HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY 2008 – SUMMARY STATISTICS 1 HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY 2008 – SUMMARY STATISTICS European Health Interview Survey 2008 Summary Statistics Department of Health Information and Research Strategy and Sustainability Division Ministry for Social Policy 2 HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY 2008 – SUMMARY STATISTICS 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 3 HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY 2008 – SUMMARY STATISTICS 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. 4 HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY 2008 – SUMMARY STATISTICS 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 Dr. Natasha Azzopardi Muscat Director Director General Department of Health Information and Research Strategy and Sustainability Division 5 HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY 2008 – SUMMARY STATISTICS 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: Little People/Home Trends Mellieha Holiday Complex Digital Planet Europharma Medical Centre Calypso Hotel Michael & Guy Alf Mizzi & Sons JB Stores Vernon’s Zammit & Cachia Bristow A. Falzon Energy Projects AIRMALTA Cornucopia Hotel Kekoo Modi CAA Jokate The Plaza Hotel Chemimart Azzopardi Fisheries The Victoria Hotel Corinthia Group of Companies Unicare Petrolea Ltd Tip Top Ltd. GO Mobile Ramis St. Lucia Confectionary Klikk Eden Superbowl Merlin Library Cynergi Health & Fitness Club Topaz Hotel 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 6 HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY 2008 – SUMMARY STATISTICS Table of Contents European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) ............................................................................................................. 10 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 10 Background ......................................................................................................................................................