HEALTH RISK FACTORS
A range of factors influence the health outcomes of an individual or the population. These include the interaction of socio-economic, biomedical and environmental factors which contribute to illness and injury. There are also specific lifestyle behaviours which may further impact a person's health, increasing the risk of chronic disease.
The 2004-05 NHS collected information on a number of self-reported risk factors:
- almost one in four adults (23%) smoked
- 13% of adults consumed alcohol at levels which, if continued, would be risky or a high risk to their health in the long term
- 70% of people aged 15 years and over reported sedentary or low exercise levels in the two weeks prior to interview
- 52% of people aged 15 years and over were classified as overweight or obese based on their calculated Body Mass Index where self-reported height and weight were known. This contrasts with only 33% who described themselves at interview as overweight
- 14% of people aged 12 years and over reported they usually consumed five or more serves of vegetables every day (the recommended daily intake)
- 54% of people aged 12 years and over reported they usually consumed two or more serves of fruit every day (the recommended daily intake).
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