Three in four people aged 15 and older in the Caribbean Netherlands rate their health as good or very good. Sixty percent of the population are overweight. Three-quarters of the population had consulted their GP at least once in the past year, while more than half had visited their dentist.
Men feel healthier than women
Over 70 percent of people aged 15 years and older on Bonaire evaluated their health as good or very good in 2013. On St Eustatius and Saba more than 80 percent of this age group feel healthy.
Percentage of population in the Caribbean Netherlands reporting good health, 2013
Men feel healthier than women and young people are more positive about their health than older people. People with higher education levels rate their health more positively than those with lower levels.
Relatively more older and lower educated people are overweight
Six in ten inhabitants (15 years or older) of Bonaire were overweight in 2013. Just over one third of the population were moderately overweight and more than a quarter seriously so. On St Eustatius nearly 30 percent of residents were moderately overweight and another 30 percent seriously obese. These proportions are slightly higher on Saba, with 30 percent moderately and one third seriously overweight.
Percentage of population in the Caribbean Netherlands overweight, 2013
On Bonaire more men than women are moderately overweight, while women are more likely to be seriously overweight. There are no differences between the sexes in terms of obesity on St Eustatius and Saba. Relatively more older than young people are overweight, and the age group 45-64 years in particular: over 70 percent are overweight. People with a low education level are more likely to be overweight than people with a higher education level.
Older people see their GP more often, younger people their dentist
Nearly 80 percent of the population aged 15 years or older on Bonaire had consulted their GP at least once in the past year. For St Eustatius and Saba this was just over 70 percent. More women and older people saw their GP than men and young people.
Visits to the GP and the dentist in the Caribbean Netherlands, 2013
Half of St Eustatius and Saba inhabitants had visited their dentist at least once in the past year; on Bonaire this was slightly more. On Bonaire and Saba more women than men saw their dentist, while on St Eustatius the percentages were the same for women and men. Young people were more likely to have visited their dentist than older people: six in ten 15-24-year-olds had seen their dentist, while this proportion fell to four in ten for the over-65s.
GP and dentist visits in the Caribbean Netherlands by age, 2013