Key points
- The previous government’s 2004 White Paper Choosing Health set out to ‘place health promotion at the heart of the NHS’. It included proposals to ban smoking in many public places and for clearer food labelling and restrictions on children’s food and drink advertising. Many of these goals were to be pursued through social marketing, that is the use of marketing and advertising techniques to encourage healthy behaviour.
- Several measures have addressed the issue of smoking, the biggest cause of preventable premature death. In July 2007 there was a complete ban on smoking in public places in England, and the provision of quit smoking services. The 2009 Health Bill includes proposals to remove tobacco displays in shops and restrict vending machine sales.
- Obesity has been rising sharply since the 1970s and is a dominant public health issue. The 2008 Health Survey for England calculated 38 per cent of adults were now overweight and 24 per cent obese. Meanwhile the Foresight report, Tackling Obesities: Future Choices, predicts that by 2050, if no action is taken, 60 per cent of men, 50 per cent of women and 25 per cent of children will be obese. This would mean steep rises in heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes and place a significant financial burden on the NHS as well as the wider economy.
- In January 2008 the previous government launched Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives, its new obesity strategy. It set a 2020 target of reducing the proportion of overweight and obese children to their 2000 level. This is a cross-government strategy covering schools, sport, food, planning and transport as well as health.
- PCTs and local authorities are now jointly – and legally – responsible for commissioning comprehensive well-being and prevention services. Tackling obesity is one of six key targets. PCTs also oversee the national child measurement programme, which provides annual data on children’s height and weight.
- The previous government also sought to combat the rise in alcohol abuse. The rate of alcohol-related deaths has doubled since 1991 and there are particular concerns about binge-drinking among 16-24 year-olds.
- In 2001 the Department of Health launched a 10-year programme to tackle sexual ill health and modernise sexual health services. There has been some progress, including an overall drop in teenage pregnancy rates (although the rates rose slightly in 2008), the introduction of chlamydia screening and quicker access to genitourinary clinics. But the number diagnosed with HIV and STIs continues to rise.
