| Scotland 'the unhealthiest nation in Britain' |
The Scots are the unhealthiest nation in Britain - watching the most TV and eating the most junk food, according to a new survey.
They are also more likely to suffer from cancer or heart disease, according to the regional trends from the Office of National Statistics.
Overall, mortality rates were highest in Wales (11.9 deaths per 1,000 people) and Scotland (11.8) while the lowest rate was in London (8.5).
The incidence of different types of cancer varied across the country with women in the south west the least likely to contract lung cancer, but the most likely to get breast cancer.
South Yorkshire, the East Midlands and South Humberside had the lowest rates of breast and prostate cancer.
Milton Keynes had the lowest death rate of any town or city, and Conwy in north Wales had the highest.
The survey revealed that women in Scotland watched 31 hours of television per week last year and men watched nearly 28 hours - both over two hours more than the national average.
Scots also spent the most money per person on drinks and confectionery, and on cooked meat products such as pies and sausage rolls.
Scots are also far more likely to take sick days - 136 working days are lost for every 1,000 employees in the region.
Women in Scotland have a 50.8% higher chance of getting lung cancer than the national average, while women in the south west have a 30.4% lower chance.
Story filed: 04:46 Thursday 27th September 2001
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