Children's Christmas 'Fat' Worries

Culture

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.

 

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).

  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.

160 %
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...

160 %
...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'.

160 %
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?

160 %
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?

160 Strongly agree Agree slightly Neither agree nor disagree Disagree slightly Strongly disagree Don't know
160 % % % % % %
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?

160 %
Yes 57
No 42
Don't know 0

Q7 How healthy or unhealthy do you think school dinners are?

160 %
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...?

160 %
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

160 %
Strongly agree 15
Agree slightly 21
Neither agree nor disagree 3
Disagree slightly 32
Strongly disagree 28
Don't know 1

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