Tuesday 06 January 2004
More than a third (36%) of 11-15 year olds are worried that they might put on too much weight over Christmas and three quarters (74%) anticipate that their diet will be fairly unhealthy during the holidays, according to research conducted by the MORI Social Research Institute.
The survey, for Developing Patient Partnerships, shows top of the list for over a quarter of 11-15 year olds of things to change about their health, after being able to run faster and having fewer coughs and colds.
Three in five children (60%) find it confusing to know what a healthy diet is and over two in five (43%) find it difficult to find places to exercise and run around outside school, which makes addressing weight worries a growing problem for a lot of young people (1).
- c.54% do not feel it is often difficult to find places to exercise or run around outside school time.
Technical details
MORI Social Research Institute conducted the research on behalf of Developing Patient Partnerships. A representative sample of 414 children aged 11-15 was interviewed by telephone between 17 November and 3 December 2003 across Great Britain. The data have been weighted to the known profile of 11-15 year olds in Britain.
Topline Results
- 414 children aged 11-15
- Interviewed by telephone across Great Britain
- Between 17 November — 3 December 2003
- An asterisk (*) indicates a percentage of less than 0.5% but greater than zero
- Data have been weighted to reflect the national profile
- Base all, unless otherwise stated
Q1 At the beginning of each year, some people decide to make New Year's resolutions. What New Year's resolutions, if any, do you think you might make this coming New Year? If you don't think that you will make any, please say so.
| | % |
|---|
| Have more fun / Go out more with friends | 2 |
| Play more sport / Play more outdoor games / Take more exercise | 7 |
| Watch TV less | 1 |
| Play computer games less | 0 |
| Save money / Spend less | 3 |
| Try harder at school / Do my homework regularly | 19 |
| Eat healthier food | 11 |
| Eat less food / Lose weight | 5 |
| Other (PLEASE SPECIFY) | 22 |
| None | 17 |
| Don't know | 22 |
I am now going to ask you some questions about being healthy.
Q2 Which, if any, of the following statements describes how you personally feel about your health? It's…
| | % |
|---|
| …very good | 20 |
| …fairly good | 60 |
| …neither good nor bad | 15 |
| …fairly bad | 4 |
| …very bad | 0 |
| Don't know | 0 |
Q3 Which, if any, of the following would you like to change about your own health? If you would not like to change any of these, please say 'None of these'.
| | % |
|---|
| To be able to climb stairs / run for a bus without getting out of breath | 15 |
| To have fewer coughs and colds | 29 |
| To lose weight | 27 |
| To put on more weight | 9 |
| To run faster | 49 |
| None of these | 8 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Q4 Which, if any, of the following statements do you agree with most?
| | % |
|---|
| It doesn't matter what I do, I cannot have any influence on how healthy or unhealthy I am | 8 |
| I can have some influence on how healthy or unhealthy I am | 38 |
| I can have a big influence on how healthy or unhealthy I am | 50 |
| None of these | 0 |
| Don't know | 3 |
Q5 How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
| | Strongly agree | Agree slightly | Neither agree nor disagree | Disagree slightly | Strongly disagree | Don't know |
|---|
| | % | % | % | % | % | % |
|---|
| It is often difficult to find places to exercise or run around outside school-time | 13 | 30 | 2 | 33 | 21 | 1 |
| It can often be confusing to know what a healthy diet is | 17 | 43 | 2 | 23 | 13 | 2 |
Q6 Do you personally ever eat school dinners, or not?
Q7 How healthy or unhealthy do you think school dinners are?
| | % |
|---|
| Very healthy | 3 |
| Fairly healthy | 30 |
| Neither healthy nor unhealthy | 16 |
| Fairly unhealthy | 29 |
| Very unhealthy | 20 |
| Don't know | 2 |
Q8 When thinking about the food and any sweets which you may eat at Christmas this year, would you describe these as being…?
| | % |
|---|
| Very healthy | 2 |
| Fairly healthy | 12 |
| Neither healthy nor unhealthy | 11 |
| Fairly unhealthy | 46 |
| Very unhealthy | 27 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Q9 How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Would you say you strongly agree, agree slightly, neither agree nor disagree, disagree slightly or strongly disagree?
… I am worried that I might put on too much weight over Christmas
| | % |
|---|
| Strongly agree | 15 |
| Agree slightly | 21 |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 3 |
| Disagree slightly | 32 |
| Strongly disagree | 28 |
| Don't know | 1 |