Credit crunches our figures, research reveals

A new report has suggested that the credit crunch may be affecting more than the nation's wallets.

Research carried out by Prudential Health found that a growing number of people are finding it hard to stay healthy amid the pressure on their finances, with 60 per cent stating they feel as if they cannot afford the expense of being healthy in general.

Some 22 per cent said they are not eating a nutritionally-balanced diet, with 19 per cent of parents turning to frozen and ready meals in an attempt to find cheaper food.

In addition, 14 per cent said they cannot afford to take part in exercise classes or go to the gym and 32 per cent rated cost as a barrier to exercising more regularly.

Only 14 per cent said they had managed to stay healthy through shopping around for fresh produce and continuing to exercise.

Katie Roswell, marketing director of PruHealth, said: "The worry is that the progression from credit to health crunch may worsen as people reduce outgoings by buying less fruit and vegetables, and continue to believe that all exercise is expensive."

She recommended looking for special deals on food and doing simple exercise such as getting off the bus one stop early.

The Guardian reported this week that profits for charity shops have reached £100 million as people look for bargain clothes to save money.