Key findings:

• Level of smoking drops to 17% of the population
• Obesity: still a major concern with 60% overweight or obese
• Activity: 54% of men and 38% of women achieve the minimum level of recommended physical activity
• Sleep: Adults get 7.1 hours sleep on an average weeknight
• Carers: 42% of carers report that they themselves have a long-standing illness or health problem

The prevalence of smoking has dropped from 23% in 2015 to 17% in 2019 which means there are now an estimated 165,000 fewer smokers than there were five years ago. Plain packaging with health warnings, introduced under a new law in 2018, was cited by 25% of smokers as a good motivation to quit. In the last 12 months 40% of smokers have made an attempt to quit, with health concerns being the prime motivator for people wanting to quit. 5% of the population use e-cigarettes and a further 12% have tried them at some point.