Part 15 - How Healthy are the English?
Full English Breakfast For You Sir?
This month James McDonald took a well earned holiday from his not stop gym bunny lifestyle, so for one very special edition I decided to check out the National Centre of Social Research and get some top tips about the real state of the nation’s health.
The centre is the largest independent social research institute in Britain and they ask a whole lot of people, a whole lot of questions about what they eat, how much exercise they do and what kind of lifestyle they lead.
The levels of overweight and obesity have increased between 1999 and 2004
Every year the researchers hit the streets to put together the Health Survey for England. So what happened when the centre put its finger on the pulse of the nation, back in 2004?
The topic back then was the health of ethnic minority groups so here are the best bits from the survey, which you can also peruse for your own pleasure at www.natcen.ac.uk/hse.
- Women were more likely than men to eat 5 or more portions of fruit or vegetables a day, which is the recommended daily amount.
- Men in all minority ethnic groups ate more fruit and vegetables than men in the general population. Irish men were the exception to this.
- For most groups, the levels of overweight and obesity have increased between 1999 and 2004.
- Men and women in all minority ethnic groups drank alcohol less often than the general population, except for the Irish who drank the same.
- Fewer Black Caribbean men and Irish men and women, smoked cigarettes in 2004 compared to 1999.
- Chinese and Indian women were the most likely to eat 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
Inspired by the worthy work of the social researchers, I decided to do a little survey of my own at the Village.
Maria is 24 and came to our hostel all the way from Texas. I asked her what her daily diet on the road involved and whether she got any exercise.
She said: “Breakfast for me is usually a cup of black coffee and two cigarettes. I know that aint healthy but I suppose there’s no milk or sugar involved so that kinda helps.
“Lunch and dinner are whatever’s on offer at the hostel I’m staying in and as for exercise, I figure lugging a backpack around instead of a case with wheels covers that one.”
Mikey was on a round the world trip that started in New Zealand.
He said: “I used to be a fitness freak back home but I’m never in one place long enough to make joining a gym worth while.
“I try and combat that by eating well but when you’re on a budget that’s not always easy. I get involved with sport wherever I can but that’s not exactly a regular thing, especially when you’re in a place like London and the weather’s like this.”
Come back next month when James will be back with some top tips about how to combat the extra luggage that builds up on your hips, tums and bums after a few too many curry sessions.
If you can’t wait until then and you want to find out a little bit more about the National Centre of Social Research, check out www.healthsurveyforengland.org, www.natcen.ac.uk/hse and www.natcen.ac.uk.
