NEPHO Health & Lifestyle Survey
Synopsis:
A health and lifestyle survey was undertaken in County Durham and
Darlington in order to inform health strategies of the Primary Care
Trusts. A stratified random sample of the population was asked to
participate and a questionnaire was posted to those people who
consented.
1.8% of the total population aged 16 and over responded to the
survey. Response rates were higher among older people and women.
Nearly one in ten people take no exercise at all and over half of the
respondents are overweight or obese.
Forty five percent of respondents have a long-term health problem,
illness or disability; nearly a quarter have arthritis/joint trouble.
There is significant fear of crime – 26% of people perceive house
burglaries as a problem in their neighbourhood and 28% of people view
car theft as a problem. One in five people believe that glue
sniffing/illegal drug taking is a problem in their neighbourhood. Over a
quarter of people could only access their nearest GP practice by car or
public transport, while 40% lived over a mile from their dental surgery.
The strong relationship between deprivation and health inequalities
was highlighted throughout this survey: significant correlations were
found between deprivation and smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise,
obesity and depression. The compelling message this survey sends out is
the importance of deprivation in health inequalities and behavioural
risks. Deprivation is a complex interaction of factors, which include
environment, income, education, housing, employment and social capacity.
Therefore to improve health and reduce inequalities, the NHS cannot act
in isolation. Without co-ordinated action at all levels and across all
agencies, no improvement will be seen in this unacceptable variation.
Questionnaires were sent out to the 11,166 people who had given their
consent to be surveyed. The number of questionnaires returned was lower
than anticipated, so a second questionnaire was mailed to the people who
had not yet returned their questionnaire. In addition, questionnaires
were sent to those who had given consent too late to be included in the
first mailing.
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For further information please see: www.nepho.org.uk |
