Everest, Grace and Marshall, Louise and Fraser, Caroline and Briggs, Adam (2022) Addressing the leading risk factors for ill health. A review of government policies tackling smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity and harmful alcohol use in England. London: The Health Foundation. https://doi.org/10.37829/HF-2022-P10.
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Key points:
- Smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity and harmful alcohol use are leading risk factors driving the UK’s high burden of preventable ill health and premature mortality. All are socioeconomically patterned and contribute significantly to widening health inequalities.
- This report summarises recent trends for each of these risk factors and reviews national-level policies for England introduced or proposed by the UK government in England between 2016 and 2021 to address them. Based on our review, we assess the government’s recent policy position and point towards policy priorities for the future.
- Population-level interventions that impact everyone and rely on non-conscious processes are most likely to be both effective and equitable in tackling major risk factors for ill health. Yet recent government policies implemented in England have largely focused on providing information and services designed to change individual behaviour.
- As well as relying heavily on policies that promote individual behaviour change, the strength of the government’s approach has been uneven for the leading risk factors, and decision making across departments has been disjointed. Action to tackle harmful alcohol use in England has been particularly weak.
- To reduce exposure to risk factors and tackle inequalities, government will need to deploy multiple policy approaches that address the complex system of influences shaping people’s behaviour.
- Population-level interventions that are less reliant on individual agency and aim to alter the environments in which people live should form the backbone of strategies to address smoking, alcohol use, poor diet and physical inactivity. These interventions need to be implemented alongside individual-level policies supporting those most in need. The strong role played by corporations in shaping environments and influencing individual behaviour must also be recognised and addressed in a consistent way through government policy.
- The costs of government inaction on the leading risk factors driving ill health are clear. As the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to build greater resilience against future shocks, now is the time to act.
Item Type
Report
Publication Type
International, Report
Drug Type
Alcohol, Tobacco / Nicotine
Intervention Type
Harm reduction, Policy
Date
February 2022
Identification #
https://doi.org/10.37829/HF-2022-P10
Pages
54 p.
Publisher
The Health Foundation
Place of Publication
London
ISBN
978-1-911615-72-9
EndNote
Subjects
A Substance use and dependence > Prevalence > Substance use behaviour > Alcohol consumption
B Substances > Alcohol
B Substances > Tobacco (cigarette smoking)
G Health and disease > State of health > Physical health
G Health and disease > Public health
J Health care, prevention, harm reduction and rehabilitation > Health related issues > Health information and education > Health promotion
L Social psychology and related concepts > Social inclusion and exclusion
MA-ML Social science, culture and community > Social condition > Poverty / deprivation
MP-MR Policy, planning, economics, work and social services > Policy > Policy on substance use
VA Geographic area > Europe > United Kingdom > England
B Substances > Alcohol
B Substances > Tobacco (cigarette smoking)
G Health and disease > State of health > Physical health
G Health and disease > Public health
J Health care, prevention, harm reduction and rehabilitation > Health related issues > Health information and education > Health promotion
L Social psychology and related concepts > Social inclusion and exclusion
MA-ML Social science, culture and community > Social condition > Poverty / deprivation
MP-MR Policy, planning, economics, work and social services > Policy > Policy on substance use
VA Geographic area > Europe > United Kingdom > England
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