Britain Has Jobs, But Heavy Drinking Too
Public Health is becoming a growing concern in the UK. According to a damning report released in early August, alcohol sales in the United Kingdom have grown by almost 10 per cent in a year, increasing fears of a growing culture of binge drinking.
Public Health Jobs to Take On Drinking
This reported increase comes just before a shake-up of British drinking laws, due in November, which will allow 24-hour drinking in bars and allow stores to sell alcohol around the clock. Public health officials are hoping that by loosening licensing laws, consumers will be less prone to binge drinking, the so-called habit of consuming as many drinks as possible before closing time.
The British Department of Health said yesterday that 13 children a day are being taken to hospital after drinking binges and doctors report growing numbers of young people with liver disease. Public health officials have every reason to be alarmed.
Public Health Career?
According to the public health report, in the decade to 2004, the amount spent on alcohol consumed at home increased by nearly 50 per cent to ?40 billion ($60 billion). The snapshot of consumption patterns appears in the Family Food ? Expenditure and Food Survey 2003-2004. It is based on diaries collected by 16,965 people from 7,048 households for a typical fortnight.
Beer was the most popular drink in 2003-2004 with 0.6 pints consumed each week by the over-14s, up a staggering 15.9 per cent on 2002-2003. Wine consumption is also up, with people drinking 0.5 pints of wine a week, compared with 0.4 pints two years ago, a rise of 7.5 per cent.
Public Health Career to Fight Obesity
Soaring UK junk food sales are also raising concern among public health officials. A million children under 16 are classified as obese, despite government campaigns to get young people eating healthier. In fact, sales of fresh fruit and vegetables are down by nearly 2 per cent, suggesting that a campaign to persuade people to eat five portions a day has failed.
Daily calorie consumption is down from 2,534 calories a day in 1974 to 2,073 in 2004, but today's food is loaded with higher amounts of fat, saturated fat and sugar. Sales of soft drinks have increased by 10 per cent.
