The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7381 p766
24 December 2005

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News summary

Survey highlights obesity and smoking statistics in England

Obesity in adults in England is on the increase while the number of men and women who smoke has decreased, according to official figures for 1993 to 2004 released this week by the Department of Health. The number of obese men has gone up from 13.2 per cent in 1993 to 23.6 per cent in 2004 while for women the comparative figures are 16.4 per cent and 23.8 per cent, as revealed by the Health Survey for England 2004.

Smoking rates among men fell from 28 per cent in 1993 to 22 per cent in 2004; there was a similar decline for women falling from 26 per cent to 23 per cent in the same period. The statistics also revealed that diabetes diagnosed by a doctor was more common in black Caribbean men (10.4 per cent) and women (8.4 per cent) than in the general population.

Alcohol misuse in Scotland Scotland’s alcohol problem appears to be getting worse. Statistics published last week show that emergency hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions have increased over the past year and so, too, have alcohol-related deaths.