Government health policy in England is now heavily geared towards helping people assume greater responsibility for their health. As commissioners of health services, primary care trusts (PCTs) have been tasked with encouraging people to change their behaviour and adopt healthier lifestyles. But how do they best go about this ambitious goal? In 2007, The King's Fund set up the Kicking Bad Habits programme to find out how. It focused on the four behaviours that are most costly to the NHS: smoking, alcohol misuse, poor diet and lack of exercise.
Drawing on a series of working papers and seminars, the report looks at some groundbreaking schemes and approaches to persuading people to choose healthier lifestyles. It includes case studies of schemes that help people change their behaviour by providing information and personal support, as well as more controversial means, such as financial incentives.
Based on our findings, we have put forward recommendations for commissioners and policy-makers, and advised how to strengthen the evidence base for the future. Our findings will be useful reading for anyone, particularly PCTs and other commissioners of local services, who is tasked with finding solutions to the problems caused by unhealthy lifestyles and behaviours. They will also be relevant to local government and voluntary sector partners, and to decision-makers who are creating the policy environment in which these organisations operate.
