83% of all persons aged 15 years or older perceived their own health as good or better in 2015 (41% as very good and 42% as good). A further 14% indicated that their health status was fair, with the remaining 3% stating that their health status was either bad or very bad. See table 1 and figure 1.
| Self Perceived Health Status | |
| Very Good | 41 |
| Good | 42 |
| Fair | 14 |
| Bad/Very Bad | 3 |
80% or more of respondents in each region reported that their own health was either good or very good. 38% of those respondents who have a disability reported that their health status was good or very good. 89% of those respondents without a disability reported their health as being good or very good.
89% of those in the very affluent1 areas reported their health as being good or very good. 75% of those in the very disadvantaged areas reported their health as being good or very good. 92% of those who are employed reported their health as good or very good. This compares to 84% of those who are unemployed, and 70% of those who are economically inactive.
1The Pobal Haase-Pratschke Deprivation Index is used to measure levels of affluence and disadvantage in this survey. Please see the background notes for further details on this index.
32% of the population aged 15 years or older reported that they have a long standing illness or health condition. This rate increases with age, with 18% of the 15-24 age group reporting they have a long standing illness or condition compared to 59% of the 75 years and older age group. See table 2 and figure 2. 26% of those in the very affluent areas reported having a long standing illness or health condition. This compares with 40% of those in the very disadvantaged areas.
| Age Group | Age Group |
|---|---|
| 15-24 | 18 |
| 25-34 | 18 |
| 35-44 | 24 |
| 45-54 | 33 |
| 55-64 | 48 |
| 65-74 | 53 |
| 75+ | 59 |
28% of the population aged 15 years or older reported that they are limited in everyday activities because of health problems. These activities must have been undertaken for at least six months. 4% of the population reported that they were severely limited, with a further 24% reporting that they were limited, but not severely. See table 3.
When provided with a list of selected conditions1 49% reported that they suffered from at least one in the past 12 months. For the youngest age cohort (15-24) this rate is 37%, and rises to 77% for the oldest age cohort (75+). In the areas of highest affluence, the figure was 45%. The figure is higher in the very disadvantaged areas at 57%.
The three most commonly reported conditions were lower back disorder or chronic back defects (19%), high blood pressure (16%) and allergies such as rhinitis, eye inflammation, dermatitis, food allergy or other, excluding allergic asthma (14%). The three conditions that were least commonly reported were cirrhosis of the liver (<0.5%), stroke or the consequences of a stroke (1%), and heart attack or consequences of a heart attack (1%). See table 4.
1Please see the background notes for the full list of conditions listed in the questionnaire.
In the two weeks prior to interview, 8% of respondents reported that they experienced symptoms of at least moderate depression1. This rate was highest in the 15-24 year age group (13%). See table 6.
1Symptoms of depression are identified using the Personal Health Questionnaire 8-item depression screener (PHQ-8). Please see the background notes for further details.
74% of people have visited a GP in the previous twelve months, with the average number of visits being 6.2 per person. This rate increases with age, with 68% of the 15-24 year old age group and 92% of the 75+ age group visiting a GP in the previous twelve months. 34% of people have had a nurse-only visit to a GP practise, with the average number of nurse-only visits in a GP practise being 2.9 per person. Again this rate is higher in the older age groups. 35% of people have seen a medical or surgical consultant in the past twelve months. One in ten of 15-24 year olds have visited a psychiatrist, psychologist or psychotherapist in the previous twelve months. This falls to one in fifty for the 75+ age group. See table 7 and figure 3.
| Age Group | GP Consultation | GP Nurse only Consultation | Dental or Orthodontic Consultation | Medical or Surgical Consultant Visit | Physiotherapist, osteopath or chiropractor visit | Psychiatrist, psychologist or psychotherapist visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-24 | 68 | 27 | 51 | 26 | 15 | 10 |
| 25-34 | 68 | 30 | 48 | 26 | 21 | 8 |
| 35-44 | 69 | 28 | 51 | 31 | 21 | 6 |
| 45-54 | 69 | 30 | 51 | 35 | 20 | 6 |
| 55-64 | 80 | 39 | 53 | 42 | 21 | 6 |
| 65-74 | 87 | 47 | 46 | 49 | 18 | 4 |
| 75+ | 92 | 57 | 32 | 52 | 18 | 2 |
44% of respondents reported using prescription medicine in the two weeks prior to interview. This is highest in the 75+ age group (87%). 32% of respondents reported using non-prescription medicines in the two weeks prior to interview. A higher percentage of persons with a disability (82%) used prescription medicines in the two weeks prior to interview than those without a disability (32%). There is no difference in usage of non-prescription medicines for these same cohorts. Use of prescription medicine is higher in more disadvantaged areas than in more affluent areas. See table 8 and figure 4.
| Affluence level | Prescription Medicine | Non-prescription Medicine |
|---|---|---|
| Very affluent | 38 | 40 |
| Affluent | 41 | 35 |
| Average | 44 | 29 |
| Disadvantaged | 45 | 28 |
| Very Disadvantaged | 51 | 26 |
86% of respondents reported that they walk to get to and from places. 14% reported that they cycle to get to and from places. 49% of respondents reported that they do sports, fitness or recreational fitness activities. 34% of respondents reported that they do muscle-strengthening activities. See table 10.
22% of the population aged 15 years and older reported that they smoke. 15% reported that they smoke daily, and 7% reported that they smoke occasionally. The highest rates of smoking are in the very disadvantaged areas, with 31% of those areas reporting they smoke either daily or occasionally. The corresponding rate for the most affluent areas is 17%. See table 11 and figure 5.
| Affluence level | Smoke | Drink alcohol | Eat 5 a day |
|---|---|---|---|
| State | 22 | 81 | 42 |
| Very affluent | 17 | 88 | 44 |
| Affluent | 18 | 84 | 42 |
| Average | 21 | 78 | 43 |
| Disadvantaged | 24 | 79 | 44 |
| Very disadvantaged | 31 | 74 | 34 |
81% of the population aged 15 years and older reported that they drink alcohol. The rates for the age groups 25-34, 35-44, and 45-54 are all higher than the State average (89%, 89%, and 85% respectively). 88% of respondents in the very affluent areas reported that they drink alcohol, while 74% of those in the very disadvantaged areas reported that they drink alcohol.
42% of respondents reported that they ate five or more portions of fruit or vegetables each day. Almost half (48%) of females and over a third (35%) of males eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
One in six binge drink1at least once a week
16% of those who drink alcohol reported that they have binge drank at least once a week in the previous twelve months. There is a difference between genders, with 24% of males and 8% of females reporting binge drinking at least once a week. See table 13 and figure 6.
| Gender | At least once a week | At least once a month (but not every week) | At least once a year (but not every month) | Not in the last twleve months / Never drink this much |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 24 | 28 | 25 | 23 |
| Female | 8 | 18 | 31 | 42 |
Rates of weekly binge drinking are lower in more affluent areas, with 15% of respondents in the very affluent areas reporting binge drinking at least once a week. The figure for binge drinking in the very disadvantaged areas is 20%. However, 60% of those in the very affluent areas drink alcohol once a week, compared to 48% of those in the very disadvantaged areas. See tables 12 and 13.
1Binge drinking is defined by health experts, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), as six or more standard drinks in one session.
35% of respondents are in the overweight body mass index1 category, with a further 18% in the obese category. 3% of the population are underweight. See table 14 and figure 7.
1Please see background notes for a full description of the body mass index categorisations.
| State | |
| Underweight | 3 |
| Normal weight | 44 |
| Overweight | 35 |
| Obese | 18 |
61% of males are either overweight or obese, compared to 45% of females being in the same weight categories. 54% of those employed are overweight or obese compared to 58% of those who are unemployed. 51% of those who are economically inactive are overweight or obese.
46% of those in the very affluent areas are overweight or obese. In the very disadvantaged areas the percentage of people who are overweight or obese is 55%
10% of the population are providing care to someone with a chronic condition or an infirmity due to old age. In 86% of these cases, the person being cared for is a family member. The average number of hours spent providing care is 44.7 hours per week.
The region with the highest average hours is the Border region, where the average number of hours spent providing care is 54.6 hours per week. 13% of respondents in the Border region provide care. This contrasts with the Mid-East region, where 8% of respondents provide care, and the average number of hours providing care is 39.6 hours per week.
13% of females provide care compared with 8% of males provide care. The age group with the highest rate for providing care is the 45-54 age group (18%). See table 16.
11% of respondents reported that they have been admitted to hospital as an inpatient, with the average number of inpatient admissions being 1.0 per year. 16% of respondents reported that they had been admitted to hospital as a day-care patient. The average number of day-care admissions is 0.7 per person per year. The highest rates of reporting of inpatient and day-care admissions are in the 75+ age group, with the respective figures being 21% and 24%. See table 17.
24% of respondents reported that they were absent from work due to health problems. This figure includes those who lost days due to accidents and injuries. The average number of days lost was 5.6. The age group with the highest percentage that were absent from work is the 25-34 age group (37%). See table 18.
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