A nationwide survey of people aged 65 or over has found that although more than half described their health as 'good' or 'very good', more than a quarter were overweight and an even greater number were unfit. Two-thirds of the women said they found it difficult to walk up a flight of 12 stairs without resting.

The Information Centre for Health and Social Care, which provides information to the NHS, said that many older people were living with at least one physical limitation. One of the most common was being 'unable to walk 200 yards or further unaided without stopping or discomfort', a problem experienced by 61 per cent of women and 56 per cent of men in the survey of more than 4,000 people.