Addressing the leading risk factors for ill health

Abstract

Smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity and harmful alcohol use are leading risk factors driving the UK’s high burden of preventable ill health and premature mortality. All are socioeconomically patterned and contribute significantly to widening health inequalities. This Health Foundation report summarises recent trends for each of these risk factors and looks at national-level policies for England, introduced or proposed by the UK government between 2016 and 2021. The report reviews the government’s approach and finds a heavy reliance on policies aimed at changing individual behaviour and an uneven approach across risk factors, with particularly weak action on alcohol. The report also identifies that decision making across departments has been disjointed, undermining health improvement targets.