A LIFESTYLE survey to discover the scale of health problems facing a North-East city is about to begin.

Thousands of copies of The Health of Sunderland, a newspaper-style report, will be delivered to houses in the city in the next few weeks.

It will include a simple questionnaire seeking basic lifestyle details.

Health bosses on Wearside want to get an accurate picture of issues such as smoking, eating and drinking habits.

The information will be used to help Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust's (STPCT) health development unit develop initiatives to deal with problem areas.

Despite a small decrease in cancer deaths, the disease remains the most common cause of death locally. In fact, Sunderland has 20 to 25 per cent higher rates of death from cancer than the national average.

In contrast, the report highlights improvements in coronary heart disease deaths, where the gap with the rest of the country is closing.

However, physical exercise by Sunderland residents remains low and the proportion of local people who are obese has increased

Dr. Judy Thomas, STPCT's director of public health, said: "Sunderland faces a number of challenges if the health of the general population is to be improved.

"It is important for people to accept responsibility for their own health, and the publication highlights the wide range of support available for those who want to make changes to improve their health."