Healthy & risk behaviours

The following selected resources provide data and further guidance on health-related behaviours and linked states. Includes sections: 'Overview' (for resources covering a range of topics) and 'Physical activity', 'Strength & balance', 'Smoking', 'Alcohol misuse, 'Diet' and 'Obesity' (for more topic specific resources).

Overview

Overview data sources

• The Wider Impacts of COVID-19 on Health (WICH) monitoring tool provides latest national and regional level data on physical activity, smoking and alcohol misuse, with selected age breakdowns at national level. Published by Public Health England.
• The Productive Healthy Ageing Profile provides a range of annual healthy and risk behaviour indicators at local, regional and national level, including various inequality breakdowns at national level, published by Public Health England
• Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet - annual statistics published by NHS Digital
• Health Survey for England - analysis of annual national survey results published by NHS Digital - covers a range of topics including health-related behaviours 

Overview general resources

• Better Health campaign - overview and campaign resources published by Public Health England and Better Health webpage tools for the public published on the NHS website
• A National Covid-19 Resilience Programme - Improving the health and wellbeing of older people during the pandemic (2020) published by the Physiological Society and the Centre for Ageing Better
• The impact of COVID-19 to date on older people's mental and physical health (2020) - a report on findings from a survey conducted August 2020, including the impact on physical activity and diet, published by Age UK
• Behaviour change: guide for local government and partners (2020) published by Public Health England
• Improving people’s health: Applying behavioural and social sciences to improve population health and wellbeing in England (2018) published by Public Health England
• See also the early interventions section

Physical activity

Physical activity data sources

• Physical Activity profile tool - annual local authority level data published by Public Health England 
• Active Lives surveys - includes local authority level data - and regular Coronavirus impact on physical activity surveys published by Sport England. There is the option to build an Active Lives query on multiple dimensions e.g. to look at various physical activity measures by age group, geographical area, time period and other dimensions.
• Brisk walking and physical inactivity in 40 to 60 year olds - ad hoc analysis of 2016 to 2017 Active Lives data published by Public Health England. Accompanying data tables include a breakdown by age groups up to age 75+ and by sex, region, deprivation decile, ethnic group and whether have a limiting disability or illness.
• See also the Overview data sources section above

Physical activity publications by year

• A National Post-Pandemic Resilience Programme: Supporting older adults to recover from the pandemic (2021) published by the Physiological Society and the Centre for Ageing Better
• Keep on moving: Understanding physical inactivity among 50-70 year olds (2021) published by the Centre for Ageing Better
• Understanding and addressing inequalities in physical activity (2021) published by Public Health England 
  
• Wider impacts of COVID-19 on physical activity, deconditioning and falls in older adults (2021) published by Public Health England
• Active travel and mid-life: Understanding the barriers and enablers to active travel (2021) published by the Centre for Ageing Better
  
• WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (2020) published by the World Health Organization
• Health matters: physical activity - prevention and management of long-term conditions (2020) published by Public Health England
• UK Chief Medical Officers' physical activity guidelines (2019) published by the Department of Health & Social Care

Physical activity general resources

• Everybody active, every day: framework for physical activity - collection of resources published by Public Health England. An evidence-based approach for national and local action to address the physical inactivity epidemic
• Physical activity and older people - collection of guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
• Active Ageing published by Sport England
• Being active as you get older - collection published by Age UK
• Later Life Training promoting physical activity amongst older people. Includes 10-minute online movement classes, three times a day, for older people or those who have been very sedentary and want to ease back into movement. Also available as archived videos. 

Strength & balance

• Strength and balance programme published by the Centre for Ageing Better
• Active at Home Campaign and booklet (2021) published by Public Health Engand and Sport England
• Raising the bar on strength and balance: The importance of community-based provision (2019) published by the Centre for Ageing Better in collaboration with the Healthy Ageing Research Group at the Univeristy of Manchester and Later Life Training (LLT)
  
• Strength and balance quality markers - Supporting improvement through audit (2019) published by Public Health England
• Muscle and bone strengthening and balance activities for general health benefits in adults and older adults - Summary of a rapid evidence review for the UK Chief Medical Officers’ update of the physical activity guidelines (2018) published by Public Health England and the Centre for Ageing Better
• See also the Falls & Fractures section

Smoking

• Local Tobacco Control Profiles - local authority level data tool published by Public Health England
• Adult smoking habits in the UK - annual report and dataset (including age breakdowns) published by the Office for National Statistics and Public Health England
• Collection - Tobacco and smoking: policy, regulation and guidance published by Public Health England
• Health Matters - Smoking - blogs published by Public Health England
• Smoking overview - guidance on addressing smoking published by NICE 
• Up in smoke. The impact of smoking on health and economic activity (2021) - a report published by the International Longevity Centre (ILC) UK
• The costs of smoking to the social care system and related costs for older people in England (2019) - report and local and regional estimates published by ASH (Action on Smoking and Health)

Alcohol misuse

• Local Alcohol Profiles for England - local authority level data tool and further resources signposting published by Public Health England
• Statistics on Alcohol - annual statistics published by NHS Digital  
• Alcohol: applying All Our Health - guidance published by Public Health England
• Liver disease: applying All Our Health - guidance published by Public Health England
• Alcohol-related guidance published by NICE
• Reducing liver deaths: a call to action (2021) - a blog published by Public Health England to accompany the monitoring report below
• Monitoring alcohol consumption and harm during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021) published by Public Health England
• Drink Wise Age Well England Legacy Workshops (2021) - summary report on the outcomes from a series of 3 workshops published by NPC and the International Longevity Centre (ILC) UK 
• Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2019 (2021) published by the Office for National Statistics
• ‘It’s everywhere’ – alcohol’s public face and private harm. The report of the Commission on Alcohol Harm (2020) - supported by the Alcohol Health Alliance UK
• The public health burden of alcohol: evidence review (updated Aug 2018) - report published by Public Health England
• Older people and alcohol misuse: helping people stay in their homes (2016) - guidance published by Public Health England
• Alcohol Health Alliance UK - "an alliance of more than 50 non-governmental organisations which work together to promote evidence-based policies to reduce the harm caused by alcohol"
• Alcohol Change UK - "alcohol charity, formed from the merger of Alcohol Concern and Alcohol Research UK"
• Drink Wise Age Well - a range of online resources and delivery of services in 5 demonstrator locations across the UK

Diet

• National Food Strategy: The Plan (2021) - an independent review for government
• National Diet & Nutrition Survey - results from years 9 to 11 (2016 to 2017 and 2018 to 2019) (2020) published by Public Health England. A survey designed to assess the diet, nutritional intake and nutritional status of the general population in UK private households. The report includes commentary on older people and the accompanying data tables include breakdowns by age groups 65+, 65-74 and 75+ and by sex.
• National Diet & Nutrition Survey: Assessment of salt intake in adults, England 2018 to 2019 (2020) published by Public Health England
  
• National Food Strategy - Part One (2020) - An independent review commissioned by the government
• Impact assessment - Helping older people maintain a healthy diet: A review of what works (2017) published by Public Health England
• Patterns and trends in adult diet (2017) - presentation published by Public Health England
• Older People Specialist Group published by the Association of UK Dieticians (BDA)
• Malnutrition Taskforce - a focus on malnutrition in later life
• Healthy eating - Your guide to eating well published by Age UK
• The Eatwell Guide published by Public Health England
• Healthy Eating collection of resources on the .gov website
• Vitamins and minerals guidance published on the NHS website 
  
• British Dietetics Association (BDA) - The Association of UK Dieticians
• Association for Nutrition - The independent regulator for Registered Nutritionists in the UK

Obesity

Obesity data sources 

• Obesity Profile - data at national, regonal and local level published by Public Health England. Initially focussed on children but now encompasses adult obesity and includes a report on Patterns and trends in adult excess weight. 
• Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet - annual statistics, including a link to the 'Obesity related hospital admissions dashboard' providing data down to local authority level, published by NHS Digital
  
• Adult excess weight: patterns and trends (2021) - slide sets presenting the latest national level data on adult excess weight and obesity published by Public Health England
• Adult obesity prevalence by National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (2020) published by Public Health Engand
• Estimated number of adults who are morbidly obese in England (2020) - ad-hoc national level analysis published by Public Health England
• Local authority prevalence data by BMI category - data up to 2017/18 by BMI category - underweight, healthy weight, overweight, obese, severe obesity and excess weight - published by Public Health England 
• Adult Obesity moving map (2018) published by Public Health England. A time series map showing the change in prevalence of adult obesity for sub national geographies from 1993-2016
• Obesity statistics (2018) – briefing paper published by the UK Parliament
• Health Survey for England 2017 - Adult and child overweight and obesity (2018) published by NHS Digital 
  

Obesity general resources 

• Whole systems approach to obesity - a guide and set of resources to support local authorities published by Public Health England
• Better Health campaign - with an initial focus on tackling obesity - overview and campaign resources published by Public Health England and Better Health webpage tools for the public published on the NHS website
• New specialised support to help those living with obesity to lose weight (2021) - announcement of increased funding from the Department of Health and Social Care
• Tackling obesity: government strategy (2020) published by the Department of Health and Social Care
• Supporting weight management services during the COVID-19 pandemic - Phase 1 insights (2020) published by Public Health Engand in collaboration with a range of organisations
• Excess weight and COVID-19: insights from new evidence (2020) published by Public Health Engand
• Obesity - products published by NICE including guidance, NICE Pathways and quality standards
• Obesity published on the NHS website 
• All-Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity - "calling for the Government to take a new approach to tackling obesity through prevention and treatment" (may need to right-click, copy & paste link in an alternative browser to view menu options)
• Obesity Health Alliance - "a coalition of over 40 organisations working together to reduce obesity by influencing Government policy"
• Adult obesity: applying All Our Health (2019) - updated guidance for front-line health and care staff published by Public Health England
• Health matters: whole systems approach to obesity (2019) guidance published by Public Health England
• Weight management interventions: standard evaluation framework (2018) guidance published by Public Health England
• Health matters: obesity and the food environment (2017) guidance published by Public Health England