The results of NHS England’s 2015 ‘Health Survey for England’ were published this week, indicating that obesity remains a public health problem. Levels of obesity have plateaued since 2010, although they are still much higher than first reported in 1993. The population of adults that are obese is now 27%, compared to 15% in 1993.
However, there was encouraging news regarding smoking and alcohol consumption in children aged 8 to 15 years old; the number of children aged 8 to 15 who have smoked a cigarette has reduced from 19% in 2003 to 4% in 2015, and those who have experience of drinking alcohol is down to just 16% in 2015, compared to 45% in 2003.
The Department of Health commented, “We are committed to helping people lead healthier lives so it is encouraging to see a decline in smoking rates and fewer children drinking alcohol.
“However, this survey reaffirms that we can’t let up in our efforts to tackle childhood obesity – and we are confident our world-leading plan will make a real difference in the long term.”
NHS England’s survey results and report can be found here and the Guardian reported on the story here.
