Commissioning and Behaviour Change

Summary

Unhealthy behaviours – smoking, alcohol misuse, poor diet, lack of exercise – lead to ill health, with resulting costs to individuals, to the NHS and to society as a whole. PCTs are expected to commission support to help people change their behaviour to adopt healthier lifestyles – but what should that support be? The Kicking Bad Habits programme was launched to identify effective interventions. Drawing on a series of working papers and seminars, this report assesses existing and innovative methods the health service can use to persuade people to adopt healthier lifestyles, including providing information, personal support and financial and other incentives.