A question of public health
HEALTH chiefs have been in March conducting a survey in a bid to gain a £500,000 Lottery grant to expand a healthy living project right across the Fens. The Healthy Living-East Cambridgeshire project is shortly to come to an end but, if lottery funding is
HEALTH chiefs have been in March conducting a survey in a bid to gain a £500,000 Lottery grant to expand a healthy living project right across the Fens.
The Healthy Living-East Cambridgeshire project is shortly to come to an end but, if lottery funding is agreed, will expand into an East Cambs and Fenland wide initiative.
"If we are successful it means we can roll out a healthy living project right across Fenland," said Cathy Howlett, project development manager.
The poll of people attending the Wednesday market in March, revealed that while most people consider themselves to be relatively healthy, we could all do more to improve our lifestyles.
Ms Howlett said: "Generally people consider themselves to be quite fit with 81 per cent taking exercise two to five times a week. However the majority of respondents said they were not booking themselves into a gym, choosing instead to walk dogs, tend gardens or simply take a stroll to the shops every day.
"Only eight per cent admitted to not exercising at all."
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The survey did, however, show that people in Fenland are doing fairly well at meeting the five-a-day fruit and veg target. More than half (56 per cent) said they consumed more than five portions a day with 28 per cent eating between two and five portions.
A total of eight per cent said they only managed one portion a day.
"Smoking statistics were also encouraging," said Ms Howlett. "While 17 per cent said they smoked daily and six per cent occasionally, the vast majority (77 per cent) had either never smoked or had quit."
Ms Howlett said: "While it would appear that we are doing fairly well some of the statistics, such as 17 per cent of us smoking daily and one in eight people eating less than one portion of fruit and veg a day, are quite worrying.
