Major new survey
Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 40, Issue 3.
There needs to be much greater attention and effort on improving mental wellbeing to help people live healthier, happier and more productive lives,according to the results of a major new survey of people in the North West which reveals significant differences in levels of mental wellbeing. The North West Mental Wellbeing Survey was undertaken in response to a growing need to understand more about positive mental health and wellbeing. With a total sample of 18,500 people across Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside, the survey is the largest, most significant and detailed investigation of the region's mental health and wellbeing ever undertaken. It identified differences between local areas, with people from Warrington emerging as having the highest overall mental wellbeing score in the North West and people in Liverpool the lowest.
The survey revealed a clear link between general health and mental wellbeing:
Those with relatively high mental wellbeing were three-and-a-half times more likely than those with relatively low mental wellbeing to say they were in very good health.
Those with low mental wellbeing were nearly five times more likely to say that their health was very bad or bad than those with high mental wellbeing.
Other findings from the survey include:
There were no differences in levels of mental wellbeing between men and women.
High levels of mental wellbeing were most likely among 25-39 year olds,those living in the least deprived areas and among non-white adults.
Relatively low levels of mental wellbeing were more likely to be found among people living in the most deprived areas, among 40-54 year olds and among white adults.
Individuals with low mental wellbeing were nearly three times more likely than those with high mental wellbeing to have not spoken to someone outside their household in the last week.
People with a relatively high level of mental wellbeing were two-and-a-half times more likely to be satisfied with their lives compared with people with a relatively low level of mental wellbeing.
People with high levels of mental wellbeing were 2.4 times more likely than those with low levels to have never worried about money in the last few weeks.
People with high levels of mental wellbeing were 2.4 times more likely than those with low levels to be taking enough exercise to meet Government physical activity targets.
