Shocking news! I though the average Englishman was the picture of perfect health and sobriety!
DailyMail.co.uk – This includes 63 per cent of women and 77 per cent of men who are overweight, with nearly a third of each sex classified as obese.Almost a third of women and a quarter of men are inactive, which is defined as doing less than 30 minutes of exercise a week.
And a fifth of women and a third of men exceed the recommended weekly alcohol intake of 14 units, equivalent to six 175ml glasses of wine or six pints.Only 13 per cent of middle-aged men and 21 per cent of women are a healthy weight, physically active and do not drink too much.
Officials at Public Health England – the agency tasked with preventing ill health – said the demands of modern-day living were ‘taking their toll on the nation’. They warned that the middle-aged were the hardest hit as worries about their children, ageing parents and running their households led them to neglect their own health. Professor Kevin Fenton, of Public Health England, said the middle-aged were so caught up in the ‘daily grind’ that looking after themselves had become ‘the least of their priorities’.
Officials say those in the 40 to 60 age group are neglecting their health because they are too busy worrying about their children, ageing parents or work. Many are sleep deprived – which can encourage over-eating – and they are also inclined to over-indulge in food or alcohol in an attempt to unwind. Officials analysed data from the annual health survey for England, completed by 8,000 adults each year, and specifically extracted figures for the 40 to 60 age group.
The most shocking finding was that almost a third were obese, including 31 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women. This rate has soared since 1996, when only 21.5 per cent were obese.
Britain has one of the highest levels of obesity in Europe and the Government has recently been criticised for failing to address the crisis.
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