Health related behaviour : an epidemiological overview / commissioned by Central Health Monitoring Unit.

  • Great Britain. Central Health Monitoring Unit.
Date:
1996
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Health related behaviour : an epidemiological overview / commissioned by Central Health Monitoring Unit. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Men Slightly more men than women smoked cigarettes. Among the under 16s a greater proportion of girls smoked than boys. More than twice as many men as women drank more than the recommended sensible level and more boys reported drinking at least once a week. Men were less likely to eat salad, vegetables or fruit In terms of sexual behaviour, men tended to experience intercourse earlier than women and to have more partners. More of them reported using condoms. Sunburn was slightly more common among men than women. Death through accidents was more frequent among men and this was found both for road accidents and fires. Men were also much more likely than women to commit suicide. Women More women than men exhibited health-conscious dietary behaviour (more frequent fruit and vegetable eating and a smaller proportion using whole milk). Women, in particular young women, participated in physical activity less regularly than men, but, from age 24 onwards, women were slightly less likely than men to be totally sedentary. Older women were more likely than older men to report having an accident in the home and older women had the highest death rate from accidents in the home. Socio-economic groups People in the manual groups were more likely to smoke cigarettes than those in the non-manual groups, and pregnant women smokers in the manual groups were less likely to stop smoking. For the other behaviours for which social class data are available the distinction between manual and non-manual groups tended not to be so clearly defined. Drinking in excess of the sensible level was more common among women in the non-manual groups but, among men, it was those in the employers and managers group and the unskilled whose alcohol consumption was higher. Dietary behaviour varied with social class with those in social classes IV and V eating fruit and vegetables less often and being more likely to use whole milk. There was no difference between the classes in the percentage of food energy provided by total fat or by saturates. Men in the manual groups were more likely to be regularly active or totally sedentary. Activity levels included occupational activity which contributes to this finding. Lower social class was associated with deaths from accidents especially among children under 15. Experience of first intercourse was at a lower age among people from the manual groups but there was no clear social class pattern with respect to the number of partners or condom use, although the use of condoms was more frequently reported by people in social class V. Unemployment Data regarding employment were not published for many of the behaviours selected for this overview (although in some cases the data have been collected and are available for further analysis). Unemployed men were more likely to smoke and less likely to be physically active than men in work. Among women those who were unemployed were more likely to smoke. Widowed, separated and divorced people This group was more likely to smoke than married or single people. Divorced and separated men were more likely to drink over the sensible level. Widowed, separated and divorced people had more sexual partners in the past year and were less likely to use condoms than single people. Suicides were more frequent in this group.