NSW Population Health Survey: Key findings for 2023

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​On this page

  1. Overview
  2. Key findings for 2023
  3. Results
  4. ​References​

Overvi​ew

The NSW Population Health Survey (NSWPHS) is a telephone-based surv​ey of residents of New South Wales (NSW), conducted annually since 2002. It collects information on a wide range of risk factors and health behaviours at the local health district level, such as smoking, e-cigarette use (vaping), illicit drug use, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and nutrition.

In 2023, 13,302 people across NSW participated in the NSWPHS. Of these, 11,392 people were aged 16 years and older, with the remaining 1,910 interviews conducted with parents of children aged 0 - 15 years.​

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​Key findings for 2023

  • ​In 2023 in NSW, 80% of adults reported excellent, very good or good health. This has been relatively stable since 2014. 
  • In 2023 in NSW, 18% of adults experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress. The proportion of NSW adults experiencing high or very high levels of psychological distress has been relatively stable since 2019. High or very high levels of psychological distress were most commonly reported by those aged 16–24 years (29%). In contrast, only 8.6% of NSW adults aged 75 years and over reported high or very high levels of psychological distress.
  • Daily smoking rates in NSW have remained stable for the last 3 years after declining for several decades. Less than 1 in 10 adults (8.2%) smoked daily in NSW in 2023.
  • E-cigarette use has increased significantly, particularly among younger age groups. In NSW in 2023, about 2 in 10 (19%) people aged 16 years and over had ever used (at least once) an e-cigarette. For people aged 16–​24, the rate of ever using e-cigarettes across the combined years of 2022–2023* was more than 4 in 10 (45%).
  • In 2023 in NSW, around 3 in 10 (27%) adults aged 18 years and over did not meet the Australian alcohol guidelines for adults (NHMRC Guideline 1),1 that is, they drank more than 10 standard drinks a week, or more than 4 standard drinks on any one day.
  • In the combined years 2022–2023 among NSW residents aged 16 years and over, the proportion reporting drug use for non-medical purposes in the previous 12 months was:
    • 8.2% for marijuana/cannabis
    • 3.5% for cocaine
    • 2.3% for ecstasy/MDMA
    • 1.1% for anti-depressants
    • 0.7% for prescription opioids
    • 0.6% for benzodiazepines
    • 0.5% for meth/amphetamines/'ice'
    • 0.1% for heroin. 
  • In NSW, the proportion of children and adults consuming the recommended daily intake2 of fruit and vegetables has declined over the past 10 years.
    • ​In the combined years 2022–2023, 58% of NSW children aged 2–15 years consumed the recommended daily fruit intake, down from 69% in 2013–2014.
    • ​In the combined years 2022–2023, only 5 in 10 (5.2%) children aged 2–15 years consumed the recommended daily intake of vegetables, a slight decrease from 8 in 10 (8.1%) in 2013–2014.
    • In 2023, less than 4 in 10 (38%) adults aged 16 years and over consumed the recommended two or more serves of fruit daily, down from 54% in 2014.
    • In 2023, only 5 in 100 (5.3%) adults aged 16 years and over consumed at least the minimum recommended number of serves of vegetables daily. The daily intake of vegetables among adults has remained low since 2015.​
  • ​​In NSW in 2023, 58% of children aged 2–15 years consumed the recommended daily intake of at least 4 cups of plain water per day. In 2023, 42% of children drank between 1 and 3 cups of water daily.
  • In the combined years 2022–2023, about 2 in 10 (20%) NSW children aged 5–15 years met the recommended physical activity level,3 a decline from 29% in 2013–2014. The percentage of children reporting sedentary behaviours that exceeded the recommended screen-based activity level in the Guidelines increased over the same period from 44% in 2013–2014 to 57% in 2022–2023.
  • In 2023, of NSW adults aged 16 years and over, 65% met the requirements of at least 150 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity in a week and at least 5 sessions in the week. This represents a significant increase from the 57% meeting requirements in 2014.
  • The percentage of children living with overweight or obesity has been relatively stable in NSW over the last 10 years, with 24% of children aged 5–16 years in 2023 being above a healthy weight.

  • Over the last 10 years, the percentage of NSW adults aged 16 years and over living with overweight or obesity has gradually increased from 53% in 2014 to 60% in 2023. This increase is being driven mainly by an increase in the rate of people living with obesity over this period (from 20% to 25%). 

  • In 2022–2023 in NSW, 62% of children aged 5–15 years brushed their teeth using toothpaste at the recommended frequency of twice a day (60% of boys and 64% of girls). Children aged 9–15 years were more likely to have brushed twice a day compared to those aged 5–8 years (63% and 59% respectively).
  • In 2022–2023 in NSW, among children aged between 5–15 years old who brush their teeth with toothpaste more than rarely, 62% (60% of boys and 63% of girls) used standard fluoride toothpaste and 35% (36% of boys and 33% of girls) used children's fluoride toothpaste.
  • In 2023 in NSW, 59% of adults visited either a public or private dental service in the past 12 months. Adults aged 65–74 years were most likely to have visited a dental professional while those aged 25–34 years were the least likely (68% and 53% respectively). The percentage of adults who had visited a dental professional in the past 12 months increased from 2022 to 2023 (from 56% to 59%).
  • In 2023 in NSW, 77% of children aged 5–15 years visited either a public or private dental service in the past 12 months. Children aged 9–15 years were more likely to have visited a dental professional than those aged 5–8 years (81% and 70% respectively). The percentage of children who had visited a dental professional in the past 12 months increased from 2022 to 2023 (from 72% to 77%).

​​​​​​​​* Years were combined to improve reliability of estimates for a single age group.


Results

The NSWPHS 2023 databook provides weighted and unweighted descriptive statistics for each question in the 2023 NSWPHS questionnaire​.​

More detailed insights and additional results on specific topics from the NSWPHS can be accessed through HealthStats NSW and using the links provided below. ​


Health status

Self-rated health

Psychological distress

Weight status

​Health behavi​​ours

​Smoking and e-cigarette use

Alcohol use

​Substance use

​Nutrition

​Physical activity

​Oral health behaviours

​​​References​

  1. National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia;​ 2020.
  2. National Health and Medical Research Council (2013) Australian Dietary Guidelines. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council.
  3. Australian Government. Physical activity and exercise guidelines for all Australians. Australian Federal Government Canberra, Australia; 2021.
Current as at: Tuesday 17 December 2024
Contact page owner: Health Survey Program