Information on healthy lifestyles Food, lifestyle & health Alyson Whitmarsh – The Information Centre

Overview The IC and work in lifestyles statistics Food and lifestyles info from the HSE What info is available, how collected, what it can be used for and some data Eating habits Fruit and veg consumption Fat and salt intake Obesity - measurements and obesity related illness Physical activity HSE – 2007 and 2008

The Information Centre Background The Information Centre for health and social care (The IC) was created on 1st April 2005 as a special health authority from the former NHS Information Authority and the Department of Health Statistics Unit.

Our services The IC was set up to: Improve public services with better health and social care information Collect, analyse and distribute information for the health and social care communities in the UK Make information more accessible by making it easier for the public, regulators, health and social care professionals and policy makers to find what they want, when they want it

The Lifestyles Statistics Team The Lifestyles Statistics Team produces information related to issues such as smoking, drinking, drug use, healthy eating, physical activity and obesity in order to support health improvement and increase awareness of health risks. The team draws together data from a variety of sources to produce analyses and publications on behaviour, motivation and outcomes.

Health Survey for England Annual survey covering both adults & children 2005 results published later this month Provides regular information on a range of aspects concerning our health & factors which affect health Each survey includes core questions & measurements such as blood pressure, anthropometric measurements and analysis of blood, saliva and urine Plus modules of questions on specific issues which vary from year to year Core sample boosted in some years to enable more detailed analyses of particular population groups eg children (02), ethnic minorities (04) and older people (05)

Fruit & veg consumption - HSE Collected very year since 2001 Used to track progress of 5 a day target Self-reported over a 24 hour period Possible over-reporting & maybe difficulties with estimation Provide useful comparisons between groups & over time & can be linked to other health info collected in the HSE – increasing slightly, ethnic minorities, older people, higher incomes, blood pressure

Fat intake - HSE UK recommendation maximum 35% energy intake from fat & 11% from saturated fats Questions used to assess intake of saturated fats Self-completion based on the Dietary Instrument for Nutritional Education (DINE) Informants are asked how often on average they consume foods such as cheese, meat, fried foods, snacks and cakes, milk and spreads.

Fat intake – HSE, cntd Fat score based on frequency of consumption and fat content of a standard portion Score grouped into 3 categories – low, medium and high Low score equates to fat intake 122g/day Can be used to provide useful comparisons overtime, between groups and investigate links with health outcomes eg CVD Other preferred sources – EFS and NDNS

Salt intake - HSE Aim to reduce salt intake among adults from 9g to 6g per day Respondents asked about use of salt in their cooking and at the table Self-completion questionnaire Captures how people use salt but not total intake - NDNS Can be used to look at differences between groups, overtime and links to blood pressure & sodium content of urine

Use of salt in cooking and at the table, HSE 2003 MenWomen Adds salt during cooking5653 Generally adds salt without tasting 2415 Tastes, generally adds salt1413 Tastes, occasionally adds salt2426 Rarely, or never, adds salt3846

Measuring obesity – BMI HSE BMI measurements = height/weight 2 Underweight (<=18.5) desirable (over 18.5 to 25) overweight (over 25 to 30) obese (over 30) morbidly obese (over 40) Data collected every year for adults and children, latest is 2005

Measuring obesity – BMI ctd HSE can be used to investigate relationships to health outcomes and risk factors – blood pressure, CVD, diabetes, physical activity, mental health, smoking Forecasting to 2010 – 33% men, 28% women. Note the more men are predicted to be obese than women by 2010

Obesity - waist measurements - HSE Widely recognised measure to identify those with a health risk of being overweight Collected most years on the HSE NICE recently recommended that waist circumference is used to assess health risks in people who are overweight but have a BMI less than 35kg/m 2 Raised waist circumference defined as 102cm and over in men and 88cm and over in women HSE shows that 41% women and 31% of men have raised waist circumference Again can use the HSE to link waist circumference with other risk factors and outcomes eg physical activity, CVD

Obesity related illness Relative risks of developing chronic diseases that constitute the principle causes of death, including heart disease, stroke and some cancers and other life shortening conditions such as Type 2 diabetes Admissions to hospital with primary and secondary diagnosis of obesity Bariactric surgery Prescriptions As well as looking at relationships with health outcomes information from the HSE

Physical activity - HSE Collected some years – 97, 98, 03, 04 Physical activity in 4 weeks before interview Participation in activity that lasted 30 minutes or more and type of activity Progress towards recommendation of 30 minutes or more moderate intensity PA on at least 5 days a week

Physical activity - cntd 35% men and 24% women currently meeting recommendations Useful trends over time, groups and links to other risk factors and outcomes eg obesity, blood pressure Data also available for children Other sources – National Travel Survey, Time Use Survey, Taking Part Survey, Active People Survey

Review The IC Information the HSE can provide – eating habits (fruit & veg, fat and salt), obesity, physical activity 2005 HSE – older people 2007 HSE includes module on lifestyles attitudes – healthy eating, physical activity, drinking and smoking 2008 – physical activity