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Indicators of progress: Definitions, data, baseline and trends information

Milestone 22: Increasing the number of older people taking physical exercise and reducing the rates of mortality from coronary heart disease and the prevalence of respiratory disease

Indicators

This milestone is measured by information from three indicators. The Scottish Health Survey provides data on older people taking physical exercise. The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) provides data on mortality from coronary heart disease. The Information and Statistics Division (ISD) of the National Health Service in Scotland provide information on chronic respiratory disease. In all cases older people are defined as being aged between 65 and 74 years.

Availability of data

Results are presented for physical exercise from the 1998 Scottish Health Survey. The next information for this indicator will be for the year 2003. An additional year of data has been added for mortality from coronary heart disease. An additional year of data has also been added for the prevalence of respiratory disease. This information comes from a representative sample of GP practices at a Scotland level.

For the most recent year, a snapshot comparison showing Carstairs deprivation quintiles has been included for older people taking physical exercise and for mortality from coronary heart disease. Analyses by urban and rural areas are presented for older people taking exercise, but not for mortality from coronary heart disease (due to unavailability of relevant population figures). Given that the information on chronic respiratory disease is obtained from a sample of GP practices representative at a Scotland level, it is not possible to present reliable analyses below this level. All figures are shown separately for males and females. Disaggregation by ethnicity and disability is not currently possible.

Taking physical exercise

This indicator measures people who take 30 or more minutes of moderate plus activity at least 5 days a week. The latest figures show that in 1998, 12% of men and 7% of women aged between 65 and 74 years met this criterion.

Carstairs Deprivation Quintiles

From Chart 22a, it is clear that men aged 65 to 74 are more likely than women to take part in 30 or more minutes of moderate plus activity at least 5 days a week. There is an indication that men in the least deprived areas are more likely to take physical exercise than those men in the more deprived areas. However, for women there would not appear to be a link between exercise and deprivation.

Chart 22a : Taking physical activity - by Carstairs deprivation quintile, persons aged 65-74

Source : Scottish Health Survey, 1998

Rural and urban analysis

The analysis from 1998 indicates that in urban areas around 10% of men and 7% of women take at least 30 minutes of moderate plus physical exercise at least 5 days a week. This compares to 17% of men and 7% of women in rural areas. Note that the definitions used here for urban and rural areas are different to those used elsewhere in this report. Refer to annex A for further detail.

Rates of mortality from coronary heart disease

The latest figures show a continuation in the fall in the mortality rate from coronary heart disease for people aged 65 to 74. Chart 22b shows that men are around twice as likely as women to die of coronary heart disease.

Chart 22b: Mortality rate from coronary heart disease, persons aged 65-74

Note : 2001 data are provisional
Source : ISD National Health Service in Scotland
General Register Office for Scotland

Carstairs deprivation quintiles

From Chart 22c, it appears that people in the least deprived areas are less likely to die from coronary heart disease than those in the most deprived areas.

Chart 22c : Mortality rate from coronary heart disease by Carstairs deprivation quintile, persons aged 65-74

Note : 2001 data are provisional
Source : ISD National Health Service in Scotland
General Register Office for Scotland

Prevalence of chronic respiratory disease

The national estimates are based on a sample of activity from General Practices across Scotland, so the figures should be seen as broad estimates of the national picture. For 65 to 74 year olds, around 80 to 100 people in every 1,000 suffer from chronic respiratory disease.

Table 22d: Prevalence of chronic respiratory disease, persons aged 65-74

Source: Continuous Morbidity Recording Scheme: ISD National Health Service in Scotland.

Background data

Table 22e: Mortality rate from coronary heart disease, persons aged 65-74

Note : 2001 data are provisional
Source : ISD National Health Service in Scotland
General Register Office for Scotland

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