Do Americans have the worst health habits?

Hi everyone,

I read a fascinating little article recently in Healthyspan magazine’s Feb/Mar 09 edition.  It was written by Lindsay Gill and was titled ‘Exposed: UK vs US diets…’

It gave some statistics about the habits of Americans versus the habits of the British population.  I think the stats, which I’ve shared below, are quite interesting.  Having lived in both the US and the UK, I am surprised at some of them, but not so surprised at others.  I think we can each learn something from the other country!

Each statistic below shows the US vs UK:

Obesity – 32% v 22%

Diabetes – 9% v 4%

5 portions of fruit/veg per day – 30% v 14%

Arthritis – 8 out of 10 v 7 out of 10

Use of Supplements/Vitamins – 50% v 35%

Fast Food – £792/year v £508/year

Exercise – 48%/51% of women/men get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day v 24%/40%

For the exercise point, the article also mentioned that 20% of the UK don’t get any exercise at all!  Yikes!

Did any of those surprise you?

Here’s to your health!

Kimberly