Kent Lifestyle Survey

1
Kent Lifestyle Survey 2005
5800 adults across Kent responded to a survey
about health and lifestyle The survey found that
-

• 14.3 men and 15.8 women were obese (i.e. their
  BMI was 30 or more¹)
• 49.3 eat at least 5 pieces of fruit and
  vegetables a day
• 13 admitted they were not eating healthily
• 1 in 5 people thought they were eating healthily
  but were not eating enough fruit and vegetables
• important factors for people whose BMI is in the
  obesity range include information, motivation,
  expense and preparation time

• The Chief Medical Officer recommends that we all
  take 30 minutes of moderate activity² 5 days a
  week. The survey shows us that -
• 25.7 of men and 23.7 of women were undertaking
  moderate physical activity for 30 minutes on 5 or
  more days a week
• Housework, walking and workplace activities were
  the ways most people kept active
• Tonbridge and Malling had the highest activity
  for men Thanet had the highest activity for
  women

• Less than one in 5 obese people were active 5 or
  more days a week, compared to one in 4 whose BMI
  was less than 30
• 4 out of 10 people did not exercise enough
  because of lack of time and one in 4 lacked
  motivation
• one in 4 women said lack of money prevented them
  from taking more exercise
• almost one in 4 people were not active at all or
  less than one day a week
• nearly one in five people were unable to be
  active because of illness or disability

The survey was commissioned by Kent County
Council and carried out by the Health and Social
Survey Unit at the University of Kent. To find
out more visit www.kentsurvey.com, e mail
chssenquiries_at_kent.ac.uk or ring 01227 824057
¹Overweight and obesity are most commonly
assessed through the Body Mass Index (BMI) -
calculated by dividing a person's weight in
kilograms by their height in metres squared
(kg/m2). Obesity is defined as a Body Mass
Index (BMI) of 30 or more Overweight is defined
as a BMI of 25-29 ²at least 30 minutes physical
activity on five or more days a week, of at least
moderate intensity similar to brisk walking
(things that cause some increase in breathing or
heart rate and a feeling of increased warmth).
Activity can be in bouts of 10-15 minutes
allowing for accumulation throughout the day
young people should participate in physical
activity of at least moderate intensity for one
hour per day