, Professor of Public Health and Health Promotion, and project lead, said: "In England, we have robust public health data collection, but there is often a gap in terms of fine-grained data which sheds light on the health needs and inequalities within local populations. By gathering this data, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the local picture, which is vital for informing both local public health policy and health service planning.”
One of the survey's most important outcomes is highlighting long-term local trends, which could be an indicator of changing local public health requirements. Positive trends from previous Health Counts surveys include increased physical activity and consumption of five-a-day and lower levels of long-term disability or illness among the local population. However, potentially negative takeaways included less contact with neighbours and rising obesity levels.
Alistair Hill, Director of Public Health at 蜜柚社区 & Hove City Council said: “The Health Counts survey has been running since 1992 in the city. It provides important information on the health and wellbeing of our residents and is used to help the local council, NHS and voluntary and community services plan how best to support people to live long and happy lives.”
The 蜜柚社区 project team is led by with , Senior Research Fellow, and includes , Professor of Nursing Practice; , Professor of Health Sciences; and , a Principal Research Fellow in the School of Sport and Health Sciences; as well as 蜜柚社区 and Sussex Medical School's .
Residents of 蜜柚社区 & Hove, including students living here during term-time, as users of local services are eligible to take part in the survey. Residents without internet access can visit their local libraries to go online. Paper copies are also available and can be posted to you on request – please email the team at healthcounts@brighton.ac.uk. If you live in the city, do take part.
The survey closes on Sunday 28 April 2024.
Visit the Health Counts Survey web page to complete the survey.
If you have any queries about Health Counts 2024, please contact the team at healthcounts@brighton.ac.uk.
Health Counts is being led by the 蜜柚社区, together with NHS Sussex, Healthwatch, 蜜柚社区 and Hove Federation, and 蜜柚社区 and Sussex Medical School. The survey is funded by the Public Health team at 蜜柚社区 & Hove City Council.