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Olympics fail to create healthier and more active population, says survey Olympics fail to create healthier and more active population, says survey
(about 2 hours later)
The promised Olympic legacy of a healthier, happier and more active nation has failed to materialise, according to figures from the Health Survey for England. Most children are not getting the daily exercise recommended by the NHS and the promised Olympic legacy of a healthier, happier and more active nation has failed to materialise, according to figures from the Health Survey for England.
The 2012 survey of 8,000 adults and 2,000 children also found that the majority of children are not getting the daily exercise recommended by the NHS. The 2012 survey of 8,000 adults and 2,000 children found that only 16% of girls aged five to 15 get the recommended hour of exercise a day, despite a nationwide push to get more playing sports. Only 21% of boys get the required exercise compared with 28% in 2008, falling to 14% for 13- to 15-year-olds.
Only 16% of girls aged five to 15 get the recommended level of an hour of exercise a day, despite a nationwide push to get more playing sports. Boys are exercising even less than four years ago, the survey reveals, with 21% get the required amount of exercise compared with 28% in 2008. For 13- to 15-year-old boys 14% are getting enough exercise, half the figure in 2008. Only 9% of boys and 10% of girls aged between two and four meet the requirement of three hours activity a day.
Toddlers fared even worse, with only 9% of boys and 10% of girls between two and four meeting the requirement of three hours of activity a day. In 2012, 67% of men and 55% of women over 16 met recommended guidelines of at least two and a half hours a week of moderately intensive exercise. The researchers say in the report: "One of the planned legacies from the London 2012 Games was an increase in sports and exercise participation, including active travel (walking and cycling), by the general public across the country." But the report concludes: "The proportion meeting the recommendation was similar in 2008 and 2012, with no Olympic legacy yet apparent."
The data reveals that, in 2012, 67% of men and 55% of women over 16 met recommended guidelines of at least two and a half hours a week of moderately intensive exercise. The researchers made inactivity a focus of the survey – which was conducted in an Olympic year. Inactivity among the UK population is estimated to cost the NHS £8.2bn in direct and indirect costs. The survey suggests many overweight people are not aware that they had a problem.
They state in the report: "One of the planned legacies from the London 2012 Games was an increase in sports and exercise participation, including active travel (walking and cycling), by the general public across the country." About 24% of men and 25% of women were obese, while 67% of men and 57% of women in England were either overweight or obese. More than a quarter of overweight men and a third of overweight women described themselves as a healthy size. Childhood and adolescent obesity was linked "directly to middle-age mortality and morbidity", according to the survey yet child obesity rates remain high.
But the report concludes: "Among both men and women, the proportion meeting the recommendation was similar in 2008 and 2012, with no Olympic legacy yet apparent." Fourteen percent of boys and girls aged two-15 are classed as obese, and 28% as either overweight or obese. Nineteen per cent of boys and 17% of girls in the lowest income bracket were deemed to be obese compared with 8% and 7% respectively from the richest households.
Inactivity among the UK population is estimated to cost the NHS £8.2bn in direct and indirect costs. The survey also noted that "most adults in Britain drink alcohol, at least occasionally, and alcohol has an established place in British social life". It found that 67% of men and 53% of women drank in the previous week, with 18% of men and 10% of women drinking on five or more days a week. In richer households, 81% of men and 69% of women had a drink in the last week compared with 51% and 39% in the lowest earning.
The survey also sheds light on the stubborn obesity problem facing the UK, and suggests there is a lack of public understanding of the problem, with many overweight people not aware that their weight was problematic. Eric Appleby, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said alcohol abuse cost the NHS £3.5 bn a year. "These statistics show that there are still far too many of us drinking too much too often putting us at risk of serious health problems, like cancer and stroke.
About a quarter of adults (24% of men and 25% of women) were obese, while 67% of men and 57% of women in England were either overweight or obese. More than a quarter of overweight men and a third of overweight women described themselves as a healthy size. "We're facing historically high levels of health harms caused by alcohol misuse, with over a million alcohol related hospital admissions each year; and we're one of the few European countries where liver disease is on the increase. If we're to turn this health crisis around we have to take action on alcohol sold at pocket money prices, its constant availability and get tough on alcohol advertising."
Childhood and adolescent obesity was linked "directly to middle-age mortality and morbidity", according to the survey yet child obesity rates remain high.
Fourteen percent of both boys and girls aged two-15 are classed as obese, and 28% classed as either overweight or obese. Children from poorer households were found to be significantly more likely to be obese with 19% of boys and 17% of girls in the lowest income bracket deemed to be obese compared with 8% and 7% respectively of children from the richest households.
The survey also noted that "most adults in Britain drink alcohol, at least occasionally, and alcohol has an established place in British social life". It found that 67% of men and 53% of women drank in the last week, with 18% of men and 10% of women drinking on five or more days in the week. It also found that those in richer households were more likely to drink, with 81% of men, and 69% of women in the highest earning households having a drink in the last week compared with 51% and 39% in the lowest.
Eric Appleby, the chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: "These statistics show that there are still far too many of us drinking too much too often putting us at risk of serious health problems, like cancer and stroke.
"We're facing historically high levels of health harms caused by alcohol misuse, with over a million alcohol related hospital admissions each year; and we're one of the few European countries where liver disease is on the increase.
"If we're to turn this health crisis around we have to take action on alcohol sold at pocket money prices, its constant availability and get tough on alcohol advertising."
Problems related to alcohol abuse cost the NHS £3.5bn a year, he added.
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