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TRANSCRIPT
Report
by
Hexagon Research and Consulting
For further information contact: Jim Patton Director Hexagon Research and Consulting
8 Roseneath Street, Edinburgh EH9 1JH
Tel: 0131 221 5212
e-mail: [email protected]
November 2006
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 1
Contents
Page
Contents 1
Summary of Key Findings 2
Section 1: Introduction 6
Section 2: Background to the Survey 7
Section 3: Physical Activity 9
Section 4: Healthy Eating 16 Section 5: Smoking 17 Section 6: Alcohol 18 Section 7: Mental Health and Well Being 20 Section 8: Local Services 23 Section 9: Sexual Health 30 Section 10: Your Local Community 31 Section 11: Quality of Life 32 Section 12: Concluding Comments 33 Appendix 1: Health and Well Being questionnaire 34 Appendix 2: The West Dunbartonshire Citizens’ Panel 50
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 2
Summary of Key Findings
Section 3: Physical Activity
Just over half of all Panel members do not adhere to current guidelines for taking moderate physical
activity (i.e. that they should accumulate at least 30 minutes per day, five or more times in a typical
week). In fact, a third (33%) take moderate physical exercise on only 2 days a week or less, with this
rising to 45% of Panel members living in the regeneration areas
More than half of all Panel members (58%) stated that they never or rarely take part in vigorous
exercise or sport, with this proportion rising to 65% among Panel members living in the regeneration
areas. Conversely, only 13% said they took part in vigorous exercise or sport at least 3 times a week,
the recommended level of activity, with this falling to only 9 % of those living in the regeneration areas
Satisfaction with access to Council leisure facilities is high. Typically 90% of all Panel members are
satisfied with access to swimming pools, gyms and local parks, with this only falling to 73% for local
playing fields and 65% for other sports facilities such as tennis or squash courts
Equally important is that satisfaction with the quality of these leisure facilities is high, peaking at 86% for
the Council’s Cosmopolitan gyms and 79% for local parks, with satisfaction only falling to 64% for local
playing fields
Awareness of the free summer holiday swimming for young people is high, with almost two thirds of all
Panel members (63%) saying they had heard of this initiative. Conversely, awareness of the juvenile
gym membership packages is much lower, quoted by only 22% of Panel members
Panel member’s views are mixed on the quality of leisure activities for children and teenagers. For
example, while more the two thirds (69%) feel the quality of activities for children aged 12 or under are
“fairly good” or “very good”, almost a third (30%) feel they are “not very good” or “not good”. A slightly
more negative position emerged in relation to the quality of activities for teenagers, with 51% stating
they were “not very good” or “not good”
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 3
Just over 1 in 10 of all Panel members (12%) said they were aware of the activities in the leisure
centres for children and young people with a disability i.e. Shining Stars
More than two thirds (67%) stated that they would like to increase their physical activity. This interest is
consistently high across age ranges but peaks at 75% of those aged 25 to 29 and 70% for those aged
30 to 59. There are no significant differences by gender or by area
Just under half (49%) of Panel members said they are aware that all West Dunbartonshire schools
aimed to be health promoting schools
Section 4: Healthy Eating
Just over a quarter (26%) of all Panel members said that they eat five or more portions of fruit and
vegetables per day, with this falling to only 21% of Panel members is the regeneration areas.
Section 5: Smoking
Just over a quarter of Panel members (26%) currently smoke, with 18% stating that they smoke every
day. In the regeneration areas, more than a third of all Panel members (35%) currently smoke, with
23% smoking every day
Of those who currently smoke, the majority (68%) said they are aware of smoking cessation services
Section 6: Alcohol
Across West Dunbartonshire as a whole, 13% of men and 11% of women currently drink above safe
alcohol consumption levels. These estimates are higher in the regeneration areas, where 22% of men
and 21% of women drink above safe levels
Section 7: Mental Health and Well Being
More than three quarters of all Panel members (76%) said that they would describe their general
mental or emotional health well being as either “very happy” or “fairly happy”. This fell marginally to
69% in the regeneration areas
Overall awareness of the West Dunbartonshire Council Choose Life Campaign is relatively low, with
only 14% of all Panel members stating they were aware of the campaign
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 4
Section 8: Local Services
Overall levels of satisfaction with access to and the quality of local health services are high. Almost all
Panel members (99%) are satisfied with access to a local pharmacy and a similar proportion (97%) is
satisfied with the quality of services provided by local pharmacies. Very high satisfaction ratings were
also recorded for dental, GP and child care services
A high proportion of Panel members (83%) are currently registered with a dentist and over three
quarters of this group (77%) have had a dental check up in the last year
Panel members with caring responsibilities were asked about there awareness of support services.
Awareness is very high for residential respite (89%) and carers’ centres (79%). A fairly high proportion
(ranging from 45% to 60%) were aware of the carers’ support plan, respite at home and advocacy
services, but only 22% said they were aware of the “Out of the Blue” respite service
The majority of Panel members (65%) said they would contact Social Work Services if they were
concerned about a child, with a slightly lower proportion (56%) saying they would contact the Police
Almost three quarters (72%) of couples with children and 67% of lone parents said they had read the
leaflet, “What you can do to help if you are worried about a child or young person”
Satisfaction levels with the local neighbourhood are generally high, particularly in relation to the
following cemeteries (82%), parks (81%) and street lighting (81%)
Section 9: Sexual Health
More than two thirds of all Panel members (68%) said they knew where and how to access family
planning services, while 14% said they knew where to access information and counselling services in
relation to LGBT issues.
Section 10: Your Local Community
Just under 1 in 5 of all Panel members (18%) said they regularly attend local community or
representative groups, for example tenants’ associations or community councils.
Of those respondents who do regularly attend local community or representative groups, almost two
thirds (65%) said they are satisfied with opportunities for participation with only 11% dissatisfied.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 5
Section 11: Quality of Life
The majority of Panel members agreed with positive statements about their overall quality of life, with
52% saying they were “mostly satisfied” and 8% that they were “delighted”.
Over a quarter (29%) said they had mixed views on their quality of life with a further 11% saying they
were either “mostly dissatisfied“ or they would describe their quality of life as “terrible”.
A significantly higher proportion of regeneration area respondents have a negative outlook on their
quality of life. For example, 21% described their quality of life as either “mostly dissatisfied” or “terrible”,
compared to only 6% in the rest of West Dunbartonshire.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 6
1. Introduction This document presents the key findings to emerge from the third survey of members of the West
Dunbartonshire Citizens’ Panel.
The Citizens’ Panel Steering Group agreed that the survey would examine health and well being.
Questions would focus on nine main themes and a questionnaire was designed to reflect these key
information requirements of relevant partners within the West Dunbartonshire Partnership. A copy of
the questionnaire is attached at Appendix 1.
In our report, Section 2 presents the background to the assignment while Sections 3-11 provide an
analysis of residents’ views on each aspect of health and well being. Appendix 2 provides some
background details to the West Dunbartonshire Citizens’ Panel.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 7
2. Background to the Survey 2.1 The West Dunbartonshire Citizens’ Panel The West Dunbartonshire Community Planning Partnership recognises that developing and delivering
services which meet local needs requires effective and genuine community engagement. Central to this
is the need to ensure that the views of the most disadvantaged communities are heard to help deliver
solutions that contribute to sustainable community regeneration.
An important part of the Partnership’s strategy for effective community consultation has been to
develop a Citizens’ Panel, building on a long standing Panel run by West Dunbartonshire Council. A
summary of the Panel recruitment process is contained in Appendix 2.
An analysis of the characteristics of Panel members indicated that it reflects many of the characteristics
of the West Dunbartonshire adult population. However, as the Panel was recruited through a process of
self selection, it was unlikely that its final composition would fully reflect the characteristics of the West
Dunbartonshire adult population as a whole.
We recommended that this was resolved through re-weighting the final sample achieved in any survey
exercise using the Panel. All findings presented in this report are therefore based on re-weighting
responses to make them reflect the age characteristics of Panel members in the regeneration areas
and in the rest of West Dunbartonshire.
2.2 Health and Well Being Survey Response A postal survey approach was adopted for the health and well being survey and questionnaires were
sent out to Panel members in September 2006. A final response of 806 returns was achieved (69%),
and the table below illustrates the high level of accuracy that can be attributed to the results derived
from this response overall, as well as for the two main sub areas.
Survey Response
West
Dunbartonshire
Regeneration
Areas
Remainder of West
Dunbartonshire
Sample
achieved
806 447 359
Sampling error ± 3.4% ± 4.6% ± 5.2%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 8
As illustrated above, results for the Panel as whole have sampling errors limited to only ± 3.4%. This
means, for example, that if 50% of Panel members say they are satisfied with the Council, the real
figure will be in a narrow range, from only 46.6% to 53.4%.
The sampling errors for the regeneration areas and the rest of West Dunbartonshire rise marginally to
only ± 4.6% and ± 5.2% respectively.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 9
3. Physical Activity This section explores a range of issues in relation to physical activity, including residents’ awareness of
a range of sports development projects, their participation in physical activity and their satisfaction with
the quality of and access to a range of sports and leisure facilities.
Awareness among Panel members of football and swimming sports development projects are both
relatively high (41% and 44% respectively). However, this falls to 20% for athletics projects and to only
7% for hockey. No significant variations in these awareness levels were found between the
regeneration areas and the rest of West Dunbartonshire.
A third of Panel members (33%) stated they participated in sport in West Dunbartonshire, with just over
half of this group (52%) saying that this occurred in a club environment.
Awareness of Sports Development Projects in West Dunbartonshire
Regeneration Areas Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Athletics 18% 22% 20%
Football 40% 42% 41%
Swimming 43% 44% 44%
Hockey 7% 7% 7%
Current guidelines for adults to take moderate physical activity suggest that they should accumulate at
least 30 minutes per day five or more times in a typical week. Moderate physical activity is defined as
the effort required for brisk walking and can include gardening, vigorous housework or cycling. It
doesn’t have to be 30 minutes all at once and short bursts of activity lasting about 10 minutes or more
can be added together.
As illustrated below, almost half of all Panel members (49%) stated they take moderate physical
exercise on most days of a typical week, with this proportion rising marginally to 51% of those living in
the rest of West Dunbartonshire. However, this indicates that just over half of all Panel members do
not adhere to current guidelines and in fact a third (33%) take moderate physical exercise on 2 days a
week or less (with this rising to 45% of Panel members living in the regeneration areas).
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 10
Taking Moderate Physical Exercise
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
On no days in a
typical week
18% 6% 9%
1 day in a typical
week
17% 8% 11%
2 days in a typical
week
10% 15% 13%
3 days in a typical
week
10% 21% 18%
On most days of a
typical week
45% 51% 49%
In addition to establishing the levels of participation in moderate physical exercise, the survey provided
an opportunity to assess how many Panel members take part in vigorous exercise or sport which lasts
at least 20 minutes or more. More than half of all Panel members (58%) stated that they never or rarely
take part in vigorous exercise or sport, with this proportion rising to 65% among Panel members living
in the regeneration areas. Conversely, only 13% said they took part in vigorous exercise or sport at
least 3 times a week, the recommended level of activity, with this falling to only 9 % of those living in
the regeneration areas.
Taking Part in Vigorous Physical Exercise or Sport
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Never or rarely 65% 54% 58%
Less than once a
week
18% 10% 12%
Once a week 5% 11% 9%
Twice a week 3% 10% 8%
At least three times
a week
9% 15% 13%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 11
Panel members were asked about their use of and attitudes to a range of leisure facilities across West
Dunbartonshire including:
• West Dunbartonshire Council public swimming pools
• West Dunbartonshire Council gyms
• Other West Dunbartonshire Council sports facilities, for example badminton courts, tennis
courts and squash courts
• Local playing fields
• Local parks
Local parks emerged having the highest level of usage among this range of leisure facilities, quoted by
49% of Panel members throughout West Dunbartonshire. The Council’s swimming pools emerged as a
facility used by the next largest proportion of Panel members (31%), while usage of the remaining
facilities was focused on relatively small groups across West Dunbartonshire.
Use of Council Leisure Facilities
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
WDC public
swimming pools
30% 31% 31%
WDC Cosmopolitan
gyms
8% 14% 12%
Other WDC sports
facilities e.g. tennis
or squash courts
5% 5% 5%
Local playing fields 6% 7% 6%
Local parks 49% 49% 49%
Among those able to express an opinion about these leisure facilities, satisfaction with both access and
quality is high. For example, typically 90% of all Panel members are satisfied with access to swimming
pools, gyms and local parks, with this only falling to 73% for local playing fields and 65% for other
sports facilities such as tennis or squash courts.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 12
Equally important is that satisfaction with the quality of these leisure facilities is high, peaking at 86% for
the Council’s Cosmopolitan gyms and 79% for local parks, with satisfaction only falling to 64% for local
playing fields. No major differences between Panel members in the regeneration areas and the rest of
West Dunbartonshire were found.
Satisfaction with Access to Leisure Facilities
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
WDC public
swimming pools
88% 90% 90%
WDC Cosmopolitan
gyms
87% 89% 88%
Other WDC sports
facilities e.g. tennis
or squash courts
63% 66% 65%
Local playing fields 76% 71% 73%
Local parks 89% 87% 88%
Satisfaction with Quality of Leisure Facilities
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
WDC public
swimming pools
73% 76% 75%
WDC Cosmopolitan
gyms
85% 86% 86%
Other WDC sports
facilities e.g. tennis
or squash courts
60% 65% 63%
Local playing fields 66% 63% 64%
Local parks 80% 79% 79%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 13
The health and well being questionnaire advised Panel members that the Council had had been
developing a number of activities for children and young people to encourage them to increase their
physical activity. Panel members were then asked if they were aware of two initiatives targeted at
young people:
• Free summer holiday swimming
• Juvenile gym membership packages
Awareness of the free summer holiday swimming for young people is high, with almost two thirds of all
Panel members (63%) saying they had heard of this initiative. Conversely, awareness of the juvenile
gym membership packages is much lower, quoted by only 22% of Panel members.
Of those aware of the free summer holiday swimming initiative, the majority (63%) had heard it through
the local press, with a third (33%) also saying that they were made aware of the initiative through word
of mouth and 28% through leaflets and posters placed in leisure centres. A similar profile emerges for
those who have heard of the juvenile gym membership packages, with 60% made aware of them
through local press and 39% as a result of posters and leaflets placed in leisure centres.
Panel members where asked for their views on the quality of activities in Council leisure centres for
children aged 12 and under and for teenagers. As illustrated below, Panel member’s views are mixed
on the quality of these activities. For example, while more the two thirds (69%) feel the quality of
activities for children aged 12 or under are “fairly good” or “very good”, almost a third (30%) feel they
are “not very good” or “not good”. A slightly more negative position emerged in relation to the quality of
activities for teenagers, with 51% stating they were “not very good” or “not good”.
Activities for Children aged 12 and under in the WDC Leisure Centres
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Very good 10% 12% 12%
Fairly good 55% 58% 57%
Not very good 25% 22% 23%
Not good 10% 8% 8%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 14
Activities for Teenagers in WDC Leisure Centres
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Very good 9% 10% 9%
Fairly good 39% 40% 40%
Not very good 35% 32% 32%
Not good 17% 18% 19%
Just over 1 in 10 of all Panel members (12%) said they were aware of the activities in the leisure
centres for children and young people with a disability i.e. Shining Stars. Yet again, awareness has
been generated primarily though advertisements and articles in the local press (42%), with 36% also
mentioning leaflets and posters placed in leisure centres. Attitudes to the quality of these activities are
very positive, with 87% of those who expressed an opinion saying that they were “very good” or “fairly
good”.
It has already been illustrated that a significant proportion of Panel members do not meet
recommended guidelines on taking moderate or vigorous physical activity. However, it is significant that
more than two thirds (67%) stated that they would like to increase their physical activity. This interest is
consistently high across age ranges but peaks at 75% of those aged 25 to 29 and 70% for those aged
30 to 59. There are no significant differences by gender or by area.
While just over half of all Panel member (53%) feel there are enough sporting activities for their age
group, 47% feel there are inadequate opportunities, with this view peaking at 63% for those aged 25 to
29 and is also slightly higher among male respondents (50%).
More than half of Panel members (59%) have also stated that they would be interested in a guided walk
service if this was available, and which appeals equally to both genders and across most of the age
categories of Panel members.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 15
Attitudes to Physical Activity
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Like to increase
physical activity
65% 68% 67%
Enough sporting
activities for your
age group
53% 54% 53%
Interested in Walks
Service
56% 60% 59%
Aware of health
initiatives in
schools
50% 49% 49%
Finally, the survey was used to assess Panel members’ awareness that all West Dunbartonshire
schools aimed to be health promoting schools. The table above indicates that just under half (49%)
said they are aware of this health initiative, and is slightly higher amongst Panel members with children.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 16
4. Healthy Eating Current guidance is that adults should eat five or more portions of fruit and vegetables each day (this
can include salad but not potatoes, and also include fruit and vegetable that are fresh, frozen, dried or
tinned).
Just over a quarter (26%) of all Panel members said that they eat five or more portions of fruit and
vegetables per day, with this falling to only 21% of Panel members is the regeneration areas.
Conversely, over a third of Panel members (37%) stated that they eat fewer than 3 portions a day, with
this rising to over half (51%) of Panel member in the regeneration areas.
Portions of fruit and vegetables eaten each day
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
5 or more portions
a day
21% 28% 26%
3 - 4 portions a day 25% 40% 36%
1 – 2 portions a day 39% 30% 32%
None 12% 2% 5%
Don’t know 4% 1% 2%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 17
5. Smoking Just over a quarter of Panel members (26%) currently smoke, with 18% stating that they smoke every
day. In the regeneration areas, more than a third of all Panel members (35%) currently smoke, with
23% smoking every day. Of those who currently smoke, the majority (68%) said they are aware of
smoking cessation services.
Smoking
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
I have never tried or
only tried once or twice
40% 48% 45%
I gave up smoking but
started again
4% 4% 4%
I have given up
smoking
26% 32% 30%
I smoke some days 8% 2% 4%
I smoke everyday 23% 15% 18%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 18
6. Alcohol Just under 1 in 5 of all Panel members (19%) said they do not drink alcohol, a proportion that is
consistent within the regeneration areas as well as across the rest of West Dunbartonshire. However,
the proportion of Panel members from the regeneration areas drinking alcohol on more than 2 days per
week is higher than for the rest of West Dunbartonshire. For example, 23% of those from the
regeneration areas say they drink alcohol on 3 to 5 days per week compared to only 15% in the rest of
West Dunbartonshire. In addition, 16% drink alcohol on 6 to 7 days per week in comparison to only 6%
in the rest of West Dunbartonshire.
Drinking Alcohol
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Never 21% 19% 19%
Less than once a
month
11% 19% 16%
More than once a
month, but not weekly
5% 17% 14%
1 – 2 days per week 25% 25% 25%
3 – 5 days per week 23% 15% 17%
6 -7 days per week 16% 6% 9%
Panel members who drink alcohol were asked to estimate how many units they drank in the last week
(they were advised that one unit of alcohol was equal to a small glass of wine, half a pint of normal
strength lager or a pub measure of any spirit).
Current guidance states that the safe drinking level for men is 21 units per week and 15 units per week
for women. Across West Dunbartonshire as a whole, 13% of men and 11% of women currently drink
above these levels. These estimates are higher in the regeneration areas, where 22% of men and 21%
of women drink above safe alcohol consumption levels.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 19
Alcohol consumption
Regeneration
Areas
Male Female
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
Male Female
West
Dunbartonshire
Male Female
Less than 15 units 43% 80% 75% 88% 67% 85%
15 – 21 units 34% 5% 15% 5% 20% 4%
22 – 35 units 16% 9% 7% 5% 9% 6%
36 – 50 units 5% 6% 3% 2% 4% 4%
More than 50 units 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 1%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 20
7. Mental Health and Well Being This section assesses Panel members’ perceptions of their general mental or emotional well being, as
well as their awareness of the West Dunbartonshire Choose Life Suicide Prevention Campaign and
their overall attitudes to mental health problems.
More than three quarters of all Panel members (76%) said that they would describe their general
mental or emotional health well being as either “very happy” or “fairly happy”. This fell marginally to
69% in the regeneration areas.
Mental or emotional well being
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Very happy 28% 29% 29%
Fairly happy 41% 50% 47%
Neither happy nor
unhappy
9% 13% 12%
Fairly unhappy 13% 7% 9%
Very unhappy 9% 2% 4%
These perceptions are strongly supported by Panel members’ perceptions of how stressed they feel
they are. For example, just under two thirds (65%) said they do not feel stressed at all or only a little
stressed. Only 12% described their condition as “very stressed”, although this rises to 18% among
residents within the regeneration areas.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 21
In the last week how stressed would you say you were?
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Not stressed at all 24% 23% 23%
A little stressed 34% 46% 42%
Quite stressed 20% 19% 19%
Very stressed 18% 10% 12%
Don’t know 4% 2% 3%
Overall, more than a third of all Panel members (38%) said they were aware that their GP can refer
them to physical activity programmes although, this level of awareness did not vary significantly in
terms of Panel member’s current perception of their general mental and emotional well being.
Overall awareness of the West Dunbartonshire Council Choose Life Campaign is relatively low, with
only 14% of all Panel members stating they were aware of the campaign. Yet again, there are no
significant differences in awareness of the campaign by Panel member’s perceptions of their current
emotional or mental well being. Of those who are aware of the campaign, the majority (76%) said they
had heard of it through the local press.
Finally, Panel members were asked to indicate if they agreed or disagreed with two statements about
mental health problems. As illustrated below, just over a third (35%) said that if they were suffering from
mental health problems they wouldn’t want people knowing about it (with this proportion rising
marginally to 39% among Panel members in the regeneration areas). Conversely, only 11% said they
would find it hard to talk to someone in the community who had a mental health problem.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 22
Attitudes to Mental Health
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
If I was suffering from mental health
problems I wouldn’t want people
knowing about it
39% 34% 35%
I would find it hard to talk to
someone in the community who had
a mental health problem
13% 10% 11%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 23
8. Local Services Overall levels of satisfaction with access to and the quality of local health services are high. For
example, almost all Panel members (99%) are satisfied with access to a local pharmacy and a similar
proportion (97%) is satisfied with the quality of services provided by local pharmacies. Very high
satisfaction ratings were also recorded for dental, GP and child care services. Only relatively minor
differences in satisfaction levels were recorded between the regeneration areas and the rest of West
Dunbartonshire.
Satisfied with access to services
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Chiropody 70% 62% 64%
Physiotherapy 69% 68% 68%
Hearing aid clinics 75% 81% 79%
Dental services 86% 86% 86%
GP services 85% 84% 84%
Hospital Out
Patient
75% 75% 75%
Pharmacy 99% 98% 99%
Childcare 75% 77% 76%
Health Promotion
76% 77% 76%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 24
Satisfied with the quality of services
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Chiropody 80% 75% 76%
Physiotherapy 77% 80% 79%
Hearing aid clinics 72% 80% 77%
Dental services 92% 92% 92%
GP services 91% 89% 89%
Hospital Out
Patient
82% 78% 79%
Pharmacy 96% 97% 97%
Childcare 82% 89% 85%
Health Promotion
81% 81% 81%
A high proportion of Panel members (83%) are currently registered with a dentist and over three
quarters of this group (77%) have had a dental check up in the last year.
Registered with a dentist
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Yes 82% 83% 83%
No 19% 17% 17%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 25
When did you last have a dental check up?
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
In the last year 76% 77% 77%
In the last 2 years 6% 7% 7%
Longer than 2
years ago
14% 13% 13%
Don’t know 5% 3% 4%
Just under 1 in 5 of all Panel members (17%) said they have caring responsibilities on a day to day
basis for someone who has additional caring needs, for example a child with a disability or and elderly
person. This sub sample of Panel member were asked about there awareness of support services for
carers, and as illustrated below, awareness is very high for residential respite (89%) and carers’ centres
(79%). A fairly high proportion (ranging from 45% to 60%) were aware of the carers’ support plan,
respite at home and advocacy services, but only 22% said they were aware of the “Out of the Blue”
respite service.
Caring Responsibilities
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Yes 18% 17% 17%
No 82% 83% 83%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 26
Aware of support services for carers
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Carers’ Support
Plan
55% 62% 60%
Carers’ Centers 73% 82% 79%
Residential Respite 75% 96% 89%
Respite at home 57% 60% 59%
‘Out of the Blue’
respite service
20% 23% 22%
Advocacy services 39% 48% 45%
Panel members were asked a series of questions in relation to child protection issues and initially were
asked to indicate that, if they had concerns about a child, which of a series of organisations or
individuals they would contact. The majority of Panel members (65%) said they would contact Social
Work Services if they were concerned about a child, with a slightly lower proportion (56%) saying they
would contact the Police. Schools would be contacted by a quarter of respondents, with less than a
quarter saying they would contact a GP, health visitor or a nursery.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 27
If you had concerns about a child would you contact any of the following?
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Social Work
Services
66% 65% 65%
Police 54% 57% 56%
Nursery 12% 13% 12%
School 24% 25% 25%
GP 19% 18% 18%
Health Visitor 18% 16% 16%
Other 5% 5% 5%
Panel members indicated that they had seen information on child protection from four main sources,
including:
• National TV/radio/newspaper (44%)
• Health centres (33%)
• Local TV/radio/newspaper (25%)
• Libraries (17%)
Typically fewer than 10% had also seen child protection information from other sources including
schools, nurseries and leisure centres.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 28
Seen Child Protection information in any of the following?
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Social Work
Department
10% 9% 9%
Health Centre 30% 34% 33%
Nursery 4% 4% 4%
School 10% 10% 10%
National
TV/Radio/Newspaper
43% 45% 44%
Local
TV/Radio/Newspaper
25% 25% 25%
Library 15% 18% 17%
Leisure Centre 4% 6% 5%
Other 7% 7% 7%
Panel members with children at school or nursery were advised that they had received a leaflet “What
you can do to help if you are worried about a child or young person” in their school bag and were
asked if they had read this leaflet. Almost three quarters (72%) of couples with children said they had
read the leaflet, with a similar proportion of lone parents (67%) also saying they had read the leaflet.
No significant variations between the regeneration areas and the rest of West Dunbartonshire were
recorded.
Finally, respondents were asked to indicate how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with a series of
aspects of their local neighbourhood. As illustrated in the table below, satisfaction levels are generally
high, particularly in relation to the following:-
Cemeteries (82%)
Parks (81%)
Street lighting (81%)
Public buildings for example schools, housing and offices (72%)
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 29
Most of the other aspects of the local neighbourhood recorded satisfaction levels of 40% - 60%, with
the lowest level overall recorded for roads (40%) and pavements (40%).
The widest variation in attitudes between the regeneration areas and the rest of West Dunbartonshire
was in relation to satisfaction with public buildings, where there was a 7% lower satisfaction rating
within the regeneration areas.
Satisfaction with your neighborhood
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Overall physical
appearance of the
local area
62% 59% 60%
Open spaces 60% 57% 58%
Play areas 45% 41% 42%
Gardens, closes and
back courts
57% 58% 58%
Public buildings e.g.
schools, housing
offices
66% 73% 72%
Parks 81% 81% 81%
Cemeteries 85% 80% 82%
Roads 42% 39% 40%
Pavements 40% 40% 40%
Street lighting 80% 82% 81%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 30
9. Sexual Health Questions on sexual health in the survey focused on whether Panel members knew where and how to
access family planning services as well as information and counselling services in relation to LGBT
issues.
As illustrated below, more than two thirds of all Panel members (68%) said they knew where and how
to access family planning services, while 14% said they knew where to access information and
counselling services in relation to LGBT issues.
Sexual Health
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Know where and how to
access Family Planning
Services
67% 69% 68%
Know where to access
information and counseling
services in relation to LGBT
(Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and
Transgender) issues
13% 14% 14%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 31
10. Your Local Community Just under 1 in 5 of all Panel members (18%) said they regularly attend local community or
representative groups, for example tenants’ associations or community councils. Respondents were
also asked if they were satisfied with the opportunity to get involved in community activities, and while
only 26% stated they were satisfied, the level of dissatisfaction is even lower, at only 8% (67% of
respondents said they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied or did not want to get involved).
Perhaps more significantly, of those respondents who do regularly attend local community or
representative groups, almost two thirds (65%) said they are satisfied with opportunities for participation
with only 11% dissatisfied.
Regularly attend any local community/representative groups
Regeneration Areas Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire
19% 17% 18%
Satisfied with the opportunity to get involved in community activities
Regeneration Areas Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire
24% 27% 26%
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 32
11. Quality of Life To complete the survey, Panel members were asked to indicate which of a series of statements came
closest to describing how they feel about there overall quality of life at the moment. As illustrated below,
the majority of Panel members agreed with positive statements about their overall quality of life, with
52% saying they were “mostly satisfied” and 8% that they were “delighted”.
Over a quarter (29%) said they had mixed views on their quality of life with a further 11% saying they
were either “mostly dissatisfied“ or they would describe their quality of life as “terrible”.
Attitudes to overall quality of life
Regeneration
Areas
Rest of West
Dunbartonshire
West
Dunbartonshire
Delighted 9% 7% 8%
Mostly satisfied 42% 57% 52%
Mixed 27% 30% 29%
Mostly dissatisfied 14% 4% 7%
Terrible 7% 2% 4%
Don’t know 0% 1% 1%
The most significant variation to emerge between the regeneration areas and the rest of West
Dunbartonshire was in relation to a significantly higher proportion of regeneration area respondents
having a negative outlook on their quality of life. For example, 21% described their quality of life as
either “mostly dissatisfied” or “terrible”, compared to only 6% in the rest of West Dunbartonshire.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 33
12. Concluding Comments The West Dunbartonshire Health and Well Being Survey has confirmed a high level of satisfaction with
a range of services and facilities which impact on health. In particular, satisfaction is high for the quality
of local health services, most aspects of the Council’s leisure facilities and the local neighbourhood.
Overall, the majority of Panel members agreed with positive statements about their quality of life, with
52% saying they were “mostly satisfied” and 8% that they were “delighted”. However, over a quarter
(29%) said they had mixed views, with a further 11% saying they were either “mostly dissatisfied“ or
they would describe their quality of life as “terrible”.
In addition, a significantly higher proportion of regeneration area respondents have a negative outlook
on their quality of life. For example, 21% described this as either “mostly dissatisfied” or “terrible”,
compared to only 6% in the rest of West Dunbartonshire.
Perhaps the most far reaching finding from the study is that the health behaviour of a significant
proportion of Panel members falls short of current guidelines. In particular, more than half do not meet
current targets on exercise and three quarters do not conform to guidelines on healthy eating. Over a
quarter smoke, and in the regeneration areas, more than one in five drink above safe alcohol
consumption levels.
However, there is evidence to indicate that the majority of Panel members want to improve their health
and fitness. More than two thirds (67%) stated that they would like to increase their physical activity and
more than half (59%) have also stated that they would be interested in a guided walk service if this was
available. Significantly, however, almost half (47%) also feel there are inadequate sports and leisure
opportunities and there was some criticism in relation to leisure facilities and activities for children and
teenagers.
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 34
Appendix 1 Health and Well Being Questionnaire
Health and Well Being Survey
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Appendix 2 West Dunbartonshire Citizens’ Panel
Health and Well Being Survey
Report by Hexagon Research and Consulting 51
The West Dunbartonshire Citizens’ Panel was recruited with the following aims:
• To be representative of local residents and willing to be surveyed on a regular basis about the
policies and services of the community planning partners
• To recruit approximately 500 Panel members from the regeneration areas and a further 500 across
the rest of West Dunbartonshire
• To allow these views to be fed into the decision-making processes of the community planning
partners
• To keep Panel members informed of the actions taken by community planning partners in response
to the views expressed
The Panel recruitment exercise produced 1,185 members, with 542 in the regeneration areas and 639
across the rest of West Dunbartonshire. An analysis of the characteristics of Panel members indicated
that, overall, the West Dunbartonshire Citizens’ Panel:
• Reflects many of the characteristics of the West Dunbartonshire adult population
• All community plan themes are regarded to be of significant interest to most Panel members
• Almost 500 Panel members would be interested in being engaged further in discussion groups.
However, as the Panel was recruited through a process of self selection, it was unlikely that its final
composition would fully reflect the characteristics of the West Dunbartonshire adult population as a
whole. The Panel was also designed to have a disproportionate number of members from
Regeneration areas to allow robust reporting of results for these areas.
The main implication of this is that it will be important to re-weight the findings from any survey which
uses the Panel. We recommended that this was done to correct the imbalance by geographical area
(Regeneration areas versus the rest of West Dunbartonshire) and by the age of the respondent, and all
findings presented in this report are based on this re-weighting process.