A report from Health Survey for England collected data between 2011 and 2019 and analysed health behaviours by ethnicity, here are the results
Fascinating new research by HSE and analysis by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and University College London (UCL) provide an insight into the health behaviours of different ethnic groups.
Researchers collected information from 73,947 adults living in England on longstanding health conditions, wellbeing, obesity, smoking and drinking alcohol.
The below information is based on age-standardised statistics which accounts for differences in age profiles between groups and is important when comparing health across groups, as health conditions and behaviours can vary with age.
White British and Irish men and women most likely to drink alcohol
Those from white backgrounds are most likely to report drinking alcohol in the last 12 months.
White British men (91%) and women (86%) and white Irish men (90%) and women (88%) reported drinking alcohol in the last year.
The groups least likely to report drinking alcohol in the last year were Pakistani men (9%) and women (2%) and Bangladeshi men (13%) and women (8%).
Drinking above recommended levels (14 or more units a week) was most common among white Irish men (45%) and women (26%) and was also high among white British men (36%) and women (18%).
African, Indian and Chinese men most likely to regularly smoke
Indian (2%), Pakistani (3%), Chinese (3%) and black African (4%) women were least likely to be regular smokers.
On the other hand, men from black African (9%), Indian (12%) and Chinese (12%) backgrounds were least likely to be regular smokers.
Black Caribbean, Pakistani and black African women most likely to be overweight or obese
Chinese women (22%) and men (36%) were least likely to be overweight or obese
Women from black Caribbean (74%), Pakistani (74%) and black African (73%) backgrounds were most likely to be overweight or obese.
Interestingly, the proportions of men from other backgrounds who were overweight or obese did not vary greatly so statistics are not provided.
Longstanding health conditions most common amongst black Caribbean and white British men
Longstanding health conditions are defined as conditions likely to last 12 months or more.
They were most common among black Caribbean (45%) and white British men (40%).
Among women, those of Pakistani background (49%) were most likely to have a longstanding health condition and Chinese women (19%) were least likely.
Black African men and women have highest wellbeing
Wellbeing is measured on a scale ranging from 14 for the lowest possible wellbeing to 70 for the highest possible wellbeing.
Black African men and women recorded the the highest average (mean) mental wellbeing scores, reported at (55.4) and (55.1) respectively.
