Britain is a nation of health illiterates

PruHealth reveals that almost three quarters of Brits have little or no knowledge about key health indicators, including blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index. And it's putting the nation's health and wellbeing at stake.

This comes a week after the government launched its 'Small Changes Make A Big Difference' campaign, designed to encourage consumers to make small changes to their lifestyle, like eating more healthily and doing more exercise, in order to make a big difference to their health.

One way of doing so is to understand your stats. Take the case of body mass index (weight to height ratio). Only a quarter of Brits know their BMI, and 60% don't even know what BMI stands for. Meanwhile, less than half (49%) know their blood pressure measurement. And only 29% are aware of their cholesterol level (this drops to less than 10% for under 35s). Even worse, 12% don't know their family history of illness.

As Dr Chris Dark, Medical Director at PruHealth, puts it: "Having a vague understanding of your height and weight, and thinking you need to lose a few pounds is simply not enough to keep healthy.

"Instead you need to know your Vital Stats and review them regularly. It's worth it because in the long run, it could help reduce and prevent future problems and, ultimately, save your life."

According to the British Heart Foundation the recommended target cholesterol level is under 5 mmol/l. Yet, on average, men in England have a level of 5.5 mmol/l and women 5.6 mmol/l.

It is crucial people know their cholesterol levels because currently nearly half of all people who die from coronary heart disease in Britain have a raised cholesterol level, and seven out of 10 people aged over 45 have high cholesterol.

People can take positive steps to look after their hearts by cutting down their fat intake, in particular saturated fats, increasing the amount of physical activity they take and eating more fresh fruit and vegetables.

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