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Health-related behaviours data book

The Health of the people of New South Wales
Report of the Chief Health Officer

Download the Health-related behaviours data book

Summary

  • Unhealthy behaviours contribute significantly to the burden of death and ill-health in NSW. For example:
    -smoking causes more than 6,500 deaths and more than 55,500 hospitalisations each year;
    -alcohol causes almost 1,500 deaths and more than 40,000 hospitalisations each year.

  • Unhealthy behaviours affect people of all ages.

  • Among adults in 2007:
    - 22% of men and 15% of women are current smokers;
    - 59% of men and 45% of women are overweight or obese;
    while only:
    - 62% of men and 48% of women are adequately physically active;
    - 49% of men and 60% of women eat adequate quantities of fruit;
    - 7% of men and 14% of women eat adequate quantities of vegetables.

  • Among secondary school students aged 12-16 years in 2005:
    - 9% of boys and 8% of girls smoked in the previous week;
    - 27% of boys and 24% of girls consumed alcohol in the previous week;
    - 27% of boys and 13% of girls were overweight or obese;
    - 18% of boys and 13% of girls have used cannabis at least once;
    and only:
    - 47% of boys and 24% of girls usually wear a hat in the sun;
    - 36% of boys and 49% of girls usually use sunscreen.

  • Among children aged 2 to 15 years in 2005 to 2006:
    - 69% eat adequate quantities of fruit;
    - 38% eat adequate quantities of vegetables.

  • Encouragingly, though:
    - smoking rates have declined among both men and women since 1977;
    - in 2007, for both sexes, the number of ex-smokers was greater than the number of current smokers;
    - there has been a significant increase in the proportion of adults undertaking adequate physical activity over the last five years;
    - the proportion of children consuming the recommended daily vegetable intake increased significantly between 2001-2002 and 2005-2006;
    - the proportion of adults reporting risk drinking behaviour has decreased since 1997;
    - the death rate from heroin overdose has declined steeply since 1999.

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File link: Health-related behaviours data book
File size: &booksize
Type: Report
Date of Publication: &bookdate
Author Branch: Centre for Epidemiology & Research

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