Welcome

Worklessness

There is strong evidence that being without a job is bad for your health; in particular it has been found that worklessness is associated with:

• Higher mortality
• Poorer  health overall
• Poorer mental health
• Higher medical consultation, medication use and hospital admission

In Wales as a whole, 7 out of every 10 people have a job, but in Merthyr Tydfil only 6 out of every 10 people work.

• In August 2007, there are almost twice as many benefit claimants per head of eligible population in Merthyr Tydfil [27.2%] than the Great Britain average [14.2%], and the largest proportion of benefit claims is for Incapacity Benefit. 
• 7.4% of economically active persons aged 16 – 74 in Merthyr Tydfil are unemployed compared to the Wales average of 5.7%.

Education

How well children do at school affects their chances of finding a job, and of employment in an occupation which offers the prospect of a fulfilling and well paid career. Children with poor attendance records are more likely to leave school without qualifications. Teachers' expectations of disadvantaged children and their support for their education are critical in breaking this cycle.

People without qualifications are most at risk of not working, and job opportunities tend to be restricted to lower paid work, which often lacks security.

• In 2005, 38% of young people in Merthyr Tydfil achieved 5 or more GCSEs at grade A*-C or vocational equivalent compared to 51% for Wales.

• In 2003, the percentage of people of working age with no qualifications was 23.2% in Merthyr Tydfil compared to 16.6% for Wales.

Poverty

While education is part of the link between childhood poverty and adult disadvantage, growing up in poverty is of underlying importance, over and above the difficulties it places in the way of a child doing well at a school.

• At £364 per week, the average weekly income in Merthyr Tydfil is lower than both the Welsh average £404 per week and the Great Britain average of £458.
• Lone parent households tend to have lower incomes and a greater need and demand for health and social care.
• The 2001 census showed that in Wales, a quarter of dependant children live in lone parent households, with the percentage in Merthyr Tydfil being the highest in Wales at 32 %.
• Young mothers also tend to have low birth weight babies and in Merthyr Tydfil, the percentage of conceptions to girls aged 16 or under is 9.8 per 1,000 compared to the Welsh average of 8 per 1,000.
• Low birth weight babies tend to have poorer long term health. Figures for 2002-2004 shows that at 7%, a significantly higher number of babies in Merthyr Tydfil were low birth weight compared to the Welsh average of 5.9%.

Lifestyle Choices

It is recognised that what we eat and drink, how we exercise and if we smoke affects our health. Our ability to make healthier choices is affected by where we live, the facilities available to us, our relationships with family and friends and our level of education.  In Merthyr Tydfil:

• Just over a quarter, 26%, of adults smoke. This is near the Welsh average of 27%.
• The latest figures show that 58% of adults are classed as overweight or obese compared with 55% of people across Wales.
• 71% of adults are not reaching the recommended minimum level of 30 minutes exercise on 5 days of the week. This equals the Welsh average.
• Just over a third of our children are active for an hour or more every day of the week, this is the third highest rate in Wales, but 66% of children are still not reaching the required minimum.
• 48% of people in Merthyr Tydfil drink more than the recommended alcohol limits compared with the average of 39% for Wales. This is the highest in Wales. 
• In 1998-2005 the highest average rate of alcohol-related deaths in Wales was in Merthyr Tydfil (16.0 per 100,000 population) whilst the lowest rate was in Monmouthshire (5.9 per 100,000 population).
• Only 38% of adults eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day compared to the Welsh average of 42%.
• Amongst children, tooth decay is the most important oral disease.  The latest survey of 5 year-olds in 2003-04 showed that in Wales, 54.43% of children had some experience of tooth decay and that in Merthyr Tydfil, the percentage of children is just over 70%. 

Housing

The links between housing conditions and health have long been recognised and improvement in housing conditions is responsible for much of the improvements in public health of the last century. Of all the countries within the UK, Wales has the poorest quality housing stock, which is generally older and in poorer condition than housing in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Housing Strategy for 2007-11 shows that:

• Compared with the rest of Wales, Merthyr Tydfil has 6% fewer households living in owner occupied accommodation and 27% more of its population living in social housing.
• 41% of private sector homes were built before 1900.
• In Wales the house type that has the highest rate of poor quality or “‘unfitness” is terraced housing, mainly because much of it was built before 1919. Merthyr has 59% of terraced housing, significantly higher than the Welsh average of 34%.
• At the time of the 1997 Welsh House Condition Survey, Merthyr had the highest rate of unfitness of any Local Authority in Wales, with 12.5% of the housing stock unfit compared with the Welsh average of 8.5%.