Public Health Measures

Public health campaigns promote healthy living in order to prolong healthy life expectancy. This decreases the pressures on the NHS whilst also increasing the number of people in the UK who can work, boosting the national economy. The government are campaigning to increase the healthy life expectancy by 5 years by 2035. The key actions towards this are:

  • 2018 Soft Drinks Industry Levy (sugar tax)

    This is a tax which is placed on drinks sold in the UK depending on the sugar content:

    • 18p per litre if the drink has 5-8g of sugar per 100g.

    • 24p per litre if the drink has more than 8g of sugar per 100g.

  • Scottish Government Minimum Unit Price:

    • Each unit of alcohol must cost a minimum of 50p.

  • Healthy Eating Campaigns (e.g ”Healthy Start Scheme” and “Better Health Campaign”).

Obesity

Obesity has been linked with cardiovascular diseases, cancers and stroke - the leading causes of death above the age of 50. Also, Obesity costs the NHS £6.5bn each year. Therefore by tackling obesity, public health campaigns can not only save lives but also money. Currently:

Adult obesity

  • 64% of adults are overweight.

  • Of this, 26% of adults are obese.

Child obesity

  • The National Child Measurement Program (NCMP) found 35% of 10 year olds are overweight.

  • A 2018 NCMP study found people living in deprived areas are twice as likely to be overweight.

It’s important to note that obesity is not a reflection of the individual but a mixture of failing healthcare, intrusive adverting, ultra-processed foods and an individual’s genetic predisposition to enjoying certain foods. Therefore in order to reduce the obesity epidemic, there needs to be governmental, healthcare and social initiatives. Some of which are detailed below.

2018 Soft Drinks Industry Levy Tax (Sugar Tax):

Benefits

  • It was implemented to discourage people from drinking sugary beverages due to the increased price.

  • It has also encouraged soft drink manufacturers to decrease the sugar content in their drinks in order to enter a lower tax bracket.

  • A study by the University of Cambridge has shown an association between the sugar tax and a decrease of roughly 5000 cases of obesity a year in 10-11 year old girls.

Costs

  • People are buying diet soft drinks instead which have sweeteners. The Who released a guideline suggesting sweeteners are not a good alternative to reducing bodyweight when compared to sugar. Moreover, they are linked with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

  • Before its implementation, surveys found the tax would stop 11% of people from buying sugary drinks. Retrospective analysis states it has only stopped 1% of people.

Other Food Taxes:

In Europe there have been many other food related taxes, such as a “Sweet tax” in Finland and a “Public health food tax” in Hungary which taxed food with high sugar, fat or salt levels. Although there have been suggestions to bring these to the UK, many people disagree:

Benefits

  • They may discourage consumers from buying unhealthy foods. This will decrease obesity levels, saving lives and the NHS money.

  • They may encourage manufactures to improve the nutritional value of their products in order to reduce cost.

  • The extra money generated can be reinvested into the NHS or even subsidising healthy foods.

Costs

  • By imposing laws on food, the government are reducing the public autonomy. Many argue the government should not have such power over our diets.

  • Unhealthy foods are often cheaper and a bigger proportion of the diets of lower socioeconomic groups. By increasing prices (and not offering cheaper alternatives), it will disproportionately affect these groups.

  • These taxes may encourage manufacturers to add more additives instead of “taxable sugar and fats”. We currently do not know the long term implications of such additives.

  • These taxes might create “fear foods”, leading to eating disorders.

“Better Health” Campaign:

Instead of a taxation, this was a campaign kickstarted in 2020. In its initial launch, it highlighted the additional risk of Covid related deaths, heart diseases and cancer due to obesity. It had 4 main focuses:

  • Losing Weight (NHS Weight Loss Plan App).

  • Getting Active (Couch to 5K App and other fitness initiatives).

  • Drinking Less (Drink Free Days App).

  • Quitting Smoking (NHS Quit Smoking App).

Alongside these apps, there are many other healthy eating initiatives. However, due to the cost-of-living crisis, these are delayed until 2024. These include:

  • Ban unhealthy advertisements on TV before 9PM.

  • Ban offers on unhealthy foods (e.g 2 for the price of 1).

  • Use of a traffic light nutrition system on packaged foods.

  • Calorie information included on alcohol (3 million adults in UK consume an additional day’s calories every week in alcohol).

Tackling Childhood Obesity:

Studies have found that childhood obesity is likely to lead to obesity in adulthood. Therefore, we need to tackle the issue now as the NHS is already under extreme pressures due to current obesity levels. There are two main methods that have been implemented to reduce childhood obesity: Promoting healthy eating and Increasing sporting activities.

Promoting healthy eating:

  • “Healthy Start Scheme” gives healthy food vouchers to low income families.

  • GPs and teachers are encouraged to promote healthy eating.

  • Healthier and free school meals for primary school children.

  • Parents offered cookery lessons.

Increase sporting education:

  • In 2021, the Department of Education invested £320 million into PE and Sport Premium. This is a form of funding given to primary schools to increase sporting capacity and capability.

  • Increased investment into PE teachers.

  • Councils are encouraged to increase the spending in local clubs (martial arts, dance etc.) particularly in disadvantaged regions.