SCOTLAND'S chief medical officer has warned the country's obesity, poor diet and excessive drinking are continuing to cause unacceptable levels of ill health.

Sir Harry Burns said Scots still had worse health problems than most of their European neighbours, despite a drop in deaths from the country's three biggest killers – cancer, heart disease and stroke.

In his sixth annual report on the nation's health, Dr Burns said action to improve health was proving effective in some areas, such as smoking-related illnesses which fell 7% among 16 to 65-year-olds between 1995 and 2010. However, he said the nation still faced challenges in tackling poor diet and alcohol consumption.

Dr Burns said: "Several programmes and policies have been introduced in Scotland in recent years aimed at improving health and wellbeing in Scotland. Some have proved effective. Smoking-related illnesses, for example, are declining and the gap in incidence between rich and poor is narrowing.

"This outcome has been achieved by a combination of legislation and action across communities to highlight the dangers of smoking and to support smokers in their attempts to quit.

"In other areas, improvements have yet to be realised. Obesity, poor diet and excessive alcohol consumption continue to be a cause of unacceptable levels of ill-health which are inequitably distributed across society."

Dr Burns said the Scottish Health Survey had indicated that many Scots ate poorly, did not get enough exercise, drank too much and were overweight.

He also said evidence suggested Scotland had the eighth-highest alcohol consumption rate in the world.

The proportion of men who exceeded the recommended daily alcohol limits rose from 43% to 45% between 2003 and 2010, while for women it decreased from 37% to 33%.

The doctor also claimed there had been a steady increase in the number of overweight or obese adults between 1995 and 2010, with numbers in the 16 to 64 age group increasing from 52.4% to 63.3%.

He added that, in 2010, just 22% of adults met the recommended daily intake of five or more portions of fruit and vegetables – a figure which had "not changed significantly over time".

Scottish Liberal Democrat Health spokeswoman Alison McInnes MSP said that encouraging healthier lifestyles remained vital. She added: "For a long time Scotland has struggled to rid itself of the sick-man tag. While we are seeing some decline in the number of people dying from the three big killers, it is obvious encouraging people to adopt healthier lifestyles needs to remain a priority."

She added that more needed to be done to combat alcohol misuse, adding: "Too many people are still risking their lives through excessive drinking."

The report highlighted a 28% drop in deaths in under-75s from all causes, from 507 per 100,000 people in 1995 to 365 per 100,000 in 2009. Deaths as a result of cancer in under-75s fell by 22% over the same period; heart disease deaths were down 60%; and deaths from stroke were down 54%.

Several factors were attributed to the reductions, such as early detection, better treatment and better organisation of care.

Dr Burns underlined the benefits of helping people to help themselves, suggesting they were healthier when they were given the skills and knowledge to take control of their own lives.

He said: "There is willingness in Scotland to embrace new thinking and if we can capitalise on this positive mindset we can make changes that may result in significant improvements to the health and wellbeing of all Scots."