Adult Nutrition and Health Needs Assessment (2026)

Diet:

• Many adults in Cheshire West and Chester want to eat well and support their health, but their ability to do so is shaped far more by social, environmental and commercial determinants than by knowledge or motivation alone
• The majority of residents do not meet national dietary guidance, with low intakes of fruit and vegetables, and high intakes of free sugars, salt and saturated fat. Locally, 31% of adults in Cheshire West and Chester meet the 5‑a‑day recommendation, similar to the England average.
• These patterns are worse in more deprived communities where there are also higher levels of obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cancer and dementia.

 

Barriers to eating well:

• Survey and focus‑group feedback shows that cost, time pressures, limited cooking facilities, lack of transport and poor mental health are often barriers for people eating well. Most people will face a combination of barriers.
• Confidence and skills in cooking healthy meals vary across different groups. The survey found that people living in more deprived areas, men, and those unable to work were more likely to report lower confidence in cooking healthy meals and greater reliance on convenience food.
• Exposure to unhealthy food advertising is common and is felt most strongly in more deprived areas.
• Healthy food, especially fresh produce, is seen as (and can be) expensive. Tight budgets can lead people to choose cheaper, less nutritious options.
• Some residents have limited access to supermarkets or fresh food.

 

Food insecurity:

• Food insecurity remains a significant issue for many residents of Cheshire West and Chester. In Cheshire West and Chester, an estimated 16.7% of the population, equivalent to around 62,000 live in areas at the highest risk of food insecurity.
• Local foodbanks in CW&C continue to meet needs by supporting households to access food parcels.
• Access to affordable, healthy food is inequitable largely due to rurality the borough. While many residents live close to supermarkets, others particularly those in rural areas or without their own transport face significant challenges. Data from the Food Equalities Tool shows wide variation across neighbourhoods in how easy it is to access affordable food and how much of household income is spent on food shopping.

 

Actions taken in CW&C:

• There is a well‑established whole‑system approach through Eat Well Be Active, the Food for All Plan and the West Cheshire Food Partnership.
• The borough has taken meaningful action on healthier advertising, planning and food environments, and offers a tiered weight‑management pathway aligned with national guidance.
• There is a clear commitment to dignity‑based, compassionate support rather than blame or stigma.

 

Identified gaps:

• The main gaps identified are not a lack of activity, but uneven access, affordability and local data.
• More needs to be done to make healthy food easier to buy, prepare and choose especially for people facing poverty, disability, neurodivergence, mental ill health or unstable housing.
• There needs to be improvements in insight into the experiences of underserved groups.
• Overall, this needs assessment has identified the need to continue shifting from individual behaviour change alone to practical, system‑wide action. Making healthy food affordable, accessible and realistic in everyday life, while maintaining compassionate, joined‑up support, offers the greatest opportunity to improve nutrition, reduce inequalities and support better health across the borough.