Using behaviour change within the current economic, social and cultural context

摘要

The concept of changing behaviour towards healthier choices has long been an aim of public health, encapsulated previously in all those sporting metaphors such as goals, targets and my favourite, the sticky wicket. But now there is a stronger focus on how to motivate behaviour to reach those goals. This conference examined the value of change programmes, who we are trying to change (and why) and ways of engaging all those involved. The who and why is easy: two-thirds of British adults are overweight or obese, and smoking, alcohol and accidents claim many deaths. Inequalities of health still loom large, with a 12-year gap in life expectancy between the highest and lowest UK areas. The current emphasis is to make partnerships with patients to help them seize responsibility for their health. This re-balancing includes moving public health back into local government and uniting specialists within Public Health England (PHE) since April 2013. PHE aims to define good practice and to improve the evidence base. The health trainer programme is central to this, with evidence already of sustained improvement, for example, in reducing falls in the over 65s in Dudley by 38%.