Résumé :
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A healthy population is an asset for any nation, supporting positive social and economic outcomes for individuals and society. Across a number of measures, however, the UK’s health looks increasingly frayed and unequal. In the decade prior to the pandemic, improvements in life expectancy were lower than in most European and other high-income countries. Smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity, and harmful alcohol use are leading risk factors driving this high burden of preventable ill health and premature mortality. All are socioeconomically patterned and have multiple, interrelated causes. People’s ability to adopt healthy behaviours is strongly shaped by the circumstances in which they live. That includes the education and support they receive in their early years, the resources they have to buy healthy food, the shops in their local communities, and whether there are green spaces and safe streets to be physically active in. There are also strong commercial factors at play, including the relative expense and availability of healthy and unhealthy foods, alcohol, and tobacco, and the ways in which they are advertised and promoted. The risk factors driving ill health often overlap and share many common determinants and health impacts. This report explores national government policy approaches directly targeting smoking, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and harmful alcohol use. We analyse national level policies introduced or proposed by government in England, between 2016 and 2021, including policy aims, approaches, and other factors. Based on this review, we assess the government’s current policy position and point towards priorities for the future. (Extraits)
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