Copeland Health Profile 2010 - Cumbria County Council

Obesity and nutrition
The Government recommends an intake of at least five portions of fruit or vegetables per
person per day to help reduce the risk of some cancers, heart disease and many other
chronic conditions.
Figure 26: Fruit and vegetable consumption
Figure 26 takes data from the Health Survey England. This shows that an estimated 26% of
the population of Copeland reported eating five or more pieces of fruit and vegetables per
day. This is slightly worse than the Cumbria average of 28%.
Obesity and Physical activity
Adults who are physically active have a 20-30% reduced risk of premature death (DoH 2004).
Physical activity has an effect on cardiovascular risk, it reduces the risk of some cancers such
as colorectal cancer, and it reduces the incidence of falls and osteoporosis in the elderly, and
has been shown to reduce depression, stress and anxiety (DoH 2004).
The National Indicator, N18 measures the percentage of the adult population (age 16 years
and over) in a local area who participate in sport and active recreation, at moderate intensity,
for at least 30 minutes on at least 12 days out of the last 4 weeks (equivalent to 30 minutes
on 3 or more days a week). Figures taken from Sport England show that just over 20% of the
adult population of Copeland participate in some form of physical activity. This is below the
Cumbria average of 22%.
Mental Health
Mental well-being is as important as physical health if people are to live their lives to the full.
Mental ill-health is common with one in four people experiencing a mental health problem at
some point in their life. Ten percent of children have a mental health problem.
Table 5: Selected mental health indicators
Indicator
Number
Estimated number of people with a common mental disorder 7,300
Estimated number of people age over 65 with dementia 800
Estimated number of adults (16+) who have engaged in deliberate self harm in their 1,970-2,840
lifetime
Admissions to hospital for self harm 150
Attendances at A&E departments in a year 440
Average number of suicides each year 11
The recent Mental Health Joint Strategic Needs Assessment: Adults report (NHS Cumbria
2010) provides valuable information on the mental health of the local community. Data taken
from this report are shown in table 5. This shows a selection of mental health problems
experienced by the residents of Copeland.
Copeland Health Profile
J Clay
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