The Socioeconomic Indexes for Areas describe the characteristics of the area in which a person lives, rather than the characteristics of the person. 9.5 Presbyopia 7.5 8.9 8.2 Osteoarthritis 4.6 8.2 6.4 Arthritis n.e.c. Females were more likely than males to experience long term conditions , partly due to their older age structure. The higher number of long term conditions reported by females may also reflect that women are more likely to consult health professionals, and hence have conditions diagnosed. Factors such as the natural ageing process, as well as environmental exposure to noise, could explain this pattern.
Age is also a major determining factor in the prevalence of hypertension.