Using new data from over 516,000 young people we are updating the Trends reports that have data from 1983.
For example, around 25% of regular smokers, across all groups, don't want to give up smoking. The apparent lack of an overall trend suggests that the proportion who don't want to give up is fairly consistent irrespective of any influences that may alter a young smoker's attitude, and despite all health education efforts since the early 1980s.
Recent results confirm the trend we have observed each year in our annual publications. The peak of wanting to lose weight may have been reached for the 14-15 year old females and may continue to hover around the 58% average. We have shown each year that far more older females want to lose weight (57% in 2007) compared with the number that are overweight (12% in 2007).
Interestingly the data show that more 14-15 year old females, in recent years, are happy with their weight as it is compared with earlier years.
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Table 1. 14-15 year old females
% who ate school lunch and miss breakfast |
Type of schoolday lunch |
Nothing for breakfast |
| |
1994
|
2007 |
| School cafeteria |
25%
|
14% |
| School set lunch |
3% |
14% |
| Packed lunch |
25% |
23% |
| Takeaway or shop |
12% |
6% |
| Went home |
12% |
4% |
| Did not have any lunch |
25% |
40% |
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Table 2. 14-15 year old females
Attitude to weight and having nothing for breakfast |
Attitude to weight |
Nothing for breakfast |
| |
1994
|
2007 |
| Would like to put on weight |
13%
|
14% |
| Would like to lose weight |
20% |
18% |
| Happy with weight |
14% |
10% |
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The main items of interest in Table 1 are the similarity (around 25%) of those reporting nothing for breakfast and having a packed lunch at school and, in 2007, the rise to 40%, from 25% in 1994, of those having no breakfast or schoolday lunch.
In Table 2, the similarities in the data from 1994 and 2007 are noteworthy. Around 19% of 14-15 year old females, who responded in 1994 and 2007 to having ‘nothing for breakfast’, also expressed a desire to lose weight. |
Table 3. 14-15 year old females - Attitude to weight and worrying about how they look |
Attitude to weight |
Never worry about looks |
Worry a little about looks |
Worry a lot about looks |
| |
1994
|
2007 |
1994
|
2007 |
1994
|
2007 |
| Would like to put on weight |
8% |
12% |
41% |
36% |
51% |
52% |
| Would like to lose weight |
3% |
5% |
29% |
29% |
68% |
66% |
| Happy with weight |
9% |
14% |
49% |
48% |
43% |
38% |
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Table 3 shows connections between questions about worrying about how I look and attitude to weight. The highest percentages (around 67%) relate to those 14-15 year old females that worry a lot about their looks and would like to lose weight - however, there is little differnece between 1994 and 2007.
For further information about the trends data please email: david.mcgeorge@sheu.org.uk
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