Scottish Health Survey 2016: local area results 2013-16 combined

Methods and indicators

The 2013-2016 results include local area data for the following topics:

• Self-assessed general health
• WEMWBS mean scores
• General Health Questionnaire ( GHQ-12) scores
• Long-term illness
• Alcohol consumption- weekly drinking guidelines
• Alcohol consumption- mean weekly units
• Smoking behaviour
• Overweight
• Obesity
• Fruit and vegetable consumption- by category
• Fruit and vegetable consumption- mean daily portions
• Physical activity
• Cardiovascular ( CVD) conditions

In the accompanying web tables, figures are presented by health board and local authority (where the sample size was sufficient) for males, females and all adults aged 16 or over. Upper and lower 95% confidence intervals ( CIs) are shown for each estimate, and have also been included in column charts which present results for all adults by board and local authority. It is important to consider the CIs when interpreting results, particularly for smaller boards or local authorities, where intervals are likely to be wider.

The Summary of Results section describes where results for any local area differ significantly from the Scotland average.

As the population age profile varies by local area, and age is strongly associated with health outcomes and behaviours, figures for individual health boards or local authorities are not directly comparable with each other. These results are primarily intended to represent the populations in each local area.

More information about each of the topics can be found in the latest SHeS Main Report.