NHS Health Checks

• A health check for adults in England is offered to anyone from the ages of 40 to 74 in Oldham 47.7% of people took up their NHS Health Check invite in 2023/24. This is higher than the England average of 39.9%.

Obesity & Healthy Eating

• Oldham has had a consistently higher proportion of adults classified as overweight or obese compared to the national average. The latest figures highlight that 68.7% of adults in Oldham are classified as overweight or obese. This is higher than the England average of 64.0% (2022/2023)
• 24.2% of people (adults) in Oldham meet the recommended '5-a-day' on a usual day. This is lower than the England average of 31.0% (2022/23).

Physical Activity

• The latest figures show that 62.7% of adults in Oldham are physically active, compared to 67.3% across England (2021/22).

Alcohol

• Due to the demographics of its population Oldham sees less alcohol admissions compared to the national rate. The latest figures show 406 Admission Episodes for Alcohol related Conditions in Oldham per 100,000 in 2021/22. This is lower than the England average of 494 per 100,000.
• Despite the lower rate of admissions for alcohol, Oldham sees a higher rate of mortality due to alcohol. The latest data shows there were 56 per 100,000 alcohol related deaths in 2021. This is higher than the England average of 38.5 per 100,000.

• Over the last decade smoking rates have fallen in Oldham and across England however smoking rates in Oldham remain consistently higher than the national rate. The latest data shows that 16.7% of adults in Oldham are smokers. This is similar to the England average of 14.7% (2022/23)

• Oldham's rate of deaths from drug misuse were 5.4 per 100,000 in 2018-20, similar to the England rate of 5.0 per 100,000.

Sexual health

• The STI diagnosis rate in Oldham is consistently lower than the national rate. The latest figures show Oldham's new STI diagnosis rate (excluding chlamydia for those aged under 25) for 2022 was 324 per 100,000, compared to the average rate in England of 496 per 100,000. However the STI testing rate is also consistently lower than the national average. The current rate is 2,225 per 100,000 in Oldham compared to 3,856 per 100,000 for England.

• In Oldham, 15.0% of residents aged 18+ are recorded as having depression. This is higher than the England average of 13.2% (2022/23). 
• Oldham has a similar suicide rate compared to the national average. The latest data shows in Oldham the suicide rate was 8.3 per 100,000 compared to the national rate at 10.3 per 100,000 (2020-22).

• According to the 2021 Census, 9.2% of residents aged 5 and over look after, or give any help or support to, someone because they have long-term physical or mental health conditions or illnesses, or problems related to old age.
• 3% of residents responded that they provide 50 or more hours of unpaid care per week.

• Unemployment currently stands at 7.3% (December 2024). Oldham has the highest claimant rate in GM and a rate higher than England (4.2%).
• Youth Unemployment currently stands at 9.3% (December 2024). Similarly to the general unemployment rate, Oldham is highest in GM and has a rate higher than the national average (5.4%).

• The percentage of patients registered on GP practice registers as having a learning disability is higher in Oldham (0.7%) than England (0.6%) (2022/23).

• 3.2% (5,941 people) of Oldham's 16+ population have served in the Armed Forces, according to the 2021 Census. This is lower than the national average of 3.8%.