Diet and nutrition: data for adults

The 2003 Scottish Health Survey reported that:

• Around a fifth of those aged 16 and over (20% of men and 22% of women) consumed the recommended amount of five or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day (Table 1).
  
• Those in middle age consumed more fruit and vegetables than young and elderly people (Table 1).

Table 1: Fruit and vegetable consumption, by age and sex (ages 16+)

% eating five or more  portions per day	16-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65-74	75+	Total 16+
Men	17	18	19	22	24	18	16	20
Women	18	24	21	27	27	18	18	22

Source: Extract from volume 2, table 3.1 of the 2003 Scottish Health Survey

• Those in the most deprived areas of Scotland consumed, on average, fewer portions of fruit and vegetables per day.  Those in the most deprived areas were only around half as likely to have consumed five or more portions compared to those in the least deprived areas (Table 2). 

Table 2: Estimated odds ratios for consuming five or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day, by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile and sex (ages 16+)

Estimated odds ratio	Quintile 1 (least deprived) (reference group)	Quintile 2	Quintile 3	Quintile 4	Quintile 5 (most deprived)
Men	1	0.92	0.83	0.74*	0.55*
Women	1	0.88	0.94	0.62*	0.51*

* Significantly lower odds ratio compared to the reference group (least deprived)
Source: Extract from volume 2, table 3.6 of the 2003 Scottish Health Survey

• Fruit and vegetable consumption by NHS board is available from the Scottish Health Survey 2003 - NHS board tables, but the results are difficult to interpret because no measure of certainty has been attached to the estimates.
  
• Overall, a lower percentage of respondents consumed five or more portions per day in Scotland than in England, and the difference between countries tended to be greatest among those aged 65 and over (Table 3).

Table 3: Fruit and vegetable consumption in Scotland and England, by age and sex (ages 16+)

% eating five or more  portions per day	16-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65-74	75+	Total (16+)
Men      - Scotland             - England	17 13	18 21	19 21	22 23	24 25	18 29	16 24	20 22
Women - Scotland             - England	18 16	24 23	21 27	27 32	27 32	18 28	18 20	22 26

Source: Extract from volume2, table 3.7 of the 2003 Scottish Health Survey

See Volume 2, Chapter 3 of the Scottish Health Survey 2003 for the full tables, and for information on eating habits.