Almost one-third of people over the age of 15 in Ireland say their mental health has worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic, while over 80% feel less socially connected, the annual Healthy Ireland Survey has found.

According to the findings, 30% feel that their mental health has become worse since public health restrictions were introduced in March 2020 and among these, 28% feel it has declined “a lot”.

Some 72% of people who consulted a mental health professional in the previous six months due to a significant deterioration in their mental health cited the pandemic as the reason for this.

The survey also noted that those whose mental health has worsened are more likely to report that they are drinking and smoking more than before.

However, when it comes to alcohol consumption and smoking overall, there are some positive findings.

Some 18% of respondents are current smokers, down from 23% in 2015 and roughly the same as the figures seen in 2018. This suggests that people did not take up smoking despite the stress of the pandemic.

Some 44% of smokers have attempted to quit in the last 12 months, while 27% of those who attempted to quit in the last year have succeeded.

The highest prevalence of smoking (24%) is found in those aged 45-54.

When it comes to alcohol, 37% of those aged 15 and older drink alcohol at least once a week, down from 41% in 2018. Meanwhile, 22% of drinkers binge drink on a typical drinking occasion, down from 37% in 2018.

The survey also looked at diet, nutrition and weight management. It revealed that 35% of people are attempting to lose weight while 33% are attempting to maintain their current weight. Across all age groups, women are more likely than men to be trying to lose weight.

Since the start of the Covid-19 restrictions, 29% of people have gained weight , with women more likely than men to have reported putting on weight, particularly women in the 35-65 age group.

While 65% of adults say they eat fruit every day and 75% say they eat vegetables every day, the average number of fruit and vegetables consumed daily is less than three, far below the recommended five servings per day. Just 34% of the population is managing to consume the recommended five servings daily.

Meanwhile, 36% of people say they consume two or more unhealthy snack foods every day, while 8% drink sugar-sweetened drinks every day.

The survey of over 7,000 people nationwide took place between October 2020 and March 2021. According to the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, it provides “an important snapshot into the health and wellbeing of the people of Ireland”.

“This is particularly important in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and the learnings we can take from our country’s response in terms of policy and supports that will benefit the future health and wellbeing of the Irish people,” he commented.

According to chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, the survey adds to our understanding of the health of the nation.

“We now have a valuable flow of up-to-date data and information that will help us better understand the impact of the pandemic on a range of issues including social connectedness and mental health.

“These insights will continue to inform our public health policy supports for this area of health and wellbeing and I look forward to future results to support the mapping of our collective national recovery,” he said.

This is the seventh summary of the findings from the Healthy Ireland Survey and adds to the data collected in the previous surveys published from 2015 - 2019. For more on the findings, click here.