Public Health England has launched a campaign to get people to eat better, lose weight and become more active this summer.

The campaign, known as Better Health, will provide support and advice through a series of apps that have been endorsed by PHE, including the NHS Weight Loss Plan app which PHE said has been updated.

People who used the app for 12 weeks said they shed an average of 5.8kg according to research which will shortly be published by PHE.

The drive to get the nation living healthier lives follows a study revealing that more than four in 10 adults had put on weight since the first lockdown in March last year.

One in five people who took part in the 5,000-strong study said they had gained a stone or more and the average weight increase for 35 to 65-year-olds was more than 10lbs.

PHE said the results highlighted “the extent that lockdowns have impacted people’s eating and physical activity habits,” with snacking and comfort eating the main cause of weight gain in 46 per cent of people.

The study also revealed the public’s determination to make lifestyle improvements, with 89 per cent saying “it was important for them to introduce new healthy habits this summer” and 49 per cent insisting they want a healthier diet.

PHE said just over half of adults were “optimistic about making the changes they desire” and 57 per cent wanted “more advice on eating more healthily, ideas for doing so on a budget and ideas for exercise routines.”