Data and Surveys

Wales

The Welsh Health Survey

The Welsh Health Survey is published by the Welsh Government. It is a source of information about the health of people living in Wales, the way they use health services and the things that can affect their health. It is largely a self-completion survey and includes questions on age, sex, weight, general health and well being, illness, use of health services, alcohol, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity and smoking.

There were two surveys in 1995 and 1998 which were replaced by a new survey in 2003. The new survey is based upon a representative sample of adults aged 16 and over living in private households and includes a small amount of information about the children living in those households.

To read the results of the surveys click on:

The Welsh Health Survey 2003/2004

The Welsh Health Survey 2004/2005

The Welsh Health Survey 2007

The Welsh Health Survey 2008

The Welsh Health Survey 2009

The Welsh Health Survey 2011

Sub-local authority analysis of the Welsh Health Survey

2011 Children and Young People’s Wellbeing Monitor for Wales

Welsh Health Survey 2012: Initial headline results

Child Measurement Programme 2013

Wider Determinants of Health 2012

The Public Health Wales Observatory has published a series of health board reports which present a number of indicators relating to the wider determinants of health.

Measuring inequalities 2011 - Trends in mortality and life expectancy in Wales

The UK

Health behaviours through life course

This report, commissioned by the Department of Health, is the first of a series of twice yearly surveys which track core health behaviours, their interactions and influences and how these vary across key life stages.

The survey forms a baseline against which changes in behaviour over time and seasonal variations can be assessed.

The survey looks at a number of key health behaviours including nutrition, physical activity, smoking, alcohol, drug use and sexual health. It investigates the patterns of these behaviours across different stages of life including adults, pregnant women and mothers of children under 2, young people aged 11-17 and older people aged 55+.

The report can be accessed here. 

Health Survey for England

The Health Survey for England is commissioned by the Department of Health and now published by the Information Centre for health and social care. The survey was established in 1991 and is conducted on an annual basis. Each year the survey focuses on a different demographic group and looks as health indicators such as cardio-vascular disease, eating habits, physical activity, oral health, accidents and asthma.

All surveys cover the adults population aged 16 and over living in private households and children have been included in the survey since 1995.

To read the results of the surveys click on Health Survey Results for England 

Diet and physical activity measurement toolkit

The diet and physical activity measurement toolkit is funded by the UK Medical Research Council and aims to assist researchers, funding bodies, and others who are interested in measuring diet and physical activity.

The toolkit is divided in to a number of sections which includes an interactive diagram, examples of actual tools and links to relevant websites.

Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey 

The Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey is commissioned by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to periodically monitor the health and wellbeing of the Northern Ireland population. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), was commissioned to conduct the fieldwork for the survey.

The survey was designed to yield a representative sample of all adults aged 16 and over living in Northern Ireland. The sample for the survey is a systematic random sample of addresses drawn from the Land and Property Services Agency’s (LPSA) list of domestic addresses. The methodology consists of a household interview followed by an individual interview with each person in the household aged 16 and above.

For more information about the survey click on Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey.

The Scottish Health Survey

The Scottish Health Survey is published by the Scottish Executive. It was established in 1995. The survey aims to provide a detailed picture of the health of the Scottish population in private households. The survey consists of an interview and a nurse visit. Interviewers collect information on height and weight, general health, cardiovascular disease, asthma, eating habits, physical activity, smoking, alcohol, accidents and use of health services. Nurses collect information on body measurements, blood pressure, lung function, gastro-enteritis and prescription medicines.

The 2003 survey had no age limits and include adults aged 16 and over in private households and children from aged 0 and over. A review of the survey was conducted in 2005/2006 and as a result the survey will run continuously from 2008.

To read the results of the surveys clock on Scottish Health Survey Results .

International

Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children

The Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Survey aims to gain insight into children’s health, health behaviour and lifestyles in the social context. It examines children aged 11, 13 and 15 years. Topics covered by the survey include: eating habits, physical activity, alcohol, drugs, smoking, sexual health and attitudes to school.

It is collaborative cross-national research supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is conducted by a network of researchers from over 30 countries and regions in the WHO European Region and North America. The survey was established in 1982 and Wales has taken part since 1986. The survey is conducted at four yearly intervals and data is collected by a school-based self completed questionnaire.

To find out more about the HBSC surveys visit www.hbsc.org.

Eurobarometer on Health and Food

The Eurobarometer Survey on Health and Food was published by the European Commission in 2006. The main topics addressed by the survey were the health and physical characteristics of Europeans, eating habits, levels of physical activity and problems related to being overweight.

To read the results of the survey click on http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_publication/eb_food_en.pdf.  

Eurobarometer 2010 Sport and Physical Activity Survey

World Health Survey

The World Health Organisation implements a World Health Survey to compile comprehensive baseline information on the health of populations and on the outcomes associated with the investment in health systems.
The objectives of the survey are to: 

• Develop a means of providing low-cost, valid, reliable and comparable information. 
• Build the evidence base to monitor whether health systems are achieving the desired goals. 
• Provide policy-makers with the evidence they need to adjust their policies, strategies and programmes as necessary.

For more information please visit the WHO Website .

Living in Wales Survey

Living in Wales is a survey carried out by Ipsos MORI for the Welsh Assembly Government. It is the main source of information on households and the condition of homes in Wales.
Disability and long-term limiting illness, Transport, Volunteering, Quality of Life, Usage of and satisfaction with the following services of health, sports and leisure services. 

For more information please visit http://wales.gov.uk/about/aboutresearch/social/ocsropage/living-wales/?lang=en.

National Obesity Observatory Data Sources Knowledge of and attitudes towards healthy eating and physical activity

This paper identifies and describes the main sources of national-level data on knowledge of, and attitude towards healthy eating and physical activity in adults and children in England. Descriptions are provided for the available sources of data, the methods used for their collection and their limitations. The focus is on data that are systematically and regularly collected from the national population and are in the public domain.

Data sources: environmental influences on physical activity and diet

National Obesity Observatory (2011)

This paper describes available sources of national and local data on aspects of the neighbourhood environment that influence physical activity and diet.

Data

Profiles of lifestyle and health 

Profiles of lifestyle and health have been produced by the Public Health Wales Observatory as part of a series. The profiles can be downloaded from  http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/922/page/49913

The profiles present information on behaviours relating to health, as well as their impact on health in Wales through outcome measures. It provides a snapshop of local patterns in Wales displayed in traffic light tables, and also contains some comparisons to other countries. The topics covered are diet, physical activity and obesity; smoking; alcohol; illicit drugs; sexual health and dental health.

For further information, comments or to request printed copies please contact: [email protected].  

Health and Care Statistics in Wales Website

The Welsh Government's Statistical Directorate has launched a Health and Care Statistics in Wales Website. The website provides access to the latest statistical releases, bulletins and publications on health and care, information on statistics and links to other relevant sources of health data. To find out more visit the Health and Care Statistics in Wales website.

Interactive Health Mapping Tool

The National Public Health Service (NPHS) have developed a web-based mapping tool which aims to present data in a user-friendly graphical format. It enables users to select from a series of themes and indicators, e.g. proportion of the population consuming five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, and view comparative rates across Wales.

To find out more click on Interactive Mapping Tool.

Useful Links

Useful sources of data include:

Public Health Wales Observatory

Welsh Government Statistical Directorate 

StatsWales

Local Government Data Unit

Department of Health Statistics

European Health For All Database

EuroStat

Neighbourhood statistics

Health Maps Wales