Lifestyle Magazine Videos

Theme
Subject

Interesting Facts and Quotes for Discussion

Health Asthma
1. The UK has one of the highest prevalence rates for asthma in the world.
2. UK GPs see 18,000 new asthma attacks each week.
3. The UK has the third highest prevalence of asthma in 13 to 14 year olds. (Asthma News, UK and Ireland. (Asthma UK 10/06/02)
4. Asthma is the UK's most common long-term childhood illness, according to figures released by the National Asthma Campaign on World Asthma Day, 7 May 2002.

Laughter Therapy
1. London psychiatrist Dr Joan Gomez says that laughter is by far the best way of coping with stress and stress-related conditions.
2. UK doctor Vernon Coleman states 'Bright and cheerful friends will probably do you far more good than any painkilling pills the doctor can prescribe'.
3. Psychiatrist Hans Eysenk (formerly of the Institute of Psychiatry) says, 'Humour offers a bridge between what ought to be and what is'. (Smile Therapy, Liz Hodgkinson - Macdonald Optima)

Exercise
1. The top three daily exercise activities in the UK are: walking (two or more miles), swimming, and keep fit.
2. Exercise has a 'participation effect' with people doing one of the top exercises more likely to do others. (Office For National Statistics, 24/04/2002)
3. As many as 40 per cent of boys and 60 per cent of girls fail to meet the Health Education Authority's recommended minimum of an average of one hour a day of at least moderate activity. (Daily Mail, Kate Hurry, 13/11/00)

Diabetes
1. About 1.4 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with diabetes. This number is set to double by 2010.
2. 40,000 people are estimated to have been diagnosed diabetic in Northern Ireland, and it is estimated a further 25,000 are undiagnosed.
3. Type 1 diabetes affects about 1 in 200 people in the UK. Type 2 diabetes affects around 3 in every 100 and is 3 to 5 times more common in African-Caribbean and Asian people living in the UK. (Diabetes UK)

Self-help How to Raise Your Self-Esteem 1. "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." (George Bernard Shaw).
2. In 1998, there were 6,182 suicides in the UK and 504 in the Republic of Ireland. This is one suicide every 79 minutes. Males account for 77% of suicides.
3. In 1998 there were 868 suicides committed by young people in the UK and Ireland. This is more than two suicides every day. (The Samaritans).

Overcoming Addictions 1. Among people aged 16-29, 25 per cent (2.3 million) reported using drugs in the previous year to the 2000 study.
2. The proportion of the population in England and Wales who have ever used illicit drugs increased from 28 per cent in 1994 to 34 per cent in 2000.
3. Heroin remains the most frequently seized Class A drug in the UK, with cocaine and 'crack' the next most prevalent.
(Drugscope 10/06/02)

Grief Recovery 1. A baby dies suddenly and unexpectedly and for no obvious reason every single day in the UK. This is the leading kind of death in babies over one month old. (Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths).
2. Nearly three times more men than women kill themselves every year. Of the 6,500 suicides and undetermined deaths recorded in the UK during 1995, 4,835 (74%) were men and 1,665 (26%) were women). In adolescents this difference was even greater, being around 5:1. (Mental Health Foundation).
3. Life expectancy at birth in the United Kingdom was 75.2 years for males and 80.1 years for females in 1998 to 2000. This compared to 74.9 years for males and 79.9 years for females for 1997 to 1999. (Office for National Statistics)

Better Time Management 1. The main activities carried out by people in the UK are sleeping, working in their main job and watching television. These activities account for more than half of the day. A third of the day is spent sleeping.
2. Commuting time for those who work is greatest in London and the South East with 4 hours 50 mins per week, Eastern (4 hrs 20 mins) and the Midlands (4hrs); all other regions are below 4 hours per week. People in the South West, Wales and Northern Ireland spend the least time commuting in the UK (around 3½ hours a week).
3. Children watch less TV than 25 to 44 year olds but spend 5 times longer on computers (mainly playing computer games). The biggest internet users are the 16 to 24 year olds (4 minutes a day).
(UK 2000 Time Use Survey - Office for National Statistics)

Environment Ecological Responsibility 1. The largest environmental organisations in the UK is the The National Trust.
2. By 1998 National Trust membership had reached over 2.5 million, more than nine times the number of members in 1971.
3. The United Kingdom alone contributes an estimated 2 per cent to global man-made emissions of carbon dioxide.
(Social Trends Pocketbook 2000)

Saving the Earth 1. Emissions of carbon dioxide have fallen in the United Kingdom since the early 1980s. In 1997, 148 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted, around half of which came from power stations and road transport.2. Since 1971 total emissions from power stations have fallen, reflecting the replacement of coal by gas and nuclear energy, as well as general improvements in conversion efficiencies at power stations. On the other hand emissions by road vehicles have almost doubled over the period.
3. Households in England and Wales produce an estimated 22 kg of waste per week.
(Social Trends Pocketbook 2000)

Animal Overpopulation 1. The UK pet food market is worth £1.46 billion.
2. Of the 4.8 million dog owning households in the UK, 21.5% own more than one.
3. In 2001 there were an estimated 7.5 million cats in the UK. (Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association Ltd)

Saving the Inner Cities 1. 7 % of three-year-olds present moderate to severe behavioural problems in some inner city areas of the UK". (British Neuroscience Association)
2. The 1998 British Crime Survey showed that 3.3 % of adults questioned in rural areas had been the victim of violent crime. The figure for inner city areas was 6.8%.
3. The 1998 British Crime Survey showed that 3.4 % of households in rural areas had been burgled. The figure for inner city areas was 8.5%.

Family Issues Mothers and Daughters 1. "All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his."
(Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest)
2. Fifty per cent of women see their mothers at least once a week and are more likely to do so than men.
3. Eight per cent of adults see their mothers daily. (Office for National Statistics)

Power Parenting 1. In 1991, 48 per cent of women with pre-school children were economically active, by 2001 this had increased to 57 per cent.
2. Just under a fifth of women whose youngest child was under five worked full-time in 2001. (Office for National Statistics)

Teens and Drugs 1. The use of Class A drugs by 16-24 year olds rose from 8 per cent in 1998 to 9 per cent in 2000.
2. 4.9 per cent of survey respondents aged 16-24 admit to using cocaine.
3. The use of amphetamines has decreased among 16-24 year olds from 7.9 per cent in 1998 to 5.2 per cent in 2001. (Drugscope 10/06/02)

Fatherhood 1. Women spend twice as much time caring for and playing with their children, than men do. (Office for National Statistics)
2. Each year almost a quarter of a million children (40 per cent of births) are born in England and Wales to parents who are not married to each other. Fifty thousand of these children are registered without their father’s details. (Birth, Marriage and Death Registration in the 21st Century - Office for National Statistics)
3. Girls who live in homes where the father is absent are more likely to become teenage mothers that those whose fathers are present. (Longitudinal Study Newsletter, December 1999 - Office for National Statistics)

Social Welfare Eldercare Rage 1. In 2000 7.4% of the UK population were aged 75 or over. (Office for National Statistics)
2. In March 2001 average fees for private nursing care and private residential care in the UK were £393 and £280 per week respectively. (Laing & Buisson)

Domestic Violence 1. Twenty-three per cent of women and 15 per cent of men aged 16 to 59 in England and Wales said that a current or former partner had assaulted them at some time in their lives.
2. Around 4 per cent of both women and men said that they had experienced domestic assault in the previous year.
3. Women were twice as likely as men to say they had been injured by such an assault and were more likely to have experienced repeated assaults during the year.
4. There were an estimated 6.6 million incidents of domestic assault in 1995. (Social Trends Pocketbook 2000)

Dying with dignity 1. 54% of medical practitioners are in favour of changing the law to allow Physician Assisted Suicide in some circumstances.(Glasgow University Physician Assisted Suicide Report, 1996).
2. Up to 82% of the British public is in favour of legalised voluntary euthanasia. (British Social Attitudes Report, 1996).
3. Euthanasia (defined by the Government as “a deliberate intervention with the express aim of ending life”) is unlawful throughout the UK. However, it may be lawful, in certain cases, to withhold or withdraw life-prolonging treatment from patients, with the result that their death is hastened.

Learning to Forgive 1. 4 out of 10 victims say they would be interested in having mediation sessions with the offender.
2. Most people discharged from prison are reconvicted.
3. Only a third of people agree that prison works, the more prisons the better. (Rethinking Crime and Punishment - Esmée Fairbairn Foundation)

Youth Issues Leaving a Gang 1. More than half of young people in the UK and a quarter of adults have taken illegal drugs. The survey found cannabis was the most commonly used, then ecstasy and amphetamines.
2. Illegal substances were usually bought from friends rather than directly from dealers and were taken at home rather than in clubs or pubs.
3. Men were more likely to have a habit than women, and 75 per cent said they first tried it out of curiosity rather than peer pressure. (Poll carried out by ICM for the Observer newspaper, April 2002)

Teens and Smoking 1. Prevalence of regular smokers, aged 11 to 15 years, fell from 13 per cent in 1996 to 10 per cent in 2000.
2. Among those aged 11-15, girls are more likely to be regular smokers than boys (12 per cent girls, 9 per cent boys) in 2000.
3. The prevalence of cigarette smoking increases across the age range. In 2000, 1 per cent of 11 year olds were regular smokers, compared to 23 per cent of 15 year olds.(UK Department of Health 10/06/02)

Safe Sex vs. Abstinence 1. 72 per cent of married women in the UK aged 15-49 use a form of contraceptive.
2. In the UK 25 per cent of women aged 15-49 use the contraceptive pill and 6 per cent use the intra-uterine device (IUD).
3. 16 per cent of married men in the UK ages up to 49 use condoms. (The Learning Network Inc 10/6/02)

Beauty 1. The UK cosmetics industry employs over 20,000 people and earns more than £4.5 billion in sales of cosmetics each year. (Department of Trade and Industry, 1999).
2. Men make up approximately 14 per cent of cosmetic surgery clients in the UK
3. It is estimated that Britons spent £180 million on cosmetic surgery in 2001. (Hampstead Psychological Associates, Ltd)

Theme	Subject	Interesting Facts and Quotes for Discussion
Health	Asthma	1. The UK has one of the highest prevalence rates for asthma in the world. 2. UK GPs see 18,000 new asthma attacks each week. 3. The UK has the third highest prevalence of asthma in 13 to 14 year olds. (Asthma News, UK and Ireland. (Asthma UK 10/06/02) 4. Asthma is the UK's most common long-term childhood illness, according to figures released by the National Asthma Campaign on World Asthma Day, 7 May 2002.
	Laughter Therapy	1. London psychiatrist Dr Joan Gomez says that laughter is by far the best way of coping with stress and stress-related conditions. 2. UK doctor Vernon Coleman states 'Bright and cheerful friends will probably do you far more good than any painkilling pills the doctor can prescribe'. 3. Psychiatrist Hans Eysenk (formerly of the Institute of Psychiatry) says, 'Humour offers a bridge between what ought to be and what is'. (Smile Therapy, Liz Hodgkinson - Macdonald Optima)
	Exercise	1. The top three daily exercise activities in the UK are: walking (two or more miles), swimming, and keep fit. 2. Exercise has a 'participation effect' with people doing one of the top exercises more likely to do others. (Office For National Statistics, 24/04/2002) 3. As many as 40 per cent of boys and 60 per cent of girls fail to meet the Health Education Authority's recommended minimum of an average of one hour a day of at least moderate activity. (Daily Mail, Kate Hurry, 13/11/00)
	Diabetes	1. About 1.4 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with diabetes. This number is set to double by 2010. 2. 40,000 people are estimated to have been diagnosed diabetic in Northern Ireland, and it is estimated a further 25,000 are undiagnosed. 3. Type 1 diabetes affects about 1 in 200 people in the UK. Type 2 diabetes affects around 3 in every 100 and is 3 to 5 times more common in African-Caribbean and Asian people living in the UK. (Diabetes UK)
Self-help	How to Raise Your Self-Esteem	1. "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." (George Bernard Shaw). 2. In 1998, there were 6,182 suicides in the UK and 504 in the Republic of Ireland. This is one suicide every 79 minutes. Males account for 77% of suicides. 3. In 1998 there were 868 suicides committed by young people in the UK and Ireland. This is more than two suicides every day. (The Samaritans).
	Overcoming Addictions	1. Among people aged 16-29, 25 per cent (2.3 million) reported using drugs in the previous year to the 2000 study. 2. The proportion of the population in England and Wales who have ever used illicit drugs increased from 28 per cent in 1994 to 34 per cent in 2000. 3. Heroin remains the most frequently seized Class A drug in the UK, with cocaine and 'crack' the next most prevalent. (Drugscope 10/06/02)
	Grief Recovery	1. A baby dies suddenly and unexpectedly and for no obvious reason every single day in the UK. This is the leading kind of death in babies over one month old. (Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths). 2. Nearly three times more men than women kill themselves every year. Of the 6,500 suicides and undetermined deaths recorded in the UK during 1995, 4,835 (74%) were men and 1,665 (26%) were women). In adolescents this difference was even greater, being around 5:1. (Mental Health Foundation). 3. Life expectancy at birth in the United Kingdom was 75.2 years for males and 80.1 years for females in 1998 to 2000. This compared to 74.9 years for males and 79.9 years for females for 1997 to 1999. (Office for National Statistics)
	Better Time Management	1. The main activities carried out by people in the UK are sleeping, working in their main job and watching television. These activities account for more than half of the day. A third of the day is spent sleeping. 2. Commuting time for those who work is greatest in London and the South East with 4 hours 50 mins per week, Eastern (4 hrs 20 mins) and the Midlands (4hrs); all other regions are below 4 hours per week. People in the South West, Wales and Northern Ireland spend the least time commuting in the UK (around 3½ hours a week). 3. Children watch less TV than 25 to 44 year olds but spend 5 times longer on computers (mainly playing computer games). The biggest internet users are the 16 to 24 year olds (4 minutes a day). (UK 2000 Time Use Survey - Office for National Statistics)
Environment	Ecological Responsibility	1. The largest environmental organisations in the UK is the The National Trust. 2. By 1998 National Trust membership had reached over 2.5 million, more than nine times the number of members in 1971. 3. The United Kingdom alone contributes an estimated 2 per cent to global man-made emissions of carbon dioxide. (Social Trends Pocketbook 2000)
	Saving the Earth	1. Emissions of carbon dioxide have fallen in the United Kingdom since the early 1980s. In 1997, 148 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted, around half of which came from power stations and road transport.2. Since 1971 total emissions from power stations have fallen, reflecting the replacement of coal by gas and nuclear energy, as well as general improvements in conversion efficiencies at power stations. On the other hand emissions by road vehicles have almost doubled over the period. 3. Households in England and Wales produce an estimated 22 kg of waste per week. (Social Trends Pocketbook 2000)
	Animal Overpopulation	1. The UK pet food market is worth £1.46 billion. 2. Of the 4.8 million dog owning households in the UK, 21.5% own more than one. 3. In 2001 there were an estimated 7.5 million cats in the UK. (Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association Ltd)
	Saving the Inner Cities	1. 7 % of three-year-olds present moderate to severe behavioural problems in some inner city areas of the UK". (British Neuroscience Association) 2. The 1998 British Crime Survey showed that 3.3 % of adults questioned in rural areas had been the victim of violent crime. The figure for inner city areas was 6.8%. 3. The 1998 British Crime Survey showed that 3.4 % of households in rural areas had been burgled. The figure for inner city areas was 8.5%.
Family Issues	Mothers and Daughters	1. "All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his." (Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest) 2. Fifty per cent of women see their mothers at least once a week and are more likely to do so than men. 3. Eight per cent of adults see their mothers daily. (Office for National Statistics)
	Power Parenting	1. In 1991, 48 per cent of women with pre-school children were economically active, by 2001 this had increased to 57 per cent. 2. Just under a fifth of women whose youngest child was under five worked full-time in 2001. (Office for National Statistics)
	Teens and Drugs	1. The use of Class A drugs by 16-24 year olds rose from 8 per cent in 1998 to 9 per cent in 2000. 2. 4.9 per cent of survey respondents aged 16-24 admit to using cocaine. 3. The use of amphetamines has decreased among 16-24 year olds from 7.9 per cent in 1998 to 5.2 per cent in 2001. (Drugscope 10/06/02)
	Fatherhood	1. Women spend twice as much time caring for and playing with their children, than men do. (Office for National Statistics) 2. Each year almost a quarter of a million children (40 per cent of births) are born in England and Wales to parents who are not married to each other. Fifty thousand of these children are registered without their father’s details. (Birth, Marriage and Death Registration in the 21st Century - Office for National Statistics) 3. Girls who live in homes where the father is absent are more likely to become teenage mothers that those whose fathers are present. (Longitudinal Study Newsletter, December 1999 - Office for National Statistics)
Social Welfare	Eldercare Rage	1. In 2000 7.4% of the UK population were aged 75 or over. (Office for National Statistics) 2. In March 2001 average fees for private nursing care and private residential care in the UK were £393 and £280 per week respectively. (Laing & Buisson)
	Domestic Violence	1. Twenty-three per cent of women and 15 per cent of men aged 16 to 59 in England and Wales said that a current or former partner had assaulted them at some time in their lives. 2. Around 4 per cent of both women and men said that they had experienced domestic assault in the previous year. 3. Women were twice as likely as men to say they had been injured by such an assault and were more likely to have experienced repeated assaults during the year. 4. There were an estimated 6.6 million incidents of domestic assault in 1995. (Social Trends Pocketbook 2000)
	Dying with dignity	1. 54% of medical practitioners are in favour of changing the law to allow Physician Assisted Suicide in some circumstances.(Glasgow University Physician Assisted Suicide Report, 1996). 2. Up to 82% of the British public is in favour of legalised voluntary euthanasia. (British Social Attitudes Report, 1996). 3. Euthanasia (defined by the Government as “a deliberate intervention with the express aim of ending life”) is unlawful throughout the UK. However, it may be lawful, in certain cases, to withhold or withdraw life-prolonging treatment from patients, with the result that their death is hastened.
	Learning to Forgive	1. 4 out of 10 victims say they would be interested in having mediation sessions with the offender. 2. Most people discharged from prison are reconvicted. 3. Only a third of people agree that prison works, the more prisons the better. (Rethinking Crime and Punishment - Esmée Fairbairn Foundation)
Youth Issues	Leaving a Gang	1. More than half of young people in the UK and a quarter of adults have taken illegal drugs. The survey found cannabis was the most commonly used, then ecstasy and amphetamines. 2. Illegal substances were usually bought from friends rather than directly from dealers and were taken at home rather than in clubs or pubs. 3. Men were more likely to have a habit than women, and 75 per cent said they first tried it out of curiosity rather than peer pressure. (Poll carried out by ICM for the Observer newspaper, April 2002)
	Teens and Smoking	1. Prevalence of regular smokers, aged 11 to 15 years, fell from 13 per cent in 1996 to 10 per cent in 2000. 2. Among those aged 11-15, girls are more likely to be regular smokers than boys (12 per cent girls, 9 per cent boys) in 2000. 3. The prevalence of cigarette smoking increases across the age range. In 2000, 1 per cent of 11 year olds were regular smokers, compared to 23 per cent of 15 year olds.(UK Department of Health 10/06/02)
	Safe Sex vs. Abstinence	1. 72 per cent of married women in the UK aged 15-49 use a form of contraceptive. 2. In the UK 25 per cent of women aged 15-49 use the contraceptive pill and 6 per cent use the intra-uterine device (IUD). 3. 16 per cent of married men in the UK ages up to 49 use condoms. (The Learning Network Inc 10/6/02)
	Beauty	1. The UK cosmetics industry employs over 20,000 people and earns more than £4.5 billion in sales of cosmetics each year. (Department of Trade and Industry, 1999). 2. Men make up approximately 14 per cent of cosmetic surgery clients in the UK 3. It is estimated that Britons spent £180 million on cosmetic surgery in 2001. (Hampstead Psychological Associates, Ltd)