> > >

Portrait of Health

Key results of the 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey

Overall, three out of five adults (60.6%) rated their own health as excellent or very good. European/Other men and women were more likely to report that their health was excellent or very good compared to all men and women in the population.
Two out of three adults (65.7%) had been diagnosed with a health condition that lasted, or was expected to last, six months or more. The most common health condition for adults was medicated high blood pressure (13.6%), followed by asthma (11.2%). Other common health conditions were ischemic heart disease, arthritis, neck or back disorders, migraine and eczema.
One in twelve adults (8.4%) had medicated high cholesterol.
One in twenty adults (5%) had doctor-diagnosed diabetes – nearly all cases were type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity.
One in five adults (19.9%) were current smokers.
One in seven adults (17.7%), including half of men aged 18-24 years (53.6%), had a potentially hazardous drinking pattern.
Half of all adults (50.5%) reported that they were regularly physically active, meaning they did at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day on five or more days in the previous week. From 2002/03 to 2006/07, there was an increase in sedentary behaviour for both men and women.
There was an increase in the prevalence of obesity for adults from 1997 to 2006/07, but the rate of increase appears to be slowing. In 2006/07, one in three adults (36.1%) were overweight and a further one in four (26.5%) were obese.

To view full report click here.