Report Points To Lack Of Public Awareness Of Health Guidelines, UK

Most people do not know the Government guidelines for healthy eating, drinking and exercise, suggests a report out today from The NHS Information Centre.



The report shows that:



- More than two thirds of men and of women did not know or under-estimated how much exercise they should be taking to maintain a healthy lifestyle


- Less than a third of men and women knew the maximum amount of alcohol they should be drinking each day


- While most adults knew they should eat five portions of fruit or vegetables a day, only 14 per cent of men and 11 per cent of women knew what constituted a portion.



The Health Survey for England is an annual survey that monitors the health of the nation. The 2007 survey focused on knowledge of and attitudes to key aspects of lifestyle behaviour - drinking, eating and physical activity.



On obesity, the report showed the proportion of adults who are obese increased from 13 per cent for men and 16 per cent for women in 1993 to 24 per cent for both men and women in 2007.



Yet despite the lack of awareness of official advice, figures published in the report indicate both physical activity and consumption of fruit and vegetables have been increasing.



The survey also looked at the impact of the recent smokefree legislation which was introduced in July 2007. The report finds no evidence yet that fewer people smoke as a result of the ban. However, cotinine levels in people's saliva (an indicator of recent nicotine exposure) show that, since the introduction of the ban, smokers may be smoking less.



Chief executive of The NHS Information Centre Tim Straughan said: "The Health Survey for England gives us a vital snapshot of the health of the nation and helps the NHS target services where they can be most effective.



"Today's report reveals that more people are taking action to improve their diet and increase their level of exercise, despite the population lacking awareness of official health advice.



"The information in this survey shows some positive early signs about the impact of the recent public-smoking ban."



Medical director of The NHS Information Centre and practising GP, Dr Mark Davies, said: "It is important that people understand the health implications of the lifestyle choices they make. It is of concern that the messages of safe alcohol intake, appropriate exercise levels, and healthy eating do not seem to be getting through to all parts of the population. This is something the country needs to address if we are to avoid significant health problems in the near future."



Health Survey for England, 2007: Healthy Lifestyles: Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour is
here.




Notes


1. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care (The IC) is England's authoritative, central, independent source of health and social care information. It works with more than 300 health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researcher, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS IC also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.


2. The Health Survey for England is an annual survey, monitoring the health of the population. The National Centre for Social Research and University College London (UCL) are commissioned by The NHS IC to carry out the survey. Each survey consists of core questions and measurements, plus modules of questions on specific issues that change periodically. The 2007 survey surveyed 6,882 adults and 7,504 children.


3. Government health guidelines:


On exercise: The Chief Medical Officer recommends that adults should be active at moderate or greater intensity on at least five days a week, for at least 30 minutes a day, either in one session or through a number of shorter bouts of activity of 10 minutes or longer.


On alcohol: Daily intake should not regularly exceed three to four units for men and two to three units for women.


On fruit and vegetable consumption: The Department of Health recommends that at least five 80g portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables should be eaten per day

The NHS Information Centre