Thursday 20 November 2008

Never too late to change habits of a lifetime, says the FSA

Wednesday 31 October 2007

A survey of 50 to 65 year olds published today by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), suggests that although awareness of healthy eating advice is high among this age group, certain misconceptions may be preventing people from putting this knowledge to good use.

In the survey, about a quarter (23%) of respondents agreed strongly that, 'life's too short to worry about what I eat'. Over a third (39%) agreed strongly with the statement, 'I’ve always eaten this way and it's done me no harm.'

Two thirds (67%) of respondents were confident they knew which foods to eat to keep their heart healthy and over half (57%) agreed strongly that: 'They take care to eat the right foods, as they know how important this is as they get older.' However, over a quarter agreed only slightly with these statements, or disagreed with them, suggesting more education is needed.

The survey coincides with the publication of a new FSA leaflet, The Good Life , which contains practical advice to help the over-50s improve their diets and overcome any misgivings they may have had about what is meant by healthy eating. The leaflet includes advice that may help to prevent certain chronic diseases that are common after middle age, such as heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis.

Rosemary Hignett, Head of Nutrition at the Food Standards Agency, said: 'In many respects the results of this survey are encouraging as it seems our messages about healthy eating are getting through.

'But the UK has some of the highest rates of chronic diseases in Europe, most of which are preventable though healthier lifestyles.

'Some people may worry that it’s hard to change the habits of a lifetime, or that healthy eating will impinge on their enjoyment of food. But the straightforward, practical advice we offer doesn’t demand huge changes in lifestyle and, contrary to what many people, may believe it’s easy to eat healthily and enjoy your food!'

Notes to editors

A series of questions were placed on the RSGB Omnibus survey, which interviews a representative sample of about 2000 UK adults face-to-face, in their homes, weekly. The questions for this survey were asked only of those aged 50-65 years, a total of 472 respondents were interviewed between 3 and 7 October 2007.

Respondents were asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed with six statements, in order to assess attitudes and awareness of healthy eating messages and their relevance to this particular age group.

The statements put to respondents were:
1. Life’s too short to worry about what I eat
2. I take care to eat the right foods, as I know how important this is as I get older
3. I’ve always eaten this way and it’s done me no harm
4. The older I get, the more I worry about things like salt in my food
5. I am confident I know which foods to eat to keep my heart healthy
6. I’m more aware than I used to be of how the food I eat affects my health

Those in the oldest age group (58-65) and those in the lower social groups (DE’s) were the most likely to agree strongly with statements 1 and 3.

About a quarter of respondents only agreed slightly with statement 2 (30%), 5 (26%), and 6 (26%).

There were just over 133,000 deaths from heart disease in the UK in 2005.

In the UK in 2005, there were over 150,000 deaths from cancer. More than three quarters of cancer deaths occur in people aged 65 years and over.

Rates of osteoporosis are rising rapidly. One in two women will suffer a fracture after the age of 50, usually because of osteoporosis. On the basis of current trends, hip fracture rates in the UK could increase from approximately 46,000 in 1985 to 117,000 in 2016.

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Never too late to change habits of a lifetime, says the FSA

Notes to editors

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