Since the nationalists came to power, there has been no change in diet, exercise or mental health, despite the Scottish Government announcing a range of initiatives over that time.
Levels of anxiety are increasing, the damning publication revealed, while Scots are also getting heavier.
The results of the Scottish Health Survey was so poor, the Scottish Government was forced to single out children’s exposure to second-hand smoke as its main success.
According to the research, which is carried out across the country each year:
- There are huge geographical differences, with just 69 per cent of people in Dumfries and Galloway reporting to be in good health, compared with 79 per cent in Grampian
- 30 per cent of people in the Lothians drink more than recommended levels of alcohol each week, compared to 22 per cent in Tayside
- Two-thirds of Scots are overweight, with some areas reporting one in three people to be obese
- Just one in five people are eating sufficient levels of fruit and vegetables
- No improvement has been made in closing the health gap between rich and poor
The report even opened with the remarks: “Overall, average levels of wellbeing for adults have changed little since 2008.” It added: “Wellbeing among 13 to 15-year-olds decreased.”
Scottish Conservative sport spokesman Brian Whittle said:
“There is one very clear message from this report – the SNP has failed on health.
“It has been in sole charge of the brief for almost 10 years now, and in that time its initiatives, announcements and education programmes have failed.
“It can’t blame anyone else for this. Nicola Sturgeon keeps saying she wants to be judged on her record.
“Considering she used to be health secretary, this is an extremely poor record, and these abject failures need to be explained.
“Nothing like enough is changing – people aren’t eating more healthily, they’re not doing more exercise, and thousands are suffering as a result.
“The Scottish Conservatives have spent the summer recess investigating ways of getting these messages through and making a difference on the ground.
“This report shows we were right to do so.
“We all know personal responsibility has to play a role in this.
“But if meaningful change doesn’t happen soon, our population will simply get less healthy, and the NHS will struggle to cope with the demands of that even more so than it is just now.
“And for the Scottish Government to cherry-pick second-hand smoke exposure as its top line from this reveals just how damning a report it really is.”