Press release
Report reveals state of Bury’s public health
Bury is winning the war against smoking, according to the latest Public Health Annual Report.
Fewer people are smoking and the message is clearly getting home to young people. By their mid-twenties, there are more ex-smokers than smokers.
Yet, it is still not enough. About one in five people still smoke, and there are still too many people who die or have become seriously ill, because of their smoking. The Public Health Annual Report by Bury’s Director of Public Health Dr. Peter Elton, advocates a series of measures from tackling illicit tobacco even more strenuously, to providing children greater protection from second hand smoke.
The report suggests that obesity is a common problem in all areas of the town, with about half of Bury residents being overweight or obese. Around a third of smokers aged 14 -17 use illicit tobacco (source North of England survey), however, there has been a significant drop in the number of adult smokers, falling from 29% in 2002 to 18% in 2010 (source Bury Health Survey). The report highlights where improvements have been made and where more work needs to be done in these and other areas.
Within the report are the key findings from the 2010 Health Survey of Bury adult residents. Almost 7,000 local residents were sent the survey, of which 43.4% took part. The survey covered a range of topics including: alcohol consumption; smoking; physical activity; weight; eating habits; sensory impairment; mental health; dental health and community safety.
The key highlights of the 2010 Health Survey include:
- 16.5% of respondents do not do any physical activity of at least 15 minutes in a day.
- Obesity is common in all areas of Bury, although is generally higher in deprived areas, and has risen from 14.2% in 2002 to 18.3% in 2010.
- 12.5% of respondents add salt to their food without tasting it first.
- Only 15.9% of people in Bury eat five pieces of fruit or vegetables each day, with 4.2% eating no fruit or vegetables.
- About one in five (18.2%) of respondents have not visited their dentist in the last two years.
Regarding his report, Dr. Elton said: “We have made some really good progress in Bury in terms of improving population health, some of this is down to local approaches such as initiatives in schools and the contributions made by the stop smoking service. Others are down to wider populated based targeted measures such as introducing a minimum price for a unit of alcohol and the smoking ban in public places. We have seen a rise in obesity, but a reduction in smoking. Illicit tobacco continues to be a menace, however, through close partnership working, measures are in place to tackle these and other issues.”
“Although good progress has been, there is more we need to do. We need to encourage more smokers to use our stop smoking services and we need to target our efforts amongst the communities where they will have the greatest benefit. The rise in obesity will be one of the continuing pressures on the health service, so there is more we need to do to support people to get to and maintain a healthy weight and reduce their risk of the consequences of obesity such as diabetes, heart disease and osteoarthritis.”
ENDS
Date: 14 March 2011
FOR PRESS & MEDIA ENQUIRIES: contact Caroline Dearden, Corporate Communications Manager on 0161 762 3106 or email communications@bury.nhs.uk
Notes to editor:
A copy of the Public Health Annual Report for 2010 and the 2010 Health Survey report can be accessed here: http://www.bury.nhs.uk/your-local-nhs/public-health/index.aspx http://www.bury.nhs.uk/Library/Downloads/plansandreports/Bury%20Health%20Survey%202010%20FINAL.pdf