When it comes to
our health and wellbeing, Britain is a nation of ‘all talk and
no action’ according to a survey for new online service
NHS MidLifeCheck (www.nhs.uk/midlifecheck).
Despite almost half of adults (46 per cent) believing they need
to think more about leading a healthy lifestyle, the same amount
(47 per cent) admit to spending a lot more time talking
about getting healthy than actually doing anything about it.
And a third of adults (33 per cent) say they wouldn’t even know
where to start.
Women own up to being the worst offenders with one in two (48 per
cent) of 45-64-year-olds saying they are more inclined to give
advice about being healthy than take it (31 per cent for men of
the same age).
The survey also revealed that although people around the 40 year
old mark are much less knowledgeable about their own health and
fitness than their parents – 69 per cent having no idea about
their blood pressure, compared to 27 per cent of people over 65 –
they spend more time worrying about it. Top of the list of
concerns for mid-lifers* as they get older is keeping fit and
active (81 per cent), with staying slim at 73 per cent and 70 per
cent worrying about their emotional wellbeing.
NHS MidLifeCheck (www.nhs.uk/midlifecheck)
has been launched to help people over 40 turn their good
intentions into reality. The free, confidential website is easy to
use and supports people in planning for changes they choose to
make. Following a simple multiple-choice lifestyle questionnaire,
the site gives personal results and advice. Users can create an
individual plan, set goals, track their weight and sign up for
free emails, texts or letters to help them along the way.
Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron, said:
“It’s really important to take steps to manage our health and set
goals to ensure we live life to the full.
“The Government has a responsibility to help people make
healthier choices that are simple and easy to do. NHS MidLifeCheck
is a free and confidential service for the over 40s covering
important topics from healthy eating and physical activity, to
emotional well being. It’s all about helping people make small
changes to their lifestyle which could help to make a big
difference to the quality and length of their lives.”
Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer,
said:
“Most people in their 40's generally enjoy good health,
however for some people certain chronic health issues can start at
this age - with cancer, heart disease and diabetes being some of
the biggest causes of death. We all need to be aware of how to
help prevent potential health problems.
“NHS MidLifeCheck, the third stage of NHS LifeCheck, is new for
prevention in the NHS. It has been designed, in consultation with
health professionals, to cover a wide range of topics such as
smoking, diet and exercise, and emotional wellbeing – to provide
those in their mid-life with the information and opportunity, to
better understand how their current choices could affect their
long-term health and well-being.”
talkSport presenter, Mike Parry, has been
using NHS MidLifeCheck for
the last few weeks and sharing his
progress with listeners. He said:
"Having had serious heart problems in my late
40's, I now know just how much a healthy lifestyle can
help to prevent disease. You don't have to join a gym or
start eating seeds - it's just about making a few small
changes. I have cut down on the amount I drink and walk a lot.
“NHS MidLifeCheck is something anyone can use. It gives you
straight-forward information and helps you to focus on what you
really want to achieve. My goals are to push myself harder when
I'm walking and really think about the food I'm
putting into my body."
Other key highlights from mid-lifers* surveyed
include:
· Over two-thirds (68 per cent) of women are often more concerned
about their family’s wellbeing than their own as they get older,
more so than men of the same age (52 per cent).
· People ofmid-life age were less worried about how much
alcohol they drink, with nearly two thirds (61 per cent) of 45-64
year olds not worried about it at all.
· A third (34 per cent) only think about their health
when they become ill or are feeling down.
Over three in four women (76 per cent) worry about their
emotional wellbeing as they get older, more than men of the same
age (63 per cent).
Notes to Editors
The research was conducted amongst 2,047 adults 18+ and was
completed by ICM Research on 5-7 February, 2010. *The mid-lifers
target age range were those people aged 45-64 years of age
About NHS LifeCheck
· NHS LifeCheck was developed following the publication of the
2006 white paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say. With its emphasis
on empowerment, choice and access, NHS LifeCheck has a crucial
role to play in helping the NHS and the Government to achieve
their overall objectives for health and social care reform, which are:
o developing services that are truly responsive to people’s
needs;
o preventing ill-health by promoting healthier
lifestyles; and
o reducing health inequalities.
· The tone and content of NHS LifeCheck has been designed to
appeal most to those people from socially disadvantaged
communities. To date, the Government has dedicated £5.8 million to
embed the service in 83 Communities For Health areas,
concentrating on reaching the most socially disadvantaged groups
in England.
· There are three NHS LifeCheck services:
o NHS Baby
LifeCheck – for parents and carers of babies aged five to eight
months;
o NHS Teen LifeCheck – for young people aged 12-15;
and
o NHS MidLifeCheck – for adults aged 40 and over;
· NHS Teen LifeCheck has been available since June 2009 and has
successfully attracted almost 250,000 visits from teenagers. NHS
Baby LifeCheck is aimed at parents and carers of 5-8 month old
babies and has had 155,000 visits in the last 6 months.
For more information about NHS MidLifeCheck please
contact:
Department of Health Newsdesk on 020 7210 5221
The Red Consultancy on 0207 025 6674 / nhslifecheck@redconsultancy.com
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk