The health benefits of a targeted cash transfer: The UK Winter Fuel Payment.

Each year, the UK records 25,000 or more excess winter deaths, primarily among the elderly. A key policy response is the "Winter Fuel Payment" (WFP), a labelled but unconditional cash transfer to households with a member above the female state pension age. The WFP has been shown to raise fuel spending among eligible households. We examine the causal effect of the WFP on health outcomes, including self-reports of chest infection, measured hypertension, and biomarkers of infection and inflammation. We find a robust, 6 percentage point reduction in the incidence of high levels of serum fibrinogen. Reductions in other disease markers point to health benefits, but the estimated effects are less robust

Is brief advice in primary care a cost-effective way to promote physical activity?

This article is made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 3.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial.Aim: This study models the cost-effectiveness of brief advice (BA) in primary care for physical activity (PA) addressing the limitations in the current limited economic literature through the use of a time-based modelling approach. Methods: A Markov model was used to compare the lifetime costs and outcomes of a cohort of 100 000 people exposed to BA versus usual care. Health outcomes were expressed in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Costs were assessed from a health provider perspective (£2010/11 prices). Data to populate the model were derived from systematic literature reviews and the literature searches of economic evaluations that were conducted for national guidelines. Deterministic and probability sensitivity analyses explored the uncertainty in parameter estimates including short-term mental health gains associated with PA. Results: Compared with usual care, BA is more expensive, incurring additional costs of £806 809 but it is more effective leading to 466 QALYs gained in the total cohort, a QALY gain of 0.0047/person. The incremental cost per QALY of BA is £1730 (including mental health gains) and thus can be considered cost-effective at a threshold of £20 000/QALY. Most changes in assumptions resulted in the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) falling at or below £12 000/QALY gained. However, when short-term mental health gains were excluded the ICER was £27 000/QALY gained. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that, at a threshold of £20 000/QALY, there was a 99.9% chance that BA would be cost-effective. Conclusions: BA is a cost-effective way to improve PA among adults, provided short-term mental health gains are considered. Further research is required to provide more accurate evidence on factors contributing to the cost-effectiveness of BA.NICE Centre for Public Health Excellenc

View-dependent accuracy in body mass judgements of female bodies

A fundamental issue in testing body image perception is how to present the test stimuli. Previous studies have almost exclusively used images of bodies viewed in front-view, but this potentially obscures key visual cues used to judge adiposity reducing the ability to make accurate judgements. A potential solution is to use a three-quarter view, which combines visual cues to body fat that can be observed in front and profile. To test this hypothesis, 20 female observers completed a 2-alternative forced choice paradigm to determine the smallest difference in body fat detectable in female bodies in front, three-quarter, and profile view. There was a significant advantage for three-quarter and profile relative to front-view. Discrimination accuracy is predicted by the saliency of stomach depth, suggesting that this is a key visual cue used to judge body mass. In future, bodies should ideally be presented in three-quarter to accurately assess body size discrimination

Health Survey for England, 2017

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Health Survey for England (HSE)&nbsp;is a series of surveys designed to monitor trends in the nation's health.&nbsp; It was commissioned by NHS Digital and carried out by the Joint Health Surveys Unit of the National Centre for Social Research and the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London.The aims of the HSE series are:to provide annual data about the nation’s health;to estimate the proportion of people in England with specified health conditions;to estimate the prevalence of certain risk factors associated with these conditions;to examine differences between population subgroups in their likelihood of having specific conditions or risk factors;to assess the frequency with which particular combinations of risk factors are found, and which groups these combinations most commonly occur;to monitor progress towards selected health targetssince 1995, to measure the height of children at different ages, replacing the National Study of Health and Growth;since 1995, monitor the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children.The survey includes a number of core questions every year but also focuses on different health issues at each wave. Topics are revisited at appropriate intervals in order to monitor change. Further information about the series may be found on the NHS Digital Health Survey for England; health, social care and lifestyles webpage, the NatCen Social Research NatCen Health Survey for England webpage and the University College London Health and Social Surveys Research Group&nbsp;UCL Health Survey for England&nbsp;webpage. Changes to the HSE from 2015:Users should note that from 2015 survey onwards, only the individual data file is available under standard End User Licence (EUL). The household data file is now only included in the Special Licence (SL) version, released from 2015 onwards. In addition, the SL individual file contains all the variables included in the HSE EUL dataset, plus others, including variables removed from the EUL version after the NHS Digital disclosure review. The SL HSE is subject to more restrictive access conditions than the EUL version (see Access information). Users are advised to obtain the EUL version to see if it meets their needs before considering an application for the SL version.The Health Survey for England, 2017: Special Licence Access is available from the UK Data Archive under SN 9084.Latest edition information:For the third edition (May 2023), a number of corrections were made to the data file and the data documentation file. Further information is available in the documentation file '8488_hse_2017_eul_v3_corrections_to_ukds.pdf’.Main Topics:The data covers the following:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Core topics:&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;General health&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Longstanding illness&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Average weekly alcohol consumption&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Smoking&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Drinking (heaviest day in last week)&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fruit and vegetable consumption&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Consent to data linkage (NHS central register, HES)&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Socio-economic information: sex, age, income, education, employment etc&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Prescribed medications (nurse)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Additional topics:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Physical activity (adults)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Social care receipt and provision&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cardiovascular Diseases&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chronic Pain&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;End of Life Care&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Measurements:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Height and weight&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blood pressure (nurse)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Waist and hip circumference (nurse)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blood sample for cholesterol, glycated haemoglobin (nurse)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Saliva sample (nurse)</ul

Ethnic Minority Psychiatric Illness Rates in the Community, 2000

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The overall aim of the Ethnic Minority Psychiatric Illness Rates in the Community (EMPIRIC) survey was to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity, as measured by standard screening instruments, among minority ethnic populations resident in England, and to compare prevalence rates between groups. Also, the survey aimed to examine use of related services and to examine key factors that may be associated with mental disorder, and ethnic differences in the risk of its contraction. The sample for the survey was drawn from Black Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Irish respondents to the Health Survey for England (HSE) of 1999 (held at the UK Data Archive under SN 4365), which had focused on minority ethnic groups. White adults selected from respondents to the HSE of 1998 (held under SN 4150) were also included in the sample. In addition to the quantitative survey, which included 4281 respondents, the EMPIRIC study also included a qualitative element. Interviews were achieved with 117 informants, purposively selected from quantitative survey respondents from within each ethnic group, according to CIS-R score. The intention was to investigate the cross-cultural validity of the standard screening instruments, which were designed and validated in a Western context. By encouraging informants to use their own words, the qualitative study explored the terms and definitions that they used to describe mental health. Users should note that only the data from the quantitative survey are currently held at the Archive. Main Topics:For the most part, the questions were taken from existing instruments, as outlined below: Use of health services and the Short Explanatory Model Interview (Lloyd et al, 1998). Explanatory models (EMs) denote the 'notions about an episode of sickness and its treatment that are employed by all those engaged in the clinical process'. They contribute to the research of respondents' own perspectives of illness and elicit local cultural perspectives of the sickness episode; Close persons questionnaire - to measure social support - taken from Whitehall II Study of British Civil Servants; Social networks - questions derived from the Alameda County Study; Questions on carers - taken from the General Household Survey (see GN 33090); Control at home and work - taken from Whitehall II Study of British Civil Servants; Chronic strains - questions on problems with relatives, with financial problems over providing necessities and payment of bills, housing problems, and difficulties in the local neighbourhood - taken from the Whitehall II Study of British Civil Servants; Discrimination/harassment - taken from the Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities (see SN 3685); Short Form 12 (SF12) Physical and Mental Health Summary Scales; Clinical Interview Schedule - Revised (CIS-R); Psychosis Screening Questionnaire (PSQ) - used to assess psychotic symptoms; Social Functioning questionnaire (SFQ); Language and ethnic identity - adapted from the Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities (see SN 3685). Full references for each of these sources are listed in the study documentation.<br

Health Survey for England, 2005

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p>The <I>Health Survey for England</I> is a series of surveys designed to monitor trends in the nation's health. It is commissioned by the Information Centre and carried out by the Joint Health Surveys Unit of the National Centre for Social Research and the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London.<ul><li>The aims of the HSE series are: <li>to provide annual data about the nation's health;</li><li>to estimate the proportion of people in England with specified health conditions;</li><li>to estimate the prevalence of certain risk factors associated with these conditions;</li><li>to examine differences between population subgroups in their likelihood of having specific conditions or risk factors;</li><li>to assess the frequency with which particular combinations of risk factors are found, and which groups these combinations most commonly occur;</li><li>to monitor progress towards selected health targets;</li><li>since 1995, to measure the height of children at different ages, replacing the National Study of Health and Growth, and to monitor the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children.</li></ul>The survey includes a number of core questions every year but also focuses on different health issues at each wave. Topics are revisited at appropriate intervals in order to monitor change.<br> <br> Further information about the series may be found on the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) <a href="http://www.hscic.gov.uk/article/3741/Health-Survey-for-England-Health-social-care-and-lifestyles" title="Health Survey for England; health, social care and lifestyles">Health Survey for England; health, social care and lifestyles</a> webpage, the NatCen Social Research <a href="http://www.natcen.ac.uk/our-research/research/health-survey-for-england/" title="NatCen Health Survey for England">NatCen Health Survey for England</a> webpage and the University College London Health and Social Surveys Research Group <a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hssrg/studies/hse" title="UCL Health Survey for England">UCL Health Survey for England</a> webpage.<br> <br>The HSE 2005 was designed to provide data at both national and regional level about the population living in private households in England. The sample comprised three components: the core (general population) sample; a boost sample of people aged 65 years and over (those living in institutions were not included); and a boost sample of children aged 2-15. The core sample was designed to be representative of the population living in private households in England and should be used for analyses at the national level. <br> <br> All private households in the general population sample are eligible for inclusion in the survey (up to a maximum of three households per address). For the core sample, up to two children aged 0-15 are interviewed in each household, as well as up to 10 adults aged 16 and over. At boost sample addresses, interviewers screened for households containing at least one person of either of the age groups covered in the boost: persons aged 65 and over, or (for certain months) children aged 2-15 years. Because of funding restrictions, the boost sample only included children during fieldwork conducted in January, February, October, November and December. At each household where people of the eligible ages were found, all persons aged 65 and over, and up to two eligible children were selected by the interviewer for inclusion in the survey. Interviewing was conducted throughout the year to take account of seasonal differences.<br> <br> For the second edition (April 2010), three new children's Body Mass Index (BMI) variables have been added to the individual data file (bmicat1, bmicat2, bmicat3). The original variables (bmicut, bmicut2, bmicut3) are unreliable and should not be used. Further information is available in the documentation and on the Information Centre for Health and Social Care <a href=" http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles-related-surveys/health-survey-for-england" title "Health Survey for England" >Health Survey for England</a> web page.<br> <br> For the third edition (July 2011), the GHQ12 variables were amended to correct errors in the GHQ12 scores. See document 'Note about GHQ12 problems in HSE Data' for details.<br> <br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>For adult respondents, the HSE 2005 focused on the health of older people. All adults were asked modules of questions on general health, alcohol consumption, smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption and complementary and alternative medicine. Older informants were also asked about use of health, dental and social care services, cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic diseases and quality of care, disabilities and falls. Older informants in the boost sample received a slightly shorter questionnaire, omitting questions about fruit and vegetable consumption and complementary and alternative medicines. An interview with each eligible person was followed by a nurse visit. <br> <br> Children aged 13-15 years were interviewed themselves, and parents of children aged 0-12 were asked about their children. The child interview included questions on physical activity, and fruit and vegetable consumption.<br> <br> Standard Measures:<ul><li>General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12)</li><li>Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)</li><li>Geriatric Depression Score</li><li>EQ-5D Health State</li></ul

Health Survey for England, 2001

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p>The <I>Health Survey for England</I> is a series of surveys designed to monitor trends in the nation's health. It is commissioned by the Information Centre and carried out by the Joint Health Surveys Unit of the National Centre for Social Research and the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London.<ul><li>The aims of the HSE series are: <li>to provide annual data about the nation's health;</li><li>to estimate the proportion of people in England with specified health conditions;</li><li>to estimate the prevalence of certain risk factors associated with these conditions;</li><li>to examine differences between population subgroups in their likelihood of having specific conditions or risk factors;</li><li>to assess the frequency with which particular combinations of risk factors are found, and which groups these combinations most commonly occur;</li><li>to monitor progress towards selected health targets;</li><li>since 1995, to measure the height of children at different ages, replacing the National Study of Health and Growth, and to monitor the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children.</li></ul>The survey includes a number of core questions every year but also focuses on different health issues at each wave. Topics are revisited at appropriate intervals in order to monitor change.<br> <br> Further information about the series may be found on the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) <a href="http://www.hscic.gov.uk/article/3741/Health-Survey-for-England-Health-social-care-and-lifestyles" title="Health Survey for England; health, social care and lifestyles">Health Survey for England; health, social care and lifestyles</a> webpage, the NatCen Social Research <a href="http://www.natcen.ac.uk/our-research/research/health-survey-for-england/" title="NatCen Health Survey for England">NatCen Health Survey for England</a> webpage and the University College London Health and Social Surveys Research Group <a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hssrg/studies/hse" title="UCL Health Survey for England">UCL Health Survey for England</a> webpage.<br> <br>The 2001 Health Survey for England (HSE01) consists of a general population sample and is designed to provide data at both national and regional level about the population living in private households in England. All private households in the general population sample are eligible for inclusion in the survey (up to a maximum of three households per address). Up to two children aged 0-15 are interviewed in each household, as well as up to 10 adults aged 16 and over. Information was obtained directly from persons aged 13 and over. Information about children under 13 was obtained from a parent with the child present.<br> An interview with each eligible person was followed by a nurse visit both using computer assisted interviewing. The survey is conducted throughout the year to take into consideration seasonal differences.<br> <br> For the third edition (April 2010), three new children's Body Mass Index (BMI) variables have been added to the individual data file (bmicat1, bmicat2, bmicat3). Further information is available in the documentation and on the Information Centre for Health and Social Care <a href=" http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles-related-surveys/health-survey-for-england" title "Health Survey for England" >Health Survey for England</a> web page.<br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br> The interview included the question modules that are asked in most years in the Health Survey ('core' modules), such as general health and longstanding illnesses, use of health services, drinking, cigarette smoking, psycho-social health (GHQ12) and non-fatal accidents. In the 2001 survey for the first time were questions on fruit and vegetable consumption, which will be included as a core module in future years and infant length measurements were recorded on children under two. Also included were questions on respiratory health and atopic conditions.<br> <br> Standard Measures<br> General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12)