Page last updated: 29-APR-2008

CHD


Statistical Publication Notice

Coronary Heart Disease Statistics

29 April 2008 

INTRODUCTION

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is one of the most significant causes of premature mortality in deprived communities. The Scottish Government has a strategic objective to ensure a healthier Scotland. The Scottish Budget Spending Review 2007link opens in a new window sets out plans to meet this objective and to “help people to sustain and improve their health, especially in disadvantaged communities”. As part of this objective there is a national target to reduce CHD mortality amongst the under 75s in the most deprived areas. Progress towards this target has been previously published as Indicator 26 in the Technical Notes link opens in a new window for the 2007 Spending Review.
 
Health Boards are also monitored on progress towards this target in their own deprived areas.

KEY POINTS

There has been a 27.4% decrease in the standardised CHD mortality rate amongst the under 75s in the most deprived areas in Scotland between 2000 and 2006.
 
Most health boards show a similar decline between the periods 1998-2000 and 2004-2006. Information for health boards is based on three year time periods due to the small numbers of annual deaths that occur in people aged under 75 in some areas.

INTERPRETATION

The most deprived areas have been identified as the 15% most deprived datazone areas (small areas or neighbourhoods defined by postcodes) in Scotland, defined by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2006. The SIMD 2006 contains 37 indicators in seven domains: Current Income, Employment, Health, Education Skills and Training, Geographic Access to Services, Housing and a new Crime Domain. Full information on the SIMD 2006 can be found on the Scottish Government website.
 
Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles do not have any 15% most deprived SIMD 2006 datazones. Borders and Dumfries & Galloway NHS Boards have only a very small area defined as part of the 15% SIMD 2006 most deprived datazones in Scotland.  Rates are therefore based on small numbers of deaths in small denominator populations and should be interpreted with caution.
 
Although three year rolling averages have been used in the calculation of health board rates, some rates are still based on small numbers. The smaller the number of deaths, the more the rates are subject to fluctuation and are less robust. This is especially the case for Borders health board where the numbers of deaths and denominator population are very small. Numbers of deaths change little from one year to the next, but in the later years they are spread across younger age groups than in the earlier years - hence the higher rates.

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MAIN CONTACTS:

Adam Redpath
Programme Principal
0131 275 6704
adam.redpath@isd.csa.scot.nhs.uk

Jennifer Bishop
Principal Information Analyst
0131 275 6063
jennifer.bishop@isd.csa.scot.nhs.uk

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GLOSSARY:

CHD – coronary heart disease.  A group of conditions that includes acute myocardial infarction, angina and heart failure.
 
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PRE-RELEASE ACCESS TO THIS PUBLICATION WAS GIVEN TO:

Scottish Government
Chief Executives
 
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HISTORY OF THIS PUBLICATION:

Last Published: Coronary heart disease and stroke web pages are updated on an annual basis.  Previous update was October 2007.  This release presents an additional table showing Mortality rate from coronary heart disease among the under 75s in the most deprived areas at Scotland and NHS board level. No other tables are updated.
Next Due: This information will form part of the routine annual update of the general CHD/Stroke statistics to be released in November 2008.
Data Avaliable Since: 29 April 2008


Main contact: Email Adam Redpath