In the news: data in the UK Data Service collection across the web

Generation Sensible, say the headlines each time young people are reported to be in less trouble than previous generations. Gone are the days when parents would fret over their kids’ excessive consumption of Bacardi Breezers – now, the problem is that we’re just not drinking enough.

It’s an idea that would have horrified previous generations – young people in Britain are not only drinking less, they’re actually not starting drinking at all.

If this shocks you, we’d advise having a stiff whisky before reading on.

The proportion of 16-24 year olds who don’t drink alcohol has increased from 18% in 2005 to 29% in 2015, according to UCL research.

Here's to alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems
So said Homer Simpson once, yellow, three-fingered purveyor of all the good things in life: beer, doughnuts, strangulation.

It appears that young people - defined specifically as 16-24 - are no longer drinking like they used to. In parks, on benches in parks, hidden within the bushes in parks, necking can after can of cheap acidic battery cider or nuclear alcopop.

You don’t need to spend much time adrift in the 21st-century mediascape to conclude that there is something seriously wrong with young people today. Millennials are more narcissistic, anxious, annoying, entitled, communist and fond of avocados than any generation ever; millennials are killing everything from mayonnaise to diamonds to the car industry; millennials are making everyone else feel bad; millennials – get this! – don’t even drink any more.

Young people are increasingly shunning alcohol, with nearly one in three not touching a drop, a study has found.

Researchers found young people in England aren’t just drinking less alcohol, more of them are never taking up drinking at all.

A large proportion of young people in England are shunning alcohol completely, a study has suggested.

Researchers said abstaining from alcohol was becoming “more mainstream” among people aged 16 to 24 after the analysis showed a rise in the proportion of non-drinkers.

Research published in the British Medical Journal found that childhood obesity risk was lower among kids whose mothers had a BMI between 18.5-24.9.

Risk was also reduced if they exercised 150 minutes a week, did not smoke and drank booze in moderation.

If women were “healthy” in all the above areas, their kids had a 75% reduced risk of being overweight.

While we may consider the reasons we go into debt – from falling prey to strategic advertising that encourages us to buy now and pay later, and thinking we are in a better position to pay our bills than we are, to being taken advantage of by overzealous lenders, or failing to exert financial self-control – the result is the same: We are mired in debt.

The question is: Just how much does this affect our mental health?

More than a quarter of under-25s count themselves as “non drinkers”, a new study reveals.

The research, conducted by University College London, claims abstaining from alcohol is becoming “more mainstream” among people in England aged 16-24. 

Researchers studied data on almost 10,000 youngsters, collected via the annual Health Survey for England. 

Young British people are drinking less alcohol than a decade ago, with abstinence becoming "mainstream" among teenagers and young adults, a new study reveals.

Researchers found that 29% of 16- to 24-year olds were non-drinkers in 2015, up from 18% in 2005.
Half of people in that age group said they had not had a drink in the past week, compared to 35% a decade earlier, according to the study published Wednesday.

MORE than a quarter of young adults are now teetotal - and the number who binge drink has fallen.

New research from University College London shows that 29 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds now choose not to drink alcohol.

WHETHER you see having a glass of wine at the end of a long day as a treat, or just the normal thing to do, it’s surprising how quickly you can rack up more than the recommended 14 units of alcohol per week.

And according to Public Health England (PHE), those aged between 45 and 65 are more likely to exceed the limit than other age groups.

Middle-aged drinkers are being encouraged to have more alcohol-free days as part of a new health campaign.

Public Health England said those aged between 45 and 65 were more likely to surpass the recommended 14 units of alcohol per week.

According to the Health Su

New research has found that the “home adaptation process is so complex and varied that even professionals working in the area struggle to navigate it” claims elderly persons charity.

Developed by the Centre for Ageing Better, the ‘Homes that help: A personal and professional perspective on home adaptations’ report examines the experiences of individuals who use home adaptations and the practitioners who work alongside them.

Led by a team from Northumbria University, the research was gathered through interviews with older people regarding their experience of home adaptations and focus groups with providers and practitioners involved in the adaptation process, as well as the use of wearable cameras to document how people interact with their home adaptations.

Walking is just not enough, according to a new review of the evidence from Public Health England, which reveals a major disconnect between the exercise people need and what they actually do.

Those who thought 10,000 steps a day or a brisk daily trudge from a further bus stop meant they were doing enough to stay fit and healthy have got it wrong. People should also all be doing tai chi, weight lifting or ballroom dancing – although carrying home heavy shopping bags might do the trick.

Aerobic exercise, such as walking or gardening, is good for the heart and improves the circulation. PHE’s review said that muscle and bone strengthening and balance activities are also vital for health and future wellbeing, but they are neglected.

Almost 40 per cent of Year 6 school children in St Helens are overweight, a new council report has said.
The statistic has been published in the council’s Food Law Enforcement Service Plan 2018-19,

It follows a separate council report earlier this month that reveals, based on the latest indicators from Public Health England, 72.1 per cent of adults in St Helens are estimated to be overweight or obese.