Skip to main content

Digital

National Statistics
Publication, Part of

Health Survey for England - 2005, Latest trends

Official statistics, National statistics, Survey, Accredited official statistics
Publication Date:
Geographic Coverage:
England
Geographical Granularity:
Country, Regions, Strategic Health Authorities
Date Range:
Snapshot on 20 Dec 2006

Summary

The Health Survey for England is a series of annual surveys designed to measure health and health related behaviours in adults and children living in private households in England. The survey was commissioned by the Department of Health and since April 2005 the Information Centre for Health and Social Care.

The survey consists of an interview and nurse visit. It has a series of core elements that are included every year and special topics that are included in selected years. Core topics include general health, smoking, drinking and fruit and vegetable consumption, height, weight, blood pressure measurements and blood and saliva samples. Special topics include cardiovascular disease, physical activity, accidents, lung function measurement and certain blood analytes. The trend tables focus upon key changes in core topics and measurements.

Highlights

Note: BMI figures for 2005 in table 6 have been amended to include morbidly obese (over 40) in the obese category (over 30). This is in line with data for previous years.

The proportion of men classified as obese (BMI over 30) increased from 13.2 per cent in 1993 to 23.1 per cent in 2005, for women there was an increase from 16.4 per cent to 24.8 per cent. There was no significant change in the proportion of adults who were overweight.

Among boys and girls aged 2-15, the proportion who were obese increased between 1995 and 2005, from 10.9 per cent in 1995 to 18.0 per cent in 2005 for boys and from 12.0 per cent to 18.1 per cent for girls. For those aged 2-10, the increase over the same period was from 9.6 per cent to 16.6 per cent for boys and 10.3 per cent to 16.7 per cent for girls.

For both men and women the proportion who consumed 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day increased between 2001 and 2005, rising from 22 per cent to 26 per cent for men and 25 per cent to 30 per cent for women. This includes an increase from 27 per cent in 2004 to 30 per cent in 2005 for women.

In 2005, 17 per cent of both boys and girls aged 5-15 consumed at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, compared with between 10 per cent and 13 per cent in 2001 to 2004.

Resources

Related Links

Last edited: 8 February 2022 1:02 pm