Yet another “survey” cropped up during the week.

One in three drinkers has binged on alcohol in the past year, while one in five does so at least once a week, according to a new survey.

Reading on….

Binge drinking is defined as having six or more standard drinks in a single session, equivalent to three pints of beer.

Sweet sufferin’ Jayzus!  Three fucking pints is binge drinking?  So the first question was obviously “Have you at any stage in the last twelve months had three pints or more?”  Seeing as that period covers Christmas [apologies for the C word so soon in the year], New Year at least one birthday and probably a wedding, christening or funeral or two then I would be amazed if the answer was No.  Fair play to the two out of three who lied through their teeth.  And anyway, three pints is not “binge drinking”.  It’s what I would call an aperitif.

Smoking rates have dropped from 23 per cent in 2015 to 20 per cent this year, though the proportion of e-smokers has grown over the same period to 4 per cent.

Heh!  So a one percent drop per year is a “plumet”?  Never mind.  No harm in trying to make it sound impressive.  That’s more than compensated for by the uptake in vaping, but no doubt Tobacco Control will be claiming all the credit [and demanding more funding].

In the last 12 months 40 per cent of smokers have made an attempt to quit.

Ah sure why not?  Two seconds later they decide they won’t be bullied and anyway they enjoy it, so why bother?  Most of the respondents will be just filling in the expected answer anyway.

One-third of those surveyed said they consumed unhealthy foods daily, while 37 per cent reported having the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. One in 10 drink sugar-sweetened drinks daily, with the highest rate – 24 per cent – recorded among 15 to 24-year-olds.

Depends on what you call “unhealthy”.  In my book, all food is healthy so I would be the perfect angel there.  I would love to know what they would make of my seven or eight pints of [sugar sweetened] tea every day though….

The survey revealed that 86 per cent of people said they drank water at least once a day, while 29 per cent were daily milk drinkers.

Yup.  I do both.  See my comment about pints of tea above…..

In keeping with other surveys, the report finds high levels of reported good health, though with a gender gap as we get older – 81 per cent of women perceive their health to be good or very good, compared to 73 per cent of men.

That’s very subjective?  Good or Very Good?  My health is very good apart from Chronic Fatigue and Glaucoma Risk, neither of which can be attributed to tobacco, alcohol, fat. sugar or any other hobby horse so my symptoms would be ignored as “being of no interest”.

Only 25 per cent of people received the flu vaccine last winter, though this rises to 78 per cent in those aged 75 years and over.

I never had the flu vaccine before but funnily enough I had it this year.  But that was only because Doc was doing a house call and backed me into a corner.  I haven’t felt too clever since, now that I think of it.

Large health differences between poor and affluent areas are highlighted in the report; in deprived areas 26 per cent smoke, 43 per cent binge drink, and 33 per cent have long-standing illnesses. In more affluent areas 16 per cent smoke, 33 per cent binge drink, and 24 per cent have long-standing illnesses.

Lift everyone out of deprivation.  Problem solved.

More than 7,700 people were interviewed for the survey, and the data acquired is used to help with policy formulation, according to the Department of Health. This is the fourth survey in the series, which began in 2015.

Yet another gigantic waste of public money, employing people who are otherwise unemployable.  All people in Public Health should be deported to Rockall.

Policy formulation?

More fucking nannying, hectoring and bullying more like.