"One of the heartening things about this report is that we are seeing improvements in the level of activity among Scottish children and we are seeing an improvement in the kind of diet of the country's youngsters," said Sir David.

However, he warns that many problems are being stored up for the future by young people, including their smoking habits.

Major killers

Sir David said: "Smoking remains one of the major concerns - still a third of the population smokes.

"If you take our major killers, cancer, heart disease and stroke, which accounts for 60% of deaths in Scotland, we see that smoking is lurking behind them.

"If we could give up smoking, or better still not start in the first place then that would have such a profound impact on the county's health indices."

Sir David Carter: Final report

"My report confirms - if confirmation is needed - that government must keep up the pressure in terms of education, prevention, and cessation measures over the coming year," said Sir David.

He said that although more young people are becoming sexually active at a younger age they are becoming more "responsible and thoughtful about their sexual behaviour".

"They are attending advisory clinics for help and support, and voicing regret at becoming sexually active at an early age," added Sir David.

A third of Scots smoke

He also pointed to the inequalities that exist in the health of the most deprived in Scotland's communities compared with the better off.

Tackling and reducing those inequalities, Sir David maintains, will make a significant impact on Scotland's overall health record.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman, Nora Radcliffe MSP, said Sir David's report raised "serious concerns".

"Although the report states that people in Scotland are living longer and suffering less from diseases associated with the heart, there are still some very serious problems associated with diet, lack of exercise and smoking.

"The report has shown that there is still a great inequality of health between the different areas of Scotland, with people in deprived areas suffering from more serious health problems. Tackling this inequality should be a top priority for the NHS in Scotland," she said.