Scottish Health Survey

A crucial picture of health and wellbeing in Scotland

The 2024 Scottish Health Survey results provide a crucial picture of health and wellbeing in Scotland and how this has changed over the past two decades.

It provides information about how healthy people are, what health services people use and examines the health and health-related behaviour of different groups in society.

The data collected also informs the Scottish Government National Performance Framework and feeds into a nationwide health strategy.

The latest report is from data collected in 2024. 

Findings  

• Seven in ten adults reported their general health to be 'very good/good' (70%), a proportion at the lowest end of range 70%-77% recorded since 2008.
• Half of all adults reported having a long-term condition (50%), the highest proportion in the timeseries. Over four in five adults (81%) who reported living with a long-term condition experienced at least one impairment as a result, most frequently related to mobility (32%), stamina/breathing/fatigue (28%) and/or mental health (26%).
• Around six in ten of those experiencing menopause or perimenopause symptoms had been in contact with a healthcare professional in the last 12 months (58%). The majority of those who had not contacted a healthcare professional about their menopause or perimenopause symptoms indicated that they felt able to manage symptoms themselves (58%).
• The proportion eating five portions or more of fruit and vegetables per day was the lowest in the timeseries, with prevalence in the range 20%-24% between 2003 and 2021.  ^{1 2}
• Around six in ten adults met the guidelines for moderate or vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (62%).
• A steady increase in time spent on sedentary leisure activities has been recorded for children since 2013 with weekdays ranging from 3.3 – 3.8 hours, and weekends ranging from 4.4 – 5.2 hours on average.  
• 13% of adults with a valid saliva cotinine measure self-reported as a current cigarette smoker, which increased to 17% when adjusted for cotinine levels.
• The proportion of adults who reported having felt lonely ‘most’ or ‘all of the time’ decreased from 10% in 2023 to 7%, similar to the proportion in 2021 (8%).
• The prevalence of hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption remained at 20% of adults, the same proportion as in 2023 and a decrease from 34% in 2003.
• 13% of adults self-reported attitudes and feelings towards food which were indicative of a potential eating disorder. This was highest among 16–24-year-olds (26%).
• Adults with attitudes and feelings towards food which were indicative of a potential eating disorder had a significantly lower average WEMWBS mental wellbeing score (42.2) compared with those who did not (49.4).

Methodology

The Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) was first conducted in 1995 and then again in 1998 and 2003 and has been carried out annually since 2008.

Each survey in the SHeS series has a set of main questions and measurements (height and weight and, if applicable, blood pressure, waist circumference and saliva samples), plus modules of questions on specific health conditions and health risk factors that vary from year to year. Each year the main sample has been augmented by an additional boosted sample for children.