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Healthy Choices Quiz

We are supporting the Department of Health and Social Care and the
NHS on a new campaign encouraging all adults to take the Healthy
Choices Quiz.

This health and wellbeing quiz aims to empower adults to take control of their health by making small changes day to day.

Taking around 5 minutes to complete it asks questions about your lifestyle in the areas of eating, movement, alcohol consumption, smoking and vaping, mental health and sleep. You’ll receive an overall score based on your answers. This score indicates how your lifestyle could be affecting your health and wellbeing.

You’ll also be directed to guidance and advice for areas you could improve including a range of free NHS apps and tools. From a 9-week running programme for absolute beginners, to an anxiety reducing email programme, the NHS has a range of support on offer.

Whether you want to eat better, move more or sleep deeper, the Healthy Choices Quiz can
be your first step towards a healthier you.

Take the free NHS Healthy Choices Quiz today: Quiz

Facts and stats

Smoking

  • Smoking is the single biggest behavioural cause of preventable illness and death in England. Every year nearly 75,000 people in the UK die from smoking, with many more living with debilitating smoking-related illnesses. (1)
  • Up to two-thirds of deaths in current smokers can be attributed to smoking. (2)
  • On average, someone who smokes loses approximately 20 minutes of their life for every cigarette they smoke. (3)
  • Smoking is estimated to cost society £21.3 billion per year in England. This includes an annual £18 billion loss to productivity through smoking-related lost earnings, unemployment, and early death. (4)

Alcohol

  • 30% of adults aged 55 to 74 drank more than 14 units per week, putting them at increased or higher risk of alcohol-related harm. (5)
  • In England, the rate of deaths from conditions caused solely by alcohol rose by a 38.9% between 2019 and 2023.
  • Men had nearly double the death rate of women. (6)
  • In 2021 alcohol use was [estimated to be] linked to 6% of all hospital admissions annually, nearly half of which are for alcohol-related cardiovascular diseases. (7

Diet

  • In 2023 to 2024, 64.5% of adults aged 18 years and over in England were estimated to be living with obesity or overweight. Among adults aged 45-64 years, 71.7% were living with obesity or overweight. (8)
  • Evidence shows there are significant health benefits to getting at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day (9) From 2019 to 2023, less than 1 in 5 adults (17%) met the 5 A Day recommendation. (10)

Physical Activity

  • Around 65% of adults aged 35 – 54 met the recommended 150 minutes of moderate activity per week o 23% were classified as physically inactive (less than 30 minutes per week). (11)

Mental Health

  • Just over 1 in 5 adults (20.2%) had a common mental health condition in 2023/24. (12)
  • In 2023/24, approximately 22.8% of adults aged 45-54 years experienced any common mental health condition in the past week. For adults aged 55-64 years, this was 19.2%. (12)