevention and treatment (after the onset of diseases to reduce case-fatality). The total avoidable mortality includes a number of infectious diseases, several types of cancers, endocrine and metabolic diseases, as well as some diseases of the nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, genitourinary systems, some diseases related to pregnancy, childbirth and the perinatal period, a number of congenital malformations, adverse effects of medical and surgical care, a list of injuries and alcohol and drug related disorders. The data are presented as standardised death rates, meaning they are adjusted to a standard age distribution in order to measure death rates independently of different age structures of populations. This approach improves comparability over time and between countries. The standardised death rates used here are calculated on the basis of the standard European population. See Table 3.5 and Figure 3.5.

Access to health care

Self-reported unmet need for medical care

SDG_03_60 measures the share of the population aged 16 years and over reporting unmet needs for medical care due to one of the following reasons: ‘Financial reasons’, ‘Waiting list’ and ‘Too far to travel’ (all three categories are cumulated). Self-reported unmet needs concern a person’s own assessment of whether he or she needed medical examination or treatment (dental care excluded), but did not have it or did not seek it. The data stem from the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU SILC).

Note on the interpretation: The indicator is derived from self-reported data so it is, to a certain extent, affected by respondents’ subjective perception as well as by their social and cultural background. Another factor playing a role is the different organisation of health care services, be that nationally or locally. All these factors should be taken into account when analysing the data and interpreting the results. See Table 3.6 and Figure 3.6.