A health interview survey carried out as part of an EU-wide exercise has found that 62 percent of the Maltese do not use contraception.

The survey results, given at a press conference today, showed that 80 percent of respondents reported having sexual intercourse at least once in their lifetime. More than half of these reported having had their first sexual experience before the age of 21. Sexual activity usually started between the age of 16 and 20. Nearly 74 percent of those who reported being sexually active had only one sexual partner in the previous year while 22 perecent reported having no partners in the previous year. 62 percent of those who were sexually active in the previous year never used any form of contraception, while over 75 percent reported never using a condom.

Other results showed that 22 percent of a sample survey of 5,000 had high blood pressure, of whom just 17 percent were receiving medication.

The survey found that a fifth of of respondents suffered allergies and 14 percent suffered migraine.

Nine percent said they had asthma and five percent had cataracts.

Among women, 63 percent said they had undergone smear tests and 32 percent did mammograms, figures which Health Division officials welcomed.

The incidence of smoking declined to 20 percent from 23 percent five years ago ad there were twice as many male smokers as female. The obesity rate ‘slimmed’ slightly to 22.3 percent.

Five percent said they drank alcohol on a daily basis; 1.9 percent admitted using illicit drugs in the previous year.

One fifth of the surveyed population claimed to have health insurance.

Nearly three quarters of interviewees ate fruit once or twice a day.

About a quarter of respondents expressed concern about hospital waiting lists, an issue which Parliamentary Secretary Joe Cassar said was also a concern for the government and was being addressed.