This is the second publication of the “Irish Health Survey”, the data for which was collected in 2019 and early 2020. The first health survey was collected for reference year 2015, but in a different way to how the data was collected for this publication. This publication is part of an EU wide health survey and in time, when other countries report on their data, we can see how the Irish health experience, as reported by people themselves, compares to that of our European neighbours.

This publication of the “Main Results” provides data and insights on various aspects of health in Ireland. Other publications using these survey results will present on the health experience of persons with disabilities and carers. The data collection for this publication was conducted between July 2019 and February 2020 and accordingly relates to the pre-pandemic health and other experiences of respondents.

The survey is based on self-reported data from persons aged 15 years and over, and outlines their view of their health status – from how well they are feeling, to the extent to which they suffer from long-standing health conditions, as well as other factors. People’s engagement with the Irish health system is also outlined – the frequency by which they access health services, to the nature of those services. The publication concludes on the health determinants of the population aged 15 years and over – what are the choices we make as regards smoking, alcohol consumption and exercise? To what extent are we as a nation overweight, as reported by the people themselves? To what extent do we use preventive health services like taking a flu vaccine or getting our blood pressure checked?

Chapter on health determinants: Affluent persons report higher prevalence levels of alcohol consumption than disadvantaged persons, with 83% of Very affluent persons reporting that they drink alcohol compared to 70% of Very disadvantaged persons. See Table 4.4 and Figure 4.5 on CSO website. The age group 15-24 years report the highest levels for drinking of 6 or more units of alcohol in one sitting at least once a month, with almost half (48%) of this age group reporting so. This compares to only 11% of the 75 years and over age group who so drink. See Table 4.5 and Figure 4.6 on CSO website.