Scotland's 'unhealthiest high street' named and it is in major city
Two Scottish cities have been revealed as having the most "unhealthy" streets.
Scotland's "unhealthiest high street" has been named in new research. The street was also revealed to be among the most unhealthy in the whole of the UK.
Obesity experts at Chemist4U investigated which high streets are the unhealthiest by analysing the most populated cities to see where people are most likely to be affected. They noted the number of unhealthy stores and outlets within a 500-metre radius of each one, including fast food outlets and confectioneries.
According to the results, Buchanan Street in Glasgow is the most unhealthy high street in Scotland. The iconic city street also placed at number seven on the UK-wide list.
The experts found that 28.37 per cent of stores in a 500-metre radius of Buchanan Street are "unhealthy". According to Chemist4U, there are 99 stores with poor diet options and 349 food -related stores overall around the street.
Meanwhile, the only other Scottish street to appear on the list is the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. The historic thoroughfare was named as the 16th most "unhealthy street" in the UK.
Chemist4U found that, on the Royal Mile, there are 123 stores that it classed as unhealthy. With 546 food-related stores in total in a 500-metre radius, this equates to 22.53 per cent being non-healthy.
Elsewhere, topping the overall list as the unhealthiest high street in the UK is St. Peter's Street in Derby. Within a 500-metre radius, it was found that 46.1 per cent of stores were classified as "unhealthy".
Placing second on the list is Hales Street in Coventry, followed by High Street in Southend-on-Sea. Rounding out the top five are New Street in Birmingham and High Street in Newport, coming in at numbers four and five respectively.
"While the occasional treat is fine, regularly relying on processed foods can have long-term effects on your weight, heart health, and energy levels.
"Small, sustainable changes, such as swapping fizzy drinks for water or choosing grilled options over fried, can make a real difference. If you're unsure where to start, speak to your pharmacist."
To put together their list, the experts narrowed down the results to focus on the most populated cities in the UK. They then counted the number of unhealthy points of interest such as fast food outlets, ice cream parlours, vending machines, confectioneries, bakeries, tortilla shops, and convenience stores.
To determine the percentage of unhealthy stores surrounding each high street, they calculated the ratio of unhealthy points of interest to total food-related points of interest. This percentage allowed Chemist4U to identify the high streets with the highest concentration of unhealthy establishments.
See below for the list of the UK's 19 unhealthiest high streets. Additional information can be found on the Chemist4U website.
The UK's unhealthiest high streets
St. Peter's Street, Derby
Hales Street, Coventry
High Street, Southend-on-Sea
New Street, Birmingham
High Street, Newport
Fishergate, Preston
Buchanan Street, Glasgow
Market Street, Manchester
Albion Street, Leeds
Fargate, Sheffield
High Street West, Sunderland
Oxford Street, Swansea
High Street, Belfast
Queen Street, Cardiff
Bridlesmith Gate, Nottingham
The Royal Mile, Edinburgh
Church Street, Liverpool
High Street, Leicester
Oxford Street, London
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Former Sky News host Dermot Murnaghan diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer
Former Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan has announced his diagnosis with stage four prostate cancer. The broadcaster, 67, who spent more than 15 years at the news channel before his departure in 2023, said he is 'responding positively' to treatment in a post to X on Monday. Advertisement 'Some personal news… I've been diagnosed with Stage IV advanced prostate cancer', he said. 'I'm fortunate to have a simply outstanding medical team looking after me, who I can't thank enough – they are administering the best possible care with expertise, compassion and sensitivity. 'I'm responding positively to their excellent treatment, and feeling well.' Stage four prostate cancer can mean that the cancer has spread into different parts of the body including nearby body organs, such as the back passage or bladder, nearby lymph nodes and other parts of the body outside the pelvis, such as the bones, lungs or liver, according to the Cancer Research UK website. Advertisement 'I'm blessed to be fortified by the monumental love and support of my wife, family and close friends', Murnaghan said. 'Needless to say my message to all men over 50, in high risk groups, or displaying symptoms, is get yourself tested and campaign for routine prostate screening by the NHS.' He also said that he is aiming to take part in Sir Chris Hoy's fundraising charity bike ride in September which will raise awareness and funds for cancer charities across the UK. The Olympian announced he had a terminal diagnosis for prostate cancer in October 2024. Advertisement The Tour de 4 ride, which will begin and end at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome in Glasgow on September 7, aims to change the perception of people living with stage four cancer. NHS guidance says men over the age of 50 are at highest risk of developing prostate cancer, but Sir Chris wants to help men get screened earlier. About one in eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime, according to the charity Prostate Cancer UK, and the disease often has no symptoms in its earlier stages. Dermot Murnaghan and Alastair Stewart (Gareth Fuller/PA) Murnaghan presents true crime documentary series Killer Britain and the podcast Legends Of News. Advertisement Before joining Sky News, Murnaghan presented ITV's News At Ten and the BBC Ten O'Clock News – now known as BBC News At Ten – as well as Channel 4 News. Murnaghan also hosted the BBC's quiz programme Eggheads and presented Sky News At Ten and talk show Murnaghan before his last role at the channel as a newsreader on Sky News Tonight. During his time, he covered big events such as the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the 2019 UK general election, the funeral of Prince Philip and the 2020 US presidential election.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Streeting launches investigation into maternity services after families ‘gaslit'
A national investigation into 'systemic' failures in NHS maternity care has been launched by the Government after families were 'gaslit' in their search for the truth, the Health Secretary has said. Wes Streeting said that 'up and down' the country 'maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing' and there was 'too much passing the buck'. He stopped short of launching a statutory public inquiry, despite it being the wish of some bereaved families, but said he would keep 'that option open'. He said: 'I think there is a broad consensus that having a rapid investigation is the right thing to do, even where families are pushing for a public inquiry to follow because what I don't think any of those families calling for a public inquiry want to see is action stalled or delayed in pursuit of a public inquiry, or while a public inquiry would take time to run a report.' Mr Streeting, who has been meeting families who have lost babies to poor maternity care, told the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) conference in London: 'Over the last year, I've been wrestling with how we tackle problems in maternity and neonatal units, and I've come to the realisation that while there is action we can take now, we have to acknowledge that this has become systemic. 'It's not just a few bad units. Up and down the country, maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing. 'There's too much obfuscation, too much passing the buck and giving lip service.' Mr Streeting apologised on behalf of the NHS, having met families in Nottingham and around the country whose children have died or been injured. Senior midwife Donna Ockenden is currently examining how hundreds of babies died or were injured in the care of Nottingham University Hospitals Trust. Mr Streeting said: 'All of them have had to fight for truth and justice, they describe being ignored, gaslit, lied to, manipulated and damaged further by the inability for a trust to simply be honest with them that something has gone wrong. 'I want to say publicly how sorry I am, sorry for what the NHS has put them through, sorry for the way they've been treated since by the state and sorry that we haven't put this right yet, because these families are owed more than an apology. They're owed change, they're owed accountability and they're owed the truth.' The Health Secretary said risk is 'considerably higher' than it should be for women and babies because of a 'crisis' in maternity and neo-natal services. He added: 'Within the past 15 years, we've seen appalling scandals that blew the lid on issues ranging from care, safety, culture and oversight: Shrewsbury, Telford, East Kent, Nottingham. 'The last government responded with initiatives like Better Births in 2016 and the maternity transformation programme. 'But, despite improvements on some metrics, inequalities in maternal and neo-natal outcomes have become more visible, not less. The rate of late maternal deaths has been consistently rising. 'Babies of black ethnicity are twice as likely to be stillborn than babies of white ethnicity, and black women are still two to three times more likely to die during pregnancy or shortly after birth than white women. 'Tragically, that gap is closing slightly, but partly because more white women are dying in childbirth.' Other high-profile scandals had deepened the public's mistrust in the state, Mr Streeting continued. 'From the Horizon Post Office scandal to the infected blood scandal, the degradation of responsibility and trust in our institutions is compounding a cynicism and malaise at the ability of British politics to deliver for people. 'This is a dangerous place for a country to be. 'If we do not admit the scale of the failure in maternity services, we're condemning ourselves to etching that mistrust deeper. 'If we cannot admit openly that we as institutions and as a state got this wrong, we'll never be able to fix it or rebuild that trust. 'Too many children have died because of state failure and I will not allow it to continue under my watch.' The new investigation will consist of two parts. The first will investigate trusts of greatest concern at the moment, including Leeds, Gloucester, Mid and South Essex and Sussex, 'to hold them to account for improvement', Mr Streeting said. He added: 'I'm currently discussing with Leeds families the best way to grip the challenges brought to light in that trust by their campaigning, reports in the media and the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, and I'll be ordering an investigation into nine specific cases identified by families in Sussex …' The second part of the investigation will be a 'system-wide' look at maternity and neonatal care, uniting lessons from past maternity inquiries to create one 'clear set of actions' designed to improve national NHS care. A National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by Mr Streeting, has also been set up, made up of experts and bereaved families. The investigation will begin this summer and report back by December. A new digital system will be rolled out to all maternity services by November to flag potential safety concerns in trusts, while an anti-discrimination programme to tackle inequalities is being launched. Asked about the cost of the review, Mr Streeting said: 'I suspect it will be somewhat less than the enormous costs we pay in clinical negligence claims. 'Probably the most shocking statistic in this area is that we are paying out more in clinical negligence for maternity failures than we are spending on maternity services. That's how bad things are. 'So, putting together a review team, undertaking the level of analytical work required to produce a really good, high-quality evidence-based report is a drop in the ocean compared to the price of failure.' Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: 'Despite the hard work of staff, too many women are experiencing unacceptable maternity care and families continue to be let down by the NHS when they need us most. 'This rapid national investigation must mark a line in the sand for maternity care – setting out one set of clear actions for NHS leaders to ensure high quality care for all. 'Transparency will be key to understanding variation and fixing poor care – by shining a spotlight on the areas of greatest failure we can hold failing trusts to account. 'Each year, over half a million babies are born under our care and maternity safety rightly impacts public trust in the NHS – so we must act immediately to improve outcomes for the benefit of mothers, babies, families and staff.' The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said maternity services are 'at, or even beyond, breaking point'. RCM chief executive Gill Walton said: 'Every woman and family should leave maternity and neonatal services whole, happy and healthy. 'Yet we know that, for far too many, that isn't their experience. 'Systemic failings and a lack of attention to the warning signs have let those families down and let down the hardworking staff who are trying so hard to provide the care they deserve. 'Everyone involved in maternity services: the midwifery community, obstetricians, anaesthetists, sonographers and, of course, the women and families in their care; knows that maternity services are at, or even beyond, breaking point. 'This renewed focus and commitment by the Health Secretary to deliver change is welcome, and we will do everything we can to support him in doing so.' Professor Ranee Thakar, president of the RCOG, said: 'The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession.' She said that 'for years, maternity units have had too few staff, too little time for training and lacked modern equipment and facilities, resulting in women and babies being harmed.' She urged the Government to 'not to lose sight of funding and workforce shortages within this'.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Asian women called ‘divas' by NHS staff when asking for pain relief
Asian women have been referred to as 'divas' by NHS staff when they have asked for pain relief in childbirth, while black mothers have been expected to cope because they are 'strong', Wes Streeting has said. The Health Secretary said he was determined to deal with inequalities and racism in the health service as he launched a national investigation into NHS maternity services. He pointed to data showing that babies of black ethnicity are twice as likely to be stillborn than babies of white ethnicity, and black women are two to three times more likely to die during pregnancy or shortly after birth than white women. He said he had been 'stunned' by language used against black and Asian mothers in maternity and neonatal units. 'We've got a lot of work to do not just on health inequalities, but on racism and discrimination in maternity care,' he said. 'I've been really stunned by some of the language that women have heard during the course of their own care: one mother saying that she'd been denied pain relief medication because they thought she was a 'strong black woman', another describing Asian mothers referred to as 'divas' when they asked for pain relief. 'I'm almost sat there in a state of disbelief, because what you hear is so shocking, you think this can't possibly be true. 'And then you look at the evidence, and you see that what they have been through, is exactly as they describe.' The national investigation will look at all aspects of maternity care in England after several high-profile scandals found hundreds of babies have died or been left disabled due to poor care.
