Limiting long-term illness or disability which restricts their daily activities, by age and sex, April 2001
In 2001 almost a quarter (23 per cent) of the population in Wales reported having a limiting long-term illness or disability which restricted their daily activities. Rates increased with age, especially as respondents were instructed specifically to 'Include problems which are due to old age'.
Despite high rates of disability in Wales, only 12 per cent of the population rated their general health as 'not good'. Again rates increased considerably with age, such that a third (33 per cent) of people aged 75 and over fell into this category.
The majority (89 per cent) of people who rated their health as 'not good' also reported having a disability. However less than half (48 per cent) of people with a disability said their health was 'not good'.
Because of the variation in health with age, it is necessary to compare age standardised rates of illness between Unitary Authority areas, as the populations of different authority areas have different age structures.
After standardising for age, Merthyr Tydfil had the highest rates of disability and health that was 'not good'. Other areas with high rates of disability were Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Neath Port Talbot, and Rhondda Cynon Taff. Men and women in Gwynedd, Powys and Monmouthshire had the lowest rates of disability and health that was 'not good'.
Carers
In 2001 almost 340,000 people, around 13 per cent of the household population in Wales, provided unpaid care for family members, friends or neighbours.
People aged between 45 and 59 were the group most likely to be providing unpaid care. More than one in five (23 per cent) were doing so. There were almost 7,000 children (2 per cent) aged 5 to 15 in Wales providing care.
More women than men provided care (14 per cent compared with 11 per cent). However, among those aged over 75, men were almost twice as likely as women to provide care.
Most carers (61 per cent) spent between 1 and 19 hours a week caring. Over a quarter of carers (26 per cent) spent 50 hours or more a week, and this proportion was much higher (50 per cent) among people aged 75 and over.
Provision of unpaid care: by age and sex, April 2001
Nearly a third of those providing unpaid care in Wales (29 per cent) reported having a disability themselves. This figure increased with age, as for the general population. Over half of carers aged 65 and over had a disability.
Neath Port Talbot had the highest proportion (14 per cent) of people that provided care. The Unitary Authority areas which had the highest rates of caring were those with the highest age standardised rates of disability and health rated as 'not good'.
Source: Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics.
Notes: The term disability is used to refer to limiting long-term illness or disability which restricted daily activities.
The 2001 Census asked: Do you have any long-term illness, health problem or disability which limits your daily activities or the work you can do? Include problems which are due to old age.
Over the last 12 months would you say your health has on the whole been: Good/Fairly good/Not good?
Do you look after, or give any help or support to family members, friends, neighbours or others because of: - long-term physical or mental ill-health or disability, or - problems related to old age Do not count anything you do as part of your paid employment. Tick the time spent in a typical week: 1-19, 20-49, 50+
Age standardised rates allow comparisons between populations with different age structures. The method used here is direct standardisation using the European Standard Population.
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Demography