Age standardised 'not good' health rates: by religion and sex, April 2001, GB
Muslim males and females in Great Britain had the highest rates of reported ill health in 2001.
Age-standardised rates of 'not good' health were 13 per cent for Muslim males and 16 per cent for Muslim females. Rates were also high for Sikhs: 10 per cent of males and 14 per cent of females rated their health as 'not good'. These rates, which take account of the difference in age structures between the religious groups, were higher than those of Jews and Christians, who were the least likely to rate their health as 'not good'.
Females were more likely than males to rate their health as 'not good' among most groups. The gender difference was most notable for Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus. Among females, 16 per cent of Muslims, 14 per cent of Sikhs and 11 per cent of Hindus rated their health as 'not good'. These rates were 3 to 4 percentage points higher than their respective male counterparts.
There was little gender difference in the rates for Christians and Jews, and no gender difference for those with no religion. Buddhists were the only group where males were more likely than females to say their health was 'not good'.
If the different age structures of the religious groups are not taken into account, Christian and Jewish groups have the highest proportions of people saying their health was 'not good'. This is a direct result of the older age profiles within each group.
Age standardised limiting long-term illness or disability rates: by religion and sex, April 2001, GB
There are marked variations in rates of disability or long-term illness which restrict daily activities between people from different religious backgrounds in Great Britain.
In 2001 the highest overall rates of disability were found among Christians and Jews. However, once age was taken into account, Jewish people had the lowest rates of disability (13 per cent for both males and females). Christians had the second lowest age-standardised rates, at 16 per cent for males and 15 per cent for females respectively.
After taking account of the different age structures of the groups, Muslims had the highest rates of disability. Almost a quarter of Muslim females (24 per cent) had a disability, as did one in five (21 per cent) Muslim males.
In some groups the gender difference in rates of disability was much greater than in others. In Muslim, Hindu and Sikh groups disability rates for females were about 3 percentage points higher than for males. For Buddhists, Christians and those with no religion, disability rates were slightly higher for males than for females.
Sources: Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics Census, April 2001, General Register Office for Scotland
Notes: The general health question in the 2001 Census was 'Over the last twelve months would you say your health has on the whole been Good, Fairly Good, Not Good'.
Age-standardised rates allow comparisons between populations with different age structures. The method used here is direct standardisation using the European Standard Population.
The term disability is used to refer to limiting long-term illness or disability which restricts daily activities. It is calculated from a 'Yes' response to the question in the 2001 Census: 'Do you have any long-term illness, health problem or disability which limits your activities or the work you can do?'
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