Health conditions and behaviour

Published: December 2023, Last Updated: February 2024 Headlines Dementia is a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning. It can include symptoms such as memory loss, disorientation, and mood and personality changes. There isn’t currently a cure for dementia and it progressively gets worse over time. Most people … Continue reading "Dementia"

Wakefield district Public Health team have been using the School Health Survey (previously called the “Health Related Behaviour Questionnaire”) every two years since 2009 as a way of collecting robust information about young people’s health and lifestyles. This survey is an essential source of data for both schools and local authority commissioners alike, providing detailed … Continue reading "School Health Survey"

Wakefield Council, along with its partner health organisations, is committed to working together with local communities to improve the health of the population overall, as well as closing the gap between the health of people in the most well-off areas of the district and people who live in poorer areas. Hearing directly from residents about … Continue reading "Adult Population Health Survey 2023"

Headlines It is estimated that 2,927 people are using either opiates and/or crack cocaine in Wakefield District (2019/20), of which 1,658 people are using opiates only, and 382 people are using crack cocaine only1. The number of people using opiates only per 1,000 population is significantly higher than the England rate, but the number of … Continue reading "Drug Use"

Published: July 2023 Updated: October 2023 Smoking is proven to have a significant impact on an individual’s health, leading to many serious conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and cancers. Headlines 18.3% of adults are smokers, according to primary care data. Smoking prevalence across the district has declined over the last 10 years. People … Continue reading "Smoking"

Published: July 2023 There were 3,067 births to Wakefield resident mothers in 2022/2023. Headlines Obesity in early pregnancy is on the rise, from 26.2% of mothers in 2019/20 to 30.6% of mothers in 2022/23. Smoking in early pregnancy has decreased, from 23.1% in 2013/14 to 16.0% in 2022/23. Smoking at delivery has also decreased, from … Continue reading "Maternity"

Published: October 2023 Cancer is a major cause of avoidable mortality and morbidity both locally in Wakefield District and nationally. A significant proportion of cancers are related to population risk factors which can be reduced or prevented. In general, earlier diagnosis improves the likelihood of effective treatment and long term survival.  Headlines In Wakefield, a … Continue reading "Cancer"

Published: December 2023 Whether a person is living with obesity is determined by their body mass index (BMI), a ratio based on the persons height and weight for their age. Living with obesity is defined as a BMI greater than or equal to 30kg/m². Children living with overweight are more likely to live with overweight … Continue reading "Obesity"

Defining disability is complex and contentious. The “medical model” of disability is based on a belief that disability is caused by an individual’s health condition or impairment. The Government encourages instead the use of the “social model” of disability which states that disability is created by barriers in society including the environment, people’s attitudes and … Continue reading "Sensory Impairment"

Published: December 2024 Frailty describes someone’s overall resilience. When we lack resilience, we become vulnerable to frailty. It is often small, unrelated events that kick starts a domino effect into frailty… It could be the one best friend falling ill that leads to less social activities, then a reduction in physical activity. Or it could … Continue reading "Frailty"