Food and nutrition

A healthy diet can help to support good physical and mental health, whilst a poor diet has been linked to a number of long term illnesses including cancer, coronary heart disease, excess weight, hypertension (high blood pressure) and type 2 diabetes.

Nutrition advice advocates that balance is the key to a healthy diet, and eating a wide variety of food and drink in the right proportions will help achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

Key findings

• 2021/2022 estimates suggest that 31% of adults (aged 16+) in Lancashire are meeting the '5-a-day' fruit and vegetable consumption recommendation, significantly lower than the England average (32.5%), Blackburn with Darwen is also significantly lower (24.3%) whilst Blackpool estimates are similar (29.9%).
• At district level proportions were significantly below in Preston (28.2%), Pendle (27.6%), Hyndburn (27.2%), and Burnley (24.8%), but similar to England in the remaining 8 districts.
• The 'What about YOUth' (WAY) survey (2014/15) indicate that the average number of portions of fruit consumed per day in Lancashire-12 was 2.4, similar to England (2.4) (persons aged 15 years). For vegetables the number of portions was significantly worse than England (2.3 and 2.4 respectively).
• Public Health England calculated that in 2014 there were 47,928 fast food outlets across England, of which 1,282 (3%) are based in Lancashire-12, giving the area a crude outlet concentration rate of 108.2 (per 100,000 of the population), significantly above the England rate (88.2). Blackburn with Darwen (128.1) and Blackpool (192.9) were also found to have significantly higher concentrations of fast food outlets.
• In 2015 Lancashire County Council conducted a comprehensive lifestyle survey as part of their Health behaviours joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA), with over 13,000 responses from across the Lancashire-12 area. On the subject of diet and nutrition, the survey found under a fifth (17%) of respondents eat fast food or take away meals at least once a week.

For additional county, unitary and district data and further information please see below. Please select the geography type to see what indicators are available as not all are provided across the different footprints.

If the area has defaulted to 'Counties & UAs in North East region', click on the down arrowhead next to 'Geography', select 'Region' and then 'North West'. This is an issue which is not within our control, apologies.

Page updated June 2023