BMA: Action needed as well as ‘nudging’
The British Medical Association’s director of professional activities, Dr Vivienne Nathanson, comments on today’s white paper on public health:
“We agree that ‘nudging’ people to be healthy may be more effective than only telling them how to live their lives. However, if people live in an environment where they are surrounded by fast food advertising and glamorous alcohol marketing, nudging will have a limited effect. We need an environment that helps us make healthy choices and sometimes tougher action is needed to achieve this.
“Smoking is still the leading cause of ill-health and premature death so it is extremely important to help people quit and discourage young people and children from starting in the first place. The BMA therefore urges the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, to implement the tobacco aspects of the 2009 Health Act now as this would end tobacco displays in large supermarkets from September 2011. We do not understand why he is not taking this decisive action to put cigarettes out of sight in shops.
“It is also important to stress that the issue of health inequalities is complex and focusing solely on health will not fully address the widening gap.”
Dr Richard Jarvis, Chairman of the BMA’s public health committee, added:
“The BMA supports the government’s commitment to improving the health of the population and we are pleased that funding for public health will be ring-fenced. It is also positive that the government has acknowledged that while it is vital to tackle problems like obesity, smoking and alcohol misuse, it is equally important to develop and shape health services so that society can be protected against outbreaks of disease.
“Public health doctors will be worried about some aspects of the government’s proposals. We are concerned that plans for local terms and conditions of employment may fragment the workforce.
“We will be responding to the government’s review on the regulation of public health professionals. The decisions made by public health specialists can have a real and lasting effect upon the health of the population they serve. For this reason, we believe that regulation is vital to ensure that those making decisions which will affect thousands of individuals are properly trained and qualified.”
