Snapshot: Scotland’s NDNS results
Scots eat poorer diet compared with UK average
The figures, published today (September 24), provide a snapshot of the diet of 5,832 Scottish households between 2008/09 and 2011/12.
Compared to the UK average, Scottish consumers aged 19 – 64 were consuming 1.2 fewer portions of fruits and vegetables per day, the report said.
Fewer portions
Those aged between 11 – 18 were consuming 0.2 fewer portions compared to the UK average.
Babies in Scotland aged between one-and-a-half and three were consuming more (123g) fruit per day compared to the UK average (108g), but ate only 65g of vegetables per day compared to the 72g UK average, showed the report.
“When fruit and vegetables were considered separately from each other, fruit consumption was similar between Scotland and the UK for all age/sex groups,” it said.
“Vegetable consumption, however, was significantly lower in Scotland in all age/sex groups with the exception of girls aged 11 – 18 years and men aged 65 years and over.”
Intake of alcohol
Male consumers aged 19 – 64 in Scotland had a higher intake of alcohol (38.3g) compared to the rest of the UK (29.2g).
Almost 7% of total energy for Scottish men aged between 16 and 24 came from alcohol, compared to the UK average of 3%, the report showed.
Alcohol consumption among Scottish women aged between 19 and 64 was also higher than the UK average (19.2g versus 18.2g).
Biscuit, bun, cake and pastry consumption in Scotland was no different from the rest of the UK, claimed the report.
However, confectionery consumption was “significantly” higher among Scottish children aged one-and-a-half to three, compared to UK children’s (12g per day versus 9g per day). Four to 10 year-olds in Scotland were also consuming more (21g per day compared to 18g per day) confectionery.
“Mean consumption of soft drinks – non-diet – tended to be higher in Scotland compared with UK children aged four to 18 years and adults aged 10 – 64 years, but reached statistical significance only in boys aged 11 – 18 years,” the report said.
Meanwhile, vitamin D deficiency is a growing problem in the UK, according to the results of the NDNS survey for the whole of the UK, which were published in May this year.
