Factors affecting health in older people

The main Scottish Health Survey report from 2023 contains data on a number of different risk factors broken down by age, allowing comparisons between the age groups.  A range of indicators are also available at a local authority level in the ScotPHO Profiles.

Below are a selected number of factors that vary by age and adversely affect health:

Alcohol-related new patients (general acute admissions for all alcohol conditions) for 2022/23 were highest for those aged 65 years and over  and those aged 55-64 years, compared to all other age groups. When analysing by gender and age, for 2022/23 the rate of alcohol-related new patients for males is highest for the 65+ group, followed by the 55-64 years age group. For 2022/23 the rate for females is highest for the 55-64 years age group, followed by the 65+ and then the 45-54 years group. (See Alcohol related hospital statistics dashboard)

The 2023 NRS report on alcohol-specific deaths (401KB) shows that the age profile of alcohol-specific deaths has become older over time. The rate of alcohol-specific deaths is highest for the 45-64 years age group and 65-74 years age group compared to other age groups. Over the past decade the mortality rate for the 75+ age group has doubled, but it is still approximately half of the two highest age groups. The mortality rates for the two oldest age groups (65-74 years and 75+) in 2023 were at their highest level since the recording of this data began in 1994 (Alcohol-specific deaths 2023, National Records of Scotland) (401KB).

Smoking prevalence in adults decreases with age (see our Tobacco use: adult smoking in Scotland).

Obesity prevalence is relatively high in those 65-74 (33% for females and 31% for males), but is slightly lower in those over 75 years of age (25% and 22% respectively)(see Obesity in adults ScotPHO page).

Diet: Fruit and vegetable consumption (mean number of portions per day) was highest in the age group 65-74 years (Scottish Health Survey 2021).