joint strategic needs assessment foundation profile - JSNA

Interative Hull Atlas: www.hullpublichealth.org/Pages/hull_atlas.htm More information: www.jsnaonline.org and www.hullpublichealth.org
change and deterioration in diet was levelled at the supermarkets, food manufacturers,
advertising, low incomes and low availability of good food shops in some areas.
13.2.2.2 Reflector Groups Following 2007 Health and Lifestyle Survey
The findings from the 2007 Health and Lifestyle Survey for some subject areas
demonstrated that there were reasons for public health concern in respect of a number
of health and lifestyle topic areas. The objectives of the reflector groups following the
quantitative survey were to gain additional insight into the varying attitudes, opinions and
feelings of a number of target groups and improve understanding of the statistical
differences identified between men and women, old and young, those living in different
areas of the city, and between different ethnic groups for the main health and lifestyle
topics of concern, namely, smoking; alcohol consumption; diet; overweight and obesity;
and exercise.
The groups were recruited by telephone and on a face-to-face basis with a target of 12
attendees for each group. The groups recruited were: (i) all female – mixed age and
living in the most deprived areas of Hull (18–64 years); (ii) all male – mixed age and
living in the most deprived areas of Hull (18–64 years); (iii) male and female – mixed
age and living in the least deprived areas of Hull (18–64 years); (iv) male and female
aged 18–24 years; (v) male and female aged 60+ years; and (vi) male and female ethnic
minority/immigrant 80 (18–64 years). The full report (Oldroyd et al. 2008) is available at
www.hullpublichealth.org.
The key findings noted in the main report were:
“Smoking rates were high in all groups with a variety of explanations given for the
higher frequency of smoking among men and women in Hull and mixed levels of
success for those who had tried to quit. Psychological and economic pressures
were cited most frequently as reasons for continued smoking and these were
often related to unemployment and social deprivation. Good levels of health
service support were recognised by most people but some men said that there
was insufficient guidance in the area and there was a shared belief that high
impact advertising was an effective way of driving messages home. Though
smoking while pregnant was considered to be unacceptable by most people the
majority did not regard the health impacts of smoking particularly seriously.
There was broad understanding of the components of healthy and unhealthy
diets and agreement that the cost of a healthy diet barred some people from
eating the right food. The poor access to fresh fruit and vegetables in some
areas, and the availability and the convenience of junk food were major factors,
particularly for young people who were also most likely to ignore messages about
80 As the survey found Africans and Asians tended to have the worst health as a relatively high proportion
were asylum seekers, failed asylum seekers or refugees, the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) reflector
group focused on these BME groups.
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