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HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY 2008 – SUMMARY STATISTICS

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European Health Interview Survey 2008

Summary Statistics

Department of Health Information and Research

Strategy and Sustainability Division

Ministry for Social Policy


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Foreword

Health is a top priority sector for this Government. This is because we believe

that every Maltese citizen has a right to live as healthy a life as possible.

When our health is threatened by illness or injury we seek to obtain the

necessary healthcare that will assist us to return to a productive and fulfilling

life.

Over the past decade our efforts were mainly concentrated on improving

public hospital services. These efforts have borne fruit and further projects to

continue to enhance health and long-term care services are in the pipeline.

Malta presently has top ratings in healthy life expectancy in Europe (at

around 10 years for both men and women aged 65). This statistic, which is

hard to achieve and harder to maintain; is testimony to the investment that

has taken place over the past years.

However, if we want to truly ensure that our high level of health is maintained and improved, focussing

on health services alone is not enough and we need to implement a series of public health strategies that

will strive to bring about healthy well-being for the Maltese population now and in the future.

Targeting our efforts to reach those in greatest need is essential for our strategies to be both successful

and sustainable. We need to know who the population groups at greatest risk for ill health in Malta are.

Often social aspects are associated with differences in the health of individuals. Health services need to

identify these individuals to better communicate the need to adopt healthy lifestyles and provide support

for everyone to make responsible choices that improve health.

Research initiatives such as the European Health Interview Survey provide an opportunity for

Government to take a snapshot of the health of the nation, to compare this snapshot with other

European countries and to establish trends over time. The best tools for the measurement of morbidity

and associated risk factors in a population at community level are health surveys.

Government will be noting the results from the 2008 health survey and will be drawing heavily on these

results in the planning of our health strategies for the next decade.

Hon. Dr. Joseph Cassar

Parliamentary Secretary for Health


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Preface

The European Health Interview Survey 2008 is the second such survey conducted in the Maltese islands

by the Department of Health Information and Research. The first survey was carried out in 2002 with its

Summary Statistics report published in 2003. This edition of the survey is the first one that is being

launched in almost all the Member States of the European Union simultaneously in a standardised

manner. The European Health Interview Survey is now a five-yearly commitment in all Member States of

the European Union following the enactment of the Regulation (EC) No 1338/2008 of the European

Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on Community statistics on public health and health

and safety at work. As a result, in the coming years, not only will it be possible to compare results

between Member States but also to compare trends over time.

This survey was conducted in a randomly selected sample of 5500 adults resident in Malta. A response

rate of 72% was attained, which is one of the best response rates reported among Southern European

countries. This is to the credit of the project team and the numerous Maltese companies who supported

this initiative and provided incentive gifts for the respondents of the survey.

This report gives a broad overview of the whole survey and includes a summary of the main highlights

from the survey findings. Four thematic reports are being prepared, covering the areas of health care

resource utilisation, lifestyles, mental health and well-being and the elderly. These reports will all be

available in the coming months. The questionnaire, which mostly contains standardised items that are

used across European Union survey countries, had a number of sections covering socio-demographic

characteristics, perceived health, morbidity, lifestyle, use of health care resources and expenditure on

health, among others.

Around 80% of Maltese adults perceive themselves to be in good health. However an increasing

proportion of the population reported having a long-standing illness or health problem when compared

to 2002. The most commonly reported condition is high blood pressure (22%). This condition, in fact,

tops the list in terms of medication requirements, followed by high blood cholesterol and diabetes. All

three conditions are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the main cause of death in Malta. .

A clear picture of the pattern of health care service use among the Maltese has emerged, with the private

sector dominating the market in family medicine whilst for specialist and hospital services patient activity

takes place far more commonly in the public sector.

In terms of lifestyle, while obesity is still a public health issue that needs to be addressed with urgency

one notes slight improvements from 2002 in obesity rates. A drop in daily smoking rates is also noted.

Sexual lifestyles are also a cause of public health concern with a high percentage of persons having more

than one sexual partner in the previous twelve months still reporting not using protection during sexual

encounters.


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This survey has been made possible through over €240,000 of European funding from various schemes,

including Transition Facility Funds, EUROSTAT grants and the Public Health Programme. The remainder of

the funds required have made available by the Ministry of Social Policy.

The use of health interview surveys to complement routine health statistics in the provision of

information and research is important to prioritise evidence-based public health programmes and health

strategies for the coming years. In this manner, we can continue with our endeavours to prevent disease

and provide appropriate and effective health services for the whole population in a sustainable manner.

We augur that this overview will provide useful information to all those interested in the health and well

being of the population as well as raising interest in the forthcoming thematic reports that are being

derived from this survey.

Dr. Neville Calleja

Director

Department of Health Information and Research

Dr. Natasha Azzopardi Muscat

Director General

Strategy and Sustainability Division


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Acknowledgements

The Department of Health Information and Research wishes to take this opportunity to thank all survey

respondents as well as Informa, the market research company which was contracted to conduct the

fieldwork, for their contribution towards the success of this exercise.

Special thanks are also due to our colleagues at EUROSTAT who have supported this project with 3 direct

grants amounting to €204,124.95 and a Multi-Beneficiary Grant under the Transitional Facility Funds

2004 of €36,180.10 to a total of €240,304.95 in EU funding. The Maltese HIS team is also indebted for

technical support supplied through the Technical Group and Core Group on Health Interview Surveys, in

particular, Mr. Lucian Agafitei (EUROSTAT), Ms. Marleen de Smedt (EUROSTAT) and Dr. Niels Rasmussen

(DK), who had helped set out the roadmap for this project back in 2007.

Thanks also go to our sponsors for the support and gifts they have offered to aid in the success of this

survey. These included:

Locally, DHIR is indebted to NSO, particularly to Mr. Silvan Zammit and Mr. Etienne Caruana for carrying

out the sampling and, the Directorate-General Strategy and Sustainability, led by Dr. Natasha Azzopardi

Muscat, and the Ministry of Social Policy for its continued support for this project.

Finally, this project would have not materialised without the unstinting efforts of the project team and

several staff members who shouldered this survey over and above their normal routine duties. The list is

endless but a special mention goes to a number of German students from the Schule für Medizinische

Dokumentation in Ulm and the University of Bremen who have been attached to this project.

This report has been compiled by Ms. Mandy Borg and Dr. Antonella Sammut

Little People/Home Trends

Europharma Medical Centre

Alf Mizzi & Sons

Zammit & Cachia

AIRMALTA

CAA

Chemimart

Corinthia Group of Companies

Tip Top Ltd.

St. Lucia Confectionary

Merlin Library

Mellieha Holiday Complex

Calypso Hotel

JB Stores

Bristow

Cornucopia Hotel

Jokate

Azzopardi Fisheries

Unicare

GO Mobile

Klikk

Cynergi Health & Fitness Club

Digital Planet

Michael & Guy

Vernon’s

A. Falzon Energy Projects

Kekoo Modi

The Plaza Hotel

The Victoria Hotel

Petrolea Ltd

Ramis

Eden Superbowl

Topaz Hotel


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Table of Contents

European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) ............................................................................................................. 10

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 10

Background ....................................................................................................................................................... 10

Methodology ..................................................................................................................................................... 10

Demography of the surveyed population ......................................................................................................... 11

Health Aspects ....................................................................................................................................................... 13

Perceived health status ..................................................................................................................................... 13

Attitudes towards health .................................................................................................................................. 13

Medication ........................................................................................................................................................ 13

Health Care Service Use ......................................................................................................................................... 15

Hospital care ..................................................................................................................................................... 15

Health care professionals .................................................................................................................................. 15

Level of satisfaction ........................................................................................................................................... 15

Unmet need for health care .............................................................................................................................. 15

Preventive care ................................................................................................................................................. 15

Disability ................................................................................................................................................................ 17

Mobility ............................................................................................................................................................. 17

Self care tasks .................................................................................................................................................... 17

Household activities .......................................................................................................................................... 17

Indirect Costs ......................................................................................................................................................... 18

Accidents ........................................................................................................................................................... 18

Absence from work ........................................................................................................................................... 18

Home ................................................................................................................................................................. 18

Work .................................................................................................................................................................. 18

Health Financing .................................................................................................................................................... 19

Health insurance ............................................................................................................................................... 19

Out-of-pocket payment ..................................................................................................................................... 19

Lifestyle .................................................................................................................................................................. 20

Consumption of fruit and vegetables ................................................................................................................ 20

Body Mass Index ............................................................................................................................................... 20

Physical exercise ................................................................................................................................................ 20

Smoking ............................................................................................................................................................. 20

Alcohol............................................................................................................................................................... 20

Drugs ................................................................................................................................................................. 21

Sexual activity .................................................................................................................................................... 21

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................. 22


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Contents - Figures Figure 1: Distribution of respondents by gender ........................................................................................................................... 23

Figure 2: Legal marital status of respondents ................................................................................................................................ 23

Figure 3: Level of education of respondents by gender ................................................................................................................ 24

Figure 4: Current labour status of respondents ............................................................................................................................. 24

Figure 5: Sources of income of respondents .................................................................................................................................. 25

Figure 6: Self perceived health ........................................................................................................................................................ 25

Figure 7: Morbidity rates ................................................................................................................................................................. 26

Figure 8: Rate of prescribed medication consumption by condition ........................................................................................... 27

Figure 9: Rate of prescribed medication consumption by age ..................................................................................................... 27

Figure 10: Health professional consultation rates in a four week and twelve month period .................................................... 28

Figure 11: Visits to paramedics in the previous year ..................................................................................................................... 28

Figure 12: Utilisation of community services in the previous year ............................................................................................... 29

Figure 13: Reason for unmet need for healthcare ......................................................................................................................... 29

Figure 14: Reason for unmet need for specialist care ................................................................................................................... 30

Figure 15: Rate of blood testing undertaken at least once ........................................................................................................... 30

Figure 16: Rate of screening undertaken at least once ................................................................................................................. 31

Figure 17: Reasons for undertaking a cervical smear test ............................................................................................................. 31

Figure 18: Reasons for undertaking a mammograph .................................................................................................................... 32

Figure 19: Accidents and care sought in the previous year .......................................................................................................... 32

Figure 20: Rate of absence from work due to injury or health problems .................................................................................... 33

Figure 21: Rate of exposure to pollution at home ......................................................................................................................... 33

Figure 22: Rate of exposure to stressful situations at the workplace .......................................................................................... 34

Figure 23: BMI and education ......................................................................................................................................................... 35

Figure 24: Years as daily smokers .................................................................................................................................................... 35

Figure 25: Daily smokers by age ...................................................................................................................................................... 36

Figure 26: Number of cigarettes smoked daily .............................................................................................................................. 36

Figure 27: Rate of alcohol consumption over the past year ......................................................................................................... 37

Figure 28: Alcohol consumption over the past year by gender .................................................................................................... 37

Figure 29: Rate of drug use within the past year ........................................................................................................................... 38


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Contents - Tables Table 1: ISCO occupation by gender ............................................................................................................................................... 39

Table 2: Over the counter medication consumption by education .............................................................................................. 39

Table 3: Public and private GP visits in the previous 4 weeks in those reporting at least one consultation ............................ 39

Table 4: Public and private specialist visits in the previous 4 weeks in those reporting at least one consultation .................. 40

Table 5a: Satisfaction rates for private and public GP services .................................................................................................... 40

Table 5b: Satisfaction rates for private and public specialist services ......................................................................................... 40

Table 5c: Satisfaction rates for private and public hospitals ......................................................................................................... 40

Table 6: Rate of reported difficulty for activities of daily living related to mobility .................................................................... 41

Table 7: Self-care tasks ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41

Table 8: Number of days absent from work due to injury or health problems ........................................................................... 41

Table 9: Number of days absent from work due to injury or health problems by gender ......................................................... 42

Table 10: Source of health insurance funding ................................................................................................................................ 42

Table 11: Out-of-pocket expenditure on dental care in the previous 4 weeks ........................................................................... 42

Table 12: Out-of-pocket expenditure on GP and specialist consultations in the previous 4 weeks .......................................... 43

Table 13: Out-of-pocket expenditure on medication in the previous 2 weeks ........................................................................... 43

Table 14: Fruit and vegetable consumption ................................................................................................................................... 43

Table 15: BMI rates .......................................................................................................................................................................... 44

Table 16: BMI and gender ................................................................................................................................................................ 44

Table 17: BMI and age ...................................................................................................................................................................... 44

Table 18: Vigorous exercise during the past 7 days ....................................................................................................................... 45

Table 19: Amount of vigorous exercise (mins) performed in a week ........................................................................................... 45

Table 20: Amount of vigorous exercise (mins) performed in a week by gender ......................................................................... 45

Table 21: Moderate exercise during the past 7 days ..................................................................................................................... 45

Table 22: Amount of moderate exercise (mins) performed in a week ........................................................................................ 46

Table 23: Amount of moderate exercise (mins) performed in a week by gender....................................................................... 46

Table 24: Smoking and gender ........................................................................................................................................................ 46

Table 25: Exposure to smoking........................................................................................................................................................ 46


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European Health Interview Survey (EHIS)

Introduction

A Health interview Survey is a valid tool whereby

information on health related issues is

systematically collected by means of interviews

in a representative sample of the population.

Such epidemiological information on the health

status and the determinants of health in Malta

provides a unique opportunity from a public

health perspective to analyse the state of health

of the population and also to provide

information to policy makers to make evidence-

based policy decisions on health prevention and

health care services. The information provided

through this survey provides an opportunity to

participate in collaborative programmes

coordinated by international organizations such

as EUROSTAT, World Health Organization and

others and also to identify health inequalities in

Malta and highlight any problems particular to

Malta.

Background

Although Malta is situated in the

Mediterranean, the Maltese do not strictly

follow a Mediterranean diet as the long British

rule has influenced our dietary habits.

Unfortunately our relaxed Mediterranean

attitude and hot climate does not induce one to

practice much sport. Although health promotion

together with an increase in sport facilities over

the islands have contributed to making us lead a

more active lifestyle, much remains to be done

in order to overcome our ingrained habits. The

primary health problems of the population are

consistent with the Metabolic Syndrome i.e.

obesity, diabetes mellitus,

hypercholesterolaemia and hypertension.

Malta is a densely populated island with a high

number of cars. This is contributing to more

motor vehicle accidents and pollution. The

increase in particulate matter is causing an

increase in allergies among the inhabitants. The

demographics are also changing. The trend is a

reduction in birth rate and an increase in life

span. These two factors are leading to an ageing

population. The Maltese are becoming a more

secular society and this brings about a change in

lifestyles and practices. All these developments

call for a revision and re-evaluation of the health

status and the health needs of our population.

Methodology

The information for the survey was collected by

means of internationally accepted

questionnaires. Validated survey techniques

were applied as recommended by international

bodies including WHO (World Health

Organisation) and EUROSTAT (Statistical Office

of European Communities). The questionnaires

were then adapted to the local situation

including those aspects of health which are

more related to our population. Field testing on

a random sample of 430 individuals was carried

out in 2007.

The European Health Interview Survey was

conducted between June and August 2008 on a

randomly selected sample of 5,500 individuals

aged 15 years and over who were residing in the

Maltese Islands. The sample was drawn from a

population register provided by the National

Statistics Office and was stratified by age,

gender and locality. Out of the total sample, 416

individuals were excluded for the following

reasons; 44 were deceased, 82 were abroad and

290 had the wrong contact address and could

not be traced. The actual number of participants

was of 3,680 and the response rate was of 72%.

Information for the survey was collected via two

questionnaires. The first longer questionnaire

was completed during a face to face interview


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and the second, shorter questionnaire,

containing more sensitive topics, was filled in by

the interviewee. Both questionnaires were

collected by the interviewer at the end of the

session. The interview was carried out at the

convenience and the location of choice of the

participant.

The interviews and questionnaires were kept in

complete confidence. Every effort was made to

strike a balance between comprehensiveness

and length of questionnaire. The questionnaires

were available in both the Maltese and English

language so each respondent could answer in

his/her preferred language. In order to ensure

that the questions conveyed the same meaning

in both languages, the English questionnaire was

translated to Maltese and reviewed by public

health experts to ensure that the concepts were

identical, as per EUROSTAT recommendations.

The interviewers explained the objective of the

survey to the participant and guardian (when

the interviewee was below 18 years of age) and

the interview was carried out.

This publication contains the overall analysis of

the 2008 European Health Interview Survey

(EHIS) and is subdivided into the following

categories:

� Health aspects

� Health care service use

� Disability

� Indirect costs

� Health financing

� Lifestyle

Only the completed questions were analysed.

This survey explored the relationship between

the socio-demographic characteristics of the

population namely gender, age, level of

education and income with the various aspects

of health. These socio-demographic

characteristics were categorised as follows:

� Age was subdivided into 10-year

intervals with the youngest group being

between 15 and 24 years and the oldest

age group being that of 75+.

� Education was categorized into four

groups namely primary, secondary,

post-secondary and tertiary.

� Income was subdivided into quintiles

with the lowest income being ≤€579 and

the highest being ≥€1979.

Demography of the surveyed population

The questionnaire was answered by 3,680

individuals, of which 97.8% were answered by

the selected individual and 2.1% were answered

by proxy through another member of the

household. There were more female

respondents than male (Fig. 1) with nearly 95%

of the participants being born in Malta. The

participants were nearly all EU Nationals. The

majority of the respondents were married and

one third of the respondents were single (Fig. 2).

The level of education attained by the

participants categorized by gender is shown in

figure 3. Any analysis performed by level of

education is confounded by age. The older age

group tended to have a lower level of education,

had a higher morbidity and a lower household

income. These factors should be kept in mind

when performing the analysis of this survey.

The current labour status of the survey

participants is shown in figure 4. Nearly half of

the participants were working for profit. The

vast majority of those in the workforce were

employees (84%) with the remainder being self-

employed. Amongst those presently employed

as well as those who used to work for profit, the

highest percentage held an occupation within

class 5 of the ISCO classification of employment,

service workers and shop market sales workers,

while the lowest percentage was within class 6,


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skilled agricultural and fishery workers. There

was a significant difference between gender and

employment type, with female employees

predominating categories 2, 4, 5 and 8 (Table 1).

Work was the main source of income for the

respondents. A little over 40% of the

interviewees received old-age or survivor’s

pension (Fig. 5).


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Health Aspects

Perceived health status

The vast majority of the participants perceived

their health to be either good or very good and

less than 3% reported that their health was

either bad or very bad (Fig.6). Men and

individuals with a high level of education tend to

have a better perception of health. These

findings were statistically significant. Older

individuals tend to have a worse attitude

towards health and this correlation was also

statistically significant. One third of the

respondents suffered from a longstanding illness

and a quarter of the interviewees claimed to

have been limited by a health problem in the

previous 6 months.

The commonest health condition that an

individual had ever experienced was

hypertension closely followed by low back pain

and allergies (Fig. 7). With regards to mental

health, 7.8% of the respondents claimed to be

anxious and 6.6% claimed to be depressed.

Nearly two thirds of the population described

their feelings over the previous 4 weeks as “full

of life, calm and peaceful”.

Attitudes towards health

The vast majority of the respondents stated that

their health would be better if they were

exposed to less pollution and less stress.

Information about their health was mainly

obtained from the General Practitioner, health

centre and from the media. The factors which

were mostly deemed to contribute to health

was keeping in touch with family and friends

and eating healthy food.

Medication

Prescribed medication had been taken by nearly

half of the respondents in the previous two

weeks. The commonest medications prescribed

were antihypertensives and this correlates well

with morbidity rates since it was the commonest

medical condition reported by the respondents.

This was followed by lipid lowering drugs and

treatment for diabetes (Fig. 8).

Prescribed medication was more common

within the older age groups (Fig. 9). Less than

one third of the respondents below 44 years of

age took prescribed medication. Above this age,

an increase of intake of prescribed medication

was noted with up to 78% of those in the 75+

age group making use of these medications.

Thus the over 75 age group consumes nearly

three times the amount of those below 44

years. 10% of the respondents had been

prescribed antibiotics in the previous two

weeks. A quarter of the participants had

resorted to self medication.

The most frequent complaint for which over-

the-counter medication was taken was

headache or migraine. Respondents with a

higher degree of education showed an increased

tendency to take medication without

prescription (Table 2).


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� 78.3% of the participants perceived their health to be very good or good

� 22.1% of the respondents were hypertensive, 22.1% had suffered from low back

pain, 20.3% had suffered an allergy

� 17.2% had been prescribed antihypertensives, 7.5% lipid lowering drugs and 6%

treatment for diabetes

� The 75+ age group consumes nearly three times as much medication as those below

44 years of age


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Health Care Service Use

Hospital care

Ten percent of the respondents had been

admitted overnight to hospital in the previous

twelve months and 12% had been admitted as

day patients. The average number of separate

stays in hospital as an inpatient during the

previous year was two while the average

number of stays was one. The average number

of nights spent in hospital was while the median

was 3. The median gives a more accurate

indication of the length of hospital stay. For day

patient admissions, the average number of

separate stays as a day patient was of two

admissions while the median was one.

Health care professionals The health professional mostly frequented both

in the previous year and in the previous 4 weeks

is the general practitioner (Fig. 10). The number

of participants who had visited a private GP in

the previous 4 weeks was nearly three times

more than those visiting a public GP (Table 3).

Interestingly, there was a correlation between

the number of consultations with both private

and public GPs and income, with those in the

lower income brackets having more frequent

consultations to both. This correlation was more

significant for the use of public GP service. A

relationship was observed between number of

visits to the public GP and age, the older the age

group the more frequent the visits. Participants

with a lower income, lower education level and

older age group tended to use the services of a

public specialist in preference to that of private

specialist. This relationship was highly significant

(p<0.001) (Table 4).

More than a quarter of the interviewees had

made use of a medical laboratory or attended a

radiology clinic in the previous year. The most

common paramedic visited by the participants in

the previous year was the physiotherapist (Fig.

11). Alternative medical practitioners were

visited by less than 1% of respondents. The

community service availed of most frequently

was home help (Fig. 12).

Level of satisfaction

The interviewees were asked to give their level

of satisfaction with the health care services

provided. In general satisfaction was higher for

services in the private sector. The services given

by specialists in both sectors attained nearly the

same level of satisfaction (Tables 5a – 5b).

Unmet need for healthcare

Two percent of the respondents were advised

hospitalisation by a doctor but ultimately did

not go ahead with hospitalisation. The main

reason given was waiting lists (Fig. 13). Caution

should be exercised in the interpretation of this

data since the numbers are small.

Four percent of the interviewees had refused to

consult a specialist although they had been

advised to do so. The main reasons attributed

were waiting lists or because they adopted a

wait and see approach (Fig. 14). One must keep

in mind that the number of respondents in this

category was of only 148 individuals.

Preventive care Sixty percent of the respondents had been

vaccinated against influenza at some point in

their lifetime. One third had been vaccinated

either within the current year or during the

previous year. The vaccine was taken up mostly

in October and November. This coincides with


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the health promotion campaign and is the

optimal time when the vaccine should be taken.

Blood pressure is the commonest parameter

ever checked by a health professional reported

by respondents, followed by blood sugar and

blood cholesterol (Fig. 15). Among the female

respondents, cervical smear test is the most

frequent screening test undertaken (Fig. 16).

Three quarters of female respondents having

had a smear test did so for reasons of a check up

and other reasons (Fig. 17). When asked the

reason why the participants had undergone

mammography nearly 60% also said that they

had taken the test for a check up and other

reasons (Fig. 18).

For both mammographic and cervical smear

testing there was no correlation between those

who had undertaken the test at least once, with

age, educational attainment or job category. For

faecal occult blood (FOB) testing, there was a

highly significant correlation between those that

had taken the test at least once with age. The

respondents in the older age group were more

likely to take the test. As with the other

screening tests there was no correlation

between the test and job category, education

and for faecal occult blood test with gender.

� 10% had been admitted to hospital as inpatients

� 12% were admitted as day patients

� The ratio of private to public GP visits was 3: 1

� Level of satisfaction with private service surpassed that of public service

� 63.4% of females had undergone at least one cervical smear test during their lifetime

� 32.1 % of females had undergone at least one mammogram during their lifetime


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Disability

Mobility

Over 90% of the respondents could walk a

distance of 500 metres on a flat terrain without

any help or assistance. The biggest limitation in

mobility was experienced when bending and

kneeling down without assistance. The least

problems encountered were in fine hand

movements such as grasping or handling a small

object (Table 6).

Self care tasks

The most common difficulty encountered with

these tasks was getting in and out of bed (Table

7). Only a small number of respondents required

assistance and when asked if such support was

usually available, the respondents claimed that

they considered housing adaptation a top

priority in enabling them to perform such

activities. The type of help claimed not to be

provided in adequate amounts was that of

personal assistance.

Household activities

When the participants were asked if they

encountered any problems with activities such

as preparing meals, using the phone, shopping

and others, the vast majority found no difficulty

.The task which presented the greatest

challenge was heavy house work. The main

reason why the respondents could not carry out

such tasks was attributed to their state of

health, their disability or because of old age.

Personal assistance for at least one activity was

the commonest source of support among those

who answered this question.

� 17.9% experienced some degree of difficulty to bend and kneel

� 4.5% experienced some difficulty to get out of bed or chair

� 90% of respondents could walk a distance of 500m on flat terrain with no assistance


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Indirect Costs

Accidents

The response to the question referring to

whether the participants had experienced an

accident which resulted in permanent injury or

defect in the previous 12 months was only

completed by one fifth of the respondents. A

minimal number had suffered an accident in the

previous year which resulted in permanent

injury. The greatest number of accidents

occurred when either the individual was at

home or was engaged in leisure activities. Those

experiencing an injury tended to visit the

emergency department rather than consulting a

doctor or nurse (Fig. 19).

Absence from work

Ten percent of respondents claimed that the

disease they suffered from during the previous

12 months was either caused or made worse by

their current job or any job they had done in the

past. Nearly one third of the respondents

attributed their absenteeism from work in the

previous year to health problems or injuries (Fig.

20). The majority took up to three days off work

(Table 8). Males tended to take more days off

work than females (Table 9).

Home

The most common pollutant that individuals

claimed to be exposed to while they were at

home was air pollution (Fig. 21). Exposure to

crime, violence or vandalism while at home was

low with 86.2% of respondents reporting no

exposure.

Work

This set of questions relating to conditions

encountered at the work place in the previous

year was only asked to respondents who were

working. The condition that the respondents

claimed to be mostly exposed to was time

pressure or overload of work (Fig. 22).

� 2.2% had an accident in the previous year which resulted in permanent injury

� Injured persons tended to visit the emergency department rather than consulting a

doctor or nurse

� Most injuries happened while at home or during leisure activities

� 29% were absent from work in the past year due to injury or health problems

� 86.6% were absent from work in the past year due to injury or health problems for 3

days or less


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Health Financing Health insurance

One fifth of the surveyed population claimed to

have health insurance. Nearly half of the people

paid out of pocket for their health insurance

policy (Table 10). Individuals with a higher

income and with a higher education were more

likely to have health insurance. Also, males tend

to have more insurance coverage than females,

this finding was statistically significant.

However, when only the participants who were

working for profit were considered, this

difference in insurance coverage between

genders did not reach significance.

Out-of-pocket payment for health care services

Out of pocket payment for dental care on behalf

of the participant during the previous 4 weeks is

depicted in table 11. Of those who consulted a

GP or specialist in the previous 4 weeks, over

40% had paid less than €20 (Table 12). Over one

quarter of the respondents had spent less than

€20 out of pocket for medicines in the previous

2 weeks (Table 13).

� 21.5% had health insurance

� 47.2% self funded health insurance

� 28.2% had spent less than €20 on medicines in the previous 2 weeks


20

Lifestyle

Consumption of fruit and vegetables

Nearly three quarters of the interviewees ate

fruit once or twice a day; and this was also

similar for the reported consumption of

vegetables or fruit and vegetable juices (Table

14).

Body Mass Index

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is used to indicate

whether an individual is over or underweight. In

adults a BMI of between 18.5 and 25 is

advisable. A BMI of 25 to 30 is considered to be

overweight and this leads to an increased risk of

weight related problems such as high blood

pressure, high blood cholesterol, heart disease

and diabetes. A person with a BMI between 30

and 40 is considered to be obese and this

presents a higher risk of weight related

problems. More than one third of the

respondents were overweight and over one fifth

were obese (Table 15). An increase in BMI, when

compared to the 2002 data, was observed in

respondents with a lower education level

(Fig.23), males (Table 16) and participants

between the ages of 45 and 64 years (Table 17).

These correlations were highly significant

(p<0.001).

Physical exercise

The number of days on which the respondents

performed vigorous activity in the previous

week is shown in table 18. The amount of time

that the participants spent performing such

activity is shown in table 19. Up to 180 minutes,

females are more active than males; above this

cut off males supersede their female

counterparts. This finding was highly significant

(Table 20). The amount of respondents who

perform moderate exercise is nearly twice as

much as those performing vigorous exercise

(Table 21). Nearly half of these perform more

than three hours of moderate exercise a week

(Table 22). There is no gender difference in

performance of moderate exercise (Table 23).

Smoking

Smokers can be categorised into daily smokers

and social smokers. One fifth of the

interviewees were smokers. One third of the

population had smoked daily or almost daily for

at least one year. Smokers showed preference

towards manufactured cigarettes with the least

preferred being pipefuls of tobacco. The largest

percentage of daily smokers has been smoking

for 10 years or less (Fig. 24). The 45-54 age

group had the highest number of daily smokers

(Fig. 25). Daily smoking amongst males is more

frequent than amongst females with males

approximately two times more likely to smoke

daily. However, there are slightly more female

occasional smokers than male (Table 24). Sixty

percent of daily smokers smoked less than a

packet of cigarettes per day (Fig. 26).

Approximately a quarter of the respondents

claimed to be somewhat exposed to passive

smoking when either at home or in public places

(Table 25).

Alcohol

The alcohol consumption questionnaire could

differentiate between social drinkers, regular

drinkers and those who binge drink. About one

third of the participants did not drink alcohol in

the past 12 months while five percent drank

alcohol on a daily basis (Fig.27). Saturday was

seen as the day with the largest amount of

alcohol consumption while a regular drinking

pattern was identified throughout the rest of

the week. Nearly half of the female respondents

said they never drank alcohol in the past 12

months (Fig.28).


21

Drugs

Only a minimal amount of the respondents

admitted to making use of illicit drugs or

tranquillizers without prescription. The most

popular illicit drug was cannabis (Fig. 29).

Those over 45 tend to use non-prescribed

tranquillisers more. This practice was also more

common amongst females. The most frequent

users of all types of illicit drugs are under thirty

four years of age.

Sexual activity

Approximately 80% of respondents reported

having sexual intercourse at least once in their

lifetime. More than half of these reported

having had their first sexual experience before

the age of twenty one. Sexual activity usually

starts between the age of sixteen and twenty

years. Nearly 74% of those who have reported

being sexually active had only 1 sexual partner

in the previous year while 22% reported having

no partners in the previous year. Over 60% of

those who were sexually active in the previous

year never used any form of contraception while

over 75% reported never using a condom.

� 36.3% of the respondents were overweight

� 22.3% of the respondents were obese

� 20.3% of respondents were smokers

� The ratio of male to female daily smokers is nearly 2:1

� In the past year 5% of respondents drank alcohol on a daily basis

� 1.9% had used illicit drugs in the previous year

� Nearly 74% of those sexually active had one sexual partner in the previous

year

� 62% of those sexually active in the past year never used contraception.


22

Conclusion

This cross sectional study provides an overview

of the lifestyle and attitudes that affect the

health of the population. It provides information

about the demands on healthcare, the use of

the service but also the unmet needs. This study

gives an insight of the health perception of the

interviewees and how they safeguard their well

being. It gives an indication of the quality of life

of those who need support.

These issues provide a body of evidence to the

policy maker in order to review the quality of

health care provided and to make it more

relevant to today’s needs. All these efforts

would make health care more equitable,

efficient, cost effective and sustainable while

improving the quality of life of the population.


23

Figures and Tables

Figure 1: Distribution of respondents by gender

Figure 2: Legal marital status of respondents

46.60%

53.40%

male

female

32%

58.7%

5.5%

3.8%

Single

Married

Widowed

Divorced/Separated


24

Figure 3: Level of education of respondents by gender

Figure 4: Current labour status of respondents

19.6%

43.1%

21.6%

15.7%

26.8%

44.1%

17.0%

12.2%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Primary Education Secondary Education Post-Secondary

Education

Tertiary Education

male female

48%

5%

6%

14%

1%

26%

Working for pay

Unemployed

Student

Retirement / given up business

Permanently disabled

Domestic work


25

Figure 5: Sources of income of respondents

Figure 6: Self perceived health

1.4

5.1

6.7

8.2

9.4

10.3

30.0

40.4

76.4

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Housing allowances

Unemployment benefits

Other benefits

No source of income

Sickness and disability benefits

Education allowances

Family/children benefits

Old-age and survivor benefits

Income from work

%

26.0%

53.0%

19.0%

2.0% 1.0%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Very good Good Fair Bad Very bad


26

Figure 7: Morbidity rates

0

1%

1%

2%

2%

2%

3%

3%

3%

3%

3%

4%

4%

4%

5%

5%

5%

6%

8%

8%

9%

11%

14%

15%

20%

20%

22%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Eating Disorders

Stroke

Other Mental Problems

Cancer

Prostate Problems

Osteoporosis

Coronary heart disease

Kidney Stones

Myocardial Infarction

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Permanent Injury

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Gynaecological Problems

Urinary Incontinence

Cirrhosis of the Liver

Stomach Ulcer

Cataract

Chronic Depression

Chronic Anxiety

Diabetes Mellitus

Asthma

Neck Disorder

Migraine

Osteo Arthritis

Allergy

Low Back Disorder

Hypertension


27

Figure 8: Rate of prescribed medication consumption by condition

Figure 9: Rate of prescribed medication consumption by age

0.3%

0.4%

2.0%

2.8%

3.4%

3.5%

4.5%

4.6%

4.9%

4.9%

5.3%

5.3%

6.0%

6.7%

7.5%

17.2%

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Cancer

Osteoporosis

Asthma

Allergy

Stomach problems

Tension or anxiety

Cardiovascular disease

Joint pain

Headache or migraine

Neck pain

Depression

Diabetes

Other pain

Cholesterol

Hypertension

25%

32%

27%

43%

56%

63%

78%

15 - 24

25 - 34

35 - 44

45 - 54

55 - 64

65 - 74

75+

Age Group


28

Figure 10: Health professional consultation rates in a four week and twelve month period

Figure 11: Visits to paramedics in the previous year

43%

78%

39%

10%

27%

10%

Dental/Orthodontic

General Practitioner

Medical/Surgical Specialist

Rate of consultation, previous 4 weeks Rate of consultation, previous year

0.2%

0.6%

1.3%

2.5%

2.6%

2.9%

3.9%

9.2%

28.6%

Speech therapist

Occupational therapist

Chiropractor, manual therapist

Psychologist or psychotherapist

Dietician / Nutritionist

Nurse, midwife

Other paramedics

Pysiotherapist / Kinesitherapist

Medical laboratory, radiology centre


29

Figure 12: Utilisation of community services in the previous year

Figure 13: Reason for unmet need for healthcare

1.7%

2.2%

0.2%

1.1%

1.1%

Service provided by nurse or midwife

Home help for housework or for elderly

Meals on wheels service

Transport service

Other home care services

4.7%

25.6%

18.6%

16.3%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

Could not afford

to

Waiting list Did not have the

time because of

work...

Fear


30

Figure 14: Reason for unmet need for specialist care

Figure 15: Rate of blood testing undertaken at least once

13.5%

20.9%

9.5%

0.7%

20.3%

0.7%

18.9%

5.4%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

Could not

afford

Waiting list Did not

have time

because of

work

Too far Wait and

see

approach

Did not

know good

specialist

Other

reason

Don't know

88.6%

60.7%65.4%

Blood Pressure Blood Cholesterol Blood Glucose


31

Figure 16: Rate of screening undertaken at least once

Figure 17: Reasons for undertaking a cervical smear test

63.4%

32.1%

5.0%

Cervical Smear test Mammogram Faecal Occult Blood

4%

15%

1%

4%

76%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Because of symptoms

Because I visited a gynaecologist

Invitation

Other medical reason

Other/checkup


32

Figure 18: Reasons for undertaking a mammograph

Figure 19: Accidents and care sought in the previous year

15%

14%

8%

4%

59%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Visit - something not quite right

Advice - without something wrong

Breast cancer in my familiy

Invitation

Other/check-up

6%

10%

2%

17%

13%

17%

7%

21%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Road Traffic Work School Home & Leisure

activities

Visited doctor or nurse(%) Visited emergency department (%)

HEALTH INTE

Figure 20: Rate of absence from work due to injury or health problems

Figure 21: Rate of exposure to pollution at home

21.5

33.3

9.6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Severly exposed(%)

Noise


33

bsence from work due to injury or health problems

Figure 21: Rate of exposure to pollution at home

31.5

56.5

35.430.9

20.3

69.2

Somewhat exposed(%) Not exposed(%)

Air Pollution Bad Smells

SUMMARY STATISTICS


34

Figure 22: Rate of exposure to stressful situations at the workplace

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Harrassment/Bullying

Discrimination

Violence

Time Pressure

Chemicals

Noise

Difficult of work postures/movement

Accident Risk

Not exposed(%) Somewhat exposed(%) Severly exposed(%)


35

Figure 23: BMI and education

Figure 24: Years as daily smokers

.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

50.0%

<=18.00 18.01 - 20.00 20.01 - 25.00 25.01 - 30.00 >=30.01

BMI Category

Primary Education Secondary education Post-Secondary education Tertiary education

45.2

21.8

15.0

10.3

4.8

1.9

0.8

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

<=10

11 - 20

21 - 30

31 - 40

41 - 50

51 - 60

61 - 70

%

Ye

ars


36

Figure 25: Daily smokers by age

Figure 26: Number of cigarettes smoked daily

19.3

25.324.1

26.8

18.2

13.1

6.2

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

15 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 64 65 - 74 75+

%

Age

47%

12.9%

28.8%

5.1% 4.7%

0.3% 0.8% 0.1% 0.3%

.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

50.0

<= 10 11 - 18 19 - 26 27 - 34 35 - 42 43 - 50 59 - 66 67 - 74 75+

%

Number of Cigarettes


37

Figure 27: Rate of alcohol consumption over the past year

Figure 28: Alcohol consumption over the past year by gender

36%

22%

21%

10%

5%

5%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Never

Monthly or less

2-4 times a month

2-3 times a week

4-6 times a week

Everyday

25.1%

19.9%

24.2%

14.6%

7.8% 8.4%

46.3%

24.0%

17.8%

6.5%

2.7%5.4%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

50.0%

Never Monthly or

less

2-4 times a

month

2-3 times a

week

4-6 times a

week

Everyday

Frequency of alcohol consumption

male

female


38

Figure 29: Rate of drug use within the past year

4.1

0.5

1.1

0.2

0.4

0.2

0 1 2 3 4 5

Tranquilisers prescribed

Tranquilisers not prescribed

Cannabis

Ecstasy

Cocaine

Others

%


39

Table 1: ISCO occupation by gender

GENDER

ISCO Occupation

Category

Male

Female

Total

Count % Count %

Armed Forces 24 1.6% 1 .1% 25 .9%

Legislators, Senior

Officials and Managers 192 12.6% 73 5.3% 265 9.1%

Professionals 184 12.1% 223 16.2% 407 14.0%

Technicians and

Associate Professionals 101 6.6% 56 4.1% 157 5.4%

Clerks 118 7.8% 245 17.8% 363 12.5%

Service Workers and

Shop and Market Sales

Workers

223 14.7% 299 21.7% 522 18.0%

Skilled Agricultural and

Fishery Workers 30 2.0% 10 .7% 40 1.4%

Craft and Related Trade

Workers 258 17.0% 36 2.6% 294 10.1%

Plant and Machine

Operators and

Assemblers

146 9.6% 227 16.4% 373 12.9%

Elementary Occupations 246 16.2% 210 15.2% 456 15.7%

Total 1522 100% 1380 100% 2902 100%

Table 2: Over the counter medication consumption by education

Table 3: Public and private GP visits in the previous 4 weeks in those reporting at least one consultation

Number of

Visits

Private GP Public GP

Count % Count %

1 677 80.9 264 82.3

2 100 11.9 36 11.0

3 34 4.1 10 3.0

>=4 26 3.1 12 3.7

Total 837 100 322 100

Primary Secondary Post-Secondary Tertiary

Count % Count % Count % Count %

Yes 210 24.8% 403 25.6% 190 27.7% 166 33.3%

No 637 75.1% 1170 74.4% 497 72.3% 332 66.7%

Total 848 100.0% 1573 100.0% 687 100.0% 498 100.0%


40

Table 4: Public and private specialist visits in the previous 4 weeks in those reporting at least one consultation

Number of

Visits

Private Specialist Public Specialist

Count % Count %

1 199 84.6 157 82.6

2 23 10.0 20 10.5

3 4 1.7 4 2.6

>4 8 3.8 8 4.2

Total 234 100 189 100

Table 5a: Satisfaction rates for private and public GP services

Table 5b: Satisfaction rates for private and public specialist services

Table 5c: Satisfaction rates for private and public hospitals

Private GP Public GP

Count % Count %

Satisfied 3121 96% 1318 78.3%

Undecided 98 3% 277 16.5%

Dissatisfied 11 0.3% 88 5.2%

Total 3230 100% 1683 100

Private Specialist Public Specialist

Count % Count %

Satisfied 1775 91.1% 1431 87.1%

Undecided 132 6.8% 154 9.4%


Total 1948 100% 1643 100%

Private Hospital Public Hospital

Count % Count %

Satisfied 1286 86.8% 2092 74.1%

Undecided 163 11.0% 469 16.6%


Total 1481 100% 2825 100%


41

Table 6: Rate of reported difficulty for activities of daily living related to mobility

Table 7: Self-care tasks

Feeding Getting in

and out of

bed/chair

Dressing/

undressing

Using

toilets

Bathing/

showering

No difficulty (%) 97.9 95.6 96.5 97.7 96.4

Yes some difficulty

(%) 1.5 3.4 2.4 1.5 2.3

Yes a lot of difficulty

(%) .4 .7 .4 .4 .5

I can’t achieve it by

myself (%) .2 .4 .6 .5 .8

Table 8: Number of days absent from work due to injury or health problems

Walking

500m of

flat terrain

Walking up

and down

the stairs

Getting in

& out of

bed or a

chair

Bending

and

kneeling

down

Carrying a

bag of 5

kilos for at

least 10

metres

Fine hand

movements

No difficulty (%) 91.1 88.1 95.3 82 87.3 97

Some difficulty (%) 4.4 6.9 3.3 8.7 6.1 1.7

A lot of difficulty (%) 2.6 2.8 0.7 4.7 2.7 0.8

Completely unable

to fulfil task (%) 1.9 2.2 0.4 4.5 3.6 0.5

Number of days Count %

≤ 3 3186 86.6

4 - 6 83 2.3

7 - 9 94 2.6

10 - 12 43 1.2

13 - 15 53 1.4

16 - 18 28 .8

19 - 21 31 .8

22 - 24 10 .3

25 - 27 93 2.5

28 - 30 16 .4

31+ 43 1.2

Total 3680 100.0


42

Table 9: Number of days absent from work due to injury or health problems by gender

Number of

days

Male Female

Count % Count %

≤3 896 84.3% 542 80.3%

4 - 6 60 5.6% 61 9.0%

7 - 9 25 2.4% 15 2.2%

10 - 12 13 1.2% 18 2.7%

13 - 15 25 2.4% 12 1.8%

16 - 18 1 .1% 2 .3%

19 - 21 8 .8% 4 .6%

22 - 24 0 .0% 3 .4%

25 - 27 0 .0% 1 .1%

28 - 30 11 1.0% 3 .4%

31+ 24 2.3% 14 2.1%

Total 1063 100.0% 675 100.0%

Table 10: Source of health insurance funding

Table 11: Out-of-pocket expenditure on dental care in the previous 4 weeks

Euros (€) Count %

1-10 15 6.2

11-20 32 13.2

21-30 48 19.8

31-50 51 21.0

51-100 50 20.6

>100 47 19.3

Total 243 100

Frequency %

Self 385 47.2

Employer 268 32.9

Both 122 15

Don’t know / Not applicable 40 4.9

Total 815 100


43

Table 12: Out-of-pocket expenditure on GP and specialist consultations in the previous 4 weeks

Euros (€) Count %

1-10 247 36.2

11-20 152 22.3

21-30 63 9.2

31-50 105 15.4

51-100 76 11.1

>100 39 5.7

Total 682 100

Table 13: Out-of-pocket expenditure on medication in the previous 2 weeks

Table 14: Fruit and vegetable consumption

Euros (€) Count %

1-10 196 24.3

11-20 227 28.2

21-30 129 16.0

31 - 50 146 18.1

51 - 100 72 8.9

>100 36 4.5

Total 806 100

Fruits

Vegetables /

Salads

Fruit drinks /

Vegetable juices

Twice or more a day (%) 44.3 19 5.7

Once a day (%) 29.6 31.5 16

>once a day at least 4 a week (%) 10.6 20.7 7.5

>4 a week but at least once a week (%) 9.6 20.6 12.3

>once a week (%) 3 5 15

Never (%) 2.8 3 43.3


44

Table 15: BMI rates

Count %

≤18.00 49 1.7

18.01 - 20.00 160 5.5

20.01 - 25.00 988 34.2

25.01 - 30.00 1048 36.3

≥30.01 644 22.3

Total 2889 100

Table 16: BMI and gender

Gender

Male Female Total

≤18.00 10 39 49

.7% 2.6% 1.7%

18.01 - 20.00 33 127 160

2.4% 8.4% 5.6%

20.01 - 25.00 385 602 987

28.0% 40.0% 34.2%

25.01 - 30.00 615 427 1042

44.7% 28.4% 36.2%

≥30.01 334 310 644

24.3% 20.6% 22.3%

Total 1377 1505 2882

100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Table 17: BMI and age

BMI

≤18.00 18.01 - 20.00 20.01 - 25.00 25.01 - 30.00 ≥30.01

15 - 24 57.4% 38.8% 23.4% 10.3% 5.9%

25 - 34 18.4% 25.6% 17.7% 12.8% 15.3%

35 - 44 8.2% 8.1% 16.2% 14.8% 12.8%

45 - 54 2.0% 6.3% 17.1% 23.2% 20.7%

55 - 64 10.2% 8.8% 13.4% 20.8% 24.3%

65 - 74 0% 6.3% 7.0% 11.4% 13.8%

75+ 4.1% 6.3% 5.3% 6.7% 7.2%


45

Table 18: Vigorous exercise during the past 7 days

Table 19: Amount of vigorous exercise (mins) performed in a week

Time (mins) Count %

10 - 60 109 15.4

61 - 120 121 17.2

121 - 180 107 15.2

181+ 367 52.1

Total 704 100

Table 20: Amount of vigorous exercise (mins) performed in a week by gender

Table 21: Moderate exercise during the past 7 days

Days Count %

1-2 412 35.3

3-4 281 24.1

5-6 213 18.3

7 260 22.3

Total 1166 100

Time (mins) Male Female

Count % Count %

10-60 57 13.7 52 18.2

61-120 63 15.1 57 20

121-180 50 12 56 19.6

>180 246 59.1 120 42.1

Total 416 100 285 100

Days Count %

1-2 230 31.8

3-4 201 27.8

5-6 139 19.2

7 153 21.2

Total 723 100.0


46

Table 22: Amount of moderate exercise (mins) performed in a week

Time (mins) Count %

10 9 0.8

11-60 225 19.5

60-120 219 19

121-180 166 14.4

>180 536 46.4

Total 1155 100

Table 23: Amount of moderate exercise (mins) performed in a week by gender

Time (mins) Male

Female

Count % Count %

10 3 0.5 6 1

11-60 109 18.8 116 20.2

60-120 107 18.5 112 19.5

121-180 77 13.3 89 15.5

>180 283 48.9 252 43.8

Total 579 100 575 100

Table 24: Smoking and gender

Male Female Total

Yes daily Count 435 310 745

% 25.6 15.8 20.4

Yes occasionally Count 92 108 200

% 5.41 5.52 5.47

Not at all Count 1175 1539 2714

% 69.0 78.6 74.2

Total Count 1702 1957 3659

% 100 100 100

Table 25: Exposure to smoking

Exposure to

tobacco smoke at

home

Exposure to tobacco

smoke in public

places/indoors

Exposure to tobacco

smoke at the workplace

(for those currently

employed)

Never/almost never (%) 75.8 71.3 72.0

<1hour/day (%) 10.5 19.1 13.6

1-5 hours a day (%) 8.9 6.1 8.2

>5hours a day (%) 3.5 1.5 3.7


47

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