Affluent professionals, who drink a lot and frequently eat out, may unwittingly be affecting their future health. This group, the New Indulgents, tends not to smoke and typically exercises more than the average - but nevertheless faces risks to health from a love of the finer things in life, according to new research.

Market information analysts CACI interrogated data from across all 434 UK local authority areas to establish where New Indulgents are prominent. The findings show that London and the South East have some of the highest proportions of New Indulgents, which in some areas account for well over one-third of the adult population - particularly in those affluent areas around the M25. In the Chiltern local authority area in Buckinghamshire, 43.5 per cent of adults are New Indulgents, against a national average of 8.2 per cent.

New Indulgents drink 59 per cent more wine, and spend nearly twice as much on wine for drinking in the home, than the average person. They also drink slightly more beer (6 per cent extra) and are more likely to be family members rather than singles or couples. They eat a lot more fresh fish and fresh vegetables than the average person and tend not to eat fast food.

Ian Thurman, Head of Location Planning at CACI, comments:

"We often associate ill health with smoking, eating too much fast food and being relatively poor. Our findings show that a substantial section of the population do none of these things - they typically don't smoke or eat fast food and are affluent - but their food and alcohol consumption are still putting their future health at risk despite good levels of exercise.

"These findings will prove useful for health organisations in understanding potential future health problems. They also act as a wake up call for those that like the finer things in life - the New Indulgents are not as healthy as they might think."

Top twenty local authority areas:

100 per cent New Indulgent

The Austenwood local authority ward in Chalfont St Peter, Chiltern, Buckinghamshire, statistically has an adult population which is 100 per cent New Indulgent. This does not mean that absolutely everyone is a New Indulgent - but only a few are likely to not be in this category.

The characteristics of Austenwood's population include:

• Average household income of £54,000 per annum (UK average £33,700)
• 25 per cent eat out at restaurants in the evening at least twice a month (compared with a UK average of 14 per cent). Nearly 16 per cent have eaten in a French restaurant in the past three months, compared with 5 per cent of the UK average.
• Weekly expenditure on wine for drinking at home is £7.94, compared with a UK average of £3.71.

For further information contact Graeme Buck/Emily Luscombe, Camargue, tel 020 7636 7366.

Notes to editors

1. How the research was compiled

Data was developed through HealthACORN - a unique combination of official data and commercial information from lifestyle surveys, market research and Census data. It is produced by CACI in conjunction with TNS.

HealthACORN is used by local authorities and Primary Care Trusts to target the specific health issues of their communities at a local level. In particular it enables them to know more about the health needs of people who do not currently present themselves to the NHS with serious illness.

HealthACORN divides the population into four groups and 25 types. The New Indulgents can be found in Group 3 - "Possible Future Concerns", Type 4 - "Affluent Professionals, High Alcohol Consumption, Dining Out."

CACI analysed the percentage of people in Group 3 Type 4 in each local authority area in the UK.

HealthACORN uses data from Britain's 1.9 million postcodes, which have been described using more than 125 demographic statistics with England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, taking into account 287 lifestyle variables.

ACORN stands for A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods.

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