SHIFT Newsroom · Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s health survey: weight, wellbeing and unequal access
UK archive · Original report: 26 November 2025. The 2024/25 survey offers local context for weight and mental health. Its methods matter when interpreting changes and comparing nations.
UK archive review · 13 September 2026. Original source: 26 November 2025. This article revisits a UK development; it is not a new announcement today.
Local evidence rather than a UK average
Northern Ireland’s Department of Health published its 2024/25 survey results in November 2025. The survey included 3,243 people aged 16 and over and covered physical health, wellbeing and health-related behaviours.
It reported 30% of adults in the obesity category and 38% expressing some concern about their mental health in the preceding year. These are different measures: concern about mental health is not a confirmed diagnosis, and neither figure describes everyone in the same way.
Why comparisons need restraint
The survey used both telephone and face-to-face interviews. The department notes a lower response rate than before the pandemic and under-representation of younger adults, addressed through weighting. Weighting improves the estimates but cannot remove every possible bias.
This is why a small apparent change should not automatically become a dramatic trend headline. Direct comparisons with Scotland or England also need attention to questions, sampling and timing.
What readers can take from it
Our interpretation is that local evidence helps ask better service questions. Does support address both physical and mental health? Can people with limited transport, money or time use it? Are referral arrangements clear in the area where they live?
For a personal concern, use the relevant Northern Ireland healthcare route rather than assuming England’s eligibility rules apply. A national survey is useful context for planning and accountability; it cannot decide whether an individual needs treatment.
The article keeps the survey year separate from its publication date. Reusing an archive source should add explanation, not make older measurements appear newly collected.
Related UK reporting
Scotland’s health survey: weight and wellbeing in context
Known facts
- The 2024/25 survey offers local context for weight and mental health. Its methods matter when interpreting changes and comparing nations.