Sugary drinks and no fruit or veg, main worries in new Lifestyle survey

A THIRD of secondary school pupils are supping two or more high sugar drinks every day, a survey has revealed.

The annual Lifestyle quiz asked 3,811 youngsters in Years 7 and 10 about aspects of their lives and growing up in Rotherham.

The percentage having more than one high sugar drink daily rose from 29 to 32 per cent, the results showed.

Winterhill School in Kimberworth was highlighted for banning the sale of these drinks.

Meanwhile, less than a fifth of youngsters have their “five a day” - with six per cent saying they eat no fruit or vegetables at all.

The figures were a slight improvement on 2016, with Change4Life, an NHS initiative aimed at Year 6 pupils, credited for the change.

Ninety-three per cent of the young people said they visited a dentist at least once a year, compared to 60 per cent nationally, according to the Oral Health Foundation.

The Rotherham survey was discussed by the council’s Improving Lives select commission last Tuesday.

Cllr Tajamal Khan said: “As a parent, I think that children are more than ever aware of their drinks.

“Mine come back and they are always counting the calories and looking at what they are going to eat.”

See this week’s Advertiser for more findings from the report.