A report said that rough sleeping should be tackled as a public health issue, with the Department of Health taking a lead on improving mental health services for vulnerable people.
Source: Down and Out? The final report of St Mungo's Call 4 Evidence – Mental health and street homelessness, St. Mungo's
Links: Report | St Mungos press release
Date: 2009-Dec
An article highlighted a rapid demise in the status and legitimacy of health visiting and its wider public health role. Three reviews of community nursing and health visiting in Scotland and England had made divergent policy recommendations about the role of the health visitor in tackling health inequalities. The recommendations outlined in the Scottish review, in particular, threatened to jeopardize the very future of a United Kingdom-wide health visiting service. If health visiting were to survive as a UK-wide entity, a radical independent rethink as to its future direction and its public health role was urgently required.
Source: Robert Hoskins, 'Health visiting – the end of a UK wide service?', Health Policy, Volume 93 Issues 2-3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Dec
A literature review summarized the available evidence and research on the financial and non-financial impact of health improvement activity.
Source: Matrix, Valuing Health: Developing a business case for health improvement, Improvement and Development Agency
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Dec
A report called on local authorities, health trusts, and care providers in England to work with housing organizations in a more integrated way. It set out how better partnership working could help support care closer to home, give people more independence, and deliver greater efficiencies.
Source: Sarah Davis, Jeremy Porteus and Clare Skidmore, Housing, Health and Care, Chartered Institute of Housing
Links: Report | CIH press release | Children & Young People Now report | Inside Housing report | Local Government Chronicle report
Date: 2009-Dec
A report (by an official advisory body) said that good design of public spaces could have a positive impact on public health and individual well-being.
Source: Future Health: Sustainable places for health and well-being, Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (020 7960 2400)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Nov
A report examined how alcohol policy was determined and delivered in England and Wales. It considered the numerous challenges facing the successful delivery of effective alcohol policy, including schisms between health/treatment agendas and criminal justice or economic regeneration concerns.
Source: The Orientation and Integration of Local and National Alcohol Policy in England and Wales, Alcohol Education & Research Council
Links: Report | Alcohol Policy UK press release
Date: 2009-Nov
The Scottish Government published a Bill designed to help reduce the cost of alcohol misuse to Scotland's public services and economy. The Bill's key proposals included: a minimum price per unit of alcohol; a ban on irresponsible off-sales promotions; a duty on licensing boards to consider raising the off-sales purchase age to 21 where appropriate; and a power to introduce a 'social responsibility fee' on some retailers to offset the costs of dealing with drink problems.
Source: Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Policy memorandum | SG press release | BBC report | Scotsman report
Date: 2009-Nov
A report called for a ban on all alcohol advertising, including sports and music sponsorship.
Source: Under the Influence: The damaging effect of alcohol marketing on young people, British Medical Association (020 7387 4499)
Links: Report | BMA press release | RCN press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | FT report | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Sep
A report examined patterns and trends in smoking in young people (aged 11-24) in England, and future policy options on smoking prevention and cessation for this group.
Source: Amanda Amos, Kathryn Angus, Jenny Fidler, Gerard Hastings and Yvonne Bostock, A Review of Young People and Smoking in England, Public Health Research Consortium/University of York (01904 321934
Links: Report | Summary | Drug Education Forum press release
Date: 2009-Sep
Researchers found that a policy of setting minimum prices for alcohol, combined with a ban on quantity discount promotions, could make a significant contribution to tackling Scotland's alcohol misuse problem.
Source: Robin Purshouse et al., Model-Based Appraisal of Alcohol Minimum Pricing and Off-Licensed Trade Discount Bans in Scotland: A Scottish adaptation of the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model version 2, Scottish Government (web publication only)
Links: Report | SG press release | SNP press release | Alcohol Policy UK press release | BBC report
Date: 2009-Sep
A report evaluated the Nurse-Family Partnership programme, which provided intensive support for vulnerable first-time young mothers and their families.
Source: Jacqueline Barnes et al., Nurse-Family Partnership Programme: Second Year Pilot Sites Implementation in England – The Infancy Period, Research Report RR166, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | DCSF press release
Date: 2009-Sep
The government published its response to an independent advisory group's review of the 2001 sexual health and HIV strategy. It said that the work that had been undertaken to implement the strategy had had a real impact on the lives of many people: but there was a need to make sure that these improvements were sustained and embedded, and to reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies
Source: Moving Forward: Progress and priorities – Working together for high-quality sexual health: Government Response to the Independent Advisory Group's Review of the Sexual Health and HIV Strategy, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Response
Date: 2009-Jul
A report examined the importance of engaging communities in health promotion and health services, and the health benefits that this could bring.
Source: Fiona Campbell with Liam Hughes and Tim Gilling, Reaching Out: Community engagement and health, Improvement and Development Agency (020 7296 6693) and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Jul
The 'first statistically robust national survey' of school meals in England was published. Take-up of school meals was 39.3 per cent in primary and special schools, and 35.1 per cent in secondary schools, academies, and city technology colleges.
Source: Take Up of School Lunches in England 2008-2009, School Food Trust (020 7273 5205)
Links: Report | SFT press release | DCSF press release | Sustain press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Jul
A report examined the role of business in improving public health.
Source: We're All In This Together: Improving the long-term health of the nation, Public Health Commission (01372 945926)
Links: Report | Southampton University press release
Date: 2009-Jul
A survey examined participation by children and young people in out-of-school sporting opportunities, and their total participation in sporting opportunities both in and out of school/college. Just over 1 in 5 of those aged 5-19 (21 per cent) took part in 3 hours or more of organized sport per week: whereas 47 per cent did no organized sport.
Source: Ipsos MORI, Children and Young People's Participation in Organised Sport: Omnibus survey, Research Report RR135, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Jul
Researchers examined the impact of healthy school meals on educational outcomes. There was evidence that healthy school meals did improve educational outcomes, in particular in English and science.
Source: Michele Belot and Jonathan James, Healthy School Meals and Educational Outcomes, Working Paper 2009-01, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex (01206 873087)
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2009-Jun
A report examined the effects of individuals' skills on wider outcomes related to health. Education significantly reduced the probability of being a smoker (and smoking intensity), of being a binge drinker, and of being classified as obese.
Source: Augustin de Coulon, Elena Meschi and Marisa Yates, Education, Basic Skills and Health-related Outcomes, National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (020 7612 6476)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Apr
An article examined the issue of smoking in relation to mental health, focusing on the right to dignity and respect. The public health agenda on smoking had involved the mobilization of stigma to persuade people to give up: this strategy risked adding to the stigma and process of 'othering' that many mental health service users already experienced, and was also likely to be ineffective in reducing smoking rates, particularly among heavy smokers.
Source: Joanne Warner, 'Smoking, stigma and human rights in mental health: going up in smoke?', Social Policy and Society, Volume 8 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Apr
An article examined the incorporation of equity considerations into economic evaluation of public health interventions. The potential benefits of considering equity were likely to be largest in cases involving: (a) interventions that target disadvantaged individuals or communities, and that were also relatively cost-ineffective; and (b) interventions to encourage lifestyle change that might be relatively ineffective among 'hard-to-reach' disadvantaged groups, and hence might require re-design to avoid increasing health inequalities.
Source: Richard Cookson, Mike Drummond and Helen Weatherly, 'Explicit incorporation of equity considerations into economic evaluation of public health interventions', Health Economics, Policy and Law, Volume 4 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Apr
A report said that self care could make a significant contribution to health outcomes and quality of life: but engagement with some schemes had been relatively low, with recruitment skewed towards certain socio-demographic groups.
Source: Peter Bower et al., What Influences People to Self Care?, National Primary Care Research and Development Centre (0161 275 0611)
Links: Report | NPCRDC press release
Date: 2009-Apr
An article said that personal financial incentives were one of several means by which health behaviour might be changed. Payments could be more powerful than providing information, and less restrictive than legislation.
Source: Theresa Marteau, Richard Ashcroft and Adam Oliver, 'Using financial incentives to achieve healthy behaviour', British Medical Journal, 9 April 2009
Date: 2009-Apr
A think-tank report said that the government had underestimated the economic importance of better healthcare. Healthier companies were more productive and profitable; greater activity on public health issues by employers would mean reduced demand on the National Health Service budget; and the NHS itself could show the way, and save billions of pounds in the process.
Source: Nick Bosanquet, Andrew Haldenby and Helen Rainbow, Fit for Recovery, Reform (020 7799 6699)
Date: 2009-Mar
A report developed definitions for preventative health interventions and preventative spending; considered the major causes of ill-health in England, and the risk factors responsible for the majority of this disease burden; identified existing spending on prevention in England; considered the models used in other countries to prioritize preventative interventions, and the applicability of one such model to the English healthcare system; and made recommendations to take forward further work that could provide the basis for a future strategy for prevention for England.
Source: Michael Griffin, Robert Sherriff, Monica Dent, Don Sinclair and Katie Wright, Prevention and Preventative Spending, Report 2, Health England (01865 334747)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Mar
The Chief Medical Officer for England published his 2008 annual report. He called for society to recognize the effect of 'passive drinking' on society, and for a shift in public opinion on alcohol similar to the move to smoke-free public places. There should be a minimum sale price of 50 pence per unit of alcohol, in order to reduce the consumption of alcohol and its associated harms.
Source: 150 years of the Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer: On The State of Public Health 2008, Chief Medical Officer/Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report | DH press release | Alcohol Concern press release | Alcohol Policy UK press release | RCN press release | BBC report | Guardian report | FT report | Pulse report
Date: 2009-Mar
The Scottish Government announced (following consultation) plans to tackle alcohol abuse by setting a minimum price per unit and banning discount deals.
Source: Changing Scotland's Relationship with Alcohol: A framework for action, Scottish Government, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Framework | Consultation responses | SG press release | Alcohol Concern press release | Alcohol Policy UK press release | NUS press release | BBC report (1) | BBC report (2) | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Mar
A report provided an overview of children's health in relation to their environment, and recommended areas that should be taken forward in order to protect and promote children's health and to meet the United Kingdom's commitment to the Children's Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe.
Source: A Children's Environment and Health Strategy for the United Kingdom, Health Protection Agency (020 7339 1300)
Links: Report | HPA press release
Date: 2009-Mar
A report said that economic incentives could play an important role in improving public health. The following interventions were found to be effective: central government support via matching grants to health service commissioners that funded health-promoting or disease-prevention programmes; matching grants to employers; direct payments or other subsidies to individuals to engage in health-promoting activities; and taxes on unhealthy behaviours.
Source: Julian Le Grand and Divya Srivastava, Incentives for Prevention, Report 3, Health England (01865 334747)
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Mar
A report examined ways in which the healthcare regulator's assessment of standards could influence commissioners and providers to 'step up' their performance in protecting and promoting health and reducing health inequalities.
Source: Alan Maryon-Davis et al., Stepping Up: Using health standards to improve public health, Faculty of Public Health (020 7487 1185)
Links: Report | CHAI press release
Date: 2009-Mar
An annual compendium of health statistics was published. It highlighted a steady decline since 1999 in the number of available hospital beds per 100,000 population in all countries of the United Kingdom. Since devolution the rate of decline had been fastest in Scotland, with the other three countries experiencing more modest rates of bed loss. Since 2003-04 there seemed to have been an acceleration in the reduction of available beds in England.
Source: Compendium of Health Statistics (20th Edition), Office of Health Economics (020 7930 9203)
Links: OHE press release
Date: 2009-Feb
An article examined the extent of inequalities in health between urban and rural areas, as well as inequalities in health across rural areas, in England. Rural dwellers were significantly less likely than residents of urban areas to report their health as being fair or poor, and to report common mental disorders – independent of their socio-demographic characteristics. However, as for urban settlements, there were significant variations in health across semi-rural areas and across villages, indicating the presence of health inequalities within rural settings.
Source: Mylene Riva, Sarah Curtis, Lise Gauvin and James Fagg, 'Unravelling the extent of inequalities in health across urban and rural areas: evidence from a national sample in England', Social Science & Medicine Volume 68 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Feb
A report said that 3 million people were living at risk of malnutrition in the United Kingdom, with the cost of the condition estimated to be £13 billion every year. The vast majority of those at risk of the condition were living in the community – and not in care homes and hospitals, where the focus of government action had been to date. The disproportionate burden of malnutrition in deprived areas exacerbated health inequalities.
Source: Combating Malnutrition: Recommendations for action, British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (01527 457850)
Links: Summary | BAPEN press release | Help the Aged press release | BBC report
Date: 2009-Feb
A report said that there had been recent improvements in public health in England in a number of critical areas, such as declining mortality rates in targeted killers (cancers, all circulatory diseases, and suicides); increasing life expectancy, at its highest ever level; and reducing infant mortality, at its lowest ever level. However, in some areas particular challenges remained, such as rising rates of diabetes and of chlamydia. There had been improvements in some important health determinants, such as the number of people who smoked, the quality of the housing stock, and increases in physical activity levels and in fruit and vegetable consumption: but there were areas of concern, such as increasing levels of obesity in adults and children. Even where improvements had occurred, health inequalities were often present.
Source: Health Profile of England 2008, Department of Health (web publication only)
Links: Report | Statistical press release | DH press release | Kings Fund press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2009-Jan
Over one-third of adults drank more than the recommended daily amount of alcohol at least one day each week during 2008. 86 per cent of survey respondents said that they had heard of measuring alcohol consumption in units, compared with 79 per cent 11 years earlier.
Source: Deborah Lader, Drinking: Adults' behaviour and knowledge in 2008, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | ONS press release | RCP press release | RCN press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Pulse report
Date: 2009-Jan
The government began consultation on guidance from Chief Medical Officers on alcohol consumption by young people. It was recommended that young people up to the age of 15 should avoid alcohol altogether.
Source: Draft Guidance on the Consumption of Alcohol by Children and Young People from the Chief Medical Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Department of Health (08701 555455) and Department for Children, Schools and Families
Links: Consultation document | Hansard | DH press release | RCP press release | Alcohol Policy UK press release | NCB press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2009-Jan
A study found that over half (52 per cent) of those people who did weekly physical exercise said that their health was 'excellent' or 'very good', compared with 43 per cent of those who exercised less often. 43 per cent of people who watched television every day said that their health was excellent or very good, compared with 59 per cent of less frequent viewers.
Source: Rossy Bailey and Alison Park, 'Britain at play: should we "do" more and view less?', in Alison Park, John Curtice, Katarina Thomson, Miranda Phillips and Elizabeth Clery (eds.), British Social Attitudes: The 25th Report, SAGE Publications Ltd (020 7324 8500)
Links: Summary | NatCen press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2009-Jan
