General health refers to a guardian's subjective opinion of their child's health and state of wellbeing. General health can be seen to depend not only on medical care, but also on other factors including individual behaviour and genetic makeup, and social and economic conditions. The reference is to health in general rather than the present state of health, therefore it is not intended to measure temporary health problems.
In 2025, around one in twenty (5.5%) children aged 3 to 14 years were reported by their guardians to be in 'fair', 'bad', or 'very bad' health. The remaining 94.5% were reported to be in 'good' or 'very good' health.
A child's long-standing illness or health problem refers to illnesses or health problems which have lasted, or are expected to last, for six months or more. The main characteristics of a long-standing illness or chronic condition is that it is permanent and may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation, or care. Health problems cover different physical, emotional, behavioural, and mental dimensions of health. Besides diseases and disorders, they can also include pain, ill-health caused by accidents and injuries, and congenital conditions.
Males were more likely than females to be reported by their guardians as having a long-standing health problem or illness. In 2025, almost a quarter (23.9%) of males aged 9 to 12 years were reported to have such a condition, the highest proportion of any group.
Less than one in ten (8.9%) children were reported as either 'severely limited' or 'limited but not severely' in activities typically undertaken by children of the same age. This proportion was slightly higher among older children compared with younger children.
One in sixteen (6.2%) children aged 3 to 14 years reported needing a medical examination or treatment on at least one occasion during the previous 12 months but did not receive it. The reasons as to why the examination or treatment did not take place included affordability, waiting list times, distance to travel, or unable to take the time due to other commitments. The highest rates were in the Dublin and Northeast (8.0%), and West and Northwest health regions (7.7%). The lowest rate was in the Dublin and Southeast health region (3.4%).
Respondents were asked if their child had used medicines in the past two weeks that had been prescribed by a doctor. They were also asked if their child had used any medicines in the past two weeks that had not been prescribed by a doctor, such as herbal medicines or vitamins. Younger children were more likely than older children to have used non-prescription medicines in the past two weeks, with over a third (36.6%) of those aged 3 to 8 years having done so. Older children were more likely than younger children to have used prescription medicines in the past two weeks with 17.6% of those aged 13 to 14 years having done so.
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