Living Healthier, and What Gets in the Way

In 2019, it was estimated that about 68% of people in England aged above 16 are overweight or obese. This is up from 53% in 1993. Even more worryingly, the UK has been trying to tackle this issue since 1991 when obesity was first recognised as a public health challenge by the then Conservative Government, and has since then been part of 14 various government strategies. So why are the numbers still rising? To better understand this issue,Public First conducted a nationally representative poll of 2,000 people in the UK, asking them about their understanding of healthy living and the barriers they may face in pursuing it.

Most people say they are familiar with the official recommendations for exercise and nutrition

The vast majority of people in the UK report having a good understanding of public health guidance on food and exercising at 88%, compared to 12% who report having a poor understanding. There is some indication that lower socioeconomic groups and those with poor health are less likely to report having a good understanding, whilst the latter group is also more likely to say they struggle to know which sources to trust with regards to healthy eating (12% of those with self-reported very good health vs 22% poor health). These numbers suggest that public awareness is generally good in the country, albeit a small number of individuals who still do report having some difficulties making decisions with regards to healthy living.

Cost is by the far the biggest self-reported barrier to healthy eating

The most common barriers the British public report facing with regards to having a healthy diet are price (38% citing as one of their top three barriers), not enjoying the taste of healthy food (21%), and not having time to prepare healthy meals (17%). Lack of knowledge on which foods to eat and not knowing how to prepare food were relatively low in comparison (at 9% and 7%). In fact, a quarter of the UK population report being aware of the general guidance on healthy eating but simply struggle to implement it in their day to day, and this was even more prevalent among those who self-reported poor health. Cost was overwhelmingly more important as a barrier to those in lower socio-economy groups (44%) and those with poorer health (54%). 

Although time constraints are not at the top of the list of barriers, our survey also shows that 39% of people say they are having to snack throughout the day as they do not have time for a meal break at least once a week, whilst 38% say they rely on ready meals or take out to save time on a busy day at least once a week. These time constraints were particularly common among young people.

Confidence and a lack of time are the biggest barriers for physical activity

When asked about the amount of physical activity they do (for those who are able to exercise), over a third of respondents reported doing less than the minimum amount recommended by the NHS. More spare time (33%), increased confidence (32%), more affordable (25%) and more enjoyable (23%) exercise options were the top solutions which people said would help them exercise more in their day to day. Similarly to food, time constraint did not seem to overwhelmingly affect people in lower socioeconomic groups, yet it was again much more prevalent among young people as an issue. People with poor health were on the other hand much more likely to report confidence as an important enabler (40%).

A total of 67% of people in the UK reported finding exercising fun, though this was higher in the highest socioeconomic group (74% AB, vs 64% of DE). We also found that a much higher proportion of people with poor health rated the availability, variety and affordability of exercise options in their area as poor compared to those with very good and good health. We also found significant regional differences, with for example, 14% of those in London rated the availability of exercise options in their area as poor, compared to 24% in Yorkshire and 23% in the South East.

Although much of this research only scratches the surface of the issue, it is clear that many people in the UK today experience circumstantial and environmental barriers when it comes to healthy eating and exercising. On an individual basis, most people in our survey could point to various issues which stop them from pursuing healthier choices, yet 38% still think that people who are unhealthy choose to be this way, and 56% think it is easy for people to get healthy if they try to. There is therefore a discrepancy between the discourse used to talk about our own health and the health of others, which tends to focus on individual accountability and fails to recognise the systemic factors influencing health outcomes.