Diet & Healthy Weight
Consultations:
Diet and Healthy Weight
Diet and nutrition are important factors for current health and wellbeing later in life. A balanced diet can help reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.
Maintaining a healthy weight is important. Body Mass Index (BMI) is mainly used for working out the health of populations rather than individuals. Adults are classed:
- underweight if their BMI is less than 18,
- overweight if their BMI is 25 to less than 30,
- obese if their BMI is 30 to less than 40,
- morbidly obese if their BMI is 40 or more
At an individual level, BMI doesn’t take account of body composition, for example, muscle, fat, bone density, sex and other factors which can impact your weight which can cause an inaccurate reading.
People who are overweight may be at higher risk from illness and diseases which can lead to premature death or reduced quality of life such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, fatty liver disease, kidney disease, issues with infertility in women and some forms of cancer. People who have a low body weight (which may be because of either an eating disorder or long-term illness such as COPD) are also at risk of poor health outcomes such as weakened immune system, osteoporosis, anaemia, issues with fertility in woman and palpitations. Low birth weight is associated with range of poor short- and long-term health outcomes.
Prevalence of overweight, including obese adults 2016 - 2019
Data source The Scottish Health Survey
Proportion of adults (16+) who are obese or overweight (2017)
Data Source: Scottish Health Survey
Diet
The World Health Organisation recommends adults eat at least five varied portions (80g per portion) of fruit and vegetables a day as part of a balanced diet. The Scottish Health Survey, which is a self-reporting national survey involving a modest number of Midlothian residents reported:
- 29% of people report that they eat at least 5 portions a day in Lothian for the period 2016-2019 (43). This proportion has remained relatively stable since 2003 and is higher than the Scottish average (22%).
- 25% of men and 33% of women eat the required portions in Lothian, compared to Scottish figures of (20% men, 24% women).
Mean daily portions of fruit and vegetables consumed by sex (Scotland)
Data source: The Scottish Health Survey
Note - Data for 2020 is not included as not directly comparable with previous years
How many portions of fruit and vegetables did you eat yesterday? Midlothian
Data Source: Midlothian Community Planning Partnership Citizen's Panel 2017-18
Nationally most adults show a good understanding of the key principles of a healthy diet but there is a gap between attitudes and behaviour. 1 in 10 people are worried about the amount of sugar in food. They are also concerned about saturated fat, fat, and salt.
The barriers most cited to achieving a healthy diet are cost and time. 78% of people agree that we need to make significant changes to how we eat to be healthier.
Our food environment plays an important role in shaping what people buy and eat, and it is influenced by what is available, affordable and accessible. Inequalities in accessing a healthy diet contribute towards health inequalities (Public Health Scotland, 2023).
In 2019, 9% of adults in Scotland reported having experienced food insecurity in terms of worrying that they would run out of food due to lack of money or resources during the previous 12 months, the same proportion as in 2018 (Scottish Health Survey, 2019).
Food insecurity
Food insecurity is the inability to acquire or consume an adequate quality or enough food in socially acceptable ways, or the uncertainty that one will be able to do so.
The 2021 Scottish Health Survey asked three questions around food insecurity in Scotland.
- Percentage of people worried about running out of food (last 12 months) due to a lack of money or resources:
- 9% of adults;
- 14% of younger adults aged 16-44
- 1% in the 65+ age group.
- No significant difference observed between men and women.
- Percentage of people who ate less than they think they should have due to lack of money or other resources:
- 6% of adults;
- 12% for 25-44 age group;
- 4% for 45-64 age group;
- 1% in both 65+ age groups.
- Percentage of people who had run out of food:
- 3% of adults;
- 5% of those aged 16-64
- 0% of those 65+
Increased energy bills are also contributing to food insecurity.
In June 2023 the Trussell Trust published a report on Hunger in the UK. Some of the headline findings of the report are:
- 69% of people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust are disabled, compared to 26% across the general population.
- Working aged people are overrepresented among those referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network.
- The majority of people (89%) referred to food banks in the network are in receipt of means tested benefits.
- 46% of people referred to food banks in the network live in social housing.
Page updated: June 2024