Irish children's general health is better than their tooth care, CSO figures show
Some 3.2pc were considered to have 'bad or very bad' general dental health, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The figures show that 93.4pc of children aged two to eight years of age were considered to have good or very good general health, compared with 94.6pc of children aged nine to 12 years and 89.6pcpc of children aged 13 to 17 years.
The percentage of children aged two to 17 years who were considered to be in good or very good health was highest in HSE south west at 95.2pc and lowest in HSE Dublin and Midlands at 90.8pc.
Almost one in five – 18.4pc – of children aged two to 17 years have a long-standing illness or health problem and it is higher for males – 19.9pc – than females at 16.8pc.
Over one in 20 children aged two to 17 years were admitted to a hospital as an in-patient and 14.7pc were a day-case patient in the past 12 months.
Almost half of children aged two to 17 years needed a medical examination or treatment – excluding dental – for a health problem in the past 12 months.
Fruits and vegetables were eaten at least once a day by 89.0pc of children aged two to 17 years – although consumption fell off slightly among older children.
Some 95.9pc had a meal with meat, chicken, or fish – or vegetarian equivalent – at least once a day.
Participation in leisure activities such as swimming, playing an instrument, or youth organisations was highest for those aged nine to 12 years at 92.3pc and lowest for those aged two to eight years at 80.8pc.
ADVERTISEMENT
Sarah Crilly, Statistician in the Health and Social Cohesion Division, said: 'The statistics contained in this release are selected from a module on children's health that was included in the Irish Health Survey, which was conducted in 2024.
"The guardians of children aged between two to 17 years were asked questions, via an online questionnaire, about their child's health status, access to health care, and their health determinants such as nutrition and recreational activities.
'The release includes a selection of statistics from the children's module survey with additional data available on the CSO's open data portal, PxStat. The complete list of statistics are included in the Data chapter of this release, with further statistics disaggregated by age, sex and HSE health region. This is the first CSO survey publication to include statistics by HSE health region.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Irish Times
Widow settles case against HSE over death of husband (44)
Our Lady of Lourdes hospital breached its duty of care to a 44-year-old man who died two weeks after he was allegedly wrongly discharged from the Co Louth hospital, the High Court has heard. Simon Sherry (44), late of Edenburt, Virginia, died at Cavan General Hospital in August 2019 after developing a severe urinary tract infection and subsequent heart infection, about two weeks after he was allegedly wrongly discharged from Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda, without a doctor's certification. Mr Justice Paul Coffey was told on Friday that Fiona Sherry, Mr Sherry's widow, had settled her case against the HSE over his death for a 'substantial' sum. Outlining Ms Sherry's case, her senior counsel Dr John O'Mahony, instructed by Hussey Fraser solicitors, said a breach of duty of care to Mr Sherry occurred at Our Lady of Lourdes, resulting in his death. READ MORE Court documents show that a letter of apology was sent to Mr Sherry's family on behalf of the Our Lady of Lourdes, acknowledging deficiencies in care that led to his death, and apologising. Dr O'Mahony said Mr Sherry was admitted to Our Lady of Lourdes on August 4th, 2019, suffering with significant back pain and fever. Mr Sherry was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection, and antibiotics were proscribed. Counsel said Mr Sherry was discharged after two days in hospital, and added that his discharge was allegedly not certified by a doctor. Dr O'Mahony said the 'flagrant breach' of duty of care was Mr Sherry's discharge from Our Lady of Lourdes when he was still unwell. It was Ms Sherry's case that it was clear her husband should not have been discharged. Following this discharge, Ms Sherry's case contended that Mr Sherry developed urosepsis, a severe urinary tract infection, which gave rise to an abscess developing on his kidney. He ultimately developed endocarditis, an inflammation of the lining of the heart, which led to his death at Cavan General Hospital on August 23rd, 2019, the case contended. Mr Justice Paul Coffey approved the division of €35,000 in statutory mental distress payment between members of Mr Sherry's family, and extended his sympathies to them.
Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
Whistleblowers lodge 67 valid HSE disclosures, with a third about patient health and safety
There were 67 valid protected disclosures made to the Health Service Executive last year, of which more than a third related to the alleged 'endangerment of health and safety' of patients or service users. On Friday, the HSE published its 2024 annual report, which found there were 135 protected disclosures received by the executive last year, up 38 per cent when compared with 2023. A total of 67 disclosures were deemed to be 'valid'. Of these, 26 were closed over the 12-month period and 41 are 'still under examination'. More than 80 per cent of disclosures were made by HSE employees, with the remainder coming from Section 38/39 workers who were not HSE employees. READ MORE A total of 37 per cent of disclosures related to the endangerment of health and safety, 15 (22 per cent) related primarily to alleged unlawful or improper use of funds, with a further 15 relating to 'oppressive, discriminatory or behaviour that constitutes gross misconduct by a public body'. The responsible area that had the highest number of disclosures was HSE Dublin and Midlands with 15, followed by HSE Dublin and North East at 12 and HSE Dublin and South East at 10. According to the annual report, Ireland's population grew by approximately 100,000 people last year, reaching 5.38 million. The number of people aged 65 and over has increased by 37 per cent since 2015 and life expectancy now stands at 82.6 years – above the EU average. As a result of the ageing population, the burden of chronic disease and cancer 'remains high, particularly among older adults'. The report highlighted a number of areas in which services have improved, including a reduction in waiting times for elective procedures as well as fewer people on trolleys. However, it also acknowledged the provision of disability services as a key challenging area for the health service. 'A major priority for the HSE is to significantly improve access for children and families to services,' the report said. 'There is still much to do to significantly improve access when needed, particularly for children and young people.' [ Opinion: Nobody wants to stay in hospital longer than necessary. There's a better way to handle patient discharge Opens in new window ] Speaking about the annual report, HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said last year marked 'real progress'. 'We reduced the number of people waiting on trolleys by over 10 per cent, expanded community services and improved access to scheduled care with an additional 24,000 patients seen within target time frames,' he said. 'Our focus in 2025 will be to build on this momentum, improve patient flow and continue to reform how care is delivered across seven days.' [ HSE aims to bring in new weekend work rosters for healthcare staff over summer Opens in new window ]
Irish Daily Mirror
14 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
HSE paid supplier €723,000 twice in 2021 and has not recovered overpayment
The HSE paid a supplier €723,000 twice and has not recovered the overpayment according to the State auditor. The double payment was made by two different areas of the HSE on separate financial systems operating in December 2021, which was not cross-checked. The Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy said the HSE disclosed the payment and set out actions to avoid such a situation in the future. "The HSE acknowledges there were weaknesses in controls, particularly, in relation to appropriate goods receipting protocols," Mr McCarthy said in an assessment attached to the HSE's annual report and financial statements for 2024. "The statement on internal control sets out the actions taken by the Health Service Executive to avoid similar circumstances recurring in the future." He said a single integrated financial system, which was due to go live at the start of this month, would "significantly reduce the risk of this kind of overpayment occurring in the future". Mr McCarthy also highlighted that €4.1 million due to the HSE was lost last year by missing deadlines by which it could claim charges for patients covered by a health insurer. A memorandum of agreement with the health insurer in 2016 sees the HSE paid 70 per cent of its charges for a patient stay, on account, if it makes its submission and validation within a 12-month period of a fully completed claim. If it does not meet that deadline, it must pay for all of the costs. "For a sample of eight hospitals examined on audit, it was noted that losses incurred in 2024 as a result of delays in submitting completed claims amounted to €2 million," Mr McCarthy said. "The Executive estimates that losses for the remaining hospitals it manages were €2.1 million, resulting in an estimated total loss of €4.1 million for 2024." The HSE's annual report indicated there was a 10 per cent reduction in the number of people waiting on trolleys in emergency departments last year. Over 108,000 people were recorded on trolleys in emergency departments last year, amid an 8 per cent increase in the total number of people attending and a rise of 7 per cent in admissions to emergency departments. HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said one of the most "challenging" aspects for the HSE was wait times for healthcare, and said tackling "unacceptably long" waits in emergency departments was an area of focus. HSE CEO Bernard Gloster (Image: Gareth Chaney/Collins) The HSE annual report for 2024 analyses the health service's performance and health trends among Irish people. "Addressing waiting lists for scheduled care and unacceptably long waits in emergency departments (EDs) remains a priority focus area, especially for older people and those with complex needs," Mr Gloster said in the foreword. "My plan for 2025 is to continue to bring trolley numbers down and to improve how our health and social care system works across seven days to allow consistent access to care." Requests for assessments of need for children spiked by 26 per cent last year compared to a year previous, and were 33 per cent above expected demand in 2024. There were 8,400 such requests in 2023 and more than 10,600 in 2024, in figures which had previously been shared by Children's Minister Norma Foley in the Dail. Norma Foley (Image: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos) Although there was a slight uptake on the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine compared to the previous year, the 89.9 per cent figure was below the target for 2024. The chairman of the HSE's board, Ciaran Devane, said in an introductory statement to the report that Ireland's population is ageing "faster than that of any other country in the EU". Since 2015, the number of people aged 65 years and over has increased by 37 per cent. Although life expectancy in Ireland, at 82.6 years, is ahead of the EU average, the burden of cancer is higher and accounts for a quarter of all deaths of those aged over 65. Mr Gloster, who is to step down from his role in March 2026, said 2024 was a year of "real progress". "We reduced the number of people waiting on trolleys by over 10 per cent, expanded community services and improved access to scheduled care with an additional 24,000 patients seen within target timeframes. "Our focus in 2025 will be to build on this momentum, improve patient flow and continue to reform how care is delivered across seven days." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
