People in high income households are among the biggest drinkers, says a report from The NHS Information Centre out today.

More of those in the top earning households drink frequently (five or more days a week) more than those living in the lowest earning homes.

When taking into account age and location, those living in highest income households are also more likely to consume more than twice the recommended daily intake (more than 8 units for men and more than 6 units for women on at least one day of the last week – often labelled binge drinking) than those in poorer households.

The Health Survey for England (HSE) is published each year and monitors trends in the health of the population of England.

This year's report (2009) shows that one in four men (25 per cent) and more than one in seven women (15 per cent) had drunk more than twice the recommended levels on at least one day in the week prior to the survey.

The survey also showed that, for the week prior to being surveyed:

• Those in the top earning households were more likely to have drunk alcohol than those in the lowest income households. In the highest income households, 86 per cent of men and 72 per cent of women had drunk alcohol. This compares to 54 per cent of men and 47 per cent of women in the lowest income households.
• Those in the top earning households were also more likely to have drunk frequently (on five days or more). In the highest income households, 29 per cent of men and 17 per cent of women had drunk frequently. This compares to 17 per cent of men and 11 per cent of women in the lowest income households.

This year's HSE also covered a wide range of other health issues such as long term conditions, obesity, smoking and kidney disease. Other interesting findings included:

• Around two fifths of people had a longstanding illness (41 per cent of men, 43 per cent of women). Almost a quarter reported that an illness limited their activity in some way (22 per cent of men and 23 per cent of women). Overall a lower percentage of men than women reported having two or more longstanding illnesses (16 per cent of men and 19 per cent of women). The prevalence of longstanding illness and limiting longstanding illness increased with age in both sexes. A similar increase with age was also found among those with two or more illnesses.
• The percentage of adults who were obese has gradually increased over the period examined by the HSE, from 13 per cent of men in 1993 to 22 per cent in 2009 and from 16 per cent of women in 1993 to 24 per cent in 2009.
• For adults aged 16 and over, self-reported cigarette smoking prevalence was 24 per cent for men and 20 per cent for women. As in previous years, cigarette smoking prevalence varied by age, being higher among younger adults (32 per cent for men and 26 per cent for women aged 25-34) and lower among older adults (11 per cent for men and 8 per cent for women aged 75 and over).
• 7.6 per cent of men and 7.9 per cent of women reported having been tested for kidney disease, and 1.5 per cent of men and 1.3 per cent of women reported having doctor-diagnosed chronic kidney disease. The prevalence of self-reported kidney disease increased with age until 65-74 and then declined slightly for both men and women. Prevalence of the disease peaked at age 65-74 for both men (3.7 per cent) and women (3.0 per cent).

The chief executive of The NHS Information Centre Tim Straughan said: “The figures show the extent to which people from all backgrounds drink alcohol both frequently and in quantities that could be harmful to their health. They show that a greater percentage in the richest households drink frequently than those in the poorest and that drinking more than twice the recommended levels on at least one day in the previous week is common irrespective of financial status.”

The full report is at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hse09report.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care (The NHS IC) is England's authoritative, central, independent source of health and social care information. It works with a range of health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researcher, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS IC also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.

2. The Health Survey for England is an annual survey, monitoring the health of the population. The National Centre for Social Research and University College London (UCL) are commissioned by The NHS IC to carry out the survey. Each survey consists of core questions and measurements, plus modules of questions on specific issues that change periodically. The 2009 survey interviewed 4,645 adults and 3,957 children.

3. Information presented in this press release contains prevalence data and some of its findings are based on a statistical analysis technique called multiple regression modelling. This means factors such as age, region of residence and level of deprivation are taken into account when looking at the likelihood of drinking more than twice the recommended level.

4. For media enquires please call 0845 257 6990.