4858 Mental Health Report - National University of Ireland, Galway

Findings from the Compatibility and
Comparability of Mental Health and
Related Health Data Sources
Socio-demographics
In almost all surveys, the only common socio-demographic indicators were age
and gender. In the adult national surveys, North and South, detailed information
was recorded on education. Given the strong predictive power of education as an
indicator for inequalities in health, the ability to classify data into primary,
secondary and third level education as a single measure of inequalities is an
invaluable measure in any population health monitoring system. The more
complex measure of social class was also recorded in the national surveys. Each
survey recorded the occupation of the respondent, which was then classified into
one of six social classes based on job title and employment status. Other
indicators of social inequality such as home tenure and marital status were
recorded in the national and some regional surveys.
Lifestyle Behaviours
Lifestyle factors were recorded in six surveys in the Republic and all three
Northern surveys. Most commonly recorded were prevalence, frequency and
quantity of consumption of both tobacco and alcohol - however, the measures
used for each of these were not directly comparable. Dietary habits were also
measured but in a non-standard way. Three questions relating to frequency of
consumption of foods high in fat, sugar and fruit and vegetables were asked in
the Northern Ireland Survey of Health and Social Wellbeing, whereas a 148 item
semi-quantitative food frequency was used in the National Health and Lifestyle
Survey in the Republic. Participation in physical activity was only recorded at a
national level in the Southern survey. Many of the other smaller regional and
local surveys measured this parameter but employing different measures.
Young People
The socio-demographic, economic and lifestyle variables recorded in the children’s
survey, HBSC, were the same due to observation of an internationally devised
protocol. There were three mental health and well-being measures common in
both the Northern and Southern arms of the HBSC survey. General health and
satisfaction with health were measured using a 3 and 5 point Likert scale
respectively. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was used to measure self-esteem
among the young people.
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